After being announced as the California Booksellers Alliance’s new executive director in February, Hannah Walcher, former director of Books Inc.’s nonprofit Reading Bridge book fair program, officially started work in June. She takes over from former co-EDs Kristin Rasmussen and Ann Seaton. Walcher spoke with PW about her bookselling journey, CALIBA’s top priorities, and her excitement for the upcoming Fall Fest in Pasadena.
Did you foresee a leadership career in bookselling?
I originally wanted to go in a publishing direction. When I was in the master’s program at Rosemont College, we visited Penguin Random House and I asked what they considered the best experience for getting into publishing, because it was so hard to find those coveted internships in New York City. They recommended working in a bookstore, because you see what’s coming and going.
Right after graduating, the bites weren’t coming, so I moved to San Francisco. I walked into Books Inc. in Burlingame—which, sadly, is no longer there—and dropped off my résumé. An hour later, I got a call for an interview. I was hired as a seasonal part-time employee, and pretty quickly I was a keyholder.
How did you get from that first job to starting the Reading Bridge nonprofit?
I fell in love with bookselling from the moment I started. You can read anything and everything, and you can be a champion for the books that speak to you. I’m quite a social person, so I enjoyed meeting folks as well. When Books Inc. needed someone to plan Not Your Mother’s Book Club, a YA event series, I ended up working on their social media, newsletters, and website.
In 2019, [co-owners] Michael and Margie Scott Tucker retired, and there was a big shift. Andy Perham was promoted to CEO and Shannon Mathis [who led children’s events] moved to Simon & Schuster. So I took on children’s events and the book fair program. During the pandemic, we went virtual for a couple years, and I turned Reading Bridge into a nonprofit in 2023.
Why did you decide to apply for the role with CALIBA?
It wasn’t an easy decision to leave Books Inc. I found a lot of pride and fulfillment in the nonprofit—it was a huge learning curve, and hopefully I set them up for success. But my coworkers said, “Did you see that CALIBA’s hiring?” So I reached out to [former CALIBA ED] Calvin Crosby, who’s the president of the board at Reading Bridge, and asked, “How long were you at CALIBA?” It dawned on me that this job might not come around again, so I started the application.
What immediate priorities do you and CALIBA’s board and staff want to address?
It’s been almost five years since we combined the Northern and Southern California associations, and I’ve seen the building blocks that Ann [Seaton], Kristin [Rasmussen], and Calvin put in place. Now [operations manager] Valentina Moberg, [staff member] Emma Marie, and I are working on ways to build community, for example, launching a Discord, a platform that’s a safe space for everybody to connect.
Have you gotten the chance to visit members’ and nonmembers’ stores yet?
I actually just moved to Pasadena, and Fall Fest will be here this year—a happy coincidence. I will not be moving to wherever each Fall Fest is, but life took me in this direction! I’ve met with Vroman’s, and I’ll be visiting Skylight Books, where Mary Williams, VP of CALIBA’s board, is general manager. Nikki High at Octavia’s Bookshelf is 10 minutes down the road from me. Before moving, I visited stores in Sacramento with Ann, and then Valentina and I did two days in the Bay Area. Long, fun days!
These are early days, but what long-term goals do you have for CALIBA?
I’m hoping to meet more Southern California stores, make connections with Northern California folks, and get out to non–big city stores as well. In addition, [CALIBA board chair] Melinda Powers and the board have an initiative to put together advisory committees, to look at industry challenges and create educational programs. It’s a feeder program to the board, too. Mainly, I’m going to take this year to gather feedback, and luckily, I’ve inherited an amazing staff and board. I’ve fully enjoyed the last two months, getting to know everybody.
