Posted By Linda-Marie Barrett,
Monday, February 17, 2025
Updated: Sunday, February 16, 2025
Monday Morning Coffee Recap
Good morning, friends.
I hope you’re all doing well. We made a few big announcements last week: the winners of this year’s Nancy Olson Bookseller Award, a cover reveal for our indie summer reading guide, and a call for your input on education at our New Voices New Rooms conference in August. Please check out last week’s newsletter to catch up on these and other important updates. I’m pulling out two items I don’t want you to miss!
Place your order for SIBA’s summer indie reading guide! The deadline to claim your FREE 500 copies is March 15! The ordering process is easy, but we’re here to help if you have any questions. We’re offering a webinar on Wednesday (Feb 19) to answer questions and offer suggestions on how to make the most of this membership perk.
Get one of our March Madness events on your calendar. These events are member favorites. They are FREE to members, offering you and your staff networking opportunities, ARCs and author luncheons, and professional education. Each week we spotlight one of the March Madness host stores in our newsletter. Last week we highlighted the delightful Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, NC.
As always, please let us know if you have questions, want to offer suggestions, or just say hello. We’re here for you!
MEREDITH ADAMO, TAYLOR BROWN, AND ANNABELLE TOMETICH ARE THE RECIPIENTS OF THE 2025 SOUTHERN BOOK PRIZE
(Asheville, NC) As a valentine to people who love Southern literature, Southern indie booksellers and the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance are pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Southern Book Prize (SBP).
This year’s winners are Rednecks by Taylor Brown (St. Martin’s Press) in Fiction, The Mango Tree by Annabelle Tometich (Little, Brown and Company) in Nonfiction, and Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo (Bloomsbury YA) in Young Readers. Winning authors receive a donation in their name to the charity or nonprofit of their choice.
The Southern Book Prize, representing Southern bookseller favorites from the past year, is awarded to “the best Southern book of the year” as nominated by Southern indie booksellers and voted on by their customers. Winners were chosen by popular vote from a ballot of finalists in fiction, nonfiction, and literature for young readers, making every Southern Book Prize winner a true Southern reader favorite. Readers who submit a ballot can choose to be entered into a raffle to win a collection of the SBP finalist and winning titles.
Southern booksellers on the winning books:
2025 SBP Fiction Winner: Rednecks by Taylor Brown
St. Martin’s Press, May 2024 “The themes of family, labor's value, and economic freedom are as prescient today as during the novel's time period. Rednecks is well-researched and engrossing. I felt like I was in the cold, muddy camps along with the families.”
-- Susan Williams, M. Judson, Booksellers in Greenville, South Carolina
2025 SBP Nonfiction Winner: The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony by Annabelle Tometich
Little, Brown and Company, April 2024
“Parts of Annabelle Tometich's story of growing up in Fort Myers, Florida, the daughter of a Filipino mom and white dad, are so unbelievable they must be true. Written by a veteran journalist and food critic and writer, The Mango Tree is incredibly entertaining and compellingly readable.”
-- Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia
2025 SBP Young Readers Winner: Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo
Bloomsbury YA, April 2024
“I loved the twists laced through this thrilling story. A mystery full of heart and at times deeply unsettling. Teenagers are messy, but they are wholly human with all the pain that often includes.”
-- Rayna Nielsen, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana
The Authors
"You, friends, are the unexpected boon of the writing life, and I'm so incredibly grateful for you all." -- Taylor Brown
Meredith Adamo said, "I'm beyond honored that Not Like Other Girls has won the Southern Book Prize, and I'm so grateful to the booksellers who have championed this book from the start so that it could find its way to readers, right when they need it. There's something truly special about indie bookstores here in the South, from the rich literary scene to their fierce commitment to community advocacy. My life is so much more vibrant because of them. I'm so thankful!" Adamo is giving her prize to the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Taylor Brown requested his prize be donated to the Fred Barkey Education Fund which, in partnership with the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum and West Virginia Labor History Association, is an initiative dedicated to advancing labor history education. “I'd like to thank all of the booksellers and readers who've read and supported Rednecks and my other work over the years,” he said. “You, friends, are the unexpected boon of the writing life, and I'm so incredibly grateful for you all. From a boy, many years ago, reading Where the Wild Things Are, to the Southern Book Prize, is a dream I could hardly imagine. As for Rednecks, I hope it might continue to open the eyes, minds, and hearts of new readers. Family, community, and love cannot be easily broken, and we are stronger together than apart.”
