Honored Authors Say 'Thanks' to Indie Booksellers

Jane Friedman, then-president and CEO of HarperCollins, with special lunch guest and American literary icon Ray Bradbury.

This year's annual ABA Author Luncheon at BookExpo America in Los Angeles included special guest Ray Bradbury and a moving tribute by Khaled Hosseini to his fellow Afghan writers. About 500 booksellers, publishers, and other industry pros honored the 40 attending authors whose books independent booksellers handsold during the past year, and they in turn thanked booksellers for their continuing support.

Incoming ABA Vice President Michael Tucker of Books Inc., who emceed the event, acknowledged all of the authors who "opened our minds ... and gladdened our hearts with the pages of their work." He then paid particular tribute to Bradbury, "who even has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame."

ABA Vice President Michael Tucker of San Francisco's Books Inc.

Setting the tone for a literary love-fest, Sherman Alexie (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) confessed, "I am a writer, yes, but I'm also a huge fan, and I'm losing my mind. I met Dennis Lehane before lunch, and I want to make out with him, and I think he sensed it because he backed up."

Switching gears to thank booksellers who handsold his adult work prior to The Absolutely True Diary, his National Book Award-winning YA novel, Alexie told booksellers, "You've been my friends and my entourage and posse ... for many years now. Thank you for a wonderful year."

David Shannon, illustrator of Pirates Don't Change Diapers (Harcourt Children's Books) talked about the series that he's worked on with author Melinda Long and said that of all the stories he'd illustrated, the Pirates stories were the one he wished he'd written himself. He then complimented booksellers on their excellent events planning. "Every bookstore I went in ... all did such a great job with kids to provide pirate ... parties. The kids had a blast, and that's because of all of you guys."

After expressing his appreciation for booksellers' continued support of his work, Book Sense Book of the Year Children's Literature winner Brian Selznick (The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Scholastic Press) gave tribute to Bradbury, which earned another round of applause. "His books have been such an inspiration, and I think I can say that for everyone in the room."

Robin Preiss-Glasser, illustrator of the Fancy Nancy series.

Fancy Nancy illustrator Robin Preiss-Glasser, wearing a tiara and a multi-colored sequin dress, had some advice for attendees of a certain age and an homage to Nora Ephron. "What's good about a feather boa, for all of those women 40 and over, is that it covers the wrinkles in your neck." She also shared some gratitude on behalf of Nancy. "Thank you for embracing this crazy character," she said.

Declaring herself to be "the luckiest person in the room," because she got Bradbury's autograph, Ann Patchett offered a paean of appreciation to booksellers for handselling What Now? (Harper), based on a commencement speech she gave at Sarah Lawrence College. "We did no press, no ads, so believe you me, if not for you people there would be nothing.... Thank you for everything."

Khaled Hosseini, author of the 2008 Book Sense Book of the Year Fiction winner, A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Book Sense Book of the Year winner in the Fiction category for A Thousand Splendid Suns (Riverhead/Penguin), Khaled Hosseini offered a "very heartfelt thanks to all the booksellers who supported me these last five years." He went on to say how badly he wished some of his compatriot writers, struggling unknown in Afghanistan and "far more eloquent" than he, could someday join him and be recognized for their work at BEA. "And if that writer were a woman, it would be so much sweeter for me," he said. "I'll accept this award as her proxy."

Author Susan Richards (Chosen By a Horse; Chosen Forever, Soho Press) observed all the biblio-love around her and said, "The feeling here -- of authors and booksellers honoring each other -- is so wonderful. I'm in awe of it."

Nancy Olson of Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, North Carolina, said, "I'm so thrilled. I just got to hug Ray Bradbury, and he kissed my hand."

Alison Reid of DIESEL, a Bookstore with locations in Oakland, Malibu, and soon to be Brentwood, California, told BTW, "These lunches are great. Any time you can sit with booksellers and authors and talk about what you're reading, it's always lovely." --Karen Schechner