Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association

Trade show meets Thurs., Sept. 18—Sat., Sept. 20, at the Doubletree Columbia River Hotel/Metro Expo Center, Portland, Ore.

Familiar things are made new at this year's show, in a slightly different venue, with new meeting and exhibit locations, and a different block of days. Thursday is dedicated to educational programming, with more than a dozen workshops planned at the hotel, and 45-minute sessions are offered at 8 a.m., 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. First things first when DeDe Teeters of Armchair Books gives pointers to retailers unfamiliar with show goings-on, while Cynthia Frank, president of Cypress House Press, reviews the "tricks of the trade" with publishers and authors. Four concurrent sessions are scheduled for the 9 a.m. time slot, and it will not be easy to choose. A representative from ABA conducts a workshop on technology as a bookselling tool, while a panel of audio publishers talk about ways booksellers can take advantage of audio book opportunities. Meanwhile, Frank and Sharon Castelan stress the basics in a session about distribution and marketing for independent presses, and in another room, sales reps recommend their "picks of the lists." So many books, so little time. Don't worry—"picks of the lists" will be repeated at 1:15 p.m. Morning sessions continue at 10:30 a.m. Sales reporting is on the priority list with a discussion of BookSpan. Experts from Nielsen and qualified user-booksellers work to convince skeptics about the effectiveness of making sales figures public. The notion of promotion gets ample attention when booksellers gather to share holiday catalogue success stories, and author publicity gets its due from Joanne McCall. Noon is grub time. Grab a box lunch and eat while listening to a panel of booksellers talk about sidelines. Afterwards at 1:15 p.m., there's more for booksellers to chew on. The ABA reprises its program on Booksense.com co-op, while APA holds another workshop on audio markets. Attention shifts to "school work" at a panel moderated by Clare Meeker as she and an assortment of booksellers, teachers and librarians discuss the advantages of bookseller—teacher cooperation. One last workshop, "What a Book Editor Can Do for You!" was especially designed by the Northeast Independent Editors Group for prospective authors; it closes the afternoon agenda at 2:45 p.m. At 3 p.m., a two-hour celebration of authors gets under way. Russ Lawrence of Chapter One Bookstore manages this annual rite of passage during which little-known authors are introduced to the bookseller community. Each gets 12 minutes: Jack Nisbet (Visible Bones), Daniel Coyle (Walking Samuel), Angela Ballard (A Blistered Kind of Love), Terry Trueman (Inside Out), Ellen Waterston (Then There Was No Mountain), H. Lee Barnes (The Lucky), Kathrine Beck (Opal: A Life of Enchantment, Mystery, and Madness), Christopher Paolini (Eragon), Ariel Gore (Atlas of the Human Heart) and Tracy Daugherty (Axeman's Jazz). Dinner is at the individual's discretion; just be back at 8 p.m. for the dessert and autographing party, at which authors from the afternoon's "celebration" are joined by four others: Paul Linnman (The Exploding Whale), Ron Lovell (Dead Whales Tell No Tales), Elizabeth Lyon (A Writer's Guide to Nonfiction) and Clare Hodgson Meeker (Hansa: The True Story of an Asian Elephant Baby).

Come early to Friday's 8 a.m. breakfast at the hotel to get a good table. Dee Robinson of Village Books welcomes Western writer Ivan Doig (Prairie Nocturne), children's author Richard Peck (The River Between Us) and novelist Laura Kalpakian (The Memoir Club). On Friday complimentary bus service is offered from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. between the hotel and expo center. Exhibit hours: 9:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Autographing hours: 10 a.m.—noon and 2—4 p.m. A booksellers roundtable lunch is planned for the 12:30 p.m. break. Bring a box lunch, and talk about the business with colleagues. Debates about such issues as corporate accounts, audio rentals, bargain books and markdowns should be lively. PNBA's Book Awards Committee meets at 10 a.m.; its Literacy Committee at 3:30 p.m. With the general membership meeting at 4:45 p.m., business concludes for the day. After freshening up back at the hotel, head to the 6:30 p.m. cocktail party, then on to the banquet at 7:30 p.m. After the customary entrée and dessert, PNBA board president Holly Myers steps to the podium to present the evening's guest speakers: Esmé Raji Codell (How to Get Your Child to Love Reading), David Guterson (Our Lady of the Forest) and Steven Kellogg (Jimmy's Boa and the Bungee Jump Slam Dunk). It's a grand finale to a busy day.

