The March Madness Booksellers Series (MMBS) runs annually during the month of March. This unique event series is run by booksellers for booksellers, allowing SIBA member bookstores to showcase what they do well and providing valuable opportunities for booksellers to network with their colleagues. Averaging about 8-10 events each year, a typical series spans most of the states in the SIBA region and seeks to place an event within driving distance of most of SIBA's bookstore members.
Each one-day event in the series is hosted by a SIBA bookstore and features education from the host store, a meet-the-author lunch, networking, and an idea-share among attending booksellers. Open only to booksellers, each event is free to SIBA member bookstores and includes lunch.
Format
All March Madness events run from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM local time, and include an author luncheon. The general format for all events is:
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Education Session presented by the hosting store.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Author Luncheon
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Bookseller Idea Share
Schedule
- September & October: SIBA accepts submissions from SIBA bookstores that want to host a March Madness event.
- January: MMBS schedule is finalized and registration is opened.
- March: Multiple events across SIBA territory
Links
Host a March Madness Event
Submit an Author for March Madness
Register for March Madness
The presented education is chosen by the bookstore hosting the event and is usually focused on an aspect of bookselling the store feels it does exceptionally well:
2026 MMBS Program Topics:
Parnassus Books in Nashville, TN
Subscription Book Clubs & Kids Programming
Resist Booksellers in Petersburg VA
Building Your Brand on Social Media
Octavia Books in New Orleans, LA
Independent Bookstore Day: How to Make it Work for Your Store
Main Street Reads, Summerville SC
Creating a Store Culture where Fun is GOOD
novel & Burke's Books team up in Memphis, TN
novel: Ticketed Authorless Events
Burke’s: Navigating Longevity, Legacy, & Succession Planning
Underbrush Books in Rogers, AR
Bookseller Technology
The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, NC
Creating a Culture of Creativity at Your Store
Auburn Oil Company in Auburn, AL
Crafting Special Events to Reach New and Repeat Customers
Charis Books in Decatur, GA
Radical Hospitality
Writer's Block in Winter Park, FL
Legal Landmines and Lessons: What Every Bookseller Should Know
"We learned so much from Novel's presentation on events. That is a great topic that we all need to cover yearly! They gave a thorough talk about events that have worked well for them — how they planned and how the events turned out. There were a lot of takeaways that could work at the attendees' different stores."
—Bookseller at novel & Burke's Books, Ticketed Authorless Events / Navigating Longevity, Legacy, & Succession Planning
" I walked away with many great ideas for the bookstore and with new resources other bookstores shared with us."
—Bookseller at Underbrush Books, Bookseller Technology
"Amazing! So much good conversation from not only the host but the other bookstores."
—Bookseller at Auburn Oil Company, Crafting Special Events to Reach New and Repeat Customers
"I found the morning's presentation very inspiring. We all always think creativity and immediately start thinking of creative ideas and projects. I found the thought that we are creating with community by sharing in the creation of each moment, really stuck with me. Focusing on the fact that as soon as we interact with another we are now creating with them was something that really hit me. A huge takeaway for me."
—Bookseller at The Country Bookshop, Creating a Culture of Creativity at Your Store