HEARTLAND FALL FORUM
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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

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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  • Jacquelyn Mitchard, The Good Son
  • Adriana Trigiani, The Good Left Undone
  • Sharon Cameron, Bluebird
  • Kerri Maher, The Paris Bookseller
  • Thrity Umrigar, Honor
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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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  • Rebecca Scherm, A House Between Earth and the Moon
  • Sequoia Nagamatsu, How High We Go in the Dark
  • Maurice Broaddus, Sweep of Stars
  • John Scalzi, The Kaiju Preservation Society
  • Dan Chaon, Sleepwalk: A Novel
  • adrienne maree brown, Grievers
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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. ​


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)

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

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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
  • Gift Packages 
  • Puzzle Sales 
  • Game Sales 
  • Shop by Appointment 
  • Facebook Live Video Store Walks https://business.facebook.com/creatorstudio/published?post_type=ALL
  • Facebook Live Tim Talks https://business.facebook.com/schulerbooks/videos/233065304421549/
  • Inform and manage expectations 
  • Share links for everything!
Email 
  • Link everything!
    • Photos
    • Book titles
    • Call to Action Buttons
  • Keep your format simple so it scales well to mobile and is easy to read
  • Over communicate
    https://conta.cc/2THGTgH, https://conta.cc/3dl8SdE

Events
  • Maximize event video by streaming your zoom to social media or posting after the fact
  • Try going live! https://fb.watch/8luDzvcDB_/ 
  • Take it outside! https://business.facebook.com/schulerbooks/photos/a.10151949955896598/10158762119496598/?type=3&av=104266071597&eav=AfYXpwV1iQV4BMmbgF3zmSu2EEzPgAvQRTWYJk3u72OzLDoaPAxeUqCjFMnc-ymr2hQ&theater 

Website 
  • Simple navigation is key 
  • Judicious use of side bar on IndieNext sites 
  • Make sure your site scales well to mobile, is easy to read and navigate. Simple is better.
  • Consider adding non-book items 
  • Promote wish lists - have clear instructions 
  • Drive traffic to website from everywhere! Use links in emails, social media, and events
  • Work to recreate the browsing experience
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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.​
Watch Event
  • Dane Bahr, The Houseboat 
  • Nicole Baart, Everything We Didn't Say
  • Kayla Chenault, These Bones
  • Kai Harris, What the Fireflies Knew
  • Kelsey Ronan, Chevy in the Hole

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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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2021 Heartland Booksellers Award Finalist Celebration

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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. 


Charlie Berens and The Midwest Survival Guide: How We Talk, Love, Work, Drink, and Eat . . . Everything with Ranch

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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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© COPYRIGHT 2022 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Attend
  • Schedule
  • Education
  • Exhibitors
  • Authors
  • Photos
  • Sponsor/Host
  • Scholarships
  • Rep Picks
  • Awards
    • Heartland Booksellers Award >
      • 2024 Heartland Booksellers Award
      • 2023 Heartland Booksellers Award
      • 2022 Heartland Booksellers Award
      • 2021 Heartland Booksellers Award
      • 2020 Heartland Bookseller Award
    • Voice of the Heartland >
      • Past Winners >
        • 2023 Janet Webster Jones
        • 2022 Kris Kleindienst
        • 2021 Louise Erdrich
        • 2020 Two Dollar Radio
  • About
    • Merch
    • 10 Years
    • Heartland 2022
    • Heartland 2020
    • Heartland 2021