We're Here to Change Bookselling
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Meet PBS
The Professional Booksellers School was established to change bookselling by offering sustained, high-level professional development for independent booksellers at all levels. Our classes and courses are all developed and taught by experienced booksellers, and we offer both introductory and upper-level professional development – a first in the industry.
Our courses are designed and taught by experienced and successful owners, managers, buyers, and event staffers to help independent booksellers master job-specific skills and knowledge. Our instructors and students come from all across the U.S., and the school is supported by all Indie Bookstore Regional Trade Associations: NAIBA, MIBA, GLIBA, MPIBA, SIBA, PNBA,and CALIBA. All of the Regional Trade Associations offer discounts or tuition rebates to students.
PBS is the brainchild of Eileen Dengler, Director of NAIBA and long-time bookselling pro. After a decade of dreaming ways to provide the same level of professional development for booksellers that members of other industries have, she opened the school in 2020, with the first courses taught in 2021. In our first four years we have worked with more than 600 bookstores, educated more than 800 booksellers, and certified more than 300 booksellers.
PBS Bookstores
What Do We Offer?
PBS currently offers 5 live courses, taught once each year, as well as Independent Study options and upper-level, single-topic classes to help grow and develop bookstores.
Our live courses are:
We are developing Independent Study options for these courses, either for certification or for self-study. In 2024 we offered our first Bookstore Development class in Marketing & Display, taught by Lisa Uhrik and Steve Wax. New classes and courses are always being developed!
See How PBS Can Help Your Store
Certification
Each of our four core courses offer booksellers the chance to become certified in that specific area. Certification is evidence of dedicated, advanced learning and demonstration of relevant skills and knowledge; we are sure that any certified bookseller could walk into a job at any Indie bookstore, succeed at the job, and help the store stabilize or grow.
Our Certification Badge is one way we are changing the professionalism of bookselling, and helping booksellers build careers for themselves within the industry.
All of our students agree that what they learn through us is everything they wish they had known years ago. PBS is here so new booksellers never again have to learn the hard way!
See All Our Certified Booksellers
Ready To Come On Board? Membership Is Free
How Does PBS Change Stores?
Our Swag Shop is Open @ Bonfire!
Our first Swag Shop is now open, featuring designs by artist Sadare Ellis. Tshirts, hoodies, bags, cups, and more!
Get Your Swag
Bookseller Spotlight
The PBS Finance class is a game-changer. Learning from and alongside industry colleagues, in a space that feels safe and supportive, is about as good as it gets. Be warned: this class is rigorous with high expectations and hours of homework. This is absolutely not a one-hour-a-week Zoom class to snooze through. However, if you're ready to learn from those who already know and do it, ready to apply that new learning back to your own bookstore, permanently change things up and move that bar forward, this is the class for you. For me, things will never be the same again."
Michelle Tuplin, Owner, Serendipity Books
Our Mission
The purpose of the Professional Booksellers School, Inc.'s Certification Program is to provide independent booksellers with an education, training, and accreditation process that will:
1. Elevate the trade of independent bookselling to a standard approaching that of other professionals in similar industries related to education and public literary engagement.
2. Offer a standardized baseline knowledge across all aspects of the independent bookselling industry, as well as professional development opportunities for career booksellers.
3. Create an opportunity for mentorship, guidance, innovation, teaching, and information sharing among book industry members that will compensate people for their time and expertise.
Our mission would not be possible without our Deans, Instructors, & Guests
