After the success of the first national Independent Bookstore Day held last month, plans are moving forward for a second annual event on Saturday April 30, 2016. It will once again be produced by Samantha Schoech and the Northern California Independent Bookseller’s Association with some financial help from the American Booksellers Association.
The new earlier timing--previously it had been held on the first Tuesday in May--is intended to prevent an overlap with what is already one of the busiest holiday weekends for booksellers, Mother’s Day. It will also separate bookstore day from Free Comic Book Day, which will take place on May 7, 2016. Stores that sell both books and comics had asked to keep the two events separate so that they could get a boost from each—and avoid customer confusion.
Other changes for 2016 include fewer and more desirable exclusives. “We are most likely going to have closer to ten items [rather than 16] and stick closer to our original guiding principal that they need to be worth lining up for,” said Schoech. The IBD organization will provide specially produced bookmarks for all participating stores in 2016. Previously bookmarks were only available for California booksellers.
While attending BEA, Schoech and NCIBA executive director Hut Landon told PW they were pleased with the response they received for next year’s event. “IBD was an unmitigated success,” said Schoech. “Without exception we were met with warmth and enthusiasm by the publishers and booksellers we talked to. Everyone really gets it now that we’ve done it on a national level.”
Booksellers are encouraged to follow IBD online and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
