Under the Magnolias by T. I. Lowe Tyndale House Publishers
May 4, 2021
Paperback, $16.99
ISBN 9781496453617
T. I. Lowe’s gritty yet tender Southern coming-of-age novel reminds us that a great story can break your heart . . . then heal it in the best possible way.
Magnolia, South Carolina, 1980
Austin Foster is barely a teenager when her mama dies giving birth to twins, leaving her to pick up the pieces while holding her six siblings together and doing her best to stop her daddy from retreating into his personal darkness.
Scratching out a living on the family’s tobacco farm is as tough as it gets. When a few random acts of kindness help to ease the Fosters’ hardships, Austin finds herself relying upon some of Magnolia’s most colorful citizens for friendship and more. But it’s next to impossible to hide the truth about the goings-on at Nolia Farms, and Austin’s desperate attempts to save face all but break her.
Just when it seems she might have something more waiting for her—with the son of a wealthy local family who she’s crushed on for years—her father makes a choice that will crack wide-open the family’s secrets and lead to a public reckoning. There are consequences for loving a boy like Vance Cumberland, but there is also freedom in the truth.
Email andreagarcia@tyndale.com for more information or to request a print ARC, while supplies last.
Number of years as a bookseller: 5 years selling books, 15 years before promoting books in the school library as the Substitute Librarian
Best part about being a bookseller?: Watching a child light up when you help them choose a book they are excited to read. I also love getting to witness a child's growth from beginning reader to book lover.
What book(s) are you reading?:
Root Magic by Eden Royce The Library Book by Susan Orleans All Together Now: A Newfoundlander's Light Tales for Heavy Times by Alan Doyle Daisies For Innocence by Bailey Catrell
Favorite handsell of 2020:
The Dragon Warrior by Katie Zhao
This fantastic adventure features a 12-year-old who overcomes being marginalized by her community to become a hero. This novel combines Chinese folklore, adventure and fantasy.
Best thing you did this year at your store:
Dragon Drop monthly book subscription. This subscription is simultaneously the best and worst thing we did this year. The best because it introduced The Storybook Shoppe to 155 new customers. The worst because we were very unprepared for how many subscriptions would be sold. When a customer asked for the service, I thought we could do this. There will be only two dozen families in our neighborhood who might be interested. We were shocked to have 89 subscriptions within 48 hours. Almost a year later we have settled into a rhythm for packing and sending and have maintained 60 ongoing subscriptions.
What are some ways you work with your community?
My favorite partnership is with the Bluffton Fire and Police Departments. Each year for the last 4 years we have hosted Local Heroes Storytime, as a part of our Children's Book Week celebrations. The event features readings by firefighters and Police officers, K-9 unit demonstrations, vehicle tours, and fire safety lessons. The event is attended by students in pre-k through 1st grade from our neighborhood elementary schools, neighborhood preschools and members of the public. We typically host over 200 attendees at the 2 hour event.
Each November we hold a Pajama drive to benefit CAPA Beaufort. The pajamas collected are matched with a book. Each child receives new jammies and a bedtime story. We also donate books to the children living in the CAPA shelter throughout the year.
Where's Waldo remains a favorite activity of both Merchants and community members.
Do you have passions that carry over into your bookselling life?
Collecting children's books. I have always loved the brilliant stories, wit and wisdom that can be found in a children's book.
What e-commerce platform are you using, and why did you choose it?
We have a shop on Bookshop.org. I have never really wanted to be in e-commerce as I enjoy the one on one aspect of hand selling books, however 2020 made it essential to have some online aspect of book selling. Bookshop works best for me.
Top priority for 2021: Professional development. I want to learn how to effectively use Edelweiss, as well as host a virtual event or two.
Favorite SIBA programming benefit: Having a community to turn to for advice, information and camaraderie. Office Hours have been a lifeline through the ever changing business environment of 2020.
The Essence of Nathan Biddle by J. William Lewis
Greenleaf Publishing
June 1, 2021
$27.95 Hardcover
ISBN:
9781626348462
A timeless, Southern Gothic-esque, coming-of-age novel that unfolds on the Alabama coast in the 1950s, The Essence of Nathan Biddle follows a young protagonist’s search for meaning, for purpose—and for answers.