When she was told she won, Annabelle Tometich said, “Let me start by saying, ‘AAAAAAHHH!!!!!’ which, more or less, sums up my current state. To be the first Filipino American author to win the Southern Book Prize in nonfiction, to add a new thread to the fabric of this beloved award, I am honored. Thank you wholeheartedly to the indie booksellers who nominated this juicy-sweet book, and to the readers who loved it enough to vote for it. Maraming salamat, y'all.” Tometich asked that her prize go to the Quality Life Center of Southwest Florida which strives to create a brighter future for individuals and communities. Through a blend of academic enrichment, performing arts, leadership development, and cultural awareness, they empower young people and under-served communities to unlock their full potential and thrive.
About the Southern Book Prize
An indie bookseller-curated, reader-chosen award, The Southern Book Prize showcases books that have been favorite “handsell” titles of Southern booksellers and establishes indie booksellers as a knowledgeable, trustworthy source for avid readers looking for their next great read.
The Southern Book Prize, formerly known as the SIBA Book Award, has been awarded annually since 1999. SIBA launched the public ballot in 2019 to encourage stores to engage their customers in the important question of what books deserve to be called “the best Southern book of the year.” For more information, visit the home of the Southern Book Prize at The Southern Bookseller Review.
The March Madness Bookseller Series event at Page 158 Books is all about one of the key things that set indie bookstores apart from their competitors: customer service. Page 158 Books takes customer service seriously, to the point that many customers think of the owners and staff as friends and family. Page 158 trains their staff to view customer interactions as the beginning of a relationship, and emphasizes being authentic, welcoming, and going the extra mile to serve customer needs. Attendees will learn tips on hiring and training staff to grow your store's customer base and inspire loyalty and increased sales.
Store owners Suzanne and David Lucey regularly seek professional training in customer service to keep their skills fresh. "We've taken trainings from The Retail Doctor for several years and love to share snippets of learnings with staff on a regular basis," said Suzanne. "Customer service is what differentiates us from all of our online and big box competition. We've found that some people seem to have an intuitive knack for good customer service and some just repeat what they've seen in the marketplace and that may not be good!"
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Thursday, February 13, 2025
New Voices New Rooms (NVNR) seeks author submissions and proposals for education programming for its upcoming conference in Atlanta, August 3-6, 2025.
Subitting an author:
Authors must be represented by an exhibiting publisher. Priority is given to authors with books releasing in the Fall of 2025 and Winter/Spring of 2026. Publishers are encouraged to submit authors from underrepresented communities. Deadline to submit is May 1, 2025.
Proposals are welcome from all NVNR stakeholders, including booksellers, authors, and publishers. Submissions may include ideas for education you would like to see offered, as well as proposals for education that you would like to present. Submissions should focus on topics that would be useful to small businesses and independent bookstores. Deadline to submit is May 1, 2025.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Thursday, February 13, 2025
The cover of the 2025 Indie Summer Reading Guide was features artwork from Zoe de Las Cases Paris Colouring Book (Hachette), A beautiful collection of Parisian scenes to color in, from French designer and decorator Zoé de Las Cases. (see on Edelweiss).
Two things to do right now, that will only take a few moments:
Reserve your free store catalogs. The 500 free catalogs are a key piece of bookstore summer marketing programs, and an important member benefit.
Register for the SIBA Seasonal Catalogs Webinar on 2/19 at 3:00 PM. SIBA Membership Coordinator Candice Huber and RAMP Director Suzanne Shoger will answer questions about SIBA's catalog program and share tips on how to make catalogs the keystone piece in your summer and winter marketing to attract new customers and more sales.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Thursday, February 13, 2025
(Asheville, NC) SIBA is very pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Nancy Olson Bookseller Award, honoring the memory of the legendary bookseller and founder of Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC. Katie Brown of Malaprop's in Asheville, North Carolina and Angie Tally of The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina will each receive a $2500 cash award in recognition of their work bringing books to readers.
