Orders Due November 15 for Independent Bookstore Day T-shirts and Totes

Booksellers should place their orders now for Independent Bookstore Day tote bags and T-shirts, which serve as fashionable marketing and publicity tools for the April 30, 2016, event. Orders are due by November 15.

Bags are available to bookstores at $7 each and must be ordered in increments of 10; T-shirts are $10 each and can be ordered individually for staff or in bulk for resale. The prices on Independent Bookstore Day merchandise include free freight, but booksellers should note that the items are non-returnable.

On January 15, the official Independent Bookstore Day catalog for 2016 will be released, featuring a variety of literary-themed merchandise created specifically for bookstores to sell during the event. Orders will be due by February 1 and items will ship in mid-April.

This week, Independent Bookstore Day organizers offered a sneak peek at one of the items in the catalog: a limited-edition, 12-inch Curious George plush complete with a miniature Independent Bookstore Day T-shirt, from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Independent Bookstore Day items will be on display for booksellers to browse and order at Winter Institute 11. Booksellers are encouraged to come ready to pick out a variety of merchandise to entice customers into their stores on April 30.

Booksellers making plans for Independent Bookstore Day can find information and deadlines in the 2016 Bookstore Information packet on the Independent Bookstore Day website.