“Eloquent, provocative, and beautifully written, The Essence of Nathan Biddle is like discovering The Catcher in the Rye all over again.” –David Armstrong, author of The Rising Place
Kit Biddle, nearing the end of his high school career, finds himself tangled in a web of spiritual quandaries and intellectual absurdities. Kit’s angst is only compounded by the psychological burden of his crazy uncle Nat, who sacrifices Kit’s metaphorical doppelganger, Nathan Biddle, on what the uncle claimed were direct orders from God. The murder of Nathan leaves Kit adrift, exacerbating his already compulsive struggle with existential questions about the meaning of his life.
But when Kit’s irrational decision to steal a maintenance truck and speed aimlessly down the highway ends in a horrific accident and months of both physical and emotional convalescence, Kit is forced to examine his perceptions of his life and his version of reality. Calamity focuses Kit’s mind, and forces him to confront the problems plaguing him. Readers will cheer as Kit’s tide begins to turn and he comes to terms with the necessity of engagement with life’s pain, pleasure … and absurdity.
Beautifully written, profoundly moving, and resplendent with characters destined to remain with readers long after the last page is turned, The Essence of Nathan Biddle is unforgettable
About the author: Novelist J. William Lewis lives in Shoal Creek, Alabama
Libro.fmrecently announced it is now a Social Purpose Corporation. This designation allows us to pursue both social and financial goals in the for-profit context. In other words, it can make decisions on the basis of what is best for customers and bookstore partners vs. decisions solely focused on maximizing profits. Libro.fm invites booksellers to read the report.
Bookseller Zoom Meeting, Thursday January 28th, 9am PT
Booksellers are invited to join the Libro.fm Zoom meeting to learn all that’s happening at Libro.fm in 2021, including our transition to a Social Purpose Corporation, upcoming campaigns, and tech updates. Register and come with all your questions!
Many regions are now using BookstoreLink.com for book linking to bestseller lists, award lists, and more. Bookstore Link is simple to use, enter the print ISBN, copy the url, and add to your site. Anywho clicks on a book link will be able to select a local bookstore to complete the print or audiobook purchase.
Monthly Membership Changes: Free Trial Ending 2/1
In 2021, Libro.fm is focusing their efforts on attracting and retaining the most loyal and dedicated bookstore customers, so they will be removing the free trial offer from their monthly membership starting February 1st, 2021. Find more details, next steps, and answers to questions in the Membership FAQs.
SIBA promotes six new books every month to readers, the customers of our member stores, in our Southern Bookseller Review (SBR) Bookshelf promotion. These titles appear at the top of our weekly SBR newsletter,
which has a circulation of over 60k. We also feature them on our SBR facebook page, with buy links promoted to our 15,000 Facebook friends, and on our Instagram and Twitter accounts. A different member store is featured with the titles every week.
We give SIBA member stores a heads up on each month’s featured titles, to encourage in-store and online displays.
For publishers looking to promote their new titles out to readers across the South, the SBR Bookshelf is our greatest value because of high visibility and engagement across multiple platforms. Contact us for more information or to get your titles on “The
Shelf” in coming months.
Coming up for February:
The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson, William Morrow & Company
'Til I Want No More by Robin W. Pearson, Tyndale House Publishers
And Then She Vanished by Nick Jones, Blackstone Publishing
Cormorant Lake by Faith Merino, Blackstone Publishing
Annie Laura's Gift by Milinda Jay, Mercer University Press
Maribeth Pelly, Event Manager at Booktowne, presented on Store Press Kits this week as part of NVNR prep for Publicity Speed Dating March 9-12 (Registration opens next week). The lively webinar included live-critiquing of press kits from NAIBA and SIBA stores, updated to reflect stats for virtual events and promotion through social media channels. We’re including some links for stores who are in the process of creating or updating their press kits. Maribeth is available for vetting your press kits:
maribeth@maribethpelly.com
I am excited, humbled, and overwhelmed to be your board president for 2021!
I am excited because, as it is with everything, new challenges beget new opportunities. I am humbled because to be chosen by my peers to do this job is amazing. I am overwhelmed because, like everyone else, I'm taking everything one day at a time to see
what new problems and opportunities are going to come my way from this weird, wobbly world.
I often look back on my life as a bookseller and feel as though many decisions have been made for me. I've had to learn to move with the flow of information and opportunity as HUGE players within our industry and the external forces of an unfolding history
have jostled my business to the point where the idea of pivoting is just what we do. I believe most independent booksellers feel the same way; especially after the events of the past year.
