NAIBA Holds a High Energy Show

Booksellers, publishers, and authors gathered at the Events Center at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Fall Trade Show on Sunday and Monday, September 21 - 22. It was the association's first trade show in Atlantic City since 1997, and over 500 publishers were represented on the trade show floor. In addition, over 100 authors attended to sign books.

NAIBA president, Sheilah Egan of A Likely Story, in Alexandria, Virginia, commented on attendees' enthusiastic response to this year's events. "I think people felt energized at the show. I have had a lot of positive feedback," said Egan. "On the floor … there was a high energy level. All in all, I think it was a good show."

On Sunday, the show focused on educational programming. In the morning, ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz led "Budgeting and Monitoring," a workshop that presented information on how to implement a system of financial controls that allows the bookstore owner/manager to predict performance and then measure outcomes against those predictions. Booksellers attending said they were impressed by both Domnitz's presentation and the especially designed Excel worksheets that were demonstrated during the session.

Daphne Gaskins, manager of Reiters Scientific and Professional Books, which is located in Washington, D.C., told BTW that she attended the trade show specifically for the financial session. She brought the bookstore's accountant just in case the information was tricky for someone without a financial background, but Gaskins said she found it easy to comprehend. "I was able to bring a lot of information I can use back to the bookstore. I like that the system is plug and use. It'll help keep us on top of our turn and cash flow and improve it," she said.

NAIBA also scheduled two other sessions for Sunday, three concurrent workshops -- which offered professional development on store book clubs, forming community partnerships, and staging "non-author" events -- and a session praised by a number of booksellers that presented book reps' suggestions for key holiday titles.

On Monday, the show's focus was the trade floor. At the ABA booth Domnitz; Information Department Director/Editor-in-Chief of the Book Sense 76 Dan Cullen; and Manager of Communications, Industry Relations, and Trade Policy Kristen Gilligan answered booksellers' questions regarding the recently launched Book Sense Gift Card Program. "I think most booksellers were impressed by how straightforward and intuitive the process for activating and using the cards was," said Cullen.

Kaye Peloquin of Buckhill Bookshop in Lilitz, Pennsylvania, decided to sign on after getting information (via a store colleague) on the electronic gift card program from the ABA booth. "We'll definitely be moving forward," said Peloquin. "We're a brand-new store, and gift certificates are flying out the door. Gift cards are a great way to keep up with the chains. We spent time looking over the cost and decided you can't go wrong. People are used to cards now."

Booksellers who participated in the demonstrations of the Book Sense Gift Card, or who brought a photo to the ABA Booth of a recent Book Sense in-store display, had the chance to win a free $50 gift card training session and a color inkjet printer. The Compleat Bookseller in Chestertown, Maryland was the Grand Prize winner of a free gift card training session and the printer; Booktenders Children's Bookstore in Doylestown, Pennsylvania won a free gift card training session.

A favorite for many booksellers at the show was the slate of author events. Sunday featured both the NAIBA book and author luncheon and the "Scrumptious Movable Dinner Feast," during which authors spent time at each table, talking about their books and answering booksellers' questions. Among the authors at the feast was Louis Auchincloss, who received NAIBA's Legacy Award for his outstanding contribution to literature. Auchincloss is the author of 58 books, including the forthcoming novel The Scarlet Letters (Houghton Mifflin).

Writer Rachel Simon spoke for many of the authors when she said to booksellers, "Thanks for your passion, because it makes my passion possible."

Bookseller Patricia Madden of Bennett Books in Wyckoff, New Jersey, had high praise for the show and the author events. "It was very well done and professional," she said. "One of the highlights was sitting next to Joyce Carol Oates during the [Book & Author] Luncheon on Sunday."

On Monday morning, NAIBA invited booksellers to a "Breakfast With Champions," where the association presented its 2003 NAIBA Book Awards, which honor books that are written by authors from the region or that take place in that region. The winners were: Samaritan (Random House) by Richard Price for Adult Fiction; The Rural Life (Little, Brown) by Verlyn Klinkenborg for Adult Nonfiction; A Full Hand (FSG) by Thomas F. Yezerski for Children's Picture Book; and A Corner of the Universe (Scholastic) by Ann M. Martin. Also honored at the breakfast was St. Martin's/Holtzbrinck rep Jerry Goodman, who was presented the William Helmuth Award, presented by NAIBA annually to an exceptional sales rep.

NAIBA also held its annual meeting at the breakfast. Highlights included the introduction of two new board members -- Lisa Kuerbis of Syracuse University Bookstore and Paul Emberley of Walck-Rikhoff Bookpeddlers, Inc.; a treasurer's report; an executive director's report; and a report on the association's holiday catalog. In addition, ABA's Domnitz updated booksellers on a number of issues, including the Hotel ABA/Chicago at next year's Book ExpoAmerica, and Tim Eubanks of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression reported on the latest news regarding the USA Patriot Act, encouraging booksellers to contact their representative in Congress in support of legislation that has been introduced to protect the privacy rights of book buyers and library patrons. --Karen Schechner