The 2025 Nancy Olson Bookseller Award Recipients
Katie Brown, Bookstore Manager at Malaprop's in Asheville, NC
“I'm floored to have won this award. I work with someone who knew Nancy and her impact on bookselling. To imagine that I had that same kind of impact (even for a moment) is humbling. Particularly the reason (Hurricane Helene), it was one of the wilder times in I think many folks' lives and to have someone I work with anonymously say "Hey, you did a good thing and helped us" when I was scrambling to figure out what to do had me in tears.” --Katie Brown
Angie Tally, Children's Department Manager at The Country Bookshop in Pittsboro, NC
"In 2005 at a booksellers conference in Winston Salem, when SIBA was still called SEBA, I was introduced to Nancy Olson. I had just taken over as the children's department manager of the Country Bookshop after Nancy’s dear friend, and the Country Bookshop owner Joan Scott, had passed away. Nancy was a legend in the industry, and her vote of confidence was a powerful thing. For more than 20 years now, it has been my greatest pleasure to share my love of books with children in Southern Pines and all of southeast North Carolina through book fairs, school author events, storytimes, and casual interactions in the Country Bookshop kids department. Tens of thousands of books, hundreds of authors, countless stories later, I know I am the luckiest of all people to be a part of such an amazing bookselling community. Winning the Nancy Olson Bookseller award is like winning the Newbery Award for Booksellers- The highest of all possible honors. I am humbled, honored, and delighted to be chosen as a 2025 recipient." --Angie Tally
The Award selection committee includes SIBA Executive Director Linda-Marie Barrett, Nancy Olson's husband Jim Olson, and long-time bookseller Sarah Goddin who worked with Nancy Olson at Quail Ridge Books. Commenting on the winners, Goddin said "When I look at the nominations for the two winners the first thing that comes to mind is how much Nancy would have admired them for their kindness, their courage and their bold actions on behalf of their communities, customers, colleagues and authors. That is what she was all about and they are truly outstanding booksellers in every way."
Jim Olson agreed. "Nancy would be proud of our honorees," he said. "She loved the ability to handsell books and the dedication to customer service as shown by Angie and Katie. Both these women are excellent booksellers who welcome new authors and promote their books. It is a privilege to honor Angie and Katie with this year's Nancy Olson Bookseller Award."
About the Nancy Olson Bookseller Award
The Nancy Olson Bookseller Award was created by SIBA in cooperation with an admirer of the late legendary bookseller in recognition of her tireless support of writers, especially new writers. An award in her memory of $2500 is given in December to two SIBA booksellers who are not store owners.
For more information about the Nancy Olson Bookseller Award, visit sibaweb.com.
Reservations are now open for bookstores for the 2025 Indie Summer Reading Guide gift catalog. Bookstores receive 500 catalogs at no cost, as well as a dedicated store page of the digital edition for online promotions. Extra boxes can be ordered at cost.
The SIBA/RAMP Gift Catalog program provides bookstores with summer and winter printed gift catalogs free of charge. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the 2025 Indie Summer Reading Guide is a cornerstone for store seasonal marketing plans and an invaluable tool for attracting new customers.
This SIBA member benefit is so important that SIBA is holding a dedicated webinar focused on how bookstores use the catalogs to enhance store sales, reach new customers, and raise their own visibility in their communities. Candice Huber, SIBA's Membership Coordinator, will be joined by Suzanne Shoger, the director of the RAMP catalog program, to talk to stores and answer their questions:
New Voices New Rooms (NVNR), the combined annual conference for the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) and Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA), is pleased to announce the dates of its 2025 Annual Conference, which will be held August 3 - 6, 2025, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, Georgia.
What to expect at NVNR 2025:
Dedicated time to network with booksellers, authors, and publishers
Tours of Atlanta area bookstores
General and region-specific education
Brand new event app
Tour of AmericasMart, a leading wholesale marketplace housing the nation's most extensive gift product mix
Focus on title discovery via genre buzz and rep pick sessions
Opportunities to meet authors at panels, signings, and receptions
"The success and health of one independent bookstore is a benefit to all, so we never feel like competitors." -- Lyn Roberts, General Manager, Square Books
The March Madness Bookseller Series event at Square Books will focus on how to grow a successful subscription program. Square Books general manager Lyn Roberts says, "Our Signed Firsts program began in 1992 and has been operating continuously these years, but we have had a few overhauls." She credits the program as "an important regular monthly stream of revenue we can count on and that allows us to focus on a particular book we believe in. It also helps to develop customer loyalty and belonging."
