Applications are currently open for the 2025 McCoy Grant for Bookseller Writers. This unique grant is offered because of the generous support of Sarah McCoy, the New York Times bestselling author of Mustique Island. Read more about the grant here.

Sarah McCoy sat down with 2024 grant recipient Maya Martin of Square Books to talk about her writing and what receiving the grant has meant to her.

Sarah McCoy: First off, congrats again on being on of the 2024 McCoy Grant recipients. It may be a new year, but we’ll be celebrating you until the 2025 recipients are announced in July! So we thought it the perfect time to sit down and chat about what you’ve been up to. How has the McCoy Grant made an impact on your writing?

Maya Martin: Just being awarded the McCoy Grant has affirmed my desire to write and become a published writer. I would tell myself that writing would never become a real thing for me. Now I have more confidence in myself, which drives me to write more and seek out opportunities to show off my work.

SM: Would you like to tell us a little about your work in progress?

MM: I have many works in progress; some are short stories, others are simple, one-sentence ideas. However, the one story that has gripped my brain and that I'm following through with is a mystery about a waterpark employee who stumbles onto a drowned body in one of the park's pools. The authorities and the park's owner are quick to write it off as a tragic accident but my main character isn't satisfied with that answer. 

SM: How has the McCoy Grant made an impact on your personal life?

MM: The grant has eased some financial burdens. Writing is hard work and, at times, costly if you want to apply for writing development courses and the like. Before the grant, I would've hesitated to pay for classes or workshops, but now I can jump into whatever I think will help me on my writing journey. 

SM: With the submission season now open, what would you tell other bookseller writers who are thinking of applying?

MM: "Do it!" As simple as that. I encourage everyone who is serious about their writing to take advantage of this grant application. It not only helped fund my writing development but it gave me a confidence boost.

Apply for the 2025 McCoy Grant here.

The McCoy Grant for Bookseller-Writers was created by New York Times bestselling author Sarah McCoy, (Mustique Island) in partnership with the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) for any unpublished southern women or nonbinary booksellers who harbor ambitions to be published writers.

Current Newsletter: From book club to bookstore: Meet Underbrush Books.

Bookstores with reviews in this week's newsletter:

• Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina
• Laura Taylor, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Florida
• Emma Aprile, Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky
• Maggie Robe, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Kristin Kehl, Midtown Reader in Tallahassee, Florida
• Courtney Ulrich Smith, Underbrush Books in Rogers, Arkansas
• Pete Mock, McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina
• LeeAnna Callon, Blue Cypress Books in New Orleans, Louisiana
• Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi
• Sandra Pinkney, Underground Books in Carrollton, Georgia
• Jessica Nock, Main Street Books in Davidson, North Carolina
• Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• Lucile Perkins-Wagel, Blinking Owl Books in Fort Myers, Florida

Book Buzz Feature: The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
I think that was the scariest thing for me going into fiction was, I have relied my entire career on conversations, on reporting, to understand what made a person tick and what made them do the things they had done. And also to be able to collect the details that made a book. I think, because I had done that for 15 or 20 years, I was really worried that I would not have the skill set, or the muscles would have atrophied to be able to build a character out of whole cloth, rather than relying on observing someone else. So that was really scary for me.

But I realized that a lot of the observations one makes as a journalist, that skill set of being able to observe things and knowing which details are most interesting and relevant, serves you really well in fiction as well, because that is the same muscles. If I’m going to write a profile on somebody my job as a journalist is noticing the details and conveying the things that separate that person from the one next to them. And that is very similar to what you’re trying to do when you’re building a character. So in the end, I feel like this thing, I was really scared about because I “don’t build characters in non fiction,” it is a similar skill set that you are using, which is noticing the details that make a place and a person differentiated from just any place or person.
― Kate Fagan, Interview, Friendly City Books

Decide For Yourself Banned Book Feature:
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
McCurdy’s story is bold and heartbreaking and beautiful. Her journey is deeply distressing in the way that only true stories can be, and told in a voice that is raw, wry, and incredibly honest. Through this memoir, McCurdy tells us that we can find our way through the darkness, even if we stumble and fall and think we never ever can find a place of peace and wellness – and I am so thankful to her for it.
― Lucile Perkins-Wagel, Blinking Owl Books in Fort Myers, Florida

NEW REVIEWS | SUBSCRIBE | SUBMIT A REVIEW | FOR PUBLISHERS

SOUTHERN INDIE BESTSELLER LIST
For the week ending 1/19/2025

Edelweiss Collections:
(sort by "Catalog Order" to see each list according to rating)

Hardcover Fiction | Hardcover Nonfiction | Trade Paperback Fiction | Trade Paperback Nonfiction | Mass Market | Children's Illustrated | Children's Interest | Children's Series

The booksellers who picked these books lapse into a literany of words in their enthusiasm: "Grotesque, wildly funny, and utterly weird," "propulsive, visceral, disorienting," "intimate, gut wrenching, and inspiring." It seems fitting that the books on the February Read This Next! list explore the many ways we connect with each other. Friends and fake romances, grief and lost partners, strange love that seems monstrous, love that is a disguise for hate.

