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Membership Criteria

Independent bookshops are invited to join the IBAI. Applicants can view the membership criteria here.

  • Bookshops seeking membership should be a physical, brick and mortar bookshops, in operation for at least one year.
  • Bookselling businesses exclusively limited to mail-order, pop-ups, and internet-only are not eligible for membership.
  • The bookshop should be an independent business, it should be self-sustaining
  • The bookshop should primarily sell general (trade) books, and should earn not less than 75% of its revenue from the sale of books if other items are also sold.
  • A bookshop with 2 or 3 branches will still be considered only for a single membership even if the branches are in different regions of the country.
  • Member bookshops should not have more than 3 branches.
  • Definition of Independent Bookshop

*Bookshop = a brick and mortar establishment primarily engaged in the sale of books. (i.e. 75% of the revenue comes from book sales)

*Independent = one that is not part of a large group of businesses. It is self-sufficient and operates largely without external funding.

*The management of the bookshop may be a proprietorship, a LLP, a partnership or a Private Limited Company.

To apply for membership to the IBAI, visit this page and fill the form.