Last Call for ABFFE's BEA Silent Auction

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) has extended the deadline for publishers, authors, industry organizations, and others who would like to donate items and services to be featured at this year's Silent Auction at BookExpo America. Friday, May 11, is now the last day to donate books, original art, manuscripts, tickets, and other items to support the free speech work that ABFFE performs on behalf of the book industry.

A BEA tradition, the ABFFE Silent Auction is an excellent way for publishers, authors, bookstores, and organizations to showcase their support for free speech, as well as gain visibility at the country's largest book industry gathering.

"The success of the silent auction, which is ABFFE's most important fundraiser, depends on our friends in the publishing and bookselling community," said ABFFE President Chris Finan.

This year, among the leading companies answering the call are Baker & Taylor, Chronicle, Henry Holt, Houghton Mifflin, Hyperion, Perseus, Random House, and Simon & Schuster.

The auction will feature an exclusive tour of Good Morning America's studios; signed copies of books by Gunter Grass, Anthony Lewis, Yann Martel, Tom Robbins, Salman Rushdie, and Calvin Trillin; a rare, numbered, signed, limited edition copy of From Cradle to Grave by artist Damien Hirst; New York Mets Tickets; thousands of dollars in publisher credit; subscriptions to industry resources; trade show packages; and more.

Before BEA, a full listing of auction items will be published on abffe.com to provide extra visibility for donors and to give bidders time to plan their auction strategies. Those interested in donating items to the auction should read the contributor guidelines and complete the contribution form.