NCIBA Show to Focus on Discovery

The Northern California Independent Booksellers Association’s fall show has been rechristened the NCIBA Discovery Show to reflect a greater emphasis on discovering new books, new authors, and new knowledge. To kick off the inaugural event, NCIBA is asking exhibitors to choose three to five “Discover Me” titles — current or forthcoming — to feature at their tables on the exhibit floor.

The show on Thursday and Friday, October 23 and 24, 2014, at the South San Francisco Conference Center will also feature a full schedule of author events, including a keynote address by Daniel Handler; author lunches, brunches, and a tea; and a special closing reception. Educational sessions will explore topics ranging from best practices for interviewing and hiring to the care and keeping of buyers and how to leverage online reviews to the merits of graphic novels.

In addition to the usual rep picks sessions featuring children’s and adult titles from large publishing houses, this year’s NCIBA show features a rep picks session focusing on small and academic presses.

The American Booksellers Association will be on the show floor during exhibit hours (Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Friday from noon to 5:00 p.m.). Attending the NCIBA show will be ABA CEO Oren Teicher, Senior Program Officer Joy Dallanegra-Sanger, Senior Strategy Officer Dan Cullen, and Member Relationship Manager Nathan Halter.

ABA President Steve Bercu of Austin’s BookPeople will take part in the Thursday afternoon NCIBA education session “Everyone’s a Critic, So How Do You Respond?” with Bill Tancer, general manager for Global Research with Experian Marketing Services and author of Everyone’s a Critic: Winning Customers in a Review-Driven World (Portfolio).

Booksellers are encouraged to stop by the ABA table on the show floor (Gold 404 – 405) to learn about the association’s new fall programs and to drop off a business card to earn an extra chance to win a scholarship to February’s Winter Institute and/or April’s ABC Children’s Institute.

ABA is also offering a show special for non-members at all of this fall’s regional events. Stores that have not been ABA members for the past two years can join at the shows and enjoy all the benefits of membership for free until February 15, 2015.

The South San Francisco Conference Center is located at 255 South Airport Boulevard, South San Francisco, California 94080.

For complete details about the show and to register, visit the NCIBA website.