Imagine being paid to promote a book to your customers. Sound too good to be true? Midwest Connections does just that. We incentivize handselling every month of the year by promoting a selection of titles connected to our region, whether the book is a novel set in the Midwest, nonfiction that resonates in the Midwest, or the author is from one of our member states. We work with publishers to select a group of titles every month—fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s picture books, and children’s literature. To participate in the program, the publisher must send ARCs to as many of our bookstores as possible.
Would you like to create a regional in-store display? Midwest Connections gives you a ready list of titles to choose from. Plus, you can download the Midwest Connections logo to include in your signage and display a group of current Midwest Connections picks in your store.
Getting Cash Back
Download the Midwest Connections rebate form.
To receive cash for your Midwest Connections promotions, promote one or more Midwest Connections picks in one of the following ways, document your promotion, and apply for a rebate. MIBA sends you a $50 payment.
- Feature, review, or advertise a title in your store newsletter (print or online) or on your store’s website.
- Advertise a title in a paid print ad.
- Run a paid radio ad or review/discuss a title on the radio. Must mention title, author, and publisher.
- Run a paid ad on a community website, such as your local newspaper’s website.
- Recommend, promote, and discuss the title with store-sponsored and/or local book clubs
Here’s what booksellers have to say about Midwest Connections.
“We love Midwest Connections! Not only do we discover many new books that we might not have known about, but it is yet another tool that we can use to make our bookstore unique and keep it local. We have a special area in the store and include the featured titles in our monthly newsletter. The information provided by MBA on their website gives us a lot to talk about and makes hand-selling easy and fun. We do weekly book reviews for our local alternative newspaper and we are in the process of instituting a store policy that future reviews will be either Midwest Connections or Indie Next titles.”
– Alice Meyer, Beaverdale Books, Des Moines, IA“The Midwest Connections program is a win-win-win love triangle, It’s an absolute boon for independent booksellers in our region. Bookstores, authors, and publishers all gain increased exposure and sales from MBA publicity tools and author events. Those events translate into great sales numbers. Most of our top bestsellers are Midwest Connections books. This would never have happened without this excellent program. I thank everyone who has a part in it!”
– Nancy Simpson, The Book Vault, Oskaloosa, IA
“The program helps me to highlight books about the area that don’t receive the recognition of bestsellers or big name authors. Little Heathens and Truck are the best examples. Small books with strong sales. Programs like this help me stand out from the crowded world of bookselling. When you can put a lesser known book into the hands of customers, and they like it and would not have heard of it otherwise, they appreciate your expertise.”
– Jerry Bilek, Monkey See Monkey Read, Northfield, MN
