SCIBA Offers Authors and Education for Kids' and General Booksellers

The Southern California Independent Booksellers Association's 2009 Authors Feast & Trade Show will be held on Saturday, October 24, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Among the highlights will be an address by Elizabeth Kostova, the first-ever Authors Feast keynote speaker; the presentation "Going Digital: The Case for E-Books" from ABA COO Len Vlahos; and an informative session and demo of Edelweiss, the electronic catalogue product.

"We've made a few minor tweaks and changes to our Fall Authors Feast and Trade Show," said SCIBA Executive Director Jennifer Bigelow. "We have shortened our exhibit time to the peak hours of 5:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. and added a keynote speaker, Elizabeth Kostova, author of the bestselling novel The Historian and [the forthcoming] The Swan Thieves (both Little Brown)." The feast will also feature 60 authors moving among tables throughout the evening and the presentation of the SCIBA Book Awards.

Authors scheduled to appear at the SCIBA luncheon are Joseph Kanon (Stardust, Atria); Sharon Robinson and Kadir Nelson (Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson, Scholastic Press); Norman Ollestad (Crazy for the Storm, HarperCollins); and Scott Westerfeld (Leviathan, Simon Pulse).

The full-day program also includes Rep's Pick of the Lists and continuing education aimed at children's and general booksellers.

ABA's "Going Digital: The Case for E-Books" will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. E-book sales are growing at 150 percent or more each month, and consumer interest has been piqued by the iPhone, Kindle, and Sony eReader. All SCIBA attendees are invited to come hear ABA COO Len Vlahos explain how and why the e-book phenomenon is real and happening now, and what ABA is doing to help ensure indie booksellers are a part of it.

Afternoon educational seminars include "Using Edelweiss Interactive Catalogs, an overview of the new platform for publishers' e-catalogs, including a demo of how to use Edelweiss to research and buy a new title. This session is aimed at first-time Edelweiss users and those with limited experience who would like a refresher on its capabilities or would like to learn more about its features.

Kristen McLean, executive director of the Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC), will lead the afternoon panel discussion "The Gen Z Reader: Understanding the New Reader of the Post-Electronic Age." She will also present "Building Productive & Profitable Programming Partnerships With Your Local Public Libraries," which will cover practical strategies for initiating productive institutional relationships.

Booksellers are encouraged to stop by the ABA tables on the show floor to discuss their concerns with Vlahos and to find out about ABA programs and services that can help them better manage their businesses. In addition, ABA is offering booksellers attending regional shows an extra chance at winning one of more than two-dozen publisher-sponsored scholarships to the Fifth Annual Winter Institute, to be held at the Doubletree San Jose in San Jose, California, from February 3 - 5, 2010. Scholarship winners will be selected from among all ABA bookseller members, with booksellers dropping off a business card at the ABA booth at the regional shows earning an extra entry in the scholarship drawings. Scholarships cover the cost of reasonable airfare, up to a four-night hotel stay at the Doubletree San Jose, and Wi5 meal fees.

For the latest SCIBA program details, including participating authors, and to register, visit www.scibabooks.org. --Karen Schechner