BookExpo

By Pat Willard

Hotel ABA guests will find their way around the Big Apple a little easier thanks to the Time Out Shortlist New York 2007. The guide to "What's New/What's On/What's Next" in New York will be distributed free to 500 booksellers at Hotel ABA courtesy of the publisher.

A trip to Good Morning America; signed books by Gunter Grass, Danielle Steel, Tom Robbins, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Yann Martel, and Rita Mae Brown; Book Sense Gift Cards; and trade show conference packages are just some of the items in the 2007 American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression BEA Benefit Auction. Book industry leaders have joined together to offer all these and more to support ABFFE's Free Expression efforts.

During this year's BookExpo America, the legendary Rock Bottom Remainders will embark on their "Still Younger Than Keith" tour, which will begin (and end) on Friday, June 1, at Webster Hall in New York City. The "tour" will mark Stephen King's return to the Rock Bottom Remainders (RBR) after a five-year absence.

For the hundreds of ABA member booksellers staying at Hotel ABA -- The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn -- participating in the association's education programming is easier than ever. ABA's "Day of Education," sponsored by Baker & Taylor, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

New this year, ABA's Book Sense Lounge (Room 1E07/1E08 of the Javits Convention Center) will feature an extended author autographing schedule -- from Friday through Sunday -- and the BookSense.com/American Heritage Dictionary "Define-A-Thon" on Saturday.

Two more authors recently joined the roster of independents' handselling favorites autographing in the lounge exclusively for ABA members: Robert Sabuda (Winter in White, S&S Children's) and Anita Amirrizvani (The Blood of Flowers, Little, Brown).

The American Booksellers Association's schedule of educational offerings at BookExpo America doesn't end with Thursday's "Day of Education." Informational sessions continue on Friday and Saturday, June 1 - 2. Among the programs on Friday at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center are two Users Group Meetings: a BookSense.com Users Group Meeting and a Book Sense Gift Cards Users Group Meeting.

BookSense.com Users Group Meeting

This year's American Booksellers Association Town Hall and Annual Membership meetings will be held on Friday, June 1, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

The Town Hall Meeting, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Room 1C02 - 1C04 of the Javits Center, offers ABA member booksellers the opportunity to express opinions and share ideas with ABA Board members and staff in a less formal setting than the ABA Membership Meeting, which follows. At the Town Hall, booksellers are encouraged to ask questions and make suggestions on any topic of concern.

Independent publisher PublicAffairs, known for its outstanding list of titles on social and political issues, will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a special panel discussion, "Social Entrepreneurs: Changing the World" on Saturday, June 2, at BookExpo America.

Noted historians, an award-winning children's book author, and a celebrated restaurateur are among those who will be leading ABA member booksellers on tours of literary Brooklyn on Wednesday, May 30, as part of the American Booksellers Association's "Welcome to Brooklyn" Events.

This month, Above the Treeline made news with the launch of a number of new initiatives and the recent announcement that it would be expanding its service to national bookstore chains.

The American Booksellers Association has announced a schedule change for its Thursday, May 31, "Day of Education" at this year's Hotel ABA, the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. Based on member interest, a second presentation of "How to Be the Story: Developing and Implementing a Public Relations Plan" will be offered on Thursday afternoon.

Hotel ABA's Legends Ballroom is the place to be on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights at this year's BookExpo America. That's when three of ABA's Book Sense Publisher Partners are holding receptions featuring food and drink and some of booksellers' favorite authors. These great networking opportunities, open to all ABA members, run from 9:00 p.m. to midnight each evening.

Mark Bradshaw of Watermark Books & Cafe in Wichita, Kansas, and Angela K. Sherrill of 57th Street Books, a branch of the Seminary Co-op Bookstore in Chicago, have been named the winners of the American Booksellers Association's Emerging Leaders Scholarships. The scholarships cover the cost of registration at this year's BookExpo America in New York City and up to a five-night hotel stay at Hotel ABA, the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge.

This week, the American Booksellers Association opens registration for its walking tours of literary Brooklyn, a highlight of programming on Wednesday, May 30. The tours, each led by one of the borough's illustrious authors, will focus on the literary, the historic, and, in some cases, the gastronomic delights of this city within a city.