Publishers Weekly - 02.09.2019

Fall Regionals

PNBA’s call for authors. Among those

appearing are Melissa Crandall, author of

Elephant Speak (Ooligan), a biography of a

zookeeper at the Oregon Zoo and his devo-

tion to the Asian elephants in his care;

Abigail Hing Wen, who will present her

YA rom-com, Loveboat, Taipei (HarperTeen);

and Daniel Mathews, author of Trees in

Trouble (Counterpoint), about the effects of

climate change on Western and Rocky

Mountain states.

● Traditionally PNBA is one of the regionals with particularly long exhibit hours,

one and a half days. Nearly a decade ago, when some large houses asked to skip the

second day, the association made day two optional for exhibitors. But that has changed.

“Over the past several years,” Juenemann says, “we’ve seen the commitment to two

days grow again.” Part of the reason for that, he adds, is that ordering has increased

consistently after dropping to almost nothing 10 years ago. He attributes that to the

growth of indies and to the fact that reps have found that if they offer specials and give

booksellers an incentive to buy at the show, they will get orders. This year, buyers can

do business with new exhibitors, including Artemis Book Sales, Expedition Press, Fox

Chapel Publishing, Magnets USA, Oregonian Publishing, Retrospect Group, and

Tonya Gray Artworks.

MPIBA FallCon: Trade Show &

Conference

Oct. 10–12

Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel

(Denver, Colo.)

● To signal to booksellers and publishers that the Mountains and Plains Independent

Booksellers Association trade show means fun and business, the association rebranded

it this year as FallCon. “It’s also more affordable,” says MPIBA executive director

Heather Duncan, noting that many author events are $15. “While attendance is free

for booksellers, I’d eventually love to make all of FallCon free.” Other changes include

scheduling in more time for networking and conversation, such as the Member Meet

& Mingle at a brew pub down the street from the convention hotel. New this year is

Pub-Lunch, for publishers to chat with booksellers and vice versa, as well as

“Conversations with Colleagues,” which is a series of bookseller roundtables, some-

thing that worked well at MPIBA’s spring conference in Texas. Titles of the individual

roundtable discussions include “Creating Events in a Small or Remote Store” and “Life

After Baker & Taylor.” Both the roundtables and the lunch take place on Friday, when

the exhibit hall is open. The exhibition area, too, has been tweaked with the addition

of publisher booths, rather than tables, around the perimeter of the room, and more

sideline offerings.

● “There’s going to be something for everyone,” Duncan says about this year’s program-

ming. “The author events are diverse. Everyone will see themselves in the show. My 12

states are as diverse as any part of the country.” Several roundtables address diversity

and inclusion directly, including “Best Practices for Hiring for Diversity” and “Difficult

Conversations: How to Talk About Diversity and Inclusivity with Store Management

and Colleagues.” Education sessions are designed to address additional bookseller

concerns, including lowering the cost of goods, handselling outside booksellers’ comfort

worldeditions.org

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Highlights

from

World

Editions

J. P. Gritton

Clyde

W. Ford

Daniel

Mathews

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