Spring Forum for Exhibitors
April 15-16, 2026 • 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
Submitting Authors
For our All About the Books event, we seek to present 10 diverse author/illustrators who live in New England or whose books take place in New England/are about the region. Titles should publish April - June 2026, as this event is designed to spur hand-selling as soon as booksellers return to their stores.
Authors submitted for the author reception or keynote events do not need to have a New England connection, nor do their books, but the titles should still appeal to our membership. Author reception and keynote titles may publish as far out as Fall 2026.
In addition to the fees outlined below, we ask that you provide 30 copies of each title (finished copies or physical galleys) for booksellers to grab at the event.
Click here to submit an author for the Spring Forum
You will receive an automatic confirmation from Jotform when your submission is complete.
This form will close Wednesday, March 4 at 5 PM ET.
Participating authors/illustrators will be chosen by the NEIBA Board in March. Please confirm that your author is free before submitting them. There is a $500 fee for each confirmed Author Reception participant, a $400 fee for each confirmed All About the Books participant, and a $750 fee for each confirmed keynote participant.
Submitting for Rep Pick Sessions
The Rep Picks Session at the Spring Forum will be in the presentation format. 20 reps, chosen by lottery, will present at a podium for 5 minutes at the front of the room while attendees enjoy lunch and take notes. If your participation is confirmed, there is a $200 non-refundable fee per rep.
Click here to submit a rep for the Spring Forum
This form will close Friday, March 6 at 5 PM ET.
Secure Your Exhibit Space for the Sideline Show Floor
For the 2026 Spring Forum, we are seeking exhibitors for non-book products only. Publishers may request to exhibit with the understanding that they would feature only non-book products. The show floor will be at at the DoubleTree by Hilton Boston North Shore, April 16, 2026 from 11 AM - 4 PM. Booths are first-come, first served and subject to NEIBA's approval.
Unlike at our annual Fall Conference, NEIBA will not be working with a third-party logistic company. This means that all vendors must handle their own product logistics and booth set-up, including booth signage. Hotel overnight room information will be sent once registration is complete.
A Table Booth ($500.00 for the first table; $300.00 for additional tables; $300.00 per table for 1st time exhibitors) includes:
1 draped table (each 6’ x 2’)
2 folding chairs
1 wastebasket
Up to 2 complimentary exhibitor badges
Secure your exhibit space here
This form will close Friday, March 13 at 5 PM ET.
Galley Room & Sponsorship
Author Reception • One per event • $1,000 - $3,000
The Author Reception finishes off Day One of the Spring Forum. Your sponsorship of this event will cover food, beverages (alcoholic and otherwise), decorations, and A/V needs. It will also include a 24”x36” full-color easel at the event to thank you for your sponsorship as well as your business’s name in all online materials/event advertising.
Galley Room • $100/title
Would you like to make galleys of forthcoming titles by authors not attending the event available to attendees? Secure a spot in the Spring Forum Galley Room!
Coffee Break • Two Available • $500
After lunch, but prior to the afternoon education, NEIBA will provide coffee and tea. This service will be available to attendees throughout the afternoon — a necessary (and much-appreciated) pick-me-up! Your sponsorship of this moment will include two 8.5” x11” full-color signs on the coffee table to thank you for your sponsorship, and the opportunity to display galleys + giveaways.
Bookseller Scholarship • Two Available • $300
Sponsor a bookseller’s attendance at NEIBA’s Spring Forum with a $300 scholarship! These funds will cover a night at the hotel, tickets to both days' events, and allow for a travel budget. Your sponsorship of a scholarship will include your business’s name in all online materials/event advertising. If you would like to offer a swag bag with books to your scholarship’s recipient, we will see that it’s received.
Branded Tote Bags • One Available • Provided by Sponsor
Every event attendee needs a bag, whether it’s to haul books from the All About the Books event, author keynotes, author reception — or all three! Providing a tote gives your business’s brand visibility, both at this event and anywhere else it travels to. We ask that you ship totes to the venue (quantity TBA) for booksellers' use at the event.
Notebooks for Rep Picks Session • One per event • Provided by Sponsor
As with last year's Fall Conference, the Rep Picks Session at the Spring Forum will be in the presentation format. To help booksellers keep track of the titles presented, we traditionally provide them a notebook at their seat. Your sponsorship of this item not only gives you brand visibility throughout the event, it will travel with the bookseller back to their store — and beyond! Please note: all notebooks must ship un-wrapped.
Click here to register for sponsorship opportunities at the Spring Forum
This form will close Friday, April 3 at 5 PM ET.