Spring Forum
April 15 - 16 • The Spring Forum (Danvers, MA)
We are thrilled to announce that the NEIBA Spring Forum will be held April 15 - 16, 2026 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Boston North Shore in Danvers, MA. NEIBA's Spring Forum is a two day event full of author presentations, education, and community building.
For the first time, NEIBA is pleased to host a Sidelines Exhibit Show on April 16, 2026. See more details below.
Event Schedule Spring Forum 2026
Tentative Event Schedule
subject to change
Wednesday, April 15
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Registration
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Galley Room
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
All About the Books
Omer Aziz, author of Shadows of the Republic: The Rebirth of Fascism in America and How to Defeat It for Good (Broadleaf Books, an imprint of Augsburg Fortress Publishers)
Brooke Barbier, author of Cocked and Boozy: An Intoxicating History of the American Revolution (Chicago Review Press)
Christina Diaz Gonzalez, author of Offside (Scholastic Inc./ Graphix)
Eric Jay Dolin, author of The Wreck of the Mentor (W.W.Norton/Liveright)
Jenny Jackson, author of The Shampoo Effect (Penguin Random House/ Pamela Dorman Books
Isabel Kim, author of Sublimation (Tor Books, an imprint of Tor Publishing Group)
Jarrett Lerner, author of Lake of Slime (Simon & Schuster/Simon Spotlight)
Sara Levine, author of A Visit with the Birds (Sourcebooks Explore)
J.A. Morgenstein, author of The League of Dangerous Young Ladies (Stonefruit Studio)
Ruth Ozeki, author of The Typing Lady (Penguin Random House/ Viking)
View the AATB Edelweiss collection
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Author Keynote Luncheon
Isaac Fitzgerald, in support of American Rambler (Knopf, May 12) in conversation with Namwali Serpell
2:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Rep Picks
4:15 PM - 5:30 PM
Education: More Than Books: Make Your Sidelines Work Harder
Real strategies to drive margin, traffic, and discovery in your store
Join Trudi Bartow, Sales Director of The Unemployed Philosophers Guild, alongside a New England-based gift sales rep, for a practical, fast-paced session on how to make sidelines a meaningful driver of your business.
Gift items and non-book merchandise—your sidelines—aren’t just add-ons. Done well, they increase margins, spark impulse purchases, and give customers more reasons to return.
In this session, we’ll break down how to approach sidelines with intention and confidence:
- Where to source effectively (Faire, rep groups, trade shows—and how to evaluate what’s actually worth your time)
- How to think about margins, turns, and inventory without overbuying
- What smart vendor communication really looks like (and how it impacts your bottom line)
- Practical merchandising strategies that help sidelines feel integrated, not cluttered
We’ll also share real-world insights from the gift side of the industry—what vendors wish booksellers knew, and where we see stores succeeding (and struggling).
Attendees will leave with a take-home resource packet and clear, actionable ideas they can implement immediately.
If you’re looking to make your sidelines more strategic, more profitable, and more aligned with your store’s identity, this session is for you.
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Author Reception
Featuring Heather Abel, Lauren Acampora, Melissa Albert, Victoria Aveyard, Michael Buckley, Christy Cashman, Meg Elison, Joy Michael Ellison, Jessica Everett, Ami Fields-Meyer, Maddie Frost, Lorna Gibson, Christina Baker Kline, Fonda Lee, Joseph Moldover, Meg Richardson, Hannah Selinger, & Virginia Shaffer
Thursday, April 16
8:30 AM
Author Keynote Breakfast
R.F. Kuang, in support of Taipei Story (William Morrow, September 22)
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sidelines Exhibit
Consultation Stations
All Day
Bookseller meetings by cohort
Galley Room
Sidelines education sessions
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Grab-n-go boxed lunches for all
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Bookseller Olympics