NEIBA News
November 27, 2019
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Notes from the Advisory Council

2020: Putting Sustainability on Our Agendas
By Nicole Brinkley, Oblong Books & Music (Rhinebeck, NY)
The day you receive this, I will be 27 and one day old. By the standards of Victorian society, I have moved past  spinster  and become a  thornback . With my awesome new draconic title and the power of my birthday to support me, I want to talk about my favorite topic: sustainability in bookselling.

Yes, if you are reading this, you are a bookseller. You already know that sustainability in bookselling is important. 

But what kind of conversation are we having around sustainability?

Depending on your background, and your position, and your store, you might be thinking about sustainability in terms of bookstor e  sustainability... or you might be thinking of it in terms of bookseller sustainability. You might be thinking about the business standards in the industry... or you might be thinking of the business standards in your community. You might be thinking of how much money you need to pay yourself and your employees well... or you might be thinking of other resources you can offer them within your budget, like educational opportunities and CSA shares.

As we head into the holiday season, where we shall roll in the value of our expertise and rejoice in books flying off the shelves—and as we head into the new year, where we will avoid political commentary like the plague and try not to fall prey to the next big anonymous book—I want us to consider what we've been talking about and the limits we've placed on our conversations. I want us to broaden our horizons.

I want us to think big.

I want us to think creatively. 

I want us to talk to each other, and push ourselves, and go above and beyond.

Sustainability for bookstores and bookselling doesn't happen by having the same conversation over and over again. It happens by talking to people from more marginalized backgrounds about what they need. It happens when we're imaginative about how we help each other and help our communities. It happens when we change our culture.

This is going to be a big holiday season. 2020 is going to be a big year.

Let's claim it and make it ours. 
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3 Ways for Customers to #ShopLocal this Weekend
Plaid Friday (November 29)
New England and plaid go together like turkey and stuffing. Or pie and... more pie!
Instead of waking before dawn for  “Black Friday”  deals, shoppers should sleep in, eat some leftovers, and don their favorite piece of plaid for a day of shopping local. It's  “Plaid Friday.” Encourage customers to post photos of their plaid-inspired outfit and use #PlaidFriday!

Small Business Saturday (November 30)
The winter holidays are just 3 weeks away! Books are a given, but do customers know they can also find jewelry, mugs, socks, candles, or other thoughtfully-stocked gifts at your store? If a customer is stumped, encourage them to ask a bookseller or use the 2019 Holiday Catalog!

Cider Monday (December 2)
Why should book-lovers stay in on  “Cyber Monday”  when they can enjoy a cup of hot cider at at your bookstore? That’s right, it’s  “Cider Monday.” For those of you willing to brave the cold, consider offering a sweet treat. And if you ship books, remind your online customers!
Participating in any of the above? Tag @NEIBAbooks so we can feature you on our social media channels!
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Holiday Catalog Resources
Did you miss (or misplace) this week's e-mail with Holiday Catalog resources?
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Join the Windows & Mirrors Committee
And don't forget to submit titles for the 2020 list!
The Windows & Mirrors Committee is looking for dedicated and passionate booksellers throughout New England to join us in curating a list of diverse, and well-crafted children’s books across all genres. Our goal is to create a list that follows Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop's ethos that all children should be able to “find representations of their own experiences and identities (“mirrors”), and be exposed to many experiences and identities of people unlike themselves (“windows”).” We use a broad definition of diversity which includes, but is not limited to: LGBTQIA, Native and Indigenous, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities. (Read our full mission statement.)

If you are interested, please fill out this application . Questions? E-mail Read Davidson ( rdavidson@harvard.com ) and Tildy Banker-Johnson ( tildy@belmontbooks.com ). 

Don't forget! S ubmissions for the 2020 list are open . All NEIBA members and publishers may submit titles which fit our mission statement. Please feel free to share the link to the submissions page with other booksellers and publishers: bit.ly/wm2020submissions .  
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Happy 70th Anniversary, Vermont Book Shop!
Come celebrate on December 2 or December 17
The Vermont Book Shop will celebrate 70 years in business this December 17th, 2019. To commemorate the occasion, the Book Shop will collaborate with John Vincent of A Revolutionary Press to create a letterpress broadside of a Robert Frost poem, “A Time to Talk.” This poem speaks to the mission of The Vermont Book Shop as a place for the community to gather and interact with their friends and neighbors. The bookstore will also partner with Sunrise Orchards of Cornwall, Vermont, to offer free cider on Monday, December 2nd, a day becoming known as Cider Monday, a shop local initiative created by the Toadstool Bookshops in NH to counteract Cyber Monday, and have the letterpress prints available. Proceeds from sales of the print will benefit the H.O.P.E. food shelf as well as other organizations as determined by A Revolutionary Press, which is itself a non-profit organization.
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Food for Thought
A round-up of pieces across publications.
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Promotions for Holiday/Re-Stock Orders
Wondering which publishers/wholesalers have special
promotions for holiday and re-stock orders?


