Promote and Market

Advance Access and Advance Access — Underrepresented Voices

Twice-monthly newsletter of new titles with galleys, ARCs, finished books, and digital galleys available for review by ABA booksellers. 

Box Mailings and Kids Box Mailing

Quarterly marketing materials and galleys. An easy and cost-effective means of communicating information to ABA member bookstores.

Indie Next List and Kids Next List

Bookseller-recommended favorites, the heart and soul of passionate bookselling. ABA collects nominations of upcoming books from member booksellers and the top picks are featured before/during the month they go on sale. Member stores receive a quantity of the various printed Indie Next List fliers printed in four-color, and each is distributed as an e-newsletter to participating stores’ customer lists.

Children's Group Best Books for Young Readers Catalog

The annual ABA Children’s Group Best Books for Young Readers catalog is a popular and effective publication that bookstores and readers rely on receiving each October, in time for holiday buying. Independent booksellers and publishers curate the catalog, and the final collection is composed of eclectic titles the ABA Children’s Group is proud to recommend to young readers all over the country. Approximately 100,000 physical copies are distributed each year, and IndieCommerce stores have the ability to add a digital version to their ecommerce site.

Each April, ABA emails Associate Member publishers who have participated in the previous year’s catalog with information about the upcoming edition, including the rate card and dates and deadlines for submissions. ABA Associate Member publishers interested in participating in the ABA Children’s Group Best Books catalog can contact Kate Brennan ([email protected]).

 

Data and Details

Book Buyers Handbook

Publishers can use a listing in the The Book Buyers Handbook to provide important company information to booksellers, including publisher and distributor contact details, imprints, distribution clients, terms, categories, products, and special offers. The Book Buyers Handbook is a vital tool for connecting your company to booksellers in their every day store operations. 

The contents of each Book Buyers Handbook listing are the responsibility of the listed Publisher, Distributor, Wholesaler or Vendor. Companies not already listed in the Handbook can submit info for review to this form. Questions about the form can be directed to [email protected].

Book Alert

Don’t leave pre-orders on the table! Publishers, make sure the indie channel is prepared for your major title announcements by letting us know in advance.

This is for major off-cycle book announcements and timed cover reveals for major titles. Information can be sent ahead of time to [email protected], and ABA staff will update IndieCommerce store sites at your requested date/time. Additionally, publishers can submit title info themselves to be added to the database. After doing so, please drop us a line if it's time sentitve.
*Please note this email is not for requests for book coverage, ABA does not review books.

Email [email protected]

Pre-order Calendar

The indies love a good pre-order campaign! Publishers, let us know about key preorder titles that for booksellers to promote.

Submit titles with great pre-order potential to be added to the Pre-Order Calendar. We're especially looking for those Indie Exclusive and signed cartons, and occasionally those with well-considered swag. This is a great place to let booksellers know about special editions that are only available to stores via publisher order, and not through a wholesaler.

Email [email protected]

 

Events and Campaigns

Independent Bookstore Day

This national one-day party held the last Saturday in April celebrates independent bookstores across the country online and in-store. Through exclusive books and literary items, contests, cupcakes, and everything in between, it’s a party you don’t want to miss!

Indies First

A national campaign of activities and events in support of independent bookstores, held every year in conjunction with Small Business Saturday, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Indies First also promotes University Press Week in mid-November leading up to Small Business Saturday.

Publishers are asked to offer special Indies First terms leading up to University Press Week and/or Small Business Saturday to help stores stock up for the holiday season. For more information, email Joy Dallanegra-Sanger ([email protected]) and Cedar Fields ([email protected]).

Indies Introduce

Showcasing independent booksellers’ talent for discovery, Indies Introduce is a campaign in which juries of booksellers choose the top debut books and authors of adults and kids’ books for the upcoming season from a pool of publisher-submitted titles. If a title is selected for a specific list, the publisher agrees to offer promotional terms for that title to participating stores who will promote the list.

Indies Choice Book Awards

A publisher's titles that have appeared on ABA's 2026 Indie Next List, Kids' Indie Next List, and/or Indies Introduce lists will be on the longlist.

These awards celebrate the best Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Children's Picture Books, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Indie Press Fiction, Indie Press Nonfiction, Debut Adult and Debut Children's voted by indie booksellers.

Institute Sponsorships

Publishers are crucial sponsors of ABA’s two annual educational conferences: Winter Institute and Children’s Institute. These events offer quality education, illuminating speakers, and meaningful, valuable interaction among booksellers and publishers.

Winter Institute is a four-day educational and networking event for booksellers. Area tours, off-site events, full and half-day seminars, and an evening opening reception, are followed by three days of guest speakers, education sessions, and author receptions. To better allow each publisher or distributor the ability to focus its resources, all sponsorship components are offered à la carte so that each company may build a custom package tailored to fit its own needs and budget. Locations and sponsorship opportunities may vary from year to year. 

Children’s Institute is a three-day networking and educational event that focuses on children, children’s books, and children’s booksellers. Area tours, off-site events, full and half-day seminars, and an evening opening reception are followed by two days of guest speakers, special events, education sessions, and author reception. Locations and sponsorship opportunities may vary from year to year. 

For a current institute prospectus or for any other sponsorship questions, email [email protected].