Booksellers Agree -- New York Is Book Country

New York is Book Country (NYIBC), a five-day literary festival, celebrated its 25th anniversary this year with activities held from September 17 - 21, in New York City. NYIBC, a non-profit organization that promotes the joy of reading and writing, created the festival, which includes dozens of in-school programs and themed book events in all five New York boroughs. The events culminated on Sunday with the annual Fifth Avenue street fair, which attracted approximately 250,000 visitors.

New York booksellers who rented booths during the Sunday event noted an expansion of the fair, now spanning from 57th Street down to 40th Street -- where the main branch of the New York Public Library is located. Over 300 stores, publishers, arts organizations, and media groups, participated in Sunday's event, which featured hundreds of authors, an entertainment stage, an expanded Antiquarian Row and Spanish language books section, and, for the first time, a specialty section for graphic novels.

Beth Puffer of Bank Street Bookstore, who has staffed many a street fair booth in her two decades as a children's bookseller, told BTW that the Children's Parade of literary characters followed by the All-City Marching Band, was a "charming way to begin a great day of perfect weather," with plenty of interest in the books on display.

Like other booksellers who spoke to BTW about the fair, Puffer was too busy all day to venture out to view other displays and activities. "People [stopping at our booth] were most interested in the books by the authors present," Puffer said. "The authors' books sold better, but people also bought baby books, foreign language, and Halloween books."

Authors spotted signing books at the Bank Street booth included Kate DiCamillo, Ann Martin, Jeff Brown, and Tamora Pierce. One of the standout bestsellers of the day was by Robert Sabuda, who made appearances at Bank Street's booth and at Books of Wonder's. Sabuda's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: A Pop-up Adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Original Tale (Little Simon) is a "masterpiece," according to both booksellers.

Books of Wonder owner Peter Glassman told BTW that he noted huge responses to many books, including Sabuda's, and they "sold everything." Other authors at the store's display were Jon Agee, Mo Willems, and Matthew Reinhart. Glassman was pleased at the turnout, he told BTW, "We did very well -- not quite as well as last year but last year was our best ever -- so this was our second best ever."

Clara Villarosa, president of the Hue-Man Bookstore, viewed the festival as a great opportunity for the one-year-old Harlem bookstore to "get the word out about the store and tell people the kinds of things we do." Villarosa said that poet and painter, now novelist, Danny Simmons, was a big draw, signing his book Three Days as the Crow Flies (Atria). "We gave out our schedule of author events and materials to the hundreds of visitors to the booth," Villarosa said. "People learn about us here, then come back and find a beautiful bookstore in Harlem."