NCIBA's Books by the Bay a Resounding Success

"Prime Crime" panelists (from left ) Barry Eisler (Rain Storm), Ayelet Waldman (Murder Plays House), Dylan Schaffer (Misdemeanor Man), D.W. Buffa (Breach of Trust) and moderator David Lazarus from the San Francisco Chronicle.

On Saturday, July 17, the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) held its ninth annual Books by the Bay Festival in San Francisco's Yerba Buena Gardens. Representatives from nearly 40 independent bookstores set up booths at the outdoor fair, which included various literary activities, readings, book signings, and panel discussions.

The all-day event was held for the fourth year in the picturesque Yerba Buena Gardens and in the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in downtown San Francisco. Over 60 authors participated in readings and signings, including Jane Smiley (A Year at the Races, Knopf), Andrew Sean Greer (The Confessions of Max Tivoli, FSG), and Lolly Winston (Good Grief, Warner). Revenues from the sale of books signed by participating authors at Books by the Bay are being donated by NCIBA to literacy causes and projects.

Peggy Rathmann, author of The Day the Babies Crawled Away, entertains children with a two-foot-high version of her book, 10 Minutes Till Bedtime, in the Children's Area.

The festival was a "big success," said NCIBA Executive Director Hut Landon. "We think it was perhaps the best ever. We had great attendance. The panels drew overflow crowds, and we sold more books than last year. By all measures it was a very successful, great day."

Landon also mentioned that a festival favorite was the "Hot Writers/Great Reads" panel, which featured Smiley, Greer, Carlos Ruis Zafon (Shadow of the Wind, Penguin), and James Dallesandro (1906, Chronicle). -- Karen Schechner