Undoubtedly, 2021 will bring more of the same challenge and opportunity. My hope is that SIBA will continue to be strengthened by our collective actions and the generosity with which we share our ideas. My store and my community are better because of
all of my bookselling colleagues (friends) that have taught me best practices and shared strategies over the years. I can draw straight lines from many of you to success that we've had in our shop or to problems we've helped tackle in our community.
I look to those connections for renewed inspiration and I want to be part of strengthening those connections for everyone.
I am always available for daydreaming, problem solving, idea sharing, program facilitating, contact sharing, landmine avoiding, strategizing, philosophizing or otherwise generally lending a helping hand. So, please always keep my contact info handy and
feel welcome to get in touch with me as much as I can be useful!
Tuesday's Reader Meet Writer with Allan Gurganus (our 50th recording!) was a really special event. One attendee wrote to thank their bookstore for making it possible:
"Thank you for sharing your many fine authors! Your series is a part of literary history in America, and the World....Big Applause to Wiley Cash for his serious, yet warm specific questions. I noted that Allan worked beyond the question to the bigger
questions of life, and that made the Q&A more like a Q&Beyond... wonderful conversation."
The event is now live to view:
Tonight's Reader Meet Writer at 7:00 PM EST features David Zucchino, author of Wilmington's Lie. There has been a surge of interest after the events of last week. A number of national news organizations, including CNN, ran pieces on the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot as an example of an earlier insurrection against an elected government. So we expect this edition of Reader Meet Writer to be well-attended.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Put on your comfiest pajamas, brew up a cup of cocoa or something stronger, and listen to five romance authors read romantic passages from their new books. SIBA and NAIBA booksellers are gathering “meeting style” so we can see each other for the first
time since the NVNR fall conference! Meet old and new friends in the chat, enjoy company, and be soothed and inspired by an hour of love and romance (and laughs).
We're doing this event "meeting style" so everyone can see each other and compare their jammies. There will also be a raffle for a $100 gift card.
This event is only open to members of regional bookseller associations. Register here
Synithia Williams has loved romance novels since reading her first one at the age of 13. It was only natural that she would one day write her own romance. When she isn’t writing, Synithia works on water quality issues in the Midlands
of South Carolina while taking care of her supportive husband and two sons. You can learn more about Synithia by visiting her website, www.synithiawilliams.com.
USA Today Bestselling author Naima Simone's love of romance was first stirred by Johanna Lindsey and Nora Roberts years ago. Well not that many. She is only eighteen...ish. Published since 2009, she spends her days writing sizzling
romances with heart, a touch of humor and snark. She is wife to Superman--or his non-Kryptonian equivalent--and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern US.
Mona Shroff is obsessed with everything romantic, so she writes romantic stories by night, even though she's an optometrist by day. If she's not writing, she's making chocolate truffles, riding her bike, or reading, and is just as likely
to be drinking wine or gin & tonic with friends and family. She's blessed with an amazing daughter and loving son who have both gone to college. Mona lives in Maryland with her romance-loving husband.
Preslaysa Williams is an award-winning author who writes heartwarming romance and women's fiction with an Afro-Filipina twist. Proud of her heritage, she loves sharing her culture with her readers. A graduate of Columbia University, Preslaysa
is a professional actress, a planner nerd, an avid bookworm, and a homeschool mom who wears mismatched socks.
Cat Sebastian lives in a swampy part of the South with her husband, three kids, and two dogs. Before her kids were born, she practiced law and taught high school and college writing. When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s doing crossword
puzzles, bird watching, and wondering where she put her coffee cup.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
New Voices New Rooms, New Season! NAIBA & SIBA comes together again to offer a series of spring events for booksellers.
January:
1/27 at 10 AM EST: Press Kit Webinar with Marybeth Pelly, Event Planner at BookTowne Free to NAIBA/SIBA members, the webinar is an important preparatory step for the Publicity Speed Dating event in March. (register here)
1/27 at 7 PM EST: Love & Pajamas: Romance before Bedtime with HarperCollins Authors will read a romantic passage from their books. Moderated by Laura Taylor, Bookstore and Programming Manager at Oxford Exchange in Tampa, Fl. (
register here)
Coming Soon:
March 9-12: Publicity Speed Dating Pitch your bookstore to up to 25 publisher representatives. This popular annual NAIBA event will now open to booksellers from SIBA as well.
March 23-25: Bookseller Social Media Retreat Take a deep dive into your social media strategies. This retreat is designed for both beginners and more advanced social media users, and will cover design and posting best practices for
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, with plenty of time for booksellers to trade information on what works best for their stores.
