Plan Now for Indies First on Small Business Saturday

With a letter from Cheryl Strayed to her fellow authors last week, preparations for the third annual celebration of Indies First on Small Business Saturday (this year November 28) kicked into high gear. The bestselling author of Wild, Tiny Beautiful Things, Torch, and the forthcoming Brave Enough (Knopf) called on her colleagues to show their support for indie booksellers by serving as honorary booksellers for the day and by linking from their own websites to their local independent bookstores (or IndieBound.org) for book sales.

Another key aspect of Indies First are the special offers, available for the entire month of October, on a wide array of frontlist and backlist titles from publishers who are showing their support for the Indies First campaign.

Indies First on Small Business Saturday is just nine weeks away, so now is the time for booksellers and authors to start making arrangements. Below is a list of helpful reminders; complete details and promotional materials are available on BookWeb.org.

Booksellers:

1. Contact a favorite local author or illustrator to come to the store on Small Business Saturday, November 28. (The store might also be contacted directly by an author or illustrator; any arrangements with an author are the store’s to make or not.) Booksellers can also consult the Indies First Author and Illustrator Index for a list of authors and illustrators who would like to participate, and then reach out directly.
2. Add your event details to the Store Indies First Activity Registry so that it can be publicized on the Indies First map on IndieBound.org. Allow 48 hours for the Indies First map to reflect your submission.
3. Check out publishers’ special offers and plan your orders. Reach out to visiting authors to find out what titles they plan to handsell and check publishers’ Indies First specials to see what offers may apply.
4. Promote, publicize, and photograph. Use store newsletters, websites, and social media postings (#IndiesFirst) to further the Indies First message and highlight your event. Encourage visiting authors/illustrators to do the same.

Authors and Illustrators:

1. Join the Indies First Authors and Illustrators Registry by completing this form. Names will remain in the Registry for all future Indies First activities. If you’re friends with a local indie, contact them directly and volunteer to be at the store on Small Business Saturday or another day. You can also find a store near your location on Small Business Saturday here.
2. Link to an independent bookstore for the online sale of your books. Ask your local store if it has an affiliate or linking program and how you can join. Or link to IndieBound.org and tap into a national network of e-commerce sites.
3. Use social media to tell your readers about #indiesfirst, @indiesfirst.

A PDF of Strayeds letter is available to ABA members in the Designs and Downloads section of BookWeb.org, along with Indies First logos and poster designs.

In the October Red Box mailing, stores will receive Indies First marketing materials, including co-branded bookmarks from American Express, Indies First balloons, and blue Indies First bags. Thanks to Penguin Random House, this year the American Booksellers Association will be shipping even more Indies First bags gratis to participating member stores. In addition, booksellers who want to go bag happy can order more at cost. These lightweight, reusable bags are available in packages of 25 for $25. The easiest way to order these eco-friendly bags is by adding them to the store’s next PRH order, using the Penguin Gear ISBN 978-110191957-6 for the 25-bag prepack. Booksellers can also contact their PRH sales reps for more details.

Questions about Indies First should be directed to [email protected].