To receive this grid by e-mail every Monday,
e-mail Ali the names and emails of those who would like to receive it.
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Social Media Spotlight
Maxima Gift Center
@maximabooks: Happy Thankgiving (Thursday) and
National Native American Heritage Day (Friday)! 
Want to be featured? Use #NEIBA in social media posts 
(or tag @neibabooks) so we can see & share your photos!
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NEIBA 
Best Sellers   
for the week ended
Sunday November 24, 2019

Based on reporting from the independent booksellers of
NEIBA and IndieBound  

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. The Dutch House
Ann Patchett, Harper, $27.99, 9780062963673
2. Olive, Again
Elizabeth Strout, Random House, $27, 9780812996548
3. The Starless Sea
Erin Morgenstern, Doubleday, $28.95, 9780385541213
4. Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens, Putnam, $26, 9780735219090
5. The Water Dancer
Ta-Nehisi Coates, One World, $28, 9780399590597
6. The Giver of Stars
Jojo Moyes, Pamela Dorman Books, $28, 9780399562488
7. The Testaments
Margaret Atwood, Nan A. Talese, $28.95, 9780385543781
8. Agent Running in the Field
John le Carré, Viking, $29, 9781984878878
9. Nothing to See Here
Kevin Wilson, Ecco, $26.99, 9780062913463
10. The Topeka School New!
Ben Lerner, FSG, $27, 9780374277789
11. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
Ocean Vuong, Penguin Press, $26, 9780525562023
12. The Guardians
John Grisham, Doubleday, $29.95, 9780385544184
13. Blue Moon
Lee Child, Delacorte Press, $28.99, 9780399593543
14. Trust Exercise New!
Susan Choi, Holt, $27, 9781250309884
15. A Better Man New!
Louise Penny, Minotaur, $28.99, 9781250066213

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. A Warning New!
Anonymous, Twelve, $30, 9781538718469
2. The Body
Bill Bryson, Doubleday, $30, 9780385539302
3. Talking to Strangers
Malcolm Gladwell, Little Brown, $30, 9780316478526
4. Blowout
Rachel Maddow, Crown, $30, 9780525575474
5. Dumpty: The Age of Trump in Verse
John Lithgow, Chronicle Prism, $19.95, 9781452182759
6. The Pioneers
David McCullough, S&S, $30, 9781501168680
7. Educated
Tara Westover, Random House, $28, 9780399590504
8. Finding Chika
Mitch Albom, Harper, $24.99, 9780062952394
9. Strange Planet New!
Nathan W. Pyle, Morrow Gift, $14.99, 9780062970701
10. Catch and Kill
Ronan Farrow, Little Brown, $30, 9780316486637
11. Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds: 100 New Ways to See the World New!
Ian Wright, The Experiment, $19.95, 9781615196258
12. Janis: Her Life and Music New!
Holly George-Warren, S&S, $28.99, 9781476793108
13. Year of the Monkey New!
Patti Smith, Knopf, $24.95, 9780525657682
14. Me
Elton John, Holt, $30, 9781250147608
15. Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving New!
Mo Rocca, S&S, $29.99, 9781501197628

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
1. The Overstory
Richard Powers, Norton, $18.95, 9780393356687
2. Unsheltered
Barbara Kingsolver, Harper Perennial, $17.99, 9780062684738
3. The Great Alone
Kristin Hannah, St. Martin's Griffin, $17.99, 9781250229533
4. Little Fires Everywhere
Celeste Ng, Penguin, $17, 9780735224315
5. A Gentleman in Moscow
Amor Towles, Penguin, $17, 9780143110439
6. The Best American Short Stories 2019
Anthony Doerr, Heidi Pitlor (Eds.), Mariner, $15.99, 9781328484246
7. Olive Kitteridge
Elizabeth Strout, Random House, $17, 9780812971835
8. Before We Were Yours
Lisa Wingate, Ballantine, $17, 9780425284704
9. The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Heather Morris, Harper, $16.99, 9780062797155
10. There There
Tommy Orange, Vintage, $16, 9780525436140
11. Girl, Woman, Other
Bernardine Evaristo, Grove Press/Black Cat, $17, 9780802156983
12. The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood, Anchor, $15.95, 9780525435006
13. Flights New!
Olga Tokarczuk, Riverhead Books, $17, 9780525534204
14. Killing Commendatore New!
Haruki Murakami, Vintage, $17, 9780525435761
15. Nine Perfect Strangers
Liane Moriarty, Flatiron Books, $17.99, 9781250069832

