The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association hit the ground running this week for its three-day Fall Tradeshow in Portland, Ore., which is being held September 19–21 this year.
Although the show officially started Tuesday, PNBA warmed up on Monday with three pre-show parties, not listed on the schedule but advertised in the newsletter: Tin House Books held an open house in its northwest Portland offices, Scholastic hosted a happy hour, and the combined teams of the Collective Book Studio and Gibbs Smith threw a mixer featuring selections inspired by A.J. Dean’s forthcoming Friday Night Cocktails (Collective Book Studio, Nov.). Executive director Brian Juenemann said members might be inclined to make this a regular tradition.
PNBA invited more than 70 authors to meet booksellers this year, and tradeshow business began on Tuesday with an Authors on the Map brunch featuring 10 Northwest authors. Next up was the Big Pitch, PNBA’s annual four-hour binge of sales reps touting their top picks. Booksellers then met the reps and browsed the tables at Explore the Floor, a soft-open of the exhibit hall where everyone scored coveted ARCs and planned conversations for the next day.
After Dinner at the Kids’ Table, a Scholastic-sponsored banquet that included a panel of five authors for young readers, there was one more opportunity to snag signed books before bedtime. Blackstone Publishing hosted a Nightcapper event, where 19 authors chatted with attendees and signed advance copies of their work.
The regional gathering’s second day will focus on the exhibit hall, meals with author guests, and the selection of a PNBA BuzzBook from a slate of eight contenders. After the exhibitors wrap up, PNBA’s final day offers bookseller education sessions.
