New Voices New Rooms (NVNR), the joint conference hosted by the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) and the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA), takes place Sunday, August 2, through Wednesday, August 5, at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore, Md. The show begins with bus tours of local bookstores from 1 to 5 p.m. followed by an orientation for first-time attendees and, new this year, the Early Bird Authors & Literary Trivia event, at which authors talk about their new books and join teams competing for prizes and answering trivia questions based on the authors' books.

Monday begins with Opening Breakfast: We Will Not Be Silenced: Black Women Shaping Our Narrative, featuring authors Nicole Dennis-Benn, Soyica Diggs Colbert, Celeste Headlee, and Afia Atakora, moderated by Hannah Oliver Depp, founder of Loyalty Books, Washington, D.C., and president of NAIBA. The authors' upcoming works--both fiction and non-fiction--explore how dominant culture has silenced Black expression and celebrate the ways Black women have fought to make themselves seen and heard. They examine the tension between private lives and public personas; uncover the histories of Black women artists who found refuge and community in speakeasies and nightclubs, using those spaces to launch activist movements; and honor the real-life women who risked everything so future generations could express themselves freely.

Monday education sessions begin at 9:45 a.m., focusing on children's authors, community & the hyper-local future, creating a long-term events and marketing strategy, events for beginners, AI, managing stress, and building a bookstore budget. At 11, there are education sessions focusing on making stores and events safer, publicists' explanations of their jobs, all about ARCs, the challenges and opportunities of "middle-age" bookstores, managing stress (the first of four sessions on the subject featuring licensed clinical therapists), buying budgets, and true crime. From 12:45-1:45 p.m., the Children's Luncheon Panel: Writing for the Next Generation features authors Frederick Joseph, Gayle Forman, and Daniel Nayeri, who will discuss themes in their work--mental health, social issues, and identity--and how they find inspiration, imagine the reader, and begin larger conversations. From 2:15 to 3:15, education sessions cover the topics establishing book crawls, creating deep and meaningful events, horror book trends that include new voices representing traditionally marginalized groups, the importance of reps, success stories (via open mic), managing stress, and making more money. From 3:30 to 4:30, education sessions focus on establishing book festivals, debut authors, children's events, editors buzz, helpful apps, managing stress, and navigating economic downturns. From 5 to 6:30, attendees can mingle with debut and veteran authors published by indie presses at the Indie Press Author Reception. Capping the day, the Sip & Sizzle Romance Authors Reception runs from 9 to 10 p.m.

Tuesday begins with regional breakfasts and meetings at 8 a.m.: NAIBA will hold its annual meeting, and SIBA features a town hall and town square. From 9:30 to 11:40 a.m., reps will highlight Picks of the List. The exhibit floor opens at 11 and stays open until 5 p.m. "Ask me anything" sessions run in the afternoon on topics including the new Ingram Covered site, children's literacy, indie and self-published authors, and explanations about anything that needs explaining. The Awards Dinner runs from 6:30 to 8:30.

The Moveable Feast Breakfast, in which many free books are given out while authors and booksellers mingle, kicks off Wednesday at 8 a.m. A series of retreats run from 10 to 12, each focused on a particular bookstore role: children's booksellers, event/program/marketers, frontline booksellers, managers, owners, unusual bookstore models, and more. 

The show marks the last at which Eileen Dengler will be executive director of NAIBA. At the end of the year, she will retire after 25 years heading the organization although she will continue as president of the Professional Booksellers School into next year. The three days offer many opportunities to thank her for a job well done!

The California Independent Booksellers Alliance (CALIBA) Fall Fest 2026 takes place Monday, September 14, and Tuesday, September 15, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Mission Valley San Diego, San Diego, Calif.