RTNX Bookseller Resources:
Edelweiss Collection | Flyer | Flyer Graphic

What SIBA Booksellers have to say:

The Broposal by Sonora Reyes
This book has the fun romance trope of fake relationships, while also showing the struggle of an undocumented person in America. You'll laugh and you'll cry, and hope for their happily ever after.
– Gabriela Warner, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

We Do Not Part by Han Kang, e. yaewon (trans.), Paige Aniyah Morris (trans.)
Devastating, gorgeously written. I will be thinking about Kyungha and Inseon, the snow and the trees, the birds Ama and Ami, and the generations of spirits brought to life in these painful, breathtaking pages.
– Emily Tarr, Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama

But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo
Where to even begin with this book other than wowza. I was not expecting to be given the most thrilling sapphic monster romance in the entire world. But Not Too Bold gave me goosebumps and I fear that's all you really need to know about how incredible it was.
– Caitlyn Vanorder, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks
Geraldine Brooks's memoir of her life with writer Tony Horwitz and the aftermath of his sudden death in 2019 is an intimate, gut wrenching, funny and inspiring tribute to their life together and to his writing.
– Sarah Goddin, McIntyre's Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito
I've been trying to think of words to describe Virginia Feito's Victorian Psycho, and I've come up with: propulsive, visceral, disorienting, and riveting. The writing barrels you toward an ending that I was prepared to find shocking, but still managed to surprise me. I was amazed at how funny Feito is in the midst of the absolute chaos on the page and how big of a punch she managed to pack into a novella.
– Chelsea Bauer, Union Ave Books in Knoxville, Tennessee

Current Read This Next! books and what SIBA booksellers have to say about them can always be found at The Southern Bookseller Review.

About Read This Next!

Based on our booksellers' conviction that you can never have too many good books, Read This Next! is a list of books coming out next month that booksellers are especially excited about. Read This Next! Kids is a bimonthly list of forthcoming Children's and Young Adult Books receiving Southern indie bookseller love. Each list includes resources for booksellers, including an Edelweiss collection, downloadable flyer, and sharable graphic. All the included books are featured in The Southern Bookseller Review newsletter, and promoted as "Weekend Reads" on SIBA's social media channels, along with the bookstore which wrote the review.

Booksellers, please help SIBA better serve its members! Please take our one-question survey on the social media platforms your store is using:

Binc continues to hear from book and comic people affected by the California wildfires. Thanks to the generosity of Dav Pilkey, Forefront Books, Ingram Content Group, Macmillan Publishers, and Mad Cave Studios, all gifts, regardless of size, up to $45,000 will be matched. You may donate here.

From the Professional Booksellers School
Store & Operations Management registration is now open. Enroll here.
SIBA Discount Code: SIBAso

SIBA offers an upfront discount of $35 on your registration using the code. If your store pays for your registration, it is also eligible for partial reimbursement if you complete the course and become certified. Contact candice@sibaweb.com for more info on reimbursements.

Find Waldo Local signups are open
Find Waldo Local is hosted during the month of July. Registration opened 1/15 with a 2/15 deadline. Participating stores agree to place a 30+ copy order of Where’s Waldo by 4/15 (with discount and co-op incentives) and dedicate a store window and in-store display during the month of July. Participation is capped at 325 stores. You must be an ABA member to participate. More info here

Linda-Marie Barrett / Executive Director:
Reading: Donna Leon’s Doctored Evidence, a charming way to visit Venice through this mystery series. Fascinating to view cultural differences, like the inspector’s habit of indulging in a couple of glasses of wine with a big lunch, followed by a nap, before returning to work in the afternoon. His workdays may stretch till eight o'clock in the evening, but the quality of his daily experience represents a life richly spent.
Listening: To folk instrumentals or classical music on Pandora, and to the sounds of birds around our neighborhood. We lost many trees during the hurricane (40% of the trees in the Asheville area were downed or severely damaged) so not sure if it's the lack of tree cover or the time of year, but noticing an unusual amount of cooper’s hawks, owls, and other birds of prey.
Watching: The latest season of All Creatures Great and Small and Darby and Joan.

