We are just over three months away from a bookstore celebration with over 1,200 stores participating so far! Check out the to-dos below to stay on track for April 25!

This year, we’re excited to partner with Edelweiss to give away $50 gift cards to customers on Indie Bookstore Day! The first 50 participating stores to sign up will receive materials to host the give away. Sign-ups are now open*. If your store is selected, you will receive a confirmation email with next steps in the following weeks from a member of Edelweiss.

*To enter, you must be signed up to participate for Indie Bookstore Day (stores that have ordered exclusives are already participants). 

To Dos:

Sign up to participate in Indie Bookstore Day

• Your store can still be included on the IndieBound Indie Bookstore Day searchable map without any purchases if you sign up through your Member Dashboard by March 31, 2026**. 
• **If you have already ordered exclusives or signed up already, you do not need to complete this form again.

Start party planning (and/or organizing a crawl).

• Determine your displays, merchandising, food/drink, games, and events. Check out the ideas shared from last year’s events from participating bookstores! 
• Need some tips and ideas from fellow booksellers? Register for our ShopTalk on Thursday, February 5, at 3:00 pm ET.

Check your ipage account.

• Track your order by locating the “Find My Order” button at the top of ipage in your Ingram account and enter your Purchase Order Number or EAN/Product Code. Stores whose accounts are not in good standing with Ingram will not have their order completed or shipped.

Look for an invoice from Blackwing Pencils.

• Stores who have ordered from Blackwing will be hearing from them either in January or in February. Each store will receive a phone call and email from a member of the sales team. They will be confirming the order and shipping address along with notifying stores on what to expect (i.e., invoice, shipping, timeline). Blackwing orders must be paid prior to shipping.
• If your store was unable to order Blackwing pencils in the fall, contact [email protected] to be added to a waitlist for any extra sets available. 

Work with Bonfire on a free custom design.

• ABA members can claim a free custom design (a one-time offer in your store’s history) from Bonfire, a free online platform where you can design, sell, fundraise with, and order custom products to build your bookseller brand. Email Taylor Soignoli at [email protected] to get started with your design and have your shirts ready to wear and/or sell before Independent Bookstore Day! Stores can choose to incorporate the Indie Bookstore Day logos if they wish. If you are interested in using the Tom Gauld illustration from the T-shirt and tote bag, contact [email protected] for permission.
• If wanting the general design, purchase the Indie Bookstore Day 2026 shirt directly from our Bonfire page.

Key Dates to Know:

• March 31, 2026: Indie Bookstore Day 2026 General Participation Form closes through your Member Dashboard. (Stores that didn’t order exclusive items can sign up to participate until this date.)
• April 3, 2026: Indie Bookstore Day Searchable Map goes live on IndieBound
• Mid-April, 2026: All exclusives ship to bookstores
• April 20–24, 2026: Indie Bookstore Day Spirit Week
• April 25, 2026, the last Saturday in April: Independent Bookstore Day

Check out the Independent Bookstore Day BookWeb page for additional details as well as the planning guide for an additional resource. 

Stay tuned for future updates via our newsletters. Missed an issue of the Indie Bookstore Day Newsletter? Catch up on them all on BookWeb.

Questions? Contact Courtney Wallace, Senior Marketing Manager at [email protected].