The 2002 Southern California Booksellers Association (SCBA) Annual Authors Feast and Fall Seminars will be held Saturday, October 26, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Pasadena, California. The day will include a full agenda of educational workshops and seminars and will be capped by the 10th Annual Authors Feast.

"I am very, very excited this year about our lineup," said Jennifer Bigelow, executive director of SCBA. "Due to a heavy request from our booksellers, who want to continue the evening on, we are having an 'After Feast Party' this year. I am very much looking forward to this year's event -- we have great educational workshops happening, and a stellar list of authors."

SCBA events begin with the third annual Children's Author Breakfast from 8:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m., featuring Philip Ardagh (A House Called Awful End, Henry Holt for Young Readers); Kathleen Duey (The Unicorn's Secret: The Mountains of the Moon, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers); and Pam Munoz Ryan (When Marion Sang, Scholastic, Inc.). The cost for SCBA members is $20 and $25 for nonmembers. The participating publishers are sponsoring the event.

Following the breakfast, from 10:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m., are two educational panels. Professionals with experience in valuing and selling businesses and booksellers who have been involved in the process of selling their stores will explore the many issues involved in developing an exit strategy at ABA's "Succession Planning" session, which will be led by ABA CEO Avin Mark Domnitz. At "Co-op: How Can Co-Op Be More Effective for My Bookstore?" Neal Coonerty, owner of Bookshop Santa Cruz, in Santa Cruz, California, and former ABA president, will moderate a panel discussion on the ins and outs of co-op.

From noon - 1:30 p.m., it's SCBA's "Third Annual Authors Luncheon," featuring T. Jefferson Parker (Black Water, Hyperion) and Diane Leslie (Fleur de Leigh's Exile, Simon & Schuster). The cost is $20 for SCBA members and $25 for nonmembers.

From 1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. are two seminars focused on merchandizing. "Growing Sales One Story at a Time" focuses on the fastest growing segment of the publishing industry: audiobooks. This seminar offers tips from professionals on the best ways to increase audiobook sales and merchandising tricks to increase inventory turns. In "Integrating Used Books and Remainders in the Merchandise Mix," Mark Sutz of Changing Hands in Tempe, Arizona, will present successful strategies for buying, pricing, and merchandising used books and remainders. This session is designed for the new and used bookstore.

At 3:00 p.m., Chris Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and author of Alfred E. Smith (Hill & Wang), and a panel of experts will discuss the current state of the First Amendment in the 90-minute panel discussion, "Harry Potter and the PATRIOT Act: The First Amendment Today."

Also at 3:00 p.m. there will be the 90-minute session, "Combo: What's New with Book Sense and the ABA Electronic Handbook." In this session, ABA's Domnitz and COO Oren Teicher will discuss news of upcoming book promotions and other Book Sense updates. In addition, attendees will learn how to make the most out of the new electronic ABA Book Buyer's Handbook.

Immediately after these sessions will be the SCBA General Meeting, from 4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

The day is capped by SCBA's popular "10th Annual SCBA Authors Feast," which starts with a reception and exhibits at 6:00 p.m. Over 40 authors are expected to attend this year's event, including Mawi Asgedom (Of Beetles and Angels, Little, Brown); Michael Graham (Redneck Nation, Warner Books); Cheech Marin (Chicano Visions, Bulfinch); Alice Sebold (The Lovely Bones, Little, Brown); and April Halprin Wayland (A Girl Coming in for a Landing, Random House Children's Books).

There will be a dinner at 7:30 p.m., and, afterwards, at 9:45 p.m., SCBA's first ever "After Feast Party," with music and a "no-host bar." "Graham will be speaking and entertaining a bit at the After Feast Party," said Bigelow. At the end of the event, every attendee will go home with a "Bag O' Books," compliments of SCBA's publishing partners.

For the fourth year in a row, Baker & Taylor will be the Premiere Event Sponsor for SCBA's Authors Feast and Fall Seminars. Other sponsors of the day's event include Bookpeople, Ingram Book Company, Partners West, and Random House, Inc.

For more information, contact SCBA at (626) 791-9455 or via e-mail at [email protected] [5].