On Sunday, September 13, two pre-conference bookstore tours take place beginning at 7:30 a.m. Day one opens on Monday at 8 a.m. with a breakfast keynote featuring award-winning and bestselling author Nicola Yoon. From 9:40-10:45, education sessions include one for first-time show attendees, and an author panel includes fiction authors Julie Buxbaum, K-Ming Chang, and Holly Varni. From 10:40 to 11:25 is CALIBA's annual meeting. Education panels from 11:35-12:45 include an ABA session and a Scholastic YA Author Panel. An Indie Press Rep Picks Lunch runs from 12:45 to 2:15 p.m. From 2:30 to 3:20 are Author Showcases, followed at 3:30 by a closing author panel. The exhibit floor opens from 4:30 to 6:30.

The exhibit floor opens again on Tuesday at 8 a.m. and runs until 11. From 9-10 is a Meet the Committees coffee mixer followed by a Rep Picks Brunch from 11:15-12:45 p.m. Education sessions run from 1 to 1:50 and 2 to 2:50; one is a Professional Booksellers School session, and author panels focusing on poetry & essay, genre fiction, and nonfiction will feature a range of authors. The Golden Poppy Book Awards Ceremony will be held from 7-9 p.m., followed by wine and dessert.

The New England Independent Booksellers Association's (NEIBA) 2026 Fall Conference takes place Tuesday, September 15, through Thursday, September 17, at the Boston Marriott Newton hotel in Newton, Mass.

The registration desk opens on Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., and early bird sessions run from 9 to 10:30, featuring Ingram Covered and an introduction for new booksellers to the conference, NEIBA, and bookselling in general. The opening keynote begins at 11 and features Jill Lepore, whose new book is The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State (Norton). A Reps Pick Lunch follows from 12:15 to 2:45 p.m. Afternoon education sessions run in two blocks, from 3 to 3:45 and 4:15 to 5:15, and cover topics such as bookstore events as customer service, stocking vinyl records, finance fundamentals, and building a store brand. At least 25 authors will attend the evening author reception from 5:30 to 7.

On Wednesday from 8:30 to 10 a.m., the Adult Author Breakfast, featuring Flynn Berry, Amy Cuddy, Andre Dubus III, and Malinda Lo, runs concurrently with the Children's Author Breakfast, featuring Jasmine Guillory, Cathy G. Johnson, Janae Marks, and Katie Yamasaki. The exhibit floor is open from 10 to 4. Separate adult and children's editor Buzz Panel lunches will be held from 12 to 1:15 p.m. From 4 to 5:15 p.m., an education session looks at second printings of books. The New England Book Awards Banquet (6:30-8:30), at which the winners of the 2026 awards will be announced, will be preceded by a cocktail hour from 5:30 to 6:30.

Thursday opens with separate adult and children's author breakfasts from 8:30 to 10 a.m. The adult breakfast features Augusten Burroughs, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Caitlin Doughty, and Dani Shapiro; the children's breakfast includes Lucy Ruth Cummins, M.J. Hastings, Kara LaReau, and Kekla Magoon. The NEIBA Annual Meeting from 11:30 to 12:15 caps a morning of education sessions that include how to systematize recurring projects, organizing and categorizing complex sections, and NECBA education. The conference ends with the Moveable Feast Author Luncheon with 10 authors, at 12:30 p.m.

The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) 2026 Fall Tradeshow takes place Sunday, September 27, to Tuesday, September 29, at the Holiday Inn Portland--Columbia Riverfront hotel in Portland, Ore.

The PNBA Membership Meeting starts off Sunday at 9 a.m., followed by the Keynote Kickoff Education session at 10:15. At 11:50 and 2 p.m. are the Big Pitch Rep Picks sessions. More education sessions will be held in the afternoon, and authors will be available on the exhibit floor, which opens at 4:30. The Authors on Display dinner takes place at 7:30, followed by the Nightcapper Autographing Reception at 9:30.

Monday begins with the Authors on the Map Breakfast at 7:45 a.m. Exhibits open at 9:30 and close at 4 p.m. Education sessions and member-driven small group opportunities run throughout the day with a break for a box lunch at noon. The PNBA Book Awards shortlist will be revealed at 2:30. The Signature Dish Plated Dinner starts at 5:45. The 8:15 p.m. Reps Behind the Desk event includes a full bar and nonalcoholic drink options.