When asked why they wanted to host a March Madness event for SIBA booksellers, Roberts emphasized the importance of sharing information in the bookselling community. "We wanted to host March Madness for many reasons," she said. "First, we really appreciate being a part of the SIBA community and there is nothing better than getting together with other booksellers to share ideas, especially when those booksellers are your neighbors. We like to share information we have that we believe will help others, and also solicit expert opinions and feedback on our stores. We have visited other stores for March Madness and would like to reciprocate. Beyond the experience with our colleagues, we enjoy hosting authors in Oxford and having an opportunity to talk with them about new titles. It's a beneficial program for all, and also just plain fun!"
On January 29, 2025, SIBA hosted its annual winter orientation for bookseller members. Orientations are designed to introduce new members to some of their important member benefits, and give veteran members a chance to see how member benefits have been updated.
The winter orientation covered topics such as how to update your SIBA account and email preferences, how to join SIBA's Discord community, the March Madness Bookseller Event series, the Seasonal Catalogs program, how to use The Southern Bookseller Review in your store, and where to find information on financial aid, scholarships, grants, and free SIBA membership options.
Linda-Marie Barrett / Executive Director:
Reading: The Girl of His Dreams by Donna Leon, another pleasurable dive into contemporary Venice through the eyes of Commissario Guido Brunetti. Brunetti's fondness for the simple pleasures of good food, drink, and lively conversation make time spent with him a welcome escape.
Listening: Last night we heard peepers, an extraordinarily welcome sign of spring! Though they'll soon be diving back into the mud to escape next week's cold temperatures, their chorus is the sweetest sound to my ears.
Watching: All Creatures Great and Small, which epitomizes the essential goodness of community during a time of war. I also love the period details-the woolen garments, the acceptance of compromise (with some secret sharing of eggs and butter) in what's available for food and housing, and the lack of distracting phones.
Candice Huber / Membership: Reading: The Bookshop by Evan Friss, for research. It's interesting thus far! I also downloaded an ARC of Prose to the People: A Celebration of Black Bookstores by Katie Mitchell, and so far it's wonderful. Listening: Almost finished The Lotus Empire! Also have been on a 90s music kick lately. Watching: Started Severance season 2, but have only watched the first episode so far. It's as weird as ever!
Nicki Leone / Communications: Reading: Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq, Still hand sewing with The Alabama Stitch Book. And my pursuit of sanity read is Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency by Olivia Laing Listening: My new thing is to set my Merlin bird identification app to "record" and then listen to it tell me what all the birds are I'm not seeing. Watching: Movie night with SP was Tampopo (1985), a "Ramen Western," I guess. It was lovely and sweet -- even the sex scene with the raw egg yolk. I'm not sure how it managed to be uplifting, hilarious, and yet sometimes quite icky, but I came away smiling and with a deep respect for the perfect bowl of ramen.
SP Rankin / Website Administrator: Reading: Even though the hard copy of Virginia Feito's Victorian Psycho will arrive any day, I couldn't wait to start it so it is my very first ebook purchase from Bookshop. Listening: Lilly Hiatt's excellent and loud new album, Forever.
Watching: Nicki and I watched Tampopo (1985), which on the surface is the story of two truck drivers trying to help a woman open a superior ramen restaurant framed as an affectionately chaotic parody of a western but in reality is a tale of the inextricable connection between love, death, birth, sex, and food. Ramen takes stamina!
Andrea Richardson / Sales: Reading: The most adorable upcoming YA book from Jonathan van Ness and Julie Murphy: Let Them Stare. It's magical and adorable and so fun!
Listening: The crack of little league bats as kids get warmed up for the upcoming season across the street.
Watching: A really interesting show from Australia called You Can't Ask That. Small groups of marginalized people answer anonymously submitted questions. It covers allllll of the emotions.
Posted By the Staff of Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, North Carolina,
Thursday, February 6, 2025
This week Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, sent a letter to their customers acknowledging the difficult times facing the community and affirming the store's commitment to supporting them. Flyleaf has generously allowed SIBA to reprint their letter:
Hi. Community check-in. Every day at our store we have the privilege of interacting with you, our friends and community members, in hundreds of small vignettes. Lately, when we ask how you are, we hear the same things: you're scared and exhausted. Our staff echoes your fears in our own conversations. You're not exaggerating. This is happening. It's only going to get more difficult.
This is a declaration of the store's ownership and management's commitment to supporting our community, especially its most vulnerable members. This means that Flyleaf Books is committed, first and foremost, to unflinching noncompliance with fascism in all forms.
We will not share any customer information with any government agency.
