We are excited to create unique and compelling events. Every author event and education session will be a fresh experience our attendees can't get anywhere else, with a focus on relevant and responsive programming.
2021 EVENTS
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Scholastic Afterparty!
Tuesday, November 16 4:00 pm CDT / 5:00 pm EDT Please join Scholastic’s middle grade and YA editors for a virtual party as we celebrate our beloved indie booksellers. Hosted by Scholastic's editorial director David Levithan and senior manager of field brand marketing Nikki Mutch, this virtual program will be all about indie booksellers getting acquainted with Scholastics' editors as they give you the backstory for their favorite forthcoming titles. Sign up by November 9 and Scholastic will send you a box of snacks and drinks for your viewing pleasure. Other surprises include live drawings of some Klutz kits as well as a special gift from Peter H. Reynolds—a miniature table designed and painted by Peter, and a copy of Peter’s newest treasure, Our Table. Galleys of all the titles will be available—in both paper (yes, real paper!) and digital formats. |
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The Elements of Excellent Book Clubs
Thursday, October 28 4:00 pm CDT / 5:00 pm EDT Hosted by... BrocheAroe Fabian, marketing manager at Sourcebooks/owner of River Dog Book Co La'Nae Robinson, co-owner of Bliss Books and Wine For Heartland's final author event, we are gathering a few exceptional authors to talk about what makes a book an excellent book club selection. Book club books are full of life, able to take conversation to new heights and give readers a whole new perspective on the world. To talk about book clubs is to talk about why we love books themselves. Join us for thoughtful conversation that introduces authors' new books and reaffirms the reasons why bookselling can be so inspirational.
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Bellwether Books: Authors Imagine a Future America
Wednesday, October 20 4:00 pm CDT / 5:00 pm EDT What do visions of a near-future America look like from the heart of the country? From whimsical to foreboding, this event showcases a collection of Midwestern sci-fi, cli-fi, and speculative fiction authors who spin a startling story out of visions of this country seemingly pushed to its limits and imagine where our most challenging problems and moments could lead us. Hosted by Sanina Clark, an editor at AK Press and speculative fiction fan, please join us to meet the authors of these compelling new titles.
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This event is hosted by...
Sanina L. Clark is the editor of Out of Salem by Hal Schrieve (longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature) and All City by Alex DiFrancesco (2020 Ohioana Book Awards Finalist in Fiction). Though they have worked on various kinds of books, they prioritize acquiring texts written by or about people who are queer, trans, women, or POC. They are currently an instructor at Writopia Lab, a contributing writer for Publishers Weekly and A Gathering of the Tribes Magazine, and the editor of the Black Dawn Series under AK Press, a speculative novella series which launched Fall 2021. Their bookcase is filled with YA, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, horror, plays and queer literature.
Sanina L. Clark is the editor of Out of Salem by Hal Schrieve (longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature) and All City by Alex DiFrancesco (2020 Ohioana Book Awards Finalist in Fiction). Though they have worked on various kinds of books, they prioritize acquiring texts written by or about people who are queer, trans, women, or POC. They are currently an instructor at Writopia Lab, a contributing writer for Publishers Weekly and A Gathering of the Tribes Magazine, and the editor of the Black Dawn Series under AK Press, a speculative novella series which launched Fall 2021. Their bookcase is filled with YA, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, horror, plays and queer literature.
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Heartland Booksellers Award Ceremony
Thursday, October 14 7:00 pm CDT / 8:00 pm EDT See Full List of Finalists |
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How to Work with Your Rep in This New Age
Tuesday, October 12 1:00 PM CDT / 2:00 PM EDT As the world has dramatically changed so has selling and buying books. Join Reps for a vibrant discussion about how the landscape of selling to bookstores has changed, what to expect in the future and best practices for a successful meeting with your rep. Moderator: Melissa Weisberg (Macmillan Publishers) Educators: Anne Hellman (Macmillan Publishers) Cara Nesi (Simon & Schuster) John Tewsley (IPS) Sandra Law (Abraham Associates) |
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Trans-Inclusive Bookselling
Thursday, October 7
1:00 PM CDT / 2:00 PM EDT
Join trans booksellers to learn about their unique experiences in the industry. This session will cover best practices on recommending titles to trans customers, supporting trans staff, and celebrating trans authors.
