As Americans gear up for next week's Fourth of July celebrations, ABA member booksellers are using IndieBound marketing materials to create or supplement their own unique "Independents" promotions.

Claire Klassen couldn't wait to return home from BookExpo America and start using IndieBound at Austin, Texas' BookPeople. "We are the perfect environment to spread the message of 'independents,'" she explained.

Based on sales at hundreds of independent bookstores nationwide for the eight-week period ending June 24, 2008.

When IndieBound, the new movement celebrating the value of independent bookstores and other locally owned indie retailers, was launched by the American Booksellers Association at end of May, all independently owned member stores were automatically included in the program. A Literary Liberation Box with posters, decals, buttons, bookmarks, and lots of other rallying materials was sent to all locally owned ABA member stores.

When Kevin Roberts and daughter Maia Roberts launched an online African-American bookstore a few years ago, they were well aware that "there was a lot more out there" than the small selection of African-American titles they saw at a local chain.

"Here's What You Just Did," available on BookWeb.org in flier and poster formats in both generic and editable versions, has emerged as one of the most popular marketing materials developed for IndieBound.

With IndieBound Literary Liberation Box materials in hand, ABA member booksellers ranging from Bainbridge Island, Washington, to Woodstock, New York, are reaching out to other local independent businesses in their communities. Response from other indie retailers has been, in a word, "excited."

Downloading the National Indie Bestseller Lists -- Hardcover, Paperback, and Children's -- in PDF, Word, or HTML format from BookWeb.org each week just got easier.

IndieBound, the American Booksellers Association's new community-oriented movement celebrating the value of independent businesses, is underway. On Monday, a Literary Liberation Box, including tools that booksellers can use to promote IndieBound in their stores and in their communities, was shipped to all independently owned ABA member stores.

The IndieBound Literary Liberation Box is arriving in stores now, and members are encouraged to use all of the materials in the box and in the IndieBound Bookseller DIY pages of BookWeb.org in as many creative ways as possible.