We will never willingly volunteer any personal details about our customers to law enforcement and will fight any attempt to compel us.
We will fight censorship and advocate for the circulation of books that special interest groups seek to ban.
We will continue to work with local organizations to get books into the hands of kids who need books right now, especially those who need to see themselves in books.
We will never call immigration enforcement.
We will never tell you what bathroom to use.
We will stand for accessibility services and support community resources.
We will always ask ourselves how to reduce harm.
We will remain transparent, receptive, and accountable to feedback from you about our role, responsibilities, and our blind-spots.
We will remain in an open conversation about what we can and should be doing to resist.
For as long as our doors are open, we will continue to provide a place for readers and writers to come together, to read, to speak, to look at fun stickers, to bring your cute dogs (please!), to use the bathrooms, to meet, to escape, to experience joy or sorrow or fear or whatever you need to feel.
Despite everything, we have hope for this state and for our piece of it. This fight isn't new for us—it has simply emerged from the margins, where some people could ignore it, into a starker, less forgiving sun. Almost every day we hear about fear, it's true—but we also hear from folks who are organizing, who are resisting in ways both communal and personal; who are committed to survival, to radical love, to transformative justice, to doing the work. We hear about your protests, book clubs, D&D groups, zines, family trips, queer tarot readings, therapeutic initiatives, and everything else you have going on. Our mandate to be a resource is nonnegotiable and more vital than ever before in the history of our store, but also, it was always vital.
Stay safe. Hold each other close. Check in with one another. We're all we have.
At its annual meeting in October, SIBA reported that store membership grew nearly 30% in 2024. In fact, 25% of SIBA's bookstores registered for the first time last year and are new to the organization. The growing number of bookstores -- and their many creative approaches to their businesses -- is a hopeful sign in uncertain times.
With so many new members joining the organization, SIBA is hosting a series of virtual events this spring that will provide a comprehensive look at some of the programs and benefits available to SIBA bookstore members. These events are for both new and veteran members of SIBA and focus on providing booksellers tools to help their businesses succeed.
SIBA's Summer and Holiday Catalog program is by far its most popular and cost-effective member benefit. Learn how this easy and free member benefit can enhance your store sales and reach new customers.
Learn how to use SIBA's reader-targeted newsletter of bookseller recommendations and reviews to benefit your bookstore, and increase your store's visibility with publishers, authors, and potential new customers.
This session is an overview of the range of financial support SIBA offers bookstores, including scholarships, grants, rebates, subsidies, and free benefits and resources. A special focus will be given to financial assistance available for attending the New Voices New Rooms Annual Conference in August.
Timed in advance of hurricane season, this webinar will focus on the steps bookstores can take to minimize the impact of a natural (or other) disaster, and provide an overview of the resources SIBA has available to guide stores in preparing for when things go wrong.
The March Madness Bookseller Series event at Plenty Downtown Bookshop will be about how the bookstore integrates storytelling into their marketing, in-store displays, shelf-talkers, and more. As a hybrid non-profit, a nonprofit, and a community-sponsored shop, Plenty is not simply selling books: they are crafting an experience for their customers which has resulted in increased customer loyalty and engagement and, as a result, more consistent revenue. Store owner Lisa Uhrik shares why that topic is important to the store and why Plenty is eager to host an MMBS event:
Why did you pick this topic to talk about with your fellow booksellers?
Lisa Uhrik: I think we may have an unusual level of interest in storytelling through display. It's helpful to Plenty and we'd like to share that. In our connected media and content, our front windows, and our displays (which means in every shelf in the bookshop) we are trying to practice the art of good writing.
We think about a macro story that we want to tell each quarter and each month... and then we think about connected, individual power stories that spring from our own lives and from book inspirations. The art of a connected story is our aim that encompasses everything we do: from subscription programs and memberships, to B2B offerings, our many events, etc.
Our shelves are like sentences, our cases are like paragraphs and our special displays pull from something genuine and real -- an honest statement from one of our book staff designed to speak to one person. It's about the way the books are arranged with book adjacent things (we use that rather than the term "sidelines" because if it is in the shop, it is part of the story.) For some, it may be a different way of thinking about how we help our shelves talk and be true curated extensions of our hearts and minds.
