Membership Information

Independent bookstores and gift shops which carry books in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are encouraged to join our association. If you own or manage a store outside of these states and are interested in membership, please e-mail CoriAnn Theroux, our Bookstore Member Manager, at cori@midwestbooksellers.org to express your interest.​

MIBA membership runs on a calendar year with renewal on January 1. Starting in July, new member dues are prorated through the end of the year. All members joining prior to July will be charged the full membership rate. For example, if today is June 27th, feel free to wait a few days to join MIBA. You'll get a discount. All new members joining after October 23 will receive the next calendar year included with the full membership payment.

​Dues are $150 annually

• Enjoy our free in-person and virtual programming throughout the year, where you can meet publishers, authors, and booksellers; market your store to the industry; and learn indispensable skills--including Spring Road Trip and Heartland 
• Receive the many benefits of our annual print and digital Winter Catalog, which many booksellers call their biggest marketing piece of the year, including free copies and reduced customization and distribution costs
• Free custom store art drawn by Kevin Cannon, which includes inclusion in our print Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap and the Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap Puzzle; a listing in our bookstore directory; and the opportunity to upgrade to a deluxe art package with custom features
• New stores announced to the trade in our weekly industry newsletter
• Receive our communications: weekly industry newsletter and Midwest Indie Bestseller List, including the Midwest Title Alert and current publisher promotions to save you money; quarterly bookseller newsletter; monthly new industry member digest with useful contact info
• Weekly newsletter about member stores, bookselling ideas, new developments in the industry, and our programming  
• Join our members-only private Facebook group
• Camaraderie and influence within the entire Midwest region​

Anyone in the book industry who does business with independent booksellers: Publishers, wholesalers, distributors, rep groups, point-of-sale systems, and other book-related organizations

Dues are $175 annually

• Current list of member bookstore owners any time upon request
• Free up-do-date bookseller ARC info, including contact info and preferred genres 
• Free listings in our calendar
• Free “classic feature” in our weekly newsletter to use any time during the year 
• Listing in our public industry member gallery
• Company and staff profiles in our trade-facing membership directory; coming in early 2023
• Gain access to our members-only year-round events and programs in the form of author placement, sales rep participation, education partnerships, and submitting your titles to our annual book awards
• Receive our communications: Weekly industry newsletter and Midwest Indie Bestseller List; quarterly newsletter for industry members + program-specific actionable email updates 
• Monthly digest of new bookstores in your inbox, including contact info
• Monthly digest of new industry members to our booksellers, including contact info
• Direct insight into how to best work with the independent bookstore sales channel; just give us a call

We are your friendly Midwest Independent Bookseller Association staff members!