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
1. No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference
Greta Thunberg, Penguin, $10, 9780143133568
2. The Old Farmer's Almanac 2020
Old Farmer's Almanac, $8.95, 9781571988102
3. Upstream: Selected Essays
Mary Oliver, Penguin, $17, 9780143130086
4. The Library Book
Susan Orlean, S&S, $16.99, 9781476740195
5. Classic Krakauer: Essays on Wilderness and Risk
Jon Krakauer, Anchor, $15, 9781984897695
6. Born a Crime
Trevor Noah, Spiegel & Grau, $18, 9780399588198
7. Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari, Harper Perennial, $22.99, 9780062316110
8. Calypso
David Sedaris, Back Bay, $17.99, 9780316392426
9. Leadership: In Turbulent Times New!
Doris Kearns Goodwin, S&S, $18, 9781476795935
10. Braiding Sweetgrass
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Milkweed Editions, $18, 9781571313560
11. The Best American Food Writing 2019 New!
Samin Nosrat, Sylvia Killingsworth (Eds.), Mariner, $15.99, 9781328662255
12. These Truths: A History of the United States
Jill Lepore, Norton, $19.95, 9780393357424
13. The Flame New!
Leonard Cohen, Picador, $18, 9781250234797
14. The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America New!
Matt Kracht, Chronicle, $15.95, 9781452174037
15. White Fragility
Robin DiAngelo, Beacon Press, $16, 9780807047415

MASS MARKET
1. Good Omens
Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Morrow, $9.99, 9780062836977
2. Doctor Sleep New!
Stephen King, Pocket, $10.99, 9781982138868
3. The Left Hand of Darkness
Ursula K. Le Guin, Ace, $9.99, 9780441478125
4. The Name of the Wind
Patrick Rothfuss, DAW, $9.99, 9780756404741
5. Elevation
Stephen King, Scribner, $9.99, 9781982102326
6. The Illustrated Man New!
Ray D. Bradbury, S&S, $7.99, 9781451678185
7. Dune New!
Frank Herbert, Ace, $10.99, 9780441172719
8. A Game of Thrones New!
George R.R. Martin, Bantam, $9.99, 9780553593716
9. Animal Farm
George Orwell, Signet, $9.99, 9780451526342
10. Past Tense New!
Lee Child, Dell, $9.99, 9780399593536

CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED
1. The Crayons' Christmas
Drew Daywalt, Oliver Jeffers (Illus.), Penguin Workshop, $19.99, 9780525515746
2. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Robert Frost, Susan Jeffers (Illus.), Dutton, $16.99, 9780525467342
3. Dasher: How a Brave Little Doe Changed Christmas Forever
Matt Tavares, Candlewick, $17.99, 9781536201376
4. The Shortest Day
Susan Cooper, Carson Ellis (Illus.), Candlewick, $17.99, 9780763686987
5. The Snowy Day New!
Ezra Jack Keats, Viking Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9780670012701
6. Sisters First New!
Jenna Bush Hager, Barbara Pierce Bush, Ramona Kaulitzki (Illus.), Little, Brown Books
for Young Readers, $18.99, 9780316534789
7. Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), Harper, $8.99, 9780694003617
8. Make Way for Ducklings
Robert McCloskey, Puffin, $7.99, 9780140564341
9. The Mitten New!
Jan Brett, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, $8.99, 9780399231094
10. The Polar Express New!
Chris Van Allsburg, HMH Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9780544580145

CHILDREN'S INTEREST
1. Guts
Raina Telgemeier, Graphix, $12.99, 9780545852500
2. My Book with No Pictures New!
B.J. Novak, Dial Books, $9.99, 9780593111017
3. A Tale of Magic...
Chris Colfer, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $18.99, 9780316523479
4. White Bird: A Wonder Story
R.J. Palacio, Knopf Books for Young Readers, $24.99, 9780525645535
5. Best Friends
Shannon Hale, LeUyen Pham (Illus.), First Second, $12.99, 9781250317469
6. Dog Man Guide to Creating Comics in 3-D New!
Kate Howard, Dav Pilkey (Illus.), Scholastic, $10.99, 9781338568844
7. Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks New!
Jason Reynolds, Alexander Nabaum (Illus.), Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, $17.99, 9781481438285
8. Call Down the Hawk
Maggie Stiefvater, Scholastic Press, $19.99, 9781338188325
9. Sisters New!
Raina Telgemeier, Graphix, $10.99, 9780545540605
10. The Girl Who Drank the Moon New!
Kelly Barnhill, Algonquin Young Readers, $9.95, 9781616207465

CHILDREN'S SERIES TITLES
1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball New!
Jeff Kinney, Abrams, $14.99, 9781419739033
2. The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air, #3) New!
Holly Black, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9780316310420
3. Sofia Valdez, Future Prez (The Questioneers)
Andrea Beaty, David Roberts (Illus.), Abrams, $18.99, 9781419737046
4. Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls
Dav Pilkey, Graphix, $12.99, 9781338236590
5. The Toll (Arc of a Scythe, #3)
Neal Shusterman, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9781481497060
6. The Secret Commonwealth (Book of Dust, Volume 2)
Philip Pullman, Knopf Books for Young Readers, $22.99, 9780553510669
7. The Hidden Kingdom Graphic Novel (Wings of Fire) New!
Tui T. Sutherland, Mike Holmes (Illus.), Graphix, $12.99, 9781338344059
8. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Book 1) New!
Philip Pullman, Laurel-Leaf, $8.99, 9780440238133
9. Dog Man New!
Dav Pilkey, Graphix, $9.99, 9780545581608
10. Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1) New!
Neal Shusterman, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $11.99, 9781442472433
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