Scholarships & Rebates

Annual Conference

Only one annual conference scholarship or grant may be awarded to a store each conference.

Black Bookseller Scholarship

NAIBA is offering scholarships to this year's annual conference for three Black booksellers who work in any store that is a current NAIBA member. The bookseller can be an owner, manager, frontline bookseller, or any other bookstore employee. More than one employee from a store may apply, but no more than one from each store per year will receive a scholarship. This scholarship will reimburse up to $1600 of expenses to attend our annual conference. (event pass, travel, lodging, etc) 2025 application TBA.

Novel Model Scholarship

NAIBA is offering scholarships to this year's annual conference for two Novel Model bookstore owners and/or employees. Every owner and employee of a NAIBA member novel model bookstore is eligible to apply, but only one per store per year can receive the scholarship. This scholarship will reimburse up to $1600 of expenses to attend our annual conference. (event pass, travel, lodging, etc) Only one annual conference scholarship or grant may be awarded to a store each year. 2025 application TBA.

NVNR Travel Grants

NVNR is offering 12 $500.00 scholarships, 6 for each region, for booksellers to attend this year’s conference in Arlington, VA. 2025 application TBA.

Joe Drabyak Handseller Award

In honor of NAIBA President and friend, the late Joe Drabyak, NAIBA has created the Joe Drabyak Spirit Award to recognize booksellers who put their passion for books into practice with marketing and promotions. The winner will be recognized by their NAIBA colleagues at the Summer conference, New Voices New Rooms, and receive a complimentary packet of all the conference event tickets, along with a $500 travel stipend.

Joe Drabyak was renowned in the industry for his creative promotional efforts. He could build excitement around any title with unusual events (have you heard about Joe's Nuts?), clever pairings, and handselling talent. There is a Joe inside many booksellers, and we want that spirit to stay alive and flourish. Nominate the bookseller in your life who shares their passion for books with customers in creative, fun, and unusual ways. Tell us a little bit about them and how they enhance the handselling experience. All booksellers may self-nominate. Nominations open March 15, 2025 and close on May 1., 2025.

First-Time Bookstore Rebate - temporarily suspended in lieu of NVNR specific grants and scholarships listed above

Bookstores who have never attended a NAIBA Conference or New Voices New Rooms get one free full event pass and a $100 hotel rebate. This grant is handled as a refund after the event. Purchase your full conference package in advance, then at check-in tell the NAIBA staffer that you're a new store requesting the refund. Following the conference, submit your hotel bill to Eileen Dengler. Rebates will be processed after the conference. **This grant will be adjusted or voided if the bookstore receives another form of conference subsidies.**

Sally Lindsay Memorial Grants

Sally Lindsay, our beloved friend and colleague, was passionate about books and being with book people. In her memory, Chesapeake & Hudson, Inc. is gifting two $250 travel grants to NAIBA's annual conference, New Voices New Rooms, in August in Arlington, VA. Open to current bookstore employees. Grants will be dispersed at the meeting. Applicants will need to answer just one question - what book has changed your life and why? 2025 application TBA.

Mark LaFramboise Bookseller Grants

In honor of NAIBA President and friend, the late Mark LaFramboise, NAIBA has created a grant program in his name to enable a frontline bookseller and/or a book buyer to participate in NAIBA events. The grant can be applied to either the winter NAIBA Book Buyers Retreat or the annual NAIBA conference. The grants will cover all travel, hotel, and expenses related to the event. A bookseller can choose to apply for either or both events but may only receive a single grant per year. A bookseller is eligible to receive grants every three years. NAIBA will award two grants per year, one for each event.

2025 Book Buyers Retreat: Opens November 1st, 2024, closes December 1st, 2024

2025 NVNR Conference: Open April 15, 2025, closes June 15, 2025

George Keating Memorial Scholarship

Family and friends of George Keating, a dear friend and long-time member of the book community, have gotten together to create a George Keating Memorial Scholarship in his honor. This scholarship fund will be used each year to help a bookseller from NAIBA, SIBA and NEIBA in professional development. In our region, it can be used to fund travel and registration fees to the annual conference or a course or products through the Professional Booksellers School. The award is $500.

2025: Opens April 1st, Closes June 1st.

Binc Foundation is distributing the funds for the Keating scholarships, but the applications are being managed by NAIBA. Binc will distribute the funds to NAIBA or the Professional Booksellers School on behalf of the winner, based on their program selection.

