Thank you for your interest in Ignatius Book Fairs! Please take a moment to review these Frequently Asked Questions for book fair administrators.
We are currently scheduling book fairs for the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters.
Our main goal for our book fairs is to get GOOD books in the hands of your children! In addition, your school/organization will receive 40% in Ave Dollars or 20% cash back if your fair sales are $6,000 or more; 20% in Ave Dollars or 10% cash back otherwise.
Ave Dollars can be used to purchase any books or other classroom resources in our inventory. These books can be used to grow your school, classroom, or parish library.
The contract is very straightforward. It spells out the terms of your book fair earnings. It also stipulates that (1) you need to keep the books and machines, as well as any cash and checks, in a secure area; (2) you will collect tax; (3) you will ship the boxes of unsold books back, using the provided pre-paid shipping labels and Ignatius Book Fairs boxes.
Yes, our books will be delivered to you, and you will be able to sell them directly to your students/members.
We will be adding this option in the future, where your school can shop from our website with a code for your school. This may be a good option for smaller groups.
We are currently offering a standard package that cannot be customized. It includes 250 individual titles. Our book fairs will offer a broad selection of Catholic books, plus nonreligious children’s classics and wholesome modern children’s books, carefully vetted for content. Additionally, we will include fun books that get kids excited, covering subjects such as science, history, geography, sports, crafts, and more! Seasonally, we may also add a small “add-on” package of appropriate books for Christmas, Easter, etc.
Depending on the size of your school/parish/organization, we will send multiple copies of each of these 250 titles, which means you will receive 800-1200 books depending on your size.
Our standard package is geared toward grades K-8. We do offer an optional "add-on package" of books geared toward adults and older teens 16+.
We offer an optional "add-on package" of Toys and Trinkets. These include keychains, vinyl stickers, and small toys. All of our toys and trinkets are faith-based.
The books will be delivered to you in boxes that are packed by category. This makes it easy to set up your tables with their coordinating signs. When you break down the fair, simply pack the unsold books back into the boxes and use the pre-paid labels from your welcome packet to return them (must be shipped to us within three days of the fair ending).
Yes, you will have an Ignatius Book Fair staff member assigned to help you throughout the whole fair process.
We suggest recruiting a committee of 15-20 volunteers to help you through the planning process, and to staff the fair itself.
No, but an Ignatius Book Fair staff member will make sure you have everything you need to host a successful book fair. We are available to assist you by phone and email anytime!
It is important that students/parishioners have enough time to review thoroughly the books and make their purchases. If you are a school and have other constituencies, such as a parish, community, or homeschoolers, it is important to add an evening and/or weekend shopping time. Plan on three to five days to allow all the students to go through the fair in an organized way.
Three months before your book fair begins, we will send you a guide on “How to Host a Successful Ignatius Book Fair.” This will include a digital “Advertising Package” which will have branded graphics for social media, posters, flyers, and more. Start with your school/parish’s own publications and social media accounts, then post flyers in your local libraries and shops. Your area likely has a local newspaper and/or magazine that will have an Events Calendar and allow free submissions. Make sure you have a dedicated volunteer to coordinate advertising, since spreading the word to a large audience is a key to success!
We recommend at least 800 square feet for a book fair. Ideally, we recommend having enough space for twenty 6-foot tables, or the equivalent, in order to display the books properly, have a check-out table, etc.
Three months before your book fair, we will send you a digital “Operations Package”. This will include printable table signs, templates, and more. You will need to provide tables and tablecloths. We suggest that you decorate the book fair and provide suggestions in the “How to Host a Successful Ignatius Book Fair” Guide.
One week before the book fair begins, we will deliver all the books, a welcome banner, several decorative posters, the Clover point of sale device(s), book stands, and table category stands. Most of this will need to be returned with unsold books.
Yes! Anyone can create an account at www.ignatiusbookfairs.com and shop. For your school to get credit, you will need to select your school when you create an account. For all online orders, your school will automatically receive 30% of your purchase in Ave Dollars. In addition, if you shop during the days your book fair is open for business, you have the option to select free shipping to your school.
You and your volunteer team will be trained to run the payment system we provide you, called Clover. Using the Clover, you will be able to accept cash, checks, credit and debit cards.
Yes, you need reliable access to the Internet during the book fair. If you do experience temporary problems with your Internet, Clover can capture all the info and it can be uploaded later. Clover also has an option to switch to a cell phone network. However, this is not ideal, so please plan to have your IT person available during all book fair hours to troubleshoot any problems with the Internet.
At the end of the fair, box up the remaining books using the original Ignatius Book Fair boxes and ship them back at no cost to you. We will provide return shipping labels.
After you sign a contract, we will introduce you to our Book Fair Manager, Ana Umana. Ana and her team will be in touch with you three months before the book fair begins to guide you through the process. You will also be given her contact information should any questions arise before then.