We are trying to design a labyrinth -- an experience that requires exploration of the entire space, rather than a genre-specific trip or dip. And we are designing those experiences for a few chosen personas that we want to deeply understand:
the visiting, serendipitous book browser
the busy parent/grandparent
the bookclub enthusiast
the creative in life transition
the child reader
We hope to be like a visit to Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood where new "neighbors" in the forms of real people and characters in books become new friends. We have nine key, connected community activities that help our "Tree of Plenty" extend with branches beyond the walls of the bookshop, which is like the tree trunk.
What made you want to host a March Madness event?
LU: We offered to host because Stacy and I loved going to an event last year at Parnassus, and we wanted to continue conversations like that. Part of our nonprofit charter is to be good for our world of independent bookshops: we think of a Plenty as a "laboratory" where we are learning how to best connect with each person.
Book Buzz Feature: I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com by Kimberly Lemming by Kimberly Lemming I was just desperate for a bit of fun. The world is dark and terrible enough as it is. When I wrote the first book, I just wanted to take myself on a fun little adventure where I knew everything was going to be ok in the end….Imagine you’re minding your business as an animal researcher and then out of nowhere you get attacked by a lion. Rude right? Now imagine you and that lion get abducted by aliens and brought onto a ship with a bunch of freaky looking birds trying to poke and prod at you. You manage to fight your way to freedom, steal an escape pod and crash land onto a planet populated by taller, hotter aliens and dinosaurs. Also, the lion talks now. So, there’s that.
― Kimberly Lemming, Interview, Parnassus Books
Decide For Yourself Banned Book Feature: Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy
I hardly know where to start…I loved everything about this book! Ramona is spectacular in her extraordinary ordinariness ( and I mean that in the very BEST way). She is every girl – sure of herself until she isn’t – and struggling to find her way back while remaining true to herself. Her cast of supporting characters are the kids we encounter every day. They are gay, straight, black, white, struggling, privileged, confident and questioning and they are NOT “issues.” They are just regular kids, and their stories are spectacular. This is the perfect addition to the #WNDB [We Need Diverse Books] canon and exactly what bookstore shelves should be filled with!
― Laura Donohoe, Spellbound Children’s Bookshop in Asheville, North Carolina
Linda-Marie Barrett / Executive Director:
Reading: The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor. Reminiscent of Harry Potter, with a school to hone magical abilities, layered worlds, misunderstood orphans, and young adults saving the day. Perfect reading for deep winter.
Listening: Enjoying the “Songs for Cozy Mornings” on my Calm app, and the chimes gently sounding in the breeze.
Watching: All Creatures Great and Small, which often brings tears because of everyone’s good-heartedness during a time of war. Also back to the first season of Death in Paradise, which is kind of the opposite, though the main police crew are delightful.
Candice Huber / Membership: Reading: How to Protect Bookstores and Why by Danny Caine and The Bookshop by Evan Friss for research. Still on Breath of the Dragon for "fun," but who has time for fun reading? Listening: I went back to The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri. About 60% through the audiobook.
Watching: Only a few episodes left in our Schitt's Creek binge!
Nicki Leone / Communications: Reading: Still with The Alabama Stitch Book for my hand sewing lessons. And I'm excited my book club chose Tanya Tagaq's Split Tooth for next month. I've read it before and am so glad I'll have people to talk to about it! Listening: I caught up with the latest episode of the Slightly Foxed podcast, all about William Golding. I am now suitably ashamed that I have never read anything by him except Lord of the Flies in high school. The Spire is in my Bookshop.org shopping cart. The Yield by Tara June Winch is still first in my audiobook queue. Watching: My current late-night background television show is the (original) Star Trek series. I wish there were more than three seasons. But on the other hand, it was an era when "a season" was thirty episodes long, so its really like five seasons now. For my TV show I need to pay close attention to, I've got wrapped up in The Pitt. It's billed as a kind of new ER (which I've never seen) but I love the pace, the camera work, and how even the minor characters in its cast of thousands (all crammed into a Claustrophobically small space) are real and multidimensional. It's a show with a generous spirit, with no pat answers, and not so much about medicine as it is about how people keep themselves sane.
SP Rankin / Website Administrator: Reading: Lauren McBrayer's frothy Like a House on Fire, which made for some excellent brain candy. Charleston: A Bloomsbury House and Garden, the gorgeously photographed book on Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant's home from 1916 until 1978. Everything--from the walls to the furniture to the bathtub--served as a canvas for their art and that of their friends, for whom Charleston was a second, even sometimes first home as well as the hub of English literature and art.
