A New Partnership for SCBWI-MI

By Molly David

The Leadership Team is always looking for new ways to help SCBWI-MI members expand their reach in the community. We are excited to announce a new partnership with Bookstock that will help us promote literacy programs, connections with area teachers, and raise money for future events.

This is the first year SCBWI-MI will partner with Bookstock.

We love books; they love books. It’s a perfect match.

What does that mean for our members?

We are asking members to volunteer to work shifts at Bookstock this year. If you’ve always wanted to volunteer to help SCBWI and raise money for area literacy programs, but only had a few hours to spare, this is the opportunity for you.

Volunteers organize books during the one-week books sale, help customers, and take payments during the event in Livonia. This is a great way for us to raise money so we can provide more benefits to our members. A sign-up sheet will be available on SCBWI-MI’s events page on March 12^th.

Bookstock is also allowing us to set up a few tables where our members can sell their books and/or promote their school visits to Bookstock shoppers. 

Here is how it will work:

Teacher appreciation days are Tuesday, April 29th and Wednesday, April 30th. If you work a shift, you can have a spot at a table to share your author school visit information and sell some signed books. Work a two-hour shift on Tuesday or Wednesday and then have the remaining time to promote your books and school visits. If you would rather volunteer on Sunday April 27th and/or Sunday May 4th that works, too! Both Sundays are also SCBWI volunteer days. The more volunteers the better!

If you just want to sign up to help SCBWI-MI and Bookstop, that’s great, as well. Our chapter will receive a donation for your volunteer hours. If you don’t sign up through us, please be sure to tell Bookstock you are an SCBWI-MI member so we can get credit for your time.

This is a great opportunity for SCBWI-MI to promote literacy programs, promote the amazing talent we have within our organization, and earn money for our chapter. For each of us, it is a great way to give back to our community, promote our work, and raise money for SCBWI-MI.

Bookstock is Detroit’s (and possibly the country’s) biggest used book and media sale. This event collects used books for resale to raise money for education and literacy programs. 2025 is their 21^st year in operation. They have raised over $3 million for literacy initiatives in Detroit and the surrounding areas.

Supporting the need to read

Bookstock is 100% volunteer driven. Last year, over 600 volunteers provided about 6,300 volunteer hours. The storage space, tables, and chairs are all donated.  400,000+ used books and media were for sale, most items were $3 or less.

The opening day of Bookstock is Sunday, April 27. They have a Presale event from 8:15-11:00 am. For an admission of $25, you can get first access to the best used books around. Starting at 11:00 am, Bookstock is open to the public at no charge. They continue to sell books with no admission fee Monday- Saturday 11:00am-7:00pm and Sunday May 4 from 11:00am-6:00pm.

They have special days throughout the week. On Tuesday, April 29^th and Wednesday. April 30^th from 2:00-7:00 pm teachers with a valid id get 50% off books. Thursday, May 1^st is Bookstock Loyalty Day. You can get 20% off your purchase if you bring a Bookstock bag from a previous year. Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3 are Pocket Paperback Palooza where you can get 15 pocket paperbacks for $10. And on the last day, Sunday May 4^th, all books and media are 50% off.

Where do the proceeds go?

The Bookstock Fund uses the money raised to fund many literacy programs in the Detroit area. They provide funding for: Microsoft Office Suite training for Detroit area adults, support book clubs, poetry slams, and classroom libraries. They provide scholarships for students at Wayne State University School of Library Sciences and Detroit Mercy. You can check out their grant guidelines and application here. The organization donates all leftover books to local non-profits.

How do I sign up to volunteer?

Sign up here. 

Molly David is Co-Communications Coordinator for SCBWI-MI. She founded Semper Grata (sempergrata.com) in 2022 to help families and educate communities on disability issues. Kirkus Review recommended her debut children’s picture book, My Mischievous Wheelchair, and featured it in their December 2023 magazine. It won a Firebird award and a Purple Dragonfly award in 2024. Molly understands the importance of all children seeing themselves in books. Molly is a highly regarded speaker on disability issues. Her book Planning for the Future: Protecting a Loved One with a Disability ranked fourth on Amazon. It is a guide for parents and caregivers on how to protect their children’s financial security. You can connect with Molly @mollydavidauthor.