At the Saturday book and author breakfast, Chris Satterlund of Snowgoose Bookstore introduces regional favorite Pete Fromm (As Cool as I Am), literacy advocate Nancy Pearl (Book Lust) and children's author Doug Wood (Old Turtle and the Broken Truth) to a wide-awake crowd. Complimentary bus service is offered from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Exhibit hours: 9:30 a.m.— 2 p.m. Autographing hours: 10 a.m.—12:30 p.m. Box lunches are available; advance tickets are required. At 2 p.m., doors close. Booksellers at the banquet and breakfast will receive one signed copy of each speaker's book. Books may be limited to one copy per member store, depending on availability.

Contact:Thom Chambliss, 317 W. Broadway, Ste. 214, Eugene, Ore. 97401; (541) 683-4363;info@pnba.org; www.pnba.org.

Southern California Children's Booksellers Association

Annual Dinner and Golden Dolphin Award Presentation to be held on Sat., Sept. 20, at the Atrium Hotel, Irvine, Calif.

SCCBA and friends return to the site of last year's gala affair, the first-class Atrium Hotel. Memories of incredible speakers, gorgeous weather and fabulous food spark the organizers' plans. More than 350 enthusiastic book lovers will gather poolside to salute independent children's bookselling. Doings start at 4:30 p.m. with a "mini" trade show and get-acquainted social. Dinner follows at 7 p.m. with acclaimed-authors Walter Dean Myers (The Beast) and Henry Winkler (Hank Zipzer, The Mostly True Confessions of the World's Best Underachiever, Day of the Iguana), and illustrator Maira Kalman (Smartypants: Pete in School) entertaining diners with stories from their best-sellers. Afterwards, the regional Golden Dolphin Award is bestowed on an author or illustrator, whose identity is usually secret, but not this year. Tony Johnston, author of more than 100 books including the forthcoming The Mummy's Mother, is the 2003 award recipient. Tony is in good company: past recipients include Sid Fleischman (2002), Eve Bunting (2001), Theodore Taylor (2000) and Bill Peet (1999). Recipients of the SCCBA's annual literacy grants will also be announced, six in total. This well-established program holds an esteemed position in the life of the local community, and its committee receives many applications from area teachers, librarians, day-care providers and social service professionals. Publishers and interested groups are encouraged to become grant sponsors. Simon & Schuster shares the sponsorship role with SCCBA this year. At evening's end, a real treat is in store for each guest—the famous SCCBA -more books! Join the fun: RSVP now. Reservations must be received by September 12.

Contact:Betty Takeuchi or Candace Moreno, San Marino Toy and Book Shoppe, 2424 Huntington Dr., San Marino, Calif. 91108; (626) 309-0222;smtbs@toysandbooks.com; www.socalkidsbooks.com.

Northern California Independent Booksellers Association

Trade show meets Fri., Oct. 3—Sun., Oct. 5, at the Oakland Convention Center/Oakland City Center Marriott, Oakland, Calif.

Gertrude Stein famously remarked of Oakland, "There is no there there," but for the Northern California independent booksellers, that is decidedly not the case. That city's convention center and adjacent Marriott have proved to be the perfect place for the show for years, and this year's show, as usual, is characterized by an exciting mix of educational programming, celebrity author appearances, plenty of "book time" on the floor and super social activities.

