Bookseller Summer School 2026
These FREE, virtual summertime sessions offer professional development and networking opportunities for every bookseller, no travel required!
We are finalizing the sessions now. Click the SESSIONS tab to see the preliminary schedule and stay tuned as we add more events and registration links!
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17 / 1:00 - 2:00 PM MDT
Idea Sharing Round-table: Q4 Prep Starts Now!
Welcome to summer, and to holiday season prep! Join your colleagues for a round-table conversation on the best things to be doing right now, so you're prepared for big sales in Q4.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24 / 1:00 - 2:00 PM MDT
Communicating Vision and Mission: Leading Your Team for Shared Purpose
During this session you will learn how to effectively communicate your vision for your store so that everyone understands and contributes to the mission. Walk away with resources and tools to help you develop and communicate this vision to your entire team. The session will include a chance to interact with fellow attendees during this presentation.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8 / 1:00 - 2:00 PM MDT
Understanding Publisher Cooperative Advertising (Coop
Join Stephanie Schindhelm, Marketing & Promotions Manager for the Boulder Book Store in Boulder, Colorado, as she walks stores through "Coop 101" to answer the questions: What is coop marketing? Why should I make time for it in an already too busy schedule? And how can I get started?
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15 / 1:00 - 2:00 PM MDT
Telling Your Story Through Branding & Marketing
In an era when brand is king, nothing you put in front of your customers and community is a throwaway. Your storefront, website, displays, newsletter, events, staff—do they all convey what you want to be known for and what you're about? This session, facilitated by Charlie Hunts, of Charlie's Queer Books (Seattle, WA), will invite examples and interaction for ensuring your store is doubling down on its true self!
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22 / 1:00 - 2:00 PM MDT
Buying to Boost Your Brand
Newer buyers sometimes lack a sophisticated concept of turns and how important they are for the bottom line, as well as for their store's inventory management strategy. Professional Booksellers School Dean Carol Price, and Josh Christie, co-owner of PRINT A Bookstore, will explain how the restocking process helps buyers learn what their customers are buying so they can, in turn, better curate the frontlist, also allowing for frontlist "risks" that support a store’s identity and mission.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29 / 1:00 - 2:00 PM MDT
The Importance of Diverse Children's Titles in Today's Market
Presented by our Principal Sponsor Sourcebooks, and the team at their new children's imprint, Stonefruit Studio. MORE DETAILS TO COME.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5 / 1:00 - 2:00 PM MDT
The New Social Code: Five Relational Edges for Thriving in the Age of Intelligence
Indie bookstores still offer something AI and technology cannot copy: the human algorithm. The authors of the upcoming book, The New Social Code will examine the stories of Mary Shelley, Billie Eilish, Benjamin Franklin, and others, to explore the Five Relational Edges for thriving in the age of AI. Learn to deepen customer relationships, strengthen teamwork, spark ideas, and build influence through trust. A guided breakout will follow.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12 / 1:00 - 2:00 PM MDT
Edelweiss Omnibus for Booksellers: One Platform, Built for Every Shop
Big things are happening at Edelweiss. A modernized platform is taking shape—faster, smarter, ready to evolve. The first piece is already live: Omnibus for Booksellers. Manage inventory, direct ordering from publishers, receiving, special orders, and store analytics from one place, on any device. Join Dave Lucey, Director of Omnibus Adoption & Ecosystem Partnerships, to see the platform and preview what's coming.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19 / 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM MDT
Idea Sharing Round-table: The Best Thing I Did This Year
Join us for some bookselling inspiration! Share a story about a fantastic event, or a profitable promotion; share your new hiring process, or how you rethought a system to make it more efficient; let us know how you improved your buying, or created a new gift section in your store. Whatever your success, small or large, we want to celebrate them!
