SCIBA Wraps Up the Trade Show Season With an Inspiring Event

By Melony Vance, General Manager of Latitude 33 Bookshop in Laguna Beach, California

It was a beautiful day as I headed up to Los Angeles from Orange County (the wild fires hadn't yet reared their angry heads) for the 15th annual Southern California Independent Booksellers Association Authors Feast and Trade Show. Not a morning person, I arrived at the lovely Biltmore Hotel, once home to the Academy Awards, too late to catch the Children's Rep Picks session and continental breakfast, so I dove right into ABA's "Participating in the Digital Revolution: Low Altitude," presented by the association's education director, Len Vlahos.

With the rapid pace of changing technologies, wisdom of crowds, and the differing ways in which "digital natives" communicate and congregate, Len advised -- no, exhorted -- us to "get in the dialog!" Tools that are available to us now are websites (whether they are simply informational or are also e-commerce sites), Constant Contact (I love this!), MySpace or other on-line communities, and blogging. As the manager of a small store, already wearing too many hats, I don't know how I'm going to fit all this into my overscheduled day. On the other hand, I don't know how I can afford not to go where my customers are already congregating.

The next ABA session I attended was "How to be the Story: Implementing a Public Relations Plan." Whereas advertising is paid for, and therefore has a lower trust factor, PR is free -- articles you write for the local papers, letters to the editor, mentions of your store in someone else's articles, book reviews, community relations, anywhere you can get your bookstore in the local media without having to pay for it. It all starts with your key message: How do you want your store to be perceived in your community? Once you know that, it becomes central to all of your messages. Sounds simple, yet it is probably one of the most important things you can do for your business.

Lunch was up next, and Shirley Roberts, a retired school librarian filled me in on the two children's workshops I (not having Hermione's Time-Turner) wasn't able to attend. The authors who made up the panel at "Writing and Selecting Books for the YA Reader" all seemed to be in agreement: They wrote the kind of books they had wanted to read when they were growing up, and they encouraged new writers to write what they know, and to write from the heart. About the "Pop-Up & Novelty Books" session, Shirley said the thing that surprised her the most was the amount of time involved in producing a pop-up book -- from concept to endless "dummies" to the final engineered work. They are truly works of art.

Our luncheon speakers were entertaining and passionate. Delia Ephron (Frannie in Pieces, HarperTeen) mentioned her dysfunctional childhood, from which she escaped into books. Being one of four sisters, Ephron felt it was important to write about strong female heroines, and in Frannie she does just that. Beth Lisick (Helping Me Help Myself, William Morrow) charmed us with quips about her year of self-improvement, the basis for her new book. Laurie David and Cambria Gordon (Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming, Orchard Books) issued a call to action, saying that each and every one of us can make a difference, and explaining that their "book is about educating and empowering children today so they'll have a future."

The trade show floor opened up after lunch. I love this time to see other booksellers whom I haven't seen in a year, to chat with my favorite reps, and to check out new things from publishers I don't see on a regular basis. SCIBA is a mini trade show with tabletop displays and some author signings around the perimeter. I finally got a chance to look at Boku Books' beautiful journals, and I found some nifty little book lights. I dropped my business card at the ABA table for their drawing -- last year I was the lucky winner of Hotel ABA in New York! And I reconnected with Julie Mammano, author of Rhinos Who Rescue (Chronicle), whom I hadn't see in about 10 years. The mood on the floor was very social and upbeat. A few folk were disappointed that Random House didn't have a table, but most of the big guys were there, as well as Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and Partners West.

Rep Picks took place later in the afternoon, just off the show room floor. Laura Webb from Simon & Schuster singled out the illustrated edition of David McCullough's 1776. Random House's Sandy Pollack favored The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps by Otto Penzler. Chuck Morrell of Angel City Press mentioned Leo Politi: Capturing the Heart of Los Angeles by Rob Wagner. Norton's rep Joe Murphy quietly suggested The Most Beautiful Villages and Towns of California by Joan Tapper -- a no-brainer! Andrea Tetrick from PGW liked The Beats: From Kerouac to Kesey, An Illustrated Journey Through the Beat Generation by Mike Evans. Rock & Roll Heaven: A Fascinating Guide to Musical Icons Who Have Joined the Great Gig in the Sky by Robert Dimery was the choice of Barron's Janet Carroll. Penguin's Tom Benton and Amy Comito tag-teamed, with Tom choosing The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz and Amy's new favorite being The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak.

I had to duck out of the Picks session early, though, to host the Feast authors at their pre-event dinner (they ate early so they wouldn't have to talk to us with their mouths full).

The Authors Feast has always been the centerpiece of the SCIBA annual gathering. For many years we didn't even have a trade show -- the Feast was it. This year we had over 60 authors and over 30 dining tables filled with book people. My tablemates and I ate our soup while visiting with Neal Shusterman (Unwind, S&S Children's) and award nominee Lisa Gelber (P Is for Peanut: A Photographic A-B-C, Getty Trust). We chomped on chicken while T. Jefferson Parker (L.A. Outlaws, Dutton) chatted with us about his new female protagonist and Dan Kennedy (Rock On: An Office Power Ballad, Algonquin) shared his vision vs. reality of working for a big record label. I had dessert with Petru Popescu (Weregirls: Birth of the Pack, Tor Teen), who talked about his defection from Romania, where he was a well-known dissident writer, and about having to learn to write in English in his new homeland.

The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the SCIBA Book Award winners. And the highpoint of that event was the renaming of the mystery award to The T. Jefferson Parker SCIBA Mystery Award. Jeff Parker, winner of the award several times, native southern Californian, and local favorite said "the name change doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing books." The winner in the Fiction category was Peony in Love by Lisa See (Random House), whose award was accepted by Doug Dutton. The Nonfiction winner was Wendy Werris, author of An Alphabetical Life, Carroll & Graf). The Mystery award, presented by Parker, went to Los Angeles Noir, edited by Denise Hamilton (Akashic). The Children's Novel winner was former bookseller Brian Selznick for The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Scholastic). Robin Preiss Glasser was the winner in the Children's Picture Book category for Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy (HarperCollins Children's).

There was an Emerging Leaders After Feast Party, but after a long, information filled, fun day this bookseller felt renewed, inspired, and tired, and headed for home -- ready to get back to business with new ideas and great new books to look forward to.