Candice Huber / Membership:
Reading: About halfway through Breath of the Dragon. Also reading some business books, the most recent being Danny Caine's How to Protect Bookstores and Why and Kathryn Finney's Build the Damn Thing: How to Start a Successful Business if You're Not a Rich White Guy.
Listening: Still on The Lotus Empire. Also listening to the beautiful silence of the winter.
Watching: Still binging through Schitt's Creek! But The Traitors season 3 has just been released, and Severance season 2 is being released this week, so those will take precedence soon!

Nicki Leone / Communications:
Reading: A Grandmother Begins the Story by Michelle Porter. Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson. Helen in Egypt by H.D.
Listening: Still with Middlemarch narrated by Juliet Stevenson. Dragging it out.
Watching: Mostly, news about the LA fires. But also a video class from Tatter on "Beginning Handsewing." Because #4 on my list of New Year's resolutions is to learn how to hem in an even, straight line. Me? I list. I drift.

SP Rankin / Website Administrator:
Reading: When my favorite uncle died years ago, I inherited his complete set of Walt Kelly's Pogo comics collections, and I finally have a place for them all. As a child in the late 1960s, I tried to read the daily newspaper strip--Kelly got his start with Walt Disney and the little animals were so cute--but I never understood it until years later. It was dense with wordplay and pointed political satire, reflecting both Kelly's wit and his unwavering progressive beliefs. I don't know that I will read all 40 volumes, but I am very glad they live on my shelves.
Listening: I woke up this morning to notifications that there was a new episode of the Slightly Foxed podcast about William Golding and new music from Sunny War. So I know what I will be listening to!
Watching: A recent visit from my daughter meant a The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City binge watch. What can I say? We both laughed so hard we almost fell off the couch.

Andrea Richardson / Sales:
Reading: House of My Mother by Shari Franke - what a sad, wild story!
Listening: Richmonder Lucy Dacus just released a new song that I will be playing nonstop until the whole album comes out in March
Watching: Pinball State finals are this weekend so I am planning to watch my friends compete on the streamed broadcast to cheer them all on to victory!

Monday Morning Coffee Recap

Good morning, friends.

Happy Monday! For those in the path of the winter storm that blew through this weekend, I hope that it was more a pretty event than one that caused hardship. Because of our recent experience with Hurricane Helene, in western North Carolina we double-checked our emergency supplies and reached out to friends in the community to make sure everyone was ready for the possibility of no power. Which brings me to one of the topics in last week’s newsletter…

• If you’re a store owner, please join us on Thursday (1/16 at 6:00 PM ET on Zoom)  for a New Voices New Rooms Owners Strategy Session. The topic is "Safety Strategies" for your store and your staff. Topics could range from an emergency response plan in case of natural disaster, fire, gas leak, etc, to social unrest and protest concerns, tips for handling unruly customers in-person and online, digital safety, etc. Share what you’re doing and learn from your colleagues about ways you could put more protocols in place. Register Here 

• SIBA's New Member Orientation is 1/29 at 1:00 PM on Zoom. SIBA hosts an orientation at the beginning of every year to introduce new members to the organization and to touch base with regular members. If you have any questions about SIBA programs or member benefits, this is a chance to ask them.

Check out last week’s newsletter for info on scholarships and financial assistance available to you, and learn about our upcoming store-led Southern Book Prize scavenger hunt! As always, please let us know if you have questions, want to offer suggestions, or just say hello. We’re here for you!

Sincerely,
Linda-Marie Barrett
Executive Director

The Nancy Olson Bookseller Award
Deadline is January 31.

The award, honoring the late founder of Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina, recognizes booksellers who go above and beyond in their calling. Two $2500 gifts will be awarded. Read more about eligibility and how to apply here: Nominate a Bookseller

The Sarah McCoy Grant for Bookseller Writers
Deadline is March 21.

Two grants of $1,500 each will be awarded to be used toward craft development (writing classes, retreats, conferences, travel), work-related materials (notebooks, laptops, software, research, etc.), childcare, bills, or any other financial obstacle. Full eligibility criteria and grant application

Marketing Resource: The ABA has put out a really useful Q1 checklist.

Ingram Extra Discount: Ingram has an Advanced Ordering Program. If you backorder any new release at least 6 weeks (42 days) before the pub date, you get an extra 2% discount.

Job Opportunity: Simon & Schuster is looking for an Associate Director of Client Sales! Info here.

Indie Press Month Display Contest: March is Indie Press Month, and the Independent Publishers Caucus wants to see your displays. The first 5 stores to post to Instagram on March 5 will receive $50 in co-op. The winner of the display contest will receive a $500 prize. You must sign up by February 26th to participate. More information and sign up here.

FREE Audiobooks from Libro for Onyx Storm Release Parties: Libro is offering free copies of the Onyx Storm audiobook for your event attendees. More info here.