SIBA and NAIBA, under their New Voices New Rooms (NVNR) partnership, are collaborating this year on Publicity Speed Dating, which will take place virtually March 9-12. Save the Date! More details and registration links will be available in February.
This is a new opportunity for SIBA booksellers, and will be open to the first 40 SIBA member stores that sign up, so please stay tuned. You will want to be part of it!
In preparation for this event, we’re offering a Press Kit Preparation webinar with Maribeth Pelly,
Event Planner at Booktowne in Manasquan, NJ on Wednesday, January 27 at 10AM EST. The webinar is free and recommended for stores who have not created
or recently reviewed their press kits. SIBA stores that participated in previous press kit programming with Maribeth Pelly raved about the results.
*NOTE: stores who wish to attend publicity speed dating in March must upload a press kit to complete that registration. This webinar will help you update and analyze your current document before speed dating registration opens in February.
Dear Fellow SIBA Booksellers and Our Industry Supporters,
I want to extend my deepest thanks for the honor of serving as your president in this past year that has been so difficult for most everyone. I don’t need to go into the nightmarish details of 2020 that continue to follow us into 2021 (as the events of yesterday and continued awful news of the last few weeks clearly show), but I would like to share a few reflections.
Despite the inability to gather together in person at the SIBA conference, at BookExpo, or any other meetings since all this stuff started, I feel much closer to many of you and to our industry colleagues and bunches of authors. That is something I hope continues when things return to a less isolated future. Let’s try to keep our hearts open and keep working on the hard lessons we’ve had to face about our country and ourselves going forward.
I’ve had incredibly deep conversations with friends I’ve had for years, even decades, but never truly knew anything about their day-to-day lives. I’m glad I know those things now.
Most of us had to learn a lot of new technology this year. I love that stuff! Now I have to admit I often used it as an excuse to avoid painful emotional or financial decisions that needed to be made as, you know…I was “working”! Many of you don’t love technology and had to learn it anyway.
I still count the moment when I despaired of not having pictures of our fantastic online author events being solved with the discovery of this thing called the “screen shot” as a highlight of my year.
Then I realized all the events were recorded and I could just snap a frame out of the video and felt kind of stupid.
This revelation came months later, of course.
I learned that there was no right way to do this thing.
I made the choice to try to keep all my staff in their jobs with closed doors. We are still not open for in-store shopping. We just found different ways to do things. Others of you made your own choices with little or no information or different information every day. If your choices were different from mine, as long as you were doing everything you believed would keep everyone as safe as possible using science-based facts, I respect the integrity of those choices. Please do a kindness to your fellow booksellers and respect their responsible decisions. There was and is no “right way” to do this.
I would like to thank my fellow board members Janet, Jamie, Deanna, John, (and Shane from earlier in the year) for their contributions and their friendship. I would like to thank Linda-Marie and the SIBA staff for making the conference happen and for executing the board decisions and daily operations to turn SIBA into the organization members needed this year. I am in awe of their work. And I hope Wanda’s not reading this stuff anymore, but I thank her for building such a stable foundation for all of us.
On a personal note:
As many of you know, despite taking every precaution possible and having no earthly idea where it came from, my partner David and I contracted COVID and fell sick the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We had to shut the shop down while everyone got tested and were able to reopen after about 8 days. Both David and I were very ill for weeks, but thankfully neither of us had to go to the hospital and are both recovering with some lingering side effects.
I want to thank my staff for an exceptional job of running the shop and giving me time to heal. I want to thank John Cavalier for stepping in as president early during my illness and while I continued to play catch up when I was getting better.
Prior to that in September, October, and November I had a few truly terrifying health scares all three of which turned out fine. No worries there now, but it was a horrible time.
I bring this up, not for sympathy, but to acknowledge that many of you are dealing with just “Capital L Life” in addition to trying to run your businesses, take care of your loved ones, and deal with all the rest of everything that is going on. It’s hard. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Besides the brain fog and loss of taste and smell (thankfully slowly returning), one of the post-COVID side-effects I am dealing with is the return of my severe depression.
It’s a problem I’ve lived with my whole life and has been mostly under control for the last two decades or so. Though I’m sure most of you would not consider me a “ray of sunshine”. (You can laugh at that. It’s ok.)
It is now well documented that people who have a history of mental illness are prone to having relapses or increased symptoms post-COVID.
And I’m not going to lie to you: it’s been pretty bad.