Friday is given over to educational programming. At 10 a.m., NCIBA plays host to Austin bookseller Steve Bercu, who presents the results of a much-talked-about study on the economic impact of locally owned businesses. Steve and his allies among Austin's small business community successfully fought off the opening of a Borders Bookstore in his neighborhood. Their struggle and the study commissioned in support of their argument for the importance of local ownership are critical for all independent booksellers. This session is followed by one of the most popular show roundtables: "One Good Thing That Worked in My Store This Year." Booksellers are asked to share some success story that resulted in higher sales or better operating results: given the economic struggle everyone is facing, this should be a very inspirational meeting. It ends at 11:45 a.m., and lunch is served at noon. Two authors have been engaged to speak; one is Elisabeth Robinson (The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters).

After lunch are four sessions, two running concurrently 2—3:30 p.m., and another two 3:30—p.m. The first allows authors who have toured extensively to relate their "road tales" in the hope that attending booksellers will get a new perspective on executing a successful event; panel member choices have yet to be finalized. The second session is called "The Art of Inventory Management." Booksellers like Paul Yamazaki of City Lights Books in San Francisco and 2001 Publishers Weekly Bookseller of the Year Nancy Olson of Quail Ridge Books and Music in Raleigh, N.C. share bottom-line ordering tactics. The moderator is Michael Rosenthal of Modern Times Bookstore, also in San Francisco. The third panel may be the most important of all given the high rents that have driven so many stores out of business; the recent economic downturn that may make negotiating favorable leases possible; and the crucial role real estate plays in the life of any small business,. It's called "Strategies for Dealing with Landlords" and the speakers are Janet Portman, author of Leasing Space for Your Small Business and Leases & Rental Agreements and Tom Sherwood, a San Francisco-based lawyer who has negotiated bookstore leases and helped the NCIBA lease its space at the Presidio. The fourth and final session is the ABFFE workshop on the Freedom to Read Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. All 11 California Congressional delegation co-sponsors of the bill have been invited to attend. The session closes with the screening of a short documentary on Tattered Cover's historic privacy case victory. After such weighty matters, everyone is invited to the kickoff cocktail party at 5 p.m. for hors d'oeuvres and fellowship. For some, Friday's program ends at 9 p.m. when the busy Farrar, Straus & Giroux author and poker player Jim McManus (Positively Fifth Street) conducts a bookseller poker clinic. Thirty booksellers will compete at cards to get a chance to play against McManus himself. Who knows when it will end?

Saturday's events take place primarily on the trade show floor. The exhibits are open 10 a.m.—4 p.m.; autographing sessions 10 a.m.—3:30 p.m. Prior to walking the floor, attendees at the 8 a.m. author breakfast get to hear Sara Paretsky (Blacklist), Mark Kurlansky (1968: The Year that Rocked the World) and a third writer to be announced. In addition to the exhibitor booths, there is a mid-afternoon "Rep Pix for Staff" session during which eight sales reps give 10- to 15-minute presentations highlighting their favorite fall titles to help bookstore staff handsell. The newly added "Tea at Two," at 2 p.m. on Saturday, promises to be one of the show's top attractions. Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (Madam Secretary: A Memoir) is speaking in the Simmons Ballroom and taking questions from the audience. Albright is then available for approximately an hour to greet booksellers and autograph copies of her book on the trade show floor. When the floor closes at 4 p.m., the NCIBA membership meets for an hour. DK Publishing presents a slide show featuring stills from the book America 24/7 at the show reception, 5—7 p.m. After the proper measure of drink, everyone is invited to a moveable feast, at which authors table-hop among diners. This fun event begins at 7 p.m. and is slated to end around 10 p.m. Confirmed guests include: Caroline Alexander (The Bounty), Charles Baxter (Saul and Patsy), James Carroll (Secret Father), Frances Itani (Deafening), Jonathan Lethem (The Fortress of Solitude), Sena Jeter Naslund (Four Spirits), Michael Perry (Population: 485) and Ayelet Waldman (Daughter's Keeper).