Donations to the scholarship fund can be made at https://secure.donationpay.org/bincfoundation/keating.php.

Binc Scholarship to the NAIBA Annual Conference

Binc will provide a $500 scholarship to one NAIBA bookseller to attend this year's annual conference, New Voices New Rooms, in August 2025. Applicants must be from a bookstore with a physical presence (not online only), and have been working in the industry for more than 90 days. 2025 application TBA.

Macmillan Diversity Scholarship to the NAIBA Annual Conference

This scholarship awards $500 to assist in expenses associated with attending NAIBA's annual conference, New Voices New Rooms. This is a competitive scholarship. The application period will run annually May 1-20. Binc manages the application process and rates applications, and will send the grant fund directly to the winner. 2025 application TBA.

Holiday Catalog: Credit for Displays & Features

NAIBA offers a $50 credit off the next dues invoice to any store that sends us photos of catalog displays, newsletter articles featuring the holiday catalog, etc. Email us proof of in-store and online promotions of the catalog titles. We’ll credit your next NAIBA dues invoice $50.

Publicity Speed Dating Grants

NAIBA would like all our members to have access to the in-person Publicity Speed Dating, and we understand that travel, store coverage, and associated expenses can make it feel prohibitive. NAIBA is granting four $500 grants to cover those for four stores. The four winning stores will be notified by the end of February so they can make plans to attend the March event at the Gotham Comedy Club in New York City.

Applicants must be:
A current NAIBA member
The store must be five years old or younger (opened 2020 or later)
Store was never represented at an in-person publicity speed dating event

2025 application TBA..

Linda Cannon Program Grant

The team at Parson Weems is offering two $250 grants to NAIBA bookstores to be used to fund a store’s project or program. It could be for anything from equipment or technical upgrades, school library book donations, a business consultant’s time, or staff bonuses. Application opens May 1, 2025 and closes June 27, 2025.

Linda Cannon, our friend and colleague, was with Parson Weems, an independent publishers rep group, since 2003. Linda loved being a book sales rep and the business of publishing. She truly enjoyed working with publishers, authors and, most of all, with her booksellers across the territory. In 2017 Linda received NAIBA's inaugural Kristin Keith Sales Rep of the Year Award. Linda passed away in 2019. We are humbled to present these grants in her honor.

Jason, Causten, Eileen, Chris, Brendan
Parson Weems Publisher Services

Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists

Would you like to attend Winter Institute, the NAIBA annual conference, and receive funding to create a program at your store that impacts your community in a positive way?

Then you should consider applying for this first-ever year-long scholarship provided by the Binc Foundation and the Friends of Carla Gray.

Carla Gray believed that books could change people and that people change the world. This memorial scholarship in her honor connects on both fronts, at the intersection of books and activism. Supporting emerging booksellers and their efforts to make a difference in one's community were essential to Carla. The community outreach project can be anything from providing books to underserved children or bringing a special speaker to your store, the sky is the limit. We want you to think outside the box and hopefully, your project could be shared with other stores.

You are eligible to apply if you:

Have at least one year but fewer than 5 years of bookselling experience.
Work part-time or full-time at a bookstore in good standing with the ABA and your regional association.
Are willing and able to commit one year to complete the scholarship and you intend to remain employed as a bookseller through the implementation of your project.
Your store owner agrees to partner with you on your community outreach project.

2025 application TBA..

WI and CI Diversity Scholarship

NAIBA funds a diversity scholarship to ABA's Winter Institute and Children's Institute for a staffer from one of it's member bookstores. The recipient will have their registration, hotel, and travel expenses covered by NAIBA.

Booksellers who have won a scholarship of any kind to Winter Institute or Children's Institute in the past three years are ineligible for the NAIBA diversity scholarship, as are booksellers who win any other scholarship to the current year's Institutes. Winner must be from a store that is both a NAIBA and ABA member in good standing.

Applications due: August 14, 2025 for Wi2025. October 15, 2025 for CI Institutes. Click here for the form.

Professional Booksellers Certification

NAIBA members receive a discount at registration for most Professional Booksellers School courses, as well as a full refund when they successfully complete the course and receive certification. The discount code will be shared with members before each course's registration opens. It must be used at the time of registration; there will not be a refund of the discount amount. The course fee will be refunded after the student is notified. Refunds are paid to the member bookstore.