I was able to get a great support system put together on the fly with some difficulty during the holiday season with the help of my doctor and other professionals as well as my partner, friends, and family. But I still have a long way to go to get back to feeling better.
This has been a difficult year for us all. Please watch yourselves, your colleagues, and your loved ones for signs of illness and suffering of all kinds and get help.
For mental health resources, the ABA and SIBA link to this page which has a lot of great information. Or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center.
For financial assistance, please contact BINC. They can help with medical bills, all kinds of things. https://www.bincfoundation.org
For health-related concerns: please contact your doctor (don’t put it off) or if it’s really bad go to the emergency room or call 911.
I’m still on the Board, so you’ll be seeing me around, of course. As always, my “door” is open. Just not 24 hours a day anymore. I can be reached at kelly@fountainbookstore.com and we can set up a phone call or, Lord have mercy, a Zoom if absolutely necessary to talk.
Sometimes I take a few days to respond, but know that I am here.
May You Have a Safe, Bountiful, and Joyous New Year,
Kelly Justice
Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, Past-President
The response to SIBA's guided Zoom tour of The Southern Bookseller Review on Wednesday was generally very enthusiastic. 77 booksellers and publishers attended the event. Here are some of the questions that came up:
Is The Southern Bookseller Review a site for booksellers, or for everyone?
SBR is a consumer-facing website, for readers and the people who (hopefully) shop at indie bookstores. The site promotes the reviews booksellers post on their own sites, in the newsletters, in their staff picks sections, and to Edelweiss, and makes them
easily shareable to a wider audience.
Are only new books reviewed on SBR?
No. For the launch SIBA focused on publishing reviews of fall and winter titles, since those would likely be in stock at stores. But going forward, the most important criteria for choosing what to publish is that a bookseller really liked the book. Backlist
titles will be included.
How will publishers know that reviews of books have been published?
SBR has a strong social media strategy in place, and shares reviews on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The reviewing store, the author, and the publisher are all tagged when the review is shared.
What tags should stores use when they share SBR reviews?
The official tags are #SouthernBooksellerReview and #TheSouthernBooksellerReview
How can a publisher or author get their book reviewed on SBR?
SBR only publishes reviews by SIBA booksellers. The best thing to do is to ask booksellers to read and post a review of your book. Making digital and print review copies available to booksellers is key step. Review copies can be offered through Edelweiss,
or via SIBA's "Galleys & Giveaways" and "eBlast" promotions.
Do book reviews have to be posted on Edelweiss to appear in SBR?
No. SIBA recognizes that not every book can be found in Edelweiss's platform. Booksellers who have a book not listed there, or who don't use Edelweiss, can submit reviews via the SBR Review Submission Form.
What is "Read This Next!"? Are you still publishing the Okra Picks?
Okra Picks have been re-branded as Read This Next!, a selection of 12-15 books each season. They are no longer required to be Southern, but they must show exceptional and enthusiastic early buzz from SIBA booksellers. Books are no longer nominated, but
selected based on the reviews booksellers have posted.
Do you only publish reviews after the books have been released?
No, SBR will publish reviews of books that aren't out yet, in the interest of encouraging pre-orders for titles that are generating a lot of early buzz among booksellers.
How are bookstores added to the store directory? Can I update my store's information there?
The bookstores listed in the directory come from SIBA's own member list of southern bookstores. If you see something inaccurate about your listing, you can email SIBA to have it corrected. The most important thing stores can do is to check their own account
with SIBA to make sure the information we have for you is accurate.
How often are new reviews published?
Daily! Booksellers are the most avid of avid readers, so SIBA plans on publishing 10-25 book reviews each week.
Would you like to be more involved with SIBA? Get the inside scoop on new and existing programming? Have an opportunity to provide feedback in an environment where your voice matters? Become a SIBA influencer!
What’s involved? SIBA staff meet with the influencers bi-weekly (no meetings in Sept, Nov, Dec, unless requested) to get feedback on programming and new initiatives. Meetings last one hour and occur on Tuesdays at 10AM EST. Influencers must be current bookseller members of SIBA, and only one influencer per store. We are especially interested in expanding BIPOC bookseller representation.
Please rsvp Linda-Marie by 2/1 if you’d like to be an influencer in 2021, or need more info.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Annoucing Read This Next! 2021 Winter Edition
The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance is pleased to announce the 2021 Winter Read This Next! list: a selection of winter new releases generating extra excitement from Southern independent booksellers. Each of its fifteen titles
will publish between January and March of 2021, and has received multiple high ratings and enthusiastic reviews from southern booksellers, marking them as hand-sell favorites for the forthcoming season.
