Canadian Independent Bookstore Day (CIBD), held for the seventh year on April 25, led to a one-day 76 per cent increase in book sales compared to the previous Saturday, according to data from Bookmanager.

In its Tuesday newsletter, Bookmanager shared some of the sales numbers from this year’s CIBD as well as those from Independent Bookstore Day, which took place in the U.S. on the same date.

Sales at the 267 Canadian indies that use Bookmanager as their inventory system were up 76 per cent on April 25 compared to the previous Saturday. This is a 6 per cent increase in sales compared to CIBD 2025, which saw a 17 per cent increase in sales compared to CIBD 2024, Bookmanager said.

Sales in the U.S. saw a greater increase, with 150 per cent more sales on Independent Bookstore Day compared to the previous year.

Bookmanager noted that although the general numbers were positive, the specific sales figures varied greatly between stores, with some seeing only a “tiny bump” in sales compared to the previous Saturday while others saw sales greatly in excess of the average figure, a difference that could be explained by different marketing approaches.

“People love books; people love shopping; people love an arbitrary celebration; and people love a lil’ something extra (small, select discounts go a long way… so does spinning a wheel!),” the newsletter said. “It all coalesces into one very easy-to-market day just for us, so hop on the bandwagon if you haven’t already, there’s plenty of room!”