Listening: I spent much of a recent, reluctantly taken road trip listening to the Belgian/Egyptian singer Tamino, after hearing a podcast episode featuring his new single ("Sanctuary") with Mitski. Though classically trained, he somehow manages to sound like Rufus Wainwright and Jeff Buckley at the same time, in one beautiful--almost in a painterly way--song after another.
Watching:Oklahoma! (1955). When I've seen a movie many times, I like to pay attention to something different during each viewing. This time it was the dozens of astonishingly talented, disciplined dancers filling every scene, many of them imported from the original Broadway production.
Andrea Richardson / Sales: Reading: An ARC of the upcoming Nora Roberts thriller Hidden Nature. I need a nice comfort read and I always know what to expect from Nora. Listening: The sounds of quiet in my house after hosting a few family members for a few nights. It's nice. Watching: The birds outside at the bird feeder (and the cats are watching pretty closely too)
Posted By Candice Huber, SIBA Membership Coordinator,
Thursday, January 30, 2025
In the spring of 2023, a new law in Arkansas was passed that would charge booksellers and librarians as criminals for providing “harmful” materials to minors. Like many of the laws of its kind being passed across the south, the goal was to strike fear into booksellers and librarians so they would self-censor what they carry. And like many of the same laws, it was vaguely written and broadly sweeping, unclear about what the exact legal obligations of booksellers and librarians would be under the law.
In response, the Central Arkansas Library filed a lawsuit challenging the law. Wordsworth Books in Little Rock was initially approached to join the lawsuit in April of 2023. Co-owner Kandi West said they were already aware of the law and were concerned. “The political climate in our state is such that the legislation was really focused against libraries and librarians. There had not been really anything targeted at the bookstore environment; however, the way this legislation was written was vague and the language was such that if anyone decided to use it against a business, they definitely could,” West said.
West and her co-owners met with the Central Arkansas Library director to discuss Wordsworth’s involvement in the case. Joining the case was a scary proposition, as the bookstore had no idea what the community response would be or whether they would be targeted. Ultimately, co-owners West, Lynne Phillips, and Lia Lent agreed that if there was something they could do, it would be worth taking the risk. Wordsworth then reached out to Pearl’s Books in Fayetteville to invite them to join the suit as well.
Co-owner of Pearl’s Books Daniel Jordan said, “I was concerned about our staff and what it might look like to be so publicly involved in a hot button issue. However, we only experienced customers and strangers congratulating and encouraging us for our involvement.”
The library’s counsel offered to represent the bookstores pro bono, and a firm in New York who has experience in similar cases offered to represent the bookstores as well. The two legal teams discussed and ultimately decided it would be best for the parties to have separate counsel. Once the counsel was official, Wordsworth co-owner Lynne Phillips emailed the advocacy team at the American Booksellers Association, who quickly responded the same day. The ABA then stepped in and helped the bookstores plan for what would happen next, including aiding the bookstores with prepping for how to answer questions from the press, both in writing and in person. They also helped with FAQs about the case, what to expect from social media bots, and protecting bookstore staff from harassment. West said one of the most useful recommendations from the ABA was for the stores to take down any reference to specific staff members from their websites and social media, which they did before the lawsuit was officially filed.
West said customers of Wordsworth were supportive of their efforts, with many calling or coming into the store to ask how they could contribute financially to the legal efforts. They received online orders from around the country from people who wanted to show support. They even received handwritten letters, one from a teacher in the northeastern part of the country who included support from her students.
The time between the lawsuit being filed and the initial decision was only a few months. In July of 2023, a judge issued a preliminary injunction against the law that was to go into effect August 1. It then moved forward for a permanent decision, which took more than a year. During this time, the bookstores wouldn’t hear anything for a long period of time, then they would be asked for specific information. According to West, their time spent on the lawsuit was negligible. One thing they were asked to do was to prepare a list of books they had in the store that would be appropriate for an older minor but not appropriate for a younger one. A main defense of the case was that books cannot be vaguely labeled as appropriate or not for a minor because a seven-year-old does not read the same books as a seventeen-year-old. Most of the books the bookstores provided for the list were on high school English curriculums. They highlighted that many of the books being targeted were classics.
Finally, in December of 2024, a federal judge struck down key parts of the law, finding that elements were unconstitutional. In his ruling on the case, U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks wrote, “The law deputizes librarians and booksellers as the agents of censorship; when motivated by the fear of jail time, it is likely they will shelve only books fit for young children and segregate or discard the rest.”