Winter 2021 Read This Next titles are chosen from books publishing between January and March and reflect the wide range of reading tastes of booksellers from across the entire Southeast. Put one of these at the top of your TBR stack, because you will
want to read these next!
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins St. Martin’s Press, January
“This is one of those books that you can't wait to get back to so you can figure out what is happening.” –Amy McNabb, Reading Rock Books in Dickson, TN
The Push by Ashley Audrain Pamela Dorman Books, January
“This book will suck you in about the beauty and ugly of being a mother. It shook me to my core!” – Deanna Bailey, Story on the Square in McDonough, GA
The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, January
“An incredible debut novel filled with love, light, suffering, pain, and deep beauty - sure to be one of the year's best.” –Caleb Masters, Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC
The Fortunate Ones by Ed Tarkington Algonquin Books, January
“A compelling tale of relationships, money, facade, and good old Southern grandeur.” – Talia Smart, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, NC
Outlawed by Anna North Bloomsbury Publishing, January
“Anna North has taken the traditional Western and flipped it on its head with a feminist twist for a very refreshing and timely novel about self-worth.” – Carl Kranz, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA
Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant Balzer + Bray, January
“One of those wonderful reads that leaves its readers nose-wrinkling happy.” –Brittany Bunzey, Read With Me in Raleigh, NC
The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O’Donnell Tin House, January
“A sooty and shadow-filled Victorian London acts as a sentient backdrop to the sinister, dark, clever (and somehow even hilarious at times), detective mystery.” – Cat Chapman, Oxford Exchange in Tampa, FL
Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor Tordotcom, January
“A slow-paced meditation - think The Hobbit meets The Prey of Gods - about a young girl who calls down the supernatural and must come to terms with those consequences.” – Lizy Coale, Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, FL
The Merciful by Jon Sealy Haywire Books, January
“Every book club needs to put Merciful at the top of their "next to read" list… a thoughtful and compelling story of just how an accident affects not only the victim and the perpetrator, but also those close to them.” -- Brent Bunnell, Fiction
Addiction in Greenville, SC
The Project by Courtney Summers Wednesday Books, February
“Perfectly encapsulates the dueling states of fragility and ferocity that exist within young women when they find themselves alone in a world that isn't designed to protect them from harm. I dare you to pick up this brilliant novel.” -- Cristina
Russell, Books and Books in Coral Gables, FL
The Girl from the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat Graydon House, February
“The journey of Lecoat’s two main characters from subjugated and master to equal lovers is one that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale. -- Annie Childress,
E. Shaver, bookseller in Savannah, GA
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner Park Row, March
“I inhaled this book. The plot sucked me in and checked so many boxes for me--mudlarking (on my bucket list), forgotten women-centric history, botanical poisons, revenge against men behaving badly, and of course, secret apothecaries.” -- Candice
Conner, The Haunted Bookshop in Mobile, AL
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert Avon, March
“Talia Hibbert is the queen of cozy, sexy, hate-to-love romance and I want to soak in the Brown sisters' stories forever.” -- Sami Thomason, Square Books in Oxford, MS
Red Island House by Andrea Lee Scribner, March
“A novel of betrayal and class and colonialism, of race and culture, this is a story of finding your own foundational dignity in life’s wreckage.”– Miranda Sanchez, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, NC
Raft of Stars by Andrew J. Graff Ecco, March
“This book was just what I needed right now and the most satisfying version of ‘kids in peril’ that I can remember. I will be an evangelist for this book.” -- Angela Schroeder, Sunrise Books in High Point, NC
Read more about Read This Next! at The Southern Bookseller Review:
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Thursday, December 31, 2020
The response to the launch of The Southern Bookseller Review has enthusiastic. The subscriber list increased by 5% within the first couple days of the announcement.
An important component of SBR is a strong social media strategy, designed specifically to raise the profiles of SIBA member stores by sharing their reviews of books. SIBA has welcomed Lucy Perkins-Wagel onto the team as its Social Media Coordinator to manage SIBA's and SBR's social media.
As we move into the New Year, SIBA booksellers and members witll see some further changes as we complete the launch:
Okra Picks is now Read This Next! A selection of seasonal forthcoming books with exceptional bookseller excitement and buzz. See the 2021 Winter Read This Next list in this newsletter.
