New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association
Trade show meets Sun., Oct. 24, and Mon., Oct. 25, at the Borgata Casino Hotel & Spa, Atlantic City, N.J.
NAIBA returns to the popular New Jersey resort and convention city of Atlantic City, to the beautiful new Borgata Casino Hotel). Come down on Saturday and catch a show at one of the casinos after checking in at the NAIBA hospitality suite.
At the crack of dawn on Sunday, "early birds" can explore area wetlands and marshes with Audubon Society guides. Then head down to the first session of the day—a "picks of the lists" slotted at 11 a.m. Sunday's lunch starts at 12:30 p.m. Children's author and illustrator Mark Teague (Detective LaRue, Letters from the Investigation) joins other notable adult and children's authors. Sunday is dedicated to educational programming, with a total of six programs in the docket. The theme is "I am a bookseller because...."
The busy schedule re-starts at 2 p.m. and ends at 4 p.m. There are two two-hour seminars: ABA CEO Avin Domnitz's presentation on bookstore profitability, and eminent bookseller Joe Drabyak of Chester County Books and Music Co. leading a discussion on the joy of reading. Guest speakers Suzanna Strempek Shea (Shelf Life) and Sara Nelson (So Many Books, So Little Time) chime in. Then there are two sets of one-hour sessions. The first set begins with a panel of guest authors talking about inspiring and creating young readers. The second session emphasizes the need to work with other small businesses and discusses the bookstore's role in the life of its customers and community. At 4 p.m., booksellers take a break and gather to hear Steven Sorrentino and Julian Rubinstein read from recent works. In the meantime, exhibitors hurriedly set up their displays in the ballroom so that everything is in place at 6 p.m. for the opening reception. The reception will offer booksellers a sneak preview of fall titles.
At 7:30 p.m., everyone is called to dinner—it's a moveable feast featuring more than 20 authors. Dine on creative dishes inspired by Michael Lomonaco's Nightly Specials: 125 Recipes for Spontaneous, Creative Cooking at Home. Mingle with well-known authors Laurie Lico Albanese, Michael Bamberger, Mark Bowden, Jennifer Haigh, Leigh Hobbs, Heidi Julavits, Laura Lippman, Sujata Massey, Josephine Nobisso, Esmeralda Santiago, Elizabeth Winthrop, Lara Zeises and others. Goody bags filled with signed books are served with dessert.
Monday morning promises a "breakfast with champions" at 7:30 a.m. Coffee, juice and rolls are on the house. Get acquainted with board members while attending the annual NAIBA meeting. Officials present the NAIBA Book Awards and announce the recipient of the William Helmuth Award for "salesperson of the year." The trade show opens at 9 a.m., with exhibit hours running until 5 p.m. More than 500 publishers and allied vendors are represented this year, competing with more than 100 authors signing their books throughout the day. There's a new feature this year: a series of mini "fast track" workshops. These sales rep—led discussions will take place on the floor; a host of topics will be covered. The floor continues to buzz with activity until the very end; a spelling bee caps off the show.
Contact:Eileen Dengler, 2667 Hyacinth St., Westbury, N.Y. 11590; (877) 866-2422;info@naiba.com; www.naiba.com.
