CALIBA OFFICE CLOSED DURING THE HOLIDAYS

The CALIBA Office will be closed December 25th–26th and January 1st. We wish you wonderful holiday celebrations and a happy New Year!

SELL MORE BOOKS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH THESE TIPS & RESOURCES

Taking Care of Yourself

"Take a moment to brew yourself a coffee/tea and eat the cookie. The store will survive without your oversight for a few mins no matter how hectic it is." — Cindi, Ink Spell Books (Half Moon Bay)

"Remember difficult customers might be having their own difficulties and taking them out on you. Kindness to yourself first, especially when the chaos gets worse. One thing besides holiday music, my new self-care is Paint by Stickers. Never thought my addled brain could do 220 stickers or more mostly small stickers into a pattern but it’s been working this season." — Drew, Books Inc. (Laurel Village)

"I try my best to stick to my daily routines. My routines keep me happy and make sure I've done something for myself and not just non-stop working." — Alecia, CALIBA Support Staff/Wallflower Bookshop (Oakland)

Mental Health Resources

• Binc's Mental Health Program
• If you are in crisis and need immediate assistance, please text the Crisis Text Line. They provide free, 24/7 mental health support via text message.
• Text Crisis Text Line: Text “DESERVE” TO 741-741
• Need a moment? Insight Timer is a free mobile app primarily used for meditation, offering a vast library of guided meditations, sleep music, talks, and courses from various teachers, allowing users to practice mindfulness, manage stress, improve sleep quality, and learn different meditation techniques, all through a platform that includes a basic meditation timer function as well as a large community feature.

Gap in Staffing During the Holiday Season? 

We have a few booksellers that have already filled out the Substitute Bookseller form! Find a Substitute Bookseller Here(Login Required).If you are having trouble accessing your account, email Valentina.

Fill out this form to sign up as a Substitute Bookseller.

Inspiration for Last-Minute Gifts 

Thank you, MPIBA, for these tips!This is the week for last-minute shoppers to find the perfect gift for their friends & family. In case you need help suggesting gifts, here is a quick list of options:

• Bookstore Gift Cards
• Coffee Shop & Cafe Gift Cards
• Memberships to your store's Subscription Box, Book Club, or Loyalty Program.
• If your store has a nonprofit, invite people to donate in a gift recipients name.
• Tickets to an upcoming author event with a card.
• Audiobook Credits or a subscription from Libro.fm.
• "Coffee table" books.
• Store branded T-shirts, hats, tote bags, cups, water bottles, mugs, and more!
• Games and Puzzles.
• Book & Gift Bundles with your sideline items:
• Regional Cookbooks & Travel Guides
• Coloring Books & Colored Pencils
• Chocolate & Entertaining Guides or Cocktail Books
• Picture Books & Plush
• Gaming Books & Dice
• Tea or Coffee & Cozy Mysteries
• Get Creative!

Sell More Books with these Holiday Catalog Tips

• Add them to shopping bags and online orders
• Put them out on your holiday displays and at your check-out counter
• Ask neighboring indie businesses if you can leave them for their customers
• Share the Digital Catalog PDF in your newsletter and reach the at-home shoppers
• Be creative!

Click here for more holiday catalog tips! Have ideas on how bookstores can use the Holiday Catalog? Share it on Discord or email Valentina!

Catalog Marketing Resources

Use these professionally designed catalog resources to complement your store’s Holiday Catalog Marketing program: in-store, email, website, and on social media! Click here to download the catalog marketing assets. 

Ingram will add a 2% discount on all holiday catalog titles. No code needed.

***Did you do newspaper insertions or saturation mailing with your print catalogs? CALIBA can reimburse you for up to $200 to help with these expenses! Click here to request reimbursement.