Lady Banks Bookshelf is now the SBR Shelf: Six books per month, promoted to readers, and click through links to purchase at a SIBA member store.
AuthorsRoundtheSouth.com will redirect to The Southern Bookseller Review website, the new home of SIBA's reader-targeted programming, including the Southern Bestseller List, The Southern Book Prize, and the SBR Newsletter.
The STARS Bookstore Directory will now live on the The Southern Bookseller Review website. All requests for the old site will automatically redirect to the new location.
Don't forget! On January 6 at 2 pm, EST SIBA will be hosting an orientation of The Southern Bookseller Review website and newsletter. We'll take people through the site and discuss how booksellers and publishers can make the most of the new program. REGISTER
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Hello Everyone!
My name is Lucy, and I recently joined the SIBA team to help with the social media side of things. I’m also a bookseller at Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, Florida, and a member of the SIBA Influencer’s program. I’m so excited to have this opportunity to promote SIBA programs and SIBA stores to both SIBA members and consumers, as I believe SIBA as a whole is doing some phenomenal things, and I want as many people as possible to learn about and hopefully engage with those things! To that end, if you take a fun picture, have a cool display, or something amazing happens at your store and you want to share it, please tag SIBA in your social media post, and/or send content to me directly at lucy@sibaweb.com. Please also follow SIBA across all of our social media channels so that you can see what we’re up to! You can find us on Facebook at Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance and Authors Round the South (soon to be The Southern Bookseller Review), on Instagram at @siba_books, and on Twitter at @SIndies.
I wish all of you a happy and bright new year, and I look forward to seeing what we can all do together in 2021!
SIBA promotes six new books every month to readers, the customers of our member stores, in our Southern Bookseller Review (SBR) Bookshelf promotion. These titles appear at the top of our weekly SBR newsletter, which has a circulation of over 60k. We also feature them on our SBR facebook page, with buy links promoted to our 15,000 Facebook friends, and on our Instagram and Twitter accounts. A different member store is featured with the titles every week. We give SIBA member stores a heads up on each month’s featured titles, to encourage in-store and online displays.
For publishers looking to promote their new titles out to readers across the South, the SBR Bookshelf is our greatest value because of high visibility and engagement across multiple platforms. Contact us for more information or to get your titles on “The Shelf” in coming months.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Lisa Yee Swope of Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Bonnie Shank of The Storybook Shoppe in Bluffton, South Carolina are the 2020 recipients of the Nancy Olson Bookseller Award. The Nancy Olson Bookseller
Award was launched in 2019 with an anonymous donation from an author who is also an admirer of the late Nancy Olson, founder of Quail Ridge Books. The award, which comes with a $2000 cash prize, honors booksellers who embody the spirit of Olson’s
bookselling legacy of supporting writers–especially new writers– other booksellers, and community outreach.
“Each day in the bookstore is a ray of sunshine surrounded by books and helping parents, grandparents,
and children find the right book,” said Bonnie Shank of her work as a bookseller, “Nothing is better than hearing a mother or grandmother say their children devour books. This morning a grandfather came in and was looking for a Christmas book to read
to his two and four year old grandchildren through Skype. What fun it was to help him pick the perfect book to share.” Shank said she was “humbled and proud” to have been nominated and selected for the award, which comes with a $2000 cash prize. “Our
little children’s bookstore, The Storybook Shoppe, is the soul of our community, Historic Old Town Bluffton, and I am privileged to be a part of it.” Shank came to The Storybook Shoppe nine years ago, after retiring from a 34-year career as
an English and Language Arts teacher in the Department of Defense school system, living and teaching in Panama, Okinawa, Japan and Germany.
Lisa Yee Swope, who joined Bookmarks three years ago as it was transitioning from an annual book festival
to a physical bookstore with year-round programming, said “I am delighted that the Bookmarks community sees and lauds my exuberance for sharing the things I love. It's a daily joy to be part of a great org that is making such a difference in
our schools and community.” Swope is a frontline bookseller who manages the Bookmarks Kids Club, a subscription service for kids in which she gets to individually pick books for dozens of children. This service also allows her to form ongoing relationships
with the families in the community and the grandparents, aunts, and uncles in the community who have littles they love in and out of area.
Nancy Olson’s husband, Jim Olson, served as one of the judges for the Award, along with Sarah Goddin, buyer and former General Manager of Quail Ridge Books, and Linda-Marie Barrett, Executive Director of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance.
