BTW News Briefs

BEA Taps Bilheimer to Oversee Special Events

On January 9, BookExpo America (BEA) named Roger Bilheimer to oversee special events at the annual trade show. Bilheimer is an independent consultant and has handled media and publishing industry relations for BEA for nine years. In addition to his new duties, Bilheimer will continue to oversee publicity and public relations for the show, as well as manage the press office on site.

Bilheimer is assuming many of the duties of Tina Jordan, who is joining the Association of American Publishers as its new vice president.

Bilheimer was brought on board at BEA immediately after Reed Exhibitions acquired the event from the American Booksellers Association in 1997. Prior to forming his own company in 1995, Bilheimer was vice president, executive director of publicity at Dell Publishing.

PNBA Announces 2006 Book Award Winners

The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) recently announced the six winners of its 40th annual book awards. The association's awards committee, made up of independent booksellers from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska, chose the titles. The winning authors will be honored at a banquet at the PNBA Spring Show on Friday, March 17, at the Seattle Airport Hilton.

This year's winners are:

• The Language of Baklava: A Memoir by Diana Abu-Jaber (Pantheon)
• Rogue River Journal: A Winter Alone by John Daniel (Shoemaker and Hoard/Avalon Publishing Group)
• The Highest Tide: A Novel by Jim Lynch (Bloomsbury)
• How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets: A Novel by Garth Stein (Soho Press)
• Approximately Paradise by Floyd Skloot (Tupelo Press) -- William Stafford Memorial Poetry Award
• Hotel Deep: Light Verse from Dark Water by Kurt Cyrus (Harcourt) -- Children's Book Award