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The Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) 2006 Fall Trade Show was held on Friday, October 6, through Sunday, October 8, at the Oakland Convention Center and Oakland City Center Marriott in Oakland. This year's events included ABA and NCIBA educational programming, a keynote address by Michael Shuman, co-founder of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), author breakfasts, the Fifth Annual Moveable Feast, and more.

Friday, October 27, is the deadline for American Booksellers Association members to nominate candidates to serve on the ABA Board of Directors. Any ABA member may submit the names of qualified candidates to the association's Nominating Committee, chaired by Collette Morgan of Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis.

McAdam-Cage has become the newest Publisher Sponsor of the American Booksellers Association's Second Annual Winter Institute, which will be held in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday and Friday, February 1 and 2, 2007.

The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) Fall Trade Show will be held from Thursday, October 12, through Saturday, October 14, in Portland, Oregon, at the Oregon Convention Center. ABA COO Oren Teicher and Len Vlahos, director of ABA's education program and of BookSense.com, will be attending to present educational programming, to gather member input regarding the association's next Strategic Plan, and more.

American Booksellers Association affinity partner Bank of America Merchant Services has announced a special fall promotion for ABA member booksellers who sign up for its credit card processing program now through the end of the year. Bank of America will waive the $75 set-up fee for stores submitting new applications and f

The American Booksellers Association's Board of Directors and senior staff met from Monday, September 18, through Wednesday, September 20, in Denver.

During the meeting, among other business, the ABA Board:

Next week, the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) and the Great Lakes Booksellers Association (GLBA) will be holding their 2006 Fall Trade shows. American Booksellers Association staff will be attending both shows to present educational programming, to gather member input regarding ABA's next Strategic Plan, and more.

The American Booksellers Association's Nominating Committee, chaired by Collette Morgan of Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis, is searching for qualified candidates to serve on the ABA Board of Directors. Any ABA member may submit nominations for board directors.

The American Booksellers Association's Second Annual Winter Institute, to be held in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday and Friday, February 1 and 2, 2007, promises to be a winter wonderland of terrific educational programs, networking, and fun for attending booksellers. And for a certain number of booksellers, this year's Winter Institute will be especially rewarding as, once again, ABA and its Publisher Partner Sponsors are offering scholarships to the Winter Institute to ABA member booksellers.

Excellent educational seminars and lots of happy mingling with reps, authors, and other booksellers were reported at the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Fall Trade Show, held last weekend at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, at the Valley Forge Convention Center. As always, the Moveable Feast was a bookseller favorite as well as NAIBA and ABA educational programming.

The New England Booksellers Association began its 33rd Annual Trade Show on Friday, September 15, at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island, and ended it on Sunday, September 17, with a new name -- the New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA). The name change accompanied the adoption of a new strategic plan and bylaw changes.

This year's Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association (MPIBA) Fall Trade Show, held from Thursday, September 14, through Sunday, September 17, at the Marriott Denver Tech Center in Denver, "was a fantastic show," said Catherine Weller, of Sam Weller's in Salt Lake City, Utah, and MPIBA president. "There was increased bookseller attendance, high quality seminars....

The Southern California Booksellers Association's (SCBA) Authors Feast and Trade Show will be held on Saturday, October 21, in Los Angeles, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Among the day's highlights will be the 2006 Authors Feast, Spoken Word Radio Show Luncheon, and ABA educational programs "Shop Local: Forming Business Alliances in Your Community" and "Handselling: Customer Service With Results."

American Booksellers Association staff, including ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz, COO Oren Teicher, and Len Vlahos, Director of BookSense.com and of ABA's Education Program, will be attending next week's 2006 Midwest Booksellers Association (MBA) Fall Trade Show to present educational programming, to gather member input regarding ABA's next Strategic Plan, and more.

This week, ABA announced the initial sponsors of ABA's Second Annual Winter Institute, to be held on Thursday and Friday, February 1 and 2, 2007, in Portland, Oregon. These companies' sponsorship is underwriting the cost of the Institute, making it affordable for booksellers to attend.