West said the publicity from the lawsuit piqued their community’s interest in banned books. They were repeatedly asked where the “banned books” shelf was in the store and about what books were banned. West said, “It allowed us to begin educating our customers when they asked these questions. We also started a book club at the store that only reads books that have been challenged. When they hear that a book is on a banned books list, they are confused as to why they are still able to purchase the book or why their child is still assigned to read it in school. And the most asked question is always ‘but WHY is it banned?'”
Jordan said they are extremely grateful to Wordsworth for inviting them to be involved. “I am so so thankful that we are part of a community of folks fighting for literacy and free expression,” he said.
Lynne Phillips, co-owner of Wordsworth Books, said, “I do think that there was strength in numbers - being a part of the suit with library systems, other bookstores, and individuals made it a lot easier to stand up against the censorship in the bill. This was an opportunity for us to truly stand up for what we believe in, and I am proud that WordsWorth was a part of this and grateful to have had so many strong partners.”
When asked what their advice would be for stores facing similar banned book laws, West said the best advice she can give is for stores to partner with other stores and organizations and tackle the issue together. She said to look for like-minded people with power and influence in your community and ask those people for help and/or direction. Jordan agreed with that advice and added that contacting the ABA as soon as possible for help and support is crucial. They can also help stores decide if joining a lawsuit is appropriate for your specific situation. Banned book laws are all fairly similar, however, they differ from state to state, and sometimes a bookstore’s involvement could have more negative consequences.
1/29/2025: Arkansas Attorney General appealed the decision the judge made in the banned books case. The case will go to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in St. Louis.
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I hope you’re all doing well. We made a few big announcements last week: the winners of this year’s 
(Asheville, NC) As a valentine to people who love Southern literature, Southern indie booksellers and the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance are pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Southern Book Prize (SBP). 
Meredith Adamo said, "I'm beyond honored that Not Like Other Girls has won the Southern Book Prize, and I'm so grateful to the booksellers who have championed this book from the start so that it could find its way to readers, right when they need it. There's something truly special about indie bookstores here in the South, from the rich literary scene to their fierce commitment to community advocacy. My life is so much more vibrant because of them. I'm so thankful!" Adamo is giving her prize to the 
Taylor Brown requested his prize be donated to the 
When she was told she won, Annabelle Tometich said, “Let me start by saying, ‘AAAAAAHHH!!!!!’ which, more or less, sums up my current state. To be the first Filipino American author to win the Southern Book Prize in nonfiction, to add a new thread to the fabric of this beloved award, I am honored. Thank you wholeheartedly to the indie booksellers who nominated this juicy-sweet book, and to the readers who loved it enough to vote for it. Maraming salamat, y'all.” Tometich asked that her prize go to the 
March 10: Page 158 Books, Wake Forest NC 
New Voices New Rooms (NVNR) seeks author submissions and proposals for education programming for its 
Katie Brown, Bookstore Manager at Malaprop's in Asheville, NC
Angie Tally, Children's Department Manager at The Country Bookshop in Pittsboro, NC
The Nancy Olson Bookseller Award was created by SIBA in cooperation with an admirer of the late legendary bookseller in recognition of her tireless support of writers, especially new writers. An award in her memory of $2500 is given in December to two SIBA booksellers who are not store owners.
New Voices New Rooms (NVNR), the combined annual conference for the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) and Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA), is pleased to announce the dates of its 2025 Annual Conference, which will be held August 3 - 6, 2025, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, Georgia.
Linda-Marie Barrett / Executive Director:
Candice Huber / Membership:
Nicki Leone / Communications:
SP Rankin / Website Administrator:
Andrea Richardson / Sales:
At its annual meeting in October, SIBA reported that store membership grew nearly 30% in 2024. In fact, 25% of SIBA's bookstores registered for the first time last year and are new to the organization. The growing number of bookstores -- and their many creative approaches to their businesses -- is a hopeful sign in uncertain times. 
In the spring of 2023, a new law in Arkansas was passed that would charge booksellers and librarians as criminals for providing “harmful” materials to minors. Like many of the laws of its kind being passed across the south, the goal was to strike fear into booksellers and librarians so they would self-censor what they carry. And like many of the same laws, it was vaguely written and broadly sweeping, unclear about what the exact legal obligations of booksellers and librarians would be under the law.