Not Wet, But Wild: SEBA's Jekyll Island Regional Wows the Crowd
By Bob Summer, PW Daily for Booksellers -- Publishers Weekly, 9/26/2003
If Wanda Jewell, the Southeast Booksellers Association's executive director, hoped that the reinvigorating spirit of this spring's "bookseller revivals" would carry through to the fall trade show on Georgia's Jekyll Island, she got her wish. So much so that even before the weekend was over, attending booksellers, exhibitors, and authors alike were celebrating this year's SEBA as the best yet. Fortunately Hurricane Isabel passed by to the north.
"I wish every show was this good," said Leila Salisbury, marketing manager at the University Press of Kentucky. "It makes me believe things are looking up for publishing and bookselling."
John F. Blair president Carolyn Sakowski added that she and her staff took twice as many orders Saturday morning after the exhibits opened than they did during all of last year's SEBA in Ft. Lauderdale.
Joining the exhibitors chorus of praise was Steve Wallace, Random House's southern divisional director of trade sales, in part because he had one of the show's major buzz books: Washington Post staff writer Neely Tucker's memoir about the child he and his wife adopted in Zimbabwe, Love in the Driest Season. (Crown, due in February.)
The exhibit hall's unusual liveliness carried over into sold out meals, late night author readings, long autographing lines, and Friday's hands-on bookselling sessions.
SEBA favorite Clyde Edgerton, whose latest book is Lunch at the Piccadilly (Algonquin) was a smash, playing his guitar and singing zany country songs at Friday's SEBA Supper and Algonquin's 20th anniversary party Saturday evening; Nashville songwriting star and country rock diva Marshall Chapman, author of Goodbye, Little Rock and Roller (St. Martin's), scored a get-down hit of her own at Friday's Free Press Pool Party.
The most exciting announcement of the show was SEBA's sponsorship of a spoken word series that will air on public radio stations throughout the Southeast beginning in October. "It is our goal to bring the importance of local independent bookstores to the attention of the public," Jewell said.
The first show in the series, entitled "What Reading Means to Me," was taped on Friday and included panelists Phyllis Tickle, author of A Stitch and a Prayer (Paraclete), Terry Kay, author of Valley of Light (Washington Square), Robert Morgan, author of Brave Enemies (Algonquin) and Phyllis Reynolds Taylor, author of After (Soho).
Executive producer Darren Wang says he expects a million listeners; all SEBA member stores will be mentioned during the 13 programs scheduled for the opening season.
One bit of sad news came out of the show: John Luckett, Norton's longtime southern rep and the affectionately regarded "Voice of SEBA," is retiring this month. At the show's end, he announced over the exhibit hall's P.A.: "The fat lady has sung." It was his last.
