Beginning Monday, May 2, booksellers can sign up to receive a free box of a special paperback edition of Christina Soontornvat’s middle grade novel The Last Mapmaker (Candlewick Press) to give to young readers in underserved communities. Booksellers who sign up will also get a $150 marketing stipend and a chance to win an author visit with Soontornvat. Visit Bookweb.org starting Monday and click on the banner image to sign up.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) added new education modules to its free digital learning platform, Ascent. Ascent, which is geared towards women entrepreneurs, now features eight “Journeys” covering topics like disaster and economic recovery, strategic marketing, access to capital, partnerships, and entrepreneurial leadership. Create an account to start learning.

Last week, the American Booksellers Association’s Advocacy Team submitted a comment to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in response to their public inquiry into merger guidelines aimed at strengthening enforcement against illegal mergers. Read ABA’s comment.

Independent booksellers across the country have chosen Emily Henry’s Book Lovers (Berkely) as their top pick for the May 2022 Indie Next List. Here, Bookselling This Week and Henry talked about how she wrote the book.