Sunday's program revolves around the exhibit floor, but the best parts involve food. At 8 a.m. is the children's author breakfast, featuring Tomie dePaola (The Barker Twins, Trouble in the Barkers' Class), Jon Agee (Z Goes Home) and Jim LaMarche (The Elves and the Shoemaker). Exhibit and autographing hours are the same as on Saturday. Later in the day, 1:30—2:30 p.m., the ever-popular Cookbook Celebration Sampler takes center stage on the show floor. Sample recipes from more than half a dozen fall cookbooks will be served, next to the displays of the books. Be sure to wipe your hands before browsing the books!

Contact:Hut Landon, Presidio National Park, 37 Graham St., Ste. 210, P.O. Box 29169, San Francisco, Calif. 94129; (415) 561-7686;office@nciba.com; www.nciba.com.

Southern California Booksellers Association

Authors Feast and Fall Seminars scheduled for Sat., October 25, at the Westin Hotel, Pasadena, Calif.

Pasadena has become home away from home for SCBA booksellers. Numerous activities are packed into this single-day event. Baker & Taylor is the premier sponsor again this year, while Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Ingram Book Co., Partners/West, Random House, Scholastic and Simon & Schuster lend their support to workshops and social events. No formal kick-off breakfast is planned. Instead coffee, cake and other goodies are offered prior to the first morning session. Educational programming runs 9:30 a.m.—4 p.m. "Heat Up the Holidays" is the theme, with sessions on Book Sense and Booksense.com, merchandising holiday catalogue titles, planning in-store events and promoting book award titles. A mid-morning workshop on time management is planned, followed by a panel on BookScan reporting. At noon, booksellers have lunch with Jack Mitchell, CEO of Mitchells/ Richards. His new book Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and Achieve Astounding Results has everyone around the country buzzing. At 1:30 p.m., folks return to the main business as the SCBA holds its fall general meeting, and Kerry Slattery of Skylight Books updates the membership on the Freedom to Read Protection Act campaign. As they wait for dinner, booksellers have a chance to check out the season's new offerings during a 6 p.m. reception at which publishers and distributors set up "mini" exhibits. A great turnout is anticipated—more than 20 companies will be there. So far the roster includes Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Baker & Taylor, HarperCollins Publishers, Ingram Book Co., Partners/West, Penguin Group USA and Scholastic.

The long and luminous guest list for the 7:30 p.m. dinner includes Norma Barzman, Francesca Lia Block, Todd Boyd, James Brown, Stephen Cannell, Joe Cepeda, Tony Cohan, Robert Florczak, Marla Frazee, Robin Preiss Glasser, Eric Gower, Michelle Huneven, Greg Hurwitz, Rochelle Krich, Kathleen Krull, David Landau, Aimee Liu, Mark Lee, Laura Lippman, Rosemary Lord, D.J. McHale, Jack Mitchell, T. Jefferson Parker, Laura Rader, Celia Rees, Mike Reiss, Anne Ruethling, James St. James, Carolyn See and Amy Stewart.

The second Annual SCBA Book Awards will also be announced during the evening. The award is open to authors and illustrators of fiction, nonfiction or children's books who live within the SCBA region and whose works reflect the southern California experience or culture. The fiction finalists are: Aimee Liu (Flash House), Rochelle Krich (Blues in the Night), T. Jefferson Parker (Cold Pursuit), Lisa See (Dragon Bones) and Barbara Seranella (Unpaid Dues). Nonfiction nominees are Harry W. Crosby (Gateway to Alta California: The Expedition to San Diego, 1769), Shirley Kerins (A Celebration of Herbs), Adeline Yen Mah (A Thousand Pieces of Gold), Leonard Mlodinow (Feynman's Rainbow) and Carolyn See (Making a Literary Life). Children's: Joe Cepeda (The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman), Sid Fleischman (Disappearing Act), Marla Frazee (Mrs. Biddlebox), Kathleen Krull (Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez) and Laura Rader (Tea for Me, Tea for You). After dinner, play with friends at the 10 p.m. poker party featuring world-class player Jim McManus, author of Positively Fifth Street .

Contact:Jennifer Bigelow, 301 E. Colorado Blvd. Ste. 501, Pasadena, Calif. 91101; (626) 791-9455;scba@earthlink.net.