Jim spoke of his gratitude that the sponsor of this award chose to honor Nancy Olson’s legacy in this way, “Nancy would have loved this. She was a champion of other bookstores and would have loved to have seen booksellers so generously rewarded and
acknowledged for the work they do for their communities.”
Linda-Marie Barrett echoed Olson’s sentiment and added, “We received an amazing set of nominations this year. There were so many wonderful booksellers making such a difference in their communities; it was incredibly difficult to select just two.”
The full list of nominated booksellers
Luis Correa, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA
Angie Fleming of Givens Books in Lynchburg, VA
Avery Leopard of Ernest & Hadley Booksellers in Tuscaloosa, AL
Alex McLeod of The Haunted Bookshop in Mobile, AL
Nicole McManus, My Sister’s Books, Pawleys Island, SC
Matilda McNeely of Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, GA
Kathy Neff of Square Books in Oxford, MS
Damita Nocton, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, NC
Bonnie Shank of The Storybook Shoppe in Bluffton, SC
Maximize your [12-minute] Speed Dating Meetings with the Publishers!
SIBA is co-hosting Publisher Speed Dating with NAIBA in March 2021. This is a fantastic opportunity to get your store in front of key publisher folks who make decisions on author tours and more. We want to help you be your best.
Is this your first time attending a speed dating session? Not sure what to expect? Whatever you do, we recommend you don't wing it. Stepping forward to assist is Maribeth Pelly, Event Planner of BookTowne, and seasoned speed dater and big believer
that this is the most important event of the year. She's offering private sessions that are perfect for new stores or stores new to Publisher Speed Dating (and even for veterans who want to vet their current pitch and press kit) who want to
grow their event programs in 2021.
What You will Need:
Press Kit
Confirm a meeting with Maribeth BEFORE Friday Feb 26, 2021.
What You will Receive:
90 minute Private Zoom meeting with Maribeth.
Customized tips to help nail your store's pitch.
Review of your event program goals and fine tuning of your messaging to the publishers.
Final review of your press kit before you it goes to "print"
Post Event Recap. Access to Maribeth by phone, text, email, FaceTime, or zoom to review your experience & as any follow up questions.
COST: $90
GET STARTED: Email Maribeth Pelly ASAP at maribeth@maribethpelly.com to schedule your appointment.
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Name: Sally Sue Lavigne
What book(s) are you reading?:
Best thing you did this year at your store: 
What are some ways you work with your community?
Dear SIBA Booksellers!
Dear Fellow SIBA Booksellers and Our Industry Supporters,
Annoucing Read This Next! 2021 Winter Edition
My name is Lucy, and I recently joined the SIBA team to help with the social media side of things. I’m also a bookseller at Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, Florida, and a member of the SIBA Influencer’s program. I’m so excited to have this opportunity to promote SIBA programs and SIBA stores to both SIBA members and consumers, as I believe SIBA as a whole is doing some phenomenal things, and I want as many people as possible to learn about and hopefully engage with those things! To that end, if you take a fun picture, have a cool display, or something amazing happens at your store and you want to share it, please tag SIBA in your social media post, and/or send content to me directly at 
“Each day in the bookstore is a ray of sunshine surrounded by books and helping parents, grandparents,
and children find the right book,” said Bonnie Shank of her work as a bookseller, “Nothing is better than hearing a mother or grandmother say their children devour books. This morning a grandfather came in and was looking for a Christmas book to read
to his two and four year old grandchildren through Skype. What fun it was to help him pick the perfect book to share.” Shank said she was “humbled and proud” to have been nominated and selected for the award, which comes with a $2000 cash prize. “Our
little children’s bookstore, The Storybook Shoppe, is the soul of our community, Historic Old Town Bluffton, and I am privileged to be a part of it.” Shank came to The Storybook Shoppe nine years ago, after retiring from a 34-year career as
an English and Language Arts teacher in the Department of Defense school system, living and teaching in Panama, Okinawa, Japan and Germany. 
Lisa Yee Swope, who joined Bookmarks three years ago as it was transitioning from an annual book festival
to a physical bookstore with year-round programming, said “I am delighted that the Bookmarks community sees and lauds my exuberance for sharing the things I love. It's a daily joy to be part of a great org that is making such a difference in
our schools and community.” Swope is a frontline bookseller who manages the Bookmarks Kids Club, a subscription service for kids in which she gets to individually pick books for dozens of children. This service also allows her to form ongoing relationships
with the families in the community and the grandparents, aunts, and uncles in the community who have littles they love in and out of area.