April 30 is Canadian Independent Bookstore Day (CIBD) and to talk about it we invited Kayla Calder from the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association (CIBA) to tell us a bit about what the association does, the plans they have for the day, and how you can join in the celebration.

Take it away, Kayla!

First, a bit about CIBA

The Canadian Independent Booksellers Association has wisdom beyond its years, so to speak. Although our association publicly launched in January of last year, it is led by a group of dedicated booksellers on the Board of Directors, informed by its insightful membership, and supported by a team of talented independent contractors with decades of book biz experience.

It’s been a busy first year-and-a-half in operation. In addition to building the association, the folks behind CIBA have been advocating on behalf of members to the federal government, strengthening relationships with suppliers, providing top-notch professional development programming, running marketing campaigns to raise the profile of indies, and keeping its members engaged and informed. CIBA is a membership-led organization, which means that our first year was also spent iterating and learning what our members need most.

Celebrating Canadian independent bookstores

Promotional banner of the Canadian Independent Bookstore Day on April 30, 2022. An event organized by the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association. The artwork is an illustration of a bookshelf with stacked books, toys, and other objects. — Artwork by Kellen Hatanaka

Of all the projects we work on, Canadian Independent Bookstore Day (CIBD) is arguably the most fun. This campaign has existed in many forms over the years — and had many different organizations leading the charge — but it became CIBA’s flagship campaign in 2021. Learning from the history of the campaign and our counterparts in the US, we have worked to design a celebration that is scaffolded to allow for the varying capacities of booksellers. Our member toolkit provides inspiration and assets that booksellers could use for everything from running a simple online campaign to hosting their very own CBC Canada Reads-style initiative, but our Contest for Book Lovers and reader-facing social media content (like our “Author & Illustrator Love Notes”) ensure that all indie bookstores will be celebrated on April 30, even if they don’t have any extra time or resources to dedicate to the campaign.

We’ve also worked with publishers and industry partners to coordinate customer giveaways, limited-edition products and merchandise, and special opportunities that booksellers can opt into based on their business goals. Finally, we have invested significant resources into our public relationships including strategic outreach and communications with major media outlets and MPs across the country. With support from our sponsors, partners, and members, we are using this campaign as a high tide that will most certainly float all boats.

We plan to build the campaign out year-over-year, creating consistency with some of our elements (e.g., our wildly popular contest and support from authors and illustrators) and delighting Canadians with new components every year (e.g., commissioned campaign artwork by a different Canadian illustrator each year, enviable swag, unique merchandise). CIBD is one of our most public-facing initiatives, but it is only one area of growth for CIBA. Other areas of development include the creation of a marketing and sales referral engine for the national independent market and a “Bookselling in Canada” course that will benefit existing and aspiring indie booksellers alike. We’re also working with publishers and booksellers in Quebec to explore how we can make French-language books more widely available in English Canada to meet the needs of local communities. In addition to our ongoing advocacy, supplier relations, and professional development work, of course!

Join the celebration!

CIBD is billed as the annual day when readers, writers, illustrators, publishers, and other industry supporters come together to celebrate indie bookstores across Canada. But we aren’t just celebrating their existence — we’re celebrating their resilience, resolve, and dedication. We want to recognize everything they contribute to their local communities, the book industry, and Canadian culture.

To join the celebration online, follow @CIBAbooks and #CIBD2022 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We also hope you visit your local indie in person and online on April 30 (and buy books!) to show your support. And if you have feedback, want to work together on our 2023 celebration, or want to support CIBA as a member or associate, please get in touch.