NAIBA Trade Show an Opportunity to Recharge

The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) fall trade show will be held on Sunday, October 24, and Monday, October 25, at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Sunday is a full day of educational programming capped by the evening's Movable Feast, and on Monday the trade show floor is open all day, and new this year, will feature a series of mini-workshops.

"Regional shows are an important part of booksellers' business plans -- a place to learn new twists on old ideas, clever solutions to problems, and a chance to get recharged," said NAIBA Executive Director Eileen Dengler. "Regional authors are there in force, as are the sales reps and some of the best local booksellers. I hope everyone in the region will take advantage of the opportunity to come to Atlantic City for all this trade show has to offer."

Beginning the programming on Sunday, from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. is the bookseller favorite "Pick of the Lists," which will feature titles presented by house and independent reps. Each rep will share their top favorites (and why), so booksellers will be ready for the season's bestsellers.

The 12:30 Author Luncheon will feature two children's authors (Mark Teague, Detective LaRue: Letters From the Investigation, Scholastic, and Peter Sis, The Train of States, HarperCollins Children's Books) and two adult authors (David Maraniss, They Marched Into Sunlight: War and Peace Vietnam and America October 1967, S&S, and another author yet to be announced.)

From 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., booksellers will have a choice of two sessions. At the first, "I am a bookseller to make a living selling books," ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz will present "The 2% Solution," the seminar offered in the spring at BookExpo America to rave reviews. Domnitz will use the results of the 2003 ABACUS study of independent bookshop operations, which showed that the average profitability of all participants was minus 1.67 percent, to examine the drivers of profitability and how they can be shifted to move a business to greater profits. Specific suggestions about how a bookseller can work on sales, gross margin, and compensation and occupancy expenses will be presented.

At the concurrent session, "I am a bookseller because of the joy of reading," guest speakers Suzanna Strempek Shea (Shelf Life: Romance, Mystery, Drama and Other Page-Turning Adventures From a Year in a Bookstore, Beacon Press) and Sara Nelson (So Many Books, So Little Time, Putnam), with Joe Drabyak of Chester County Books & Music Company in West Chester, Pennsylvania, will engage the audience in a discussion of the pleasure of reading and sharing books with customers.

From 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., a panel of guest authors will discuss the ways they create powerful stories to excite young readers at "I am a bookseller to inspire a generation of future readers." A second session at 2:00 p.m. will explore the larger picture of the retailer's impact on the local community and how to work with other businesses to strengthen the role of independent retailers.

At 3:00 p.m., a panel of guest speakers will share their ideas about what booksellers and authors can do "to build a generation of future readers," and the many ways a bookstore can have a positive and lasting effect on their customers. Concurrently, a strong presence in the community through store programs is the topic of "I am a bookseller to enhance my community."

This year's NAIBA Reading Room, at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, will feature Steven Sorrentino (Luncheonette, HarperCollins/ReganBooks) and Julian Rubinstein (Ballad of the Whiskey Robber, Little, Brown).

A Grand Opening Reception will be held at 6:00 p.m. in the exhibit hall so that booksellers can preview books and merchandise and mingle with exhibitors. The reception will be followed by the Movable Dinner Feast, always a highlight of the NAIBA trade show. This year's dinner will feature more than 20 authors, who will spend time talking to booksellers at each table. A partial list of those participating includes Mark Bowden (Road Work: Among Tyrants, Beasts, Heroes, and Rogues, Atlantic Monthly Press); Esmeralda Santiago (The Turkish Lover, Da Capo/Perseus Books Group); Laura Lippman (By a Spider's Thread, HarperCollins/ReganBooks); Carl Lennertz (Cursed by a Happy Childhood, Random House); Jennifer Weiner (Little Earthquakes, S&S/Atria Books); Susan Jane Gilman (Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, Time Warner); and Tawni O'Dell (Coal Run, Viking). Also present will be NAIBA Legacy winner Joyce Carol Oates (The Falls, HarperCollins/Ecco). After the dinner, there will be a reception to allow more mingling with the authors.

Booksellers starting Monday at the 7:30 a.m. "Breakfast With Champions" will be treated to a complimentary breakfast and the presentation of the NAIBA Book Awards. They will also have the opportunity to applaud the Helmuth Sales Rep of the Year, to meet NAIBA's board of directors, and to attend the annual meeting. (For more about the NAIBA Book Awards, click here.)

The trade show floor, which is open from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Monday, will feature more than 500 publishers at 275 display tables, and 100 authors will be on hand to autograph books.

Throughout the day on the exhibit floor, publishers will take the lead at FastTrak Workshops, where they will educate and entertain booksellers with ideas from their line-up of books and authors. Among the topics to be featured at the mini-workshops are business-to-business programs; hosting writing seminars in a bookstore; and bringing crafters into the store. "These will be set up on the tradeshow floor, and give booksellers time to 'mosey-on over' without the distraction of leaving the show floor," explained Dengler. "They are one hour in length and cover so many different subjects, from writers workshops in stores to the Book Sense program."

This year's ABA exhibit on the trade show floor will focus on "Book Sense Gift Cards: One Year Later" and will feature live demonstrations. ABA Marketing Director Jill Perlstein will also be leading a Book Sense Gift Card Users Group on Monday from 11:00 a.m. - noon on the trade show floor as part of the FastTrak Workshops. Stores that have not yet converted to gift cards are also welcome to this users group, where the focus will be a review of the gift card program and a discussion about future growth.

One-on-one meetings to discuss the Book Sense Gift Card Program may also be scheduled for any time during the NAIBA trade show. To schedule a meeting in advance of the show, booksellers should send an e-mail to Perlstein at [email protected]. As an incentive to try the gift card, ABA will waive the one-time $25 set-up fee for booksellers signing up at the show. (Booksellers planning to sign up at the show will need to bring their checking account information. For more details about Book Sense gift cards, click here.)

Also as part of the FastTrak Workshops, from 2:00 -3:00 p.m., BookSense.com Director Len Vlahos will lead a BookSense.com Users Group. Vlahos will discuss the latest features of BookSense.com, as well as planned enhancements to the product. Non-BookSense.com stores are welcome to attend this session.

Association staff at the ABA booth will also be gathering member input about ABA education initiatives to meet the number-one goal of ABA's strategic plan, "to provide independent professional booksellers with access to the education, information, and business services they need to succeed in a changing world." "ABA Education 2005 Survey" was recently sent to members via e-mail and can be downloaded in PDF format by clicking here. Survey forms will also be available at ABA's booth on the trade show floor. (Booksellers returning surveys at the trade show will be entered into a sweepstakes to win a color, inkjet computer printer.)

For more information about the NAIBA trade show visit www.naiba.com or send an e-mail to [email protected]. --Rosemary Hawkins