With the celebration of Indies First [5] on November 30 just two weeks away, authors are continuing to sign up to work at independent bookstores across the country. To date, more than 700 authors will be handselling their favorite titles at over 400 bookstores as part of the grassroots movement launched by author Sherman Alexie on September 1.

Authors and booksellers can continue to sign up to participate via a form on BookWeb.org [5] until tomorrow, November 15. After November 15, authors and bookstores interested in pairing up should send an e-mail to ABA [6]; however, after November 22, ABA will no longer be able to help authors and bookstores match up.

After signing up, authors are asked to reach out to their chosen bookstore to coordinate their appearance; likewise, bookstores should reach out to authors in their communities who may be interested in participating to encourage them to join in.

In the spirit of Indies First and shopping local, authors are encouraged to add a buy button for indie bookstores [7] as the top purchasing option on their websites. Newly designed Indies First buttons [8] are now available for use, along with other shop local designs and text.

Last week, the American Booksellers Association launched an interactive map of participating Indies First stores and their visiting authors on IndieBound.org [9]. The map will be updated with more author and bookstore names until noon on November 27. Booksellers are asked to check the map’s details relating to their stores and to let ABA know [10] if any information needs to be corrected or updated.

To help stores with their publicity efforts, ABA created two press release templates [11] and sample social media posts and tweets [12] that stores can use to begin creating their own publicity outreach.

The Indies First logo, for use in promotional materials, can be found in the Bookseller DIY’s Designs & Downloads [13].

Follow the trail of excitement for Indies First on Twitter at #IndiesFirst [14].