Educators:
H. Melt (Women & Children First)
Misian Taylor (A Room of One's Own)
Thursday, October 7
1:00 PM CDT / 2:00 PM EDT
Join trans booksellers to learn about their unique experiences in the industry. This session will cover best practices on recommending titles to trans customers, supporting trans staff, and celebrating trans authors.
Educators:
H. Melt (Women & Children First)
Misian Taylor (A Room of One's Own)
Trans-Inclusive Title List From H. Melt & Misian Taylor
View the collection on Edelweiss
**Denotes titles not in the Edelweiss collection
Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment & the Prison Industrial Complex by Eric A. Stanley, Nat Smith, CeCe McDonald
Trap Door: Trans Cultural Production and the Politics of Visibility by Reina Gossett, Eric A. Stanley, Johanna Burton
Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation by Eli Clare
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution!: The Story of the Trans Women of Color Who Made LGBTQ+ History by Joy Ellison, Teshika Silver (Illustrated by)
The Year of Blue Water by Yanyi
Sex is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU by Cory Silverberg, Fiona Smyth (Illustrated by)
George by Alex Gino
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Bodies are Cool by Tyler Federer
What are Your Words?: A Book about Pronouns by Katherine Locke, Anne Passchier (Illustrated by)
Author Kacen Callender
Fierce Femmes & Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Fantabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom
Small Beauty by Jia Qing Wilson-Yang
Trans Care by Hil Malatino
We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan by Lou Sullivan, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma, Susan Stryker
She of the Mountains by Vivek Shraya
To Survive on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming by Jess T Dugan, Vanessa Fabbre, Karen Irvine
Time is the Thing a Body Moves Through by T Flesichmann
Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C Riley Snorton
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Burn the Place: A Memoir by Ilana Regan
Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor
Black Trans Prayer Book
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
Our Work is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Queer and Trans Resistance by Syan Rose
Mutal Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next) by dean spade
All of Charlie Jane Anders' titles
All of Casey Plett's titles
Dispatch by Cameron Awkward-Rich
**There Should be Flowers by Joshua Jennifer Espinoza
**When the Chant Comes by Kay Ulanday Barrett
Fairest: A Memoir by Meredith Talusan
Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg
Transgender Marxism by Jules Joanne Gleeson, Elle O'Rourke
Queer & Trans Migrations: Dynamics of Illegalization, Detention, and Deportation by Eithne Luibhéid, Karma R. Chavez
Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon, Ashley Lukashevsky (Illustrated by)
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimmons
May the Best Man Win by ZR Ellor
all of Neon Yang's titles -- past titles are published under J. Y. Yang
all of Danez Smith's titles
**A Natural History of My Transition by Callum Angus
Las Biuty Queens by Iván Monalisa Ojeda
Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction by Joshua Whitehead
**BEYOND: The Queer Sci-Fi & Fantasy Comic Anthology (Vols 1 & 2)
Trans/Love: Radical Sex, Love & Relationships Beyond the Gender Binary by Morty Diamond
**Nerve Endings: The New Trans Erotic by Tobi Hill-Meyer
**Denotes titles not in the Edelweiss collection
Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment & the Prison Industrial Complex by Eric A. Stanley, Nat Smith, CeCe McDonald
Trap Door: Trans Cultural Production and the Politics of Visibility by Reina Gossett, Eric A. Stanley, Johanna Burton
Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation by Eli Clare
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
Sylvia and Marsha Start a Revolution!: The Story of the Trans Women of Color Who Made LGBTQ+ History by Joy Ellison, Teshika Silver (Illustrated by)
The Year of Blue Water by Yanyi
Sex is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU by Cory Silverberg, Fiona Smyth (Illustrated by)
George by Alex Gino
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Bodies are Cool by Tyler Federer
What are Your Words?: A Book about Pronouns by Katherine Locke, Anne Passchier (Illustrated by)
Author Kacen Callender
Fierce Femmes & Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Fantabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom
Small Beauty by Jia Qing Wilson-Yang
Trans Care by Hil Malatino
We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan by Lou Sullivan, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma, Susan Stryker
She of the Mountains by Vivek Shraya
To Survive on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming by Jess T Dugan, Vanessa Fabbre, Karen Irvine
Time is the Thing a Body Moves Through by T Flesichmann
Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity by C Riley Snorton
Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Burn the Place: A Memoir by Ilana Regan
Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor
Black Trans Prayer Book
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
Our Work is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Queer and Trans Resistance by Syan Rose
Mutal Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next) by dean spade
All of Charlie Jane Anders' titles
All of Casey Plett's titles
Dispatch by Cameron Awkward-Rich
**There Should be Flowers by Joshua Jennifer Espinoza
**When the Chant Comes by Kay Ulanday Barrett
Fairest: A Memoir by Meredith Talusan
Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg
Transgender Marxism by Jules Joanne Gleeson, Elle O'Rourke
Queer & Trans Migrations: Dynamics of Illegalization, Detention, and Deportation by Eithne Luibhéid, Karma R. Chavez
Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon, Ashley Lukashevsky (Illustrated by)
The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimmons
May the Best Man Win by ZR Ellor
all of Neon Yang's titles -- past titles are published under J. Y. Yang
all of Danez Smith's titles
**A Natural History of My Transition by Callum Angus
Las Biuty Queens by Iván Monalisa Ojeda
Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction by Joshua Whitehead
**BEYOND: The Queer Sci-Fi & Fantasy Comic Anthology (Vols 1 & 2)
Trans/Love: Radical Sex, Love & Relationships Beyond the Gender Binary by Morty Diamond
**Nerve Endings: The New Trans Erotic by Tobi Hill-Meyer
Don’t Be Intimidated by Shelf Talkers
Tuesday, October 5 5:00 PM CDT / 6:00 PM EDT Panelists: Kristen Sandstrom, Store Manager, Apostle Islands Booksellers, Bayfield, WI Shane Mullen, Event Coordinator and Book Whisperer, Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO Cliff Helm, Head of the Children’s Department, Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO Melia Wolf, Owner, Cover to Cover Books for Young Readers, Columbus, OH Do you use shelf talkers in your store? Do you think you don’t have time for them or they don’t look right? Let’s talk about it. There are many ways to make books talk to your customers from the shelf. Join us as we talk about a variety of ways to do this. With representation from both large and small shops, urban and rural, and of course both general and children’s perspectives, we hope to provide some gems for everyone. Chat Log PowerPoint Presentation |
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Marketing Lessons Gained from the Pandemic
Thursday, September 30 1:00 PM CDT / 2:00 PM EDT Moderator: Tim Smith (Schuler Books) Educators: Mark Loeffler and Marina Malazoniya (Seminary Co-op Bookstore), Alana Haley (Nicola's Books) The pandemic has driven booksellers to develop new and innovative forms of marketing and customer engagement in the absence of in-person browsing. This panel will provide some proven strategies and their future uses. Panelists will share their experience in developing strategies as well as lessons learned by implementing new best practices. This panel will also provide insight into how these new practices will be used as we transition back to more traditional customer engagement as the pandemic recedes. Additional Links https://simplebooklet.com/smallpress https://simplebooklet.com/digitalspringguide (Download Chat Log) Schuler + Nicola’s Books Notes and Links
Our Website and Social Media Channels https://www.schulerbooks.com https://www.nicolasbooks.com https://www.facebook.com/schulerbooks https://www.facebook.com/NicolasBooksA2 https://www.instagram.com/schulerbooks_chapbookcafe/ https://www.instagram.com/nicolasbooks/ https://twitter.com/SchulerBooks https://twitter.com/nicolasbooks https://www.tiktok.com/@schulerbooks? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcr-w8UP_2S9yck_VdlN5yg https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUKgUyurKVLuhiwd4i1JJgw Social Media Use social media to sell, inform, and manage expectations
Events
Website
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Social Media:
On the Books Thursday, September 23 12:00PM CDT/1:00PM EDT Panel Leads: Melia Wolf (Cover to Cover) & Riley Jay Davis (Next Chapter Booksellers) Come learn how some of your fellow booksellers are utilizing social media in a round robin discussion. Join Riley Jay Davis (Next Chapter Booksellers), Kathy Burnette (Brain Lair Books), Gary Lovely (Prologue Bookshop), Bryan Loar (Cover to Cover). Discuss best practices and learn to measure your success! (Download Chat Log) |
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Spinning a Midwest Yarn
Wednesday, September 15 4:00 PM CDT Hosted by Stephanie Skees, bookseller and director of operations at The Novel Neighbor in St Louis, MO and Apryl Chapman, bookseller at The Book Table in Oak Park, IL That feeling when you discover a book and an author so thoroughly steeped in the Midwest, you just know it’s going to resonate with a wide cross-section of your bookstore's customers. This event focuses on a collection of forthcoming titles that feature the Midwest as a part of the atmosphere, with characters whose struggles and joys are inextricably linked to where they live. Join us for this multi-author conversation sure to empower you with a new set of great books to hand to your customers. |
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Education:
Smart Sectioning Friday, September 10 1:00 PM CDT / 2:00 PM EDT Educator: Joanna Parzakonis (BookBug & this is a bookstore) An interactive discussion that will present successful sectioning strategies based on: store identity, community/current events relevancy, detailed organizing principles, and simple performance evaluations This educational session will be moderated by Joanna Parzakonis(co-owner, this is a bookstore | Bookbug) who will offer a simple visual presentation highlighting successful section shifts her store has undertaken in the last 6 months, the tools used to create and evaluate new sections and subsections, and a few unique strategies employed to heighten the visibility of voices and topics within existing/performing sections. This session will encourage active participation from all. Please plan to bring your questions related to: new sections your store is considering, important sections that you may want to move, section flow and traffic pattern considerations, and/or successes and challenges you've had in bringing in creating new sections, phasing out or shifting underperforming sections, and/or bringing fresh attention to your longtime-performing sections. |
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Education:
ipage Master Class Tuesday, September 7 1:00 pm CDT / 2:00 pm EDT Educators: Eric Forrest. Nancy Rohlen, Johanna Hynes Whether you are a super-user or a newbie, there’s always something to learn about making ipage work better for you. Join Ingram reps from wholesale and IPS to learn quick tips and tricks. This session will cover everything from order status to confirmations, canceling backorders, reporting, retrieving invoices and packing slips, to more general inventory queries. Come with questions and walk away with answers that will save you time and empower you to navigate ipage with ease. |
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Thursday, August 19
7:00 pm CDT / 8:00 pm EDT Join us for an evening where we celebrate and get to know the finalists of the 2021 Heartland Booksellers Award. Hosted by Bookseller at Women & Children First in Chicago, Ida Cuttler, and Events Coordinator and Book Whisperer at Left Bank Books in St. Louis, Shane P. Mullen. |
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Charlie Berens and The Midwest Survival Guide: How We Talk, Love, Work, Drink, and Eat . . . Everything with Ranch
Tuesday, August 10
5:00 pm CDT / 6:00 pm EDT We’re kicking off the season with a special event featuring Charlie Berens and his forthcoming book The Midwest Survival Guide: How We Talk, Love, Work, Drink, and Eat . . . Everything with Ranch (William Morrow November 2021). You know Charlie Berens from his hilarious send-up of what it’s like to live in the Midwest. Born and bred in Milwaukee, WI, Charlie helps us all laugh at the innate oddities that make the Midwest unique, covering Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri. Hosted by Jeff Kamin, the producer of the Twin Cities book club Books & Bars, the event will start with a song and end with a quiz to determine which of our audience members is most Midwestern. All independent booksellers and friends of Heartland are welcome to attend. E-galleys will be available. |
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