SIBA Launches Jumpstart Program for New and Prospective Bookstore Owners
SIBA is excited to announce Jumpstart, a new program that aims to help members, particularly new and prospective store owners, get oriented to SIBA and its member benefits, connect with sales reps and industry resources, get started with basic financial concepts, and have an outlet for questions. The four-week-long series will cover a different topic each week and will take place May 13 - June 3 on Wednesdays at 1:00 pm. ET on Zoom. Events last 75 minutes and are free to SIBA members. Candice Huber, Membership Coordinator, will present and moderate the sessions. Bring a notebook and all your questions!
In the past year, SIBA has seen an influx of new and provisional members who are in the process of opening a store, new owners to existing stores, and stores that are just opening or have only been open for a year or two. The primary goal of Jumpstart is to give independent booksellers the tools to be successful businesses. The program will run twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. Topics will focus on basic skills and resources for store owners new to the book industry, and will be adapted to address current issues facing independent bookstores.
Topics for SIBA Jumpstart Spring 2026:
- A SIBA crash course, May 13
- Working with publishers, May 20
- Basic financial concepts, May 27
- Connecting with industry resources and bookseller tools and services, June 3
Additional tools and resources, including free classes from the Professional Booksellers School, will be available for members to educate themselves further on each topic. Discussion space will also be available via SIBA's Discord community.
It is possible to attend a single topic, but one of the goals of Jumpstart is for booksellers to go through the program as a whole class, creating relationships with their fellow attendees and developing a support network that will buoy them up through their bookselling journey.