Booksellers > New Bookstores and Store Owners
SIBA for New Bookstores and Store Owners
welcome to your community of southern indie booksellers
We're glad you're here!
No matter where you are in your new-store journey, SIBA has all the tools, resources, support, and community from your first step all the way to the finish line and beyond. The Booksellers page has a full overview of all of SIBA's programs and events, and our Membership Coordinator is only an email away for any questions large and small.
The First Five Things to Add to Your To-Do List
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Check out what the American Booksellers Association (ABA), our national trade organization, offers for opening a bookstore. Even if you aren't yet open, you can join the ABA as a provisional member and gain access to lots of great resources, such as how to develop your bookstore business plan. |
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Subscribe to Shelf Awareness for the trade and to The Independent Bookseller. |
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Do your research. Visit local indie bookstores in your area and determine gaps your bookstore could fill. There are many different bookstore models; research them and choose how you want to operate. You can always change your model later! |
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If you're not open yet, write a business plan. If you are open, write down a strategy for the next year following a similar format to the business plan. |
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Visit SCORE and your local Small Business Development Center, which can both be extremely helpful with starting a business in your area. |
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Explore the SIBA Communications
Look for the must-read SIBA Newsletter in your email inbox each Thursday afternoon with everything happening at SIBA.- You’ll also receive a Monday Morning Recap email from Linda-Marie Barrett, SIBA’s executive director, with a digest of the newsletter's most important items.
- Join our Discord server to communicate both with SIBA staff and the SIBA bookstore community, including a specific channel for new bookstores and store owners (#new-bookstore-owners). Email the Membership Coordinator for an invitation to Discord.
- Check your inbox for targeted emails from SIBA with advance review copies on offer, programming info, surveys, and event registrations.
- Get in touch with the SIBA Membership Coordinator to schedule a one-on-one session to answer questions, get help, or just find some solid bookseller support.
Resources
SIBA Membership Benefits Brochure
All the details about SIBA's programs, events, and more in a handy, printable PDF.- Peer Bookseller Resource Library
Helpful resources submitted by other bookstores (must be and active SIBA member and logged in to access). - Scholarships and Financial Assistance
SIBA, with the support of its generous sponsors, prioritizes participation in all SIBA events and programs by all members as part of our core mission. Reach out to the SIBA Membership Coordinator if you have any questions. - SIBA Toolkits and Information
Banned Books Toolkit | Request the Anti-Racism Training Toolkit - SIBA Advocacy
An primary component of SIBA's core mission is to advocate for the people involved in bookselling, and to promote and support book culture.
Marketing and Store Visibility
- The Southern Bookseller Review
SIBA's consumer-focused bookseller review site. Get in touch to learn how to join SIBA's Edelweiss community and submit your reviews to us to be featured! - The Annual Southern Book Prize
Engage your customers across multiple platforms in selecting the finalists and winners of the prestigious Southern Book Prize. - SIBA Seasonal Catalogs
Click here for complete catalog benefits and visit the RAMP website for more information about this year's summer and winter catalogs. Orders for summer catalogs typically open in March and in May for the winter catalog. - Become a SIBA Spark!
Tell us about the great things your store is doing in your communities and we will share in newsletters and blog articles! Email the SIBA Membership Coordinator if you want to have your bookstore's profile featured in SIBA's newsletter to the industry as well as to consumers on The Southern Bookseller Review. - Social Media Scavenger Hunts
Coordinated through SIBA and designed to increase your store's social media presence and discoverability. Contact the SIBA Membership Coordinator for more information.
Education and Networking Events
The annual New Voices New Rooms Annual Conference (NVNR), in partnership with the New Atlantic Booksellers Association (NAIBA), is SIBA's signature education conference and trade show. Packed with educational and networking opportunities designed especially for new store owners, NVNR is an invaluable opportunity to jump-start your new store's success.- SIBA sponsors the Professional Booksellers School's “Bookstore Year One” program, an innovative and comprehensive overview of the tools, strategies, and resources crucial for your new store's success. SIBA members receive a tuition discount. Email the Membership Coordinator for more information.
- The March Madness Bookstore Event Series gathers booksellers across the SIBA territory to network, learn, meet authors, and have fun.
- Regular Owners Retreats and Strategy Sessions: In-person during the annual New Voices New Rooms conference, and virtually throughout the year.
- Publicity Speed Dating: Fast-paced virtual sessions to introduce your store to publishers for author events.