The final day of the show starts with the 7:45 a.m. Morning Marquee Breakfast. More education sessions run in the morning. The Books Around the Bend Lunch begins at 12:45 and includes more authors. The show closes at 2 p.m.

The Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association's (MPIBA) 2026 FallCon takes place Sunday, October 4, through Wednesday, October 7, at the Renaissance Denver Hotel & Conference Center in Denver, Colo. On Sunday, the show begins with the FallCon Mix and Mingle from 6 to 8 p.m. at nearby Station 26 Brewing Co.

Monday starts with the Kick-Off Keynote Author Breakfast from 8:30 to 10 a.m. featuring a mix of bestselling authors presenting their books and engaging in a Q&A with the moderator. From 10:15-11:15, the education session is an introduction to Ingram Covered. From 10:30 to 4:30 p.m. is Rep Picks of the Lists. The 12:30-1:45 Young Readers Round-Up Author Lunch features a mix of children's book authors. Idea-Sharing Round Tables will be held 2-3 and 3:15-4:15. The Exhibit Hall Opening Reception runs from 4:30 to 6:30. Bedtime Stories with Libro.fm will be held from 9-10 p.m.

Tuesday begins at 8 a.m. with the Backlist Bonanza Breakfast: Panel & Pitch, a new event that features publishers discussing the importance of backlist in bookstores and tools for creating a great backlist inventory. The exhibit hall is open from 9:30 to 4 p.m. Throughout the day, the Ask an Expert table will be staffed by experts ready to answer questions on topics such as buying, events, and inventory management. The two concurrent You Choose Author Lunches: Sunshine vs. Shadow go from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Attendees can pick either "sunshine," which highlights romance, fantasy, general fiction, and more, or "shadow," which highlights mysteries, thrillers, dark romance, horror, and more. Regional Author Speed Dating begins at 4:15. The Literary Trivia Challenge runs from 5:45 to 6:45.

Wednesday begins with the Deep Dive: Nonfiction Author Speed Round Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. at which authors will speak briefly about their work and then a guest emcee will ask rapid-fire questions for a deeper dive into them and their work. Concurrent education sessions run throughout the morning and early afternoon and focus on bookstore basics, including buying, budgeting, calculating event ROI, and membership & subscription programs. A Libro.fm panel will delve into how to maximize audio revenue. The Scholastic YA Panel Lunch runs from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m. The show closes at 3:15 with the Last Booksellers Standing Raffle. 

The 2026 Heartland Fall Forum, hosted by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association (GLIBA) and the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association (MIBA), runs from Wednesday, October 7, to Friday, October 9, at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center hotel in Minneapolis, Minn.

On Tuesday, October 6, 7:30-9:30 p.m. is a free Dungeon Crawler Carl pre-con event that includes team challenges--"a gamemaster-led experience with hilarious tasks & thoughtful discussion."

Registration opens 7 a.m. on Wednesday followed by a morning of job-focused retreats for store owners, managers, events managers, and others. Twin Cities bookstore tours run from 12:30-5 p.m. An orientation session runs from 5:30 to 6:15, followed from 6:30 to 8 by the awards celebration (honoring Heartland Booksellers Award titles and the recipient of the 2026 Voice of the Heartland honor). The open night party, going from 8 to 11, will be held at the Open Book in Minneapolis.

Thursday begins with the Marquee Author Breakfast from 8 to 9:30 a.m., followed by a morning of education panels. After that, the Rep Picks Lunch goes from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m., and the trade show floor is open from 2:30 to 5:30. The Evening Author Reception features five authors and runs from 5:30 to 7. The day ends with a quiz bowl from 9:30 to 11:30.

Separate GLIBA and MIBA membership meetings start off Friday from 8 to 9 a.m. The Marquee Authors Brunch runs from 9:30 to 11. The trade show floor is open from 11 to 2 p.m., and the show concludes with the Authors' Afternoon Tea (aka the Moveable Feast), which goes from 3:30 to 4:30.