Summary
The Midwest Independent Booksellers Association is looking for a talented marketing, design, and communications professional to manage our independent bookstore membership and programming.
The Bookstore Membership Manager is a creative, enthusiastic, and detail-oriented professional responsible for executing a comprehensive and inclusive programming strategy that engages and delights our bookstore membership. Working closely with our staff and board, the Bookstore Membership Manager creates and distributes the resources our bookstores need to benefit from our wide-ranging programs.
About Us
MIBA is a trade organization that produces programs that help independent bookstores and booksellers grow their knowledge base and their bottom line. We facilitate an ongoing forum for our bookstore members to connect with our industry members (publishers, wholesalers, distributors, sales reps, and others allied to the book industry) to strengthen the indie bookstore sales channel. Visit our websites www.MidwestBooksellers.org and www.HeartlandFallForum.org to learn more.
Essential functions
Bookstore member management

• Manage the administrative and communications workflow of our bookstore members, including opening dates, directory data, etc.; act on questions and provide answers in a timely fashion; become a Novi expert, our association management software (AMS); maintain up-to-date map of stores
• Onboard new bookstore members and work with them to answer questions and build engagement with MIBA and our programs
• Manage our social media, taking advantage of these channels to reach our membership and influence consumers about the importance of independent bookstores
• Monitoring our membership data, create a messaging strategy to celebrate our growth and promote our new members with the trade and consumers
• Track news items throughout the week to build the bookstore news section of our newsletter
• Manage our calendar, job board, and newsfeed

Production and marketing

• Holistically manage the design-to-print production process of two of our biggest programs: 1) the Midwest Indie Bookstore Roadmap, including store art requests, map production, and consumer contest, and 2) the winter catalog, including store orders and layout and production of the print and digital versions of the catalog
• Manage the Midwest Indie Bestseller List by creating print and digital versions of the list to deliver to our membership via digital marketing channels; produce quarterly and annual bestseller reports that celebrate our region's top-selling books
• Create a comprehensive, versatile graphic design strategy to amplify our messaging and motivate our membership to participate in our programming; design graphics needed for all applications, including websites, newsletters, and social media platforms; help maintain our website

Event management

• Assist in the execution of our successful in-person events (Spring Road Trip and Heartland Fall Forum), including attendee registration, event marketing, author appearances, education, program creation, and more

Desired qualifications

• 5-7 years of book industry experience; the ideal candidate will be grounded the operations of independent bookstores as well as the industry's challenges and opportunities
• Versatile, driven, and skilled at producing high-quality work independently
• A natural capacity for providing friendly, fast customer service and creating lasting relationships
• Fastidious attention to detail
• The ability to learn quickly and take charge of projects holistically
• Tech-savviness and the enthusiasm to learn new platforms is mandatory. This position will work with InDesign, Canva, Airtable, Quickbooks, Flipsnack, Google (Drive, Forms, Gmail, and Maps), Constant Contact, and Novi AMS, and more
• The ideal candidate will have production and graphic design skills and experience

Job Details

• Closing date: April 1, 2024
• Classification: Full-time and exempt

• Location: Applicants can be located in any one of our member states (Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula)
• Salary and benefits: Starting range begins at $45,000 plus a healthcare stipend of $400/month; phone/internet stipend of $80/month; 120 hours of PTO, 10 paid holidays, plus the office is closed between December 25 and January 1
• A laptop will be provided with additional tech needs considered on an as-needed basis
• Pre-approved work-related travel is reimbursed
• Reports to: Executive Director

Availability: Must be available to work evenings and weekends on an as-needed basis