Fall Trade Show Preview: MPBA

by Jill Tardiff, PW Daily for Booksellers -- Publishers Weekly, 8/31/2004

As the fall trade-show season approaches, PW Daily will be previewing a different show each day. Today, a look at what to expect at the gathering of the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Association, scheduled to run Sept. 16-19 at the Marriott Denver Tech Center, Denver, Colo.

You will see something new at this year's show--a focus on doing "real" business during the three-and-a-half days of educational programming and exhibits. Gone are the daytime author readings and signings on Saturday and Sunday, including the after-breakfast slot. Instead, formal autographing sessions are planned for Friday and Saturday nights at the author receptions, and pre-signed books are available for each ticket holder at designated tables at the breakfasts.

Registration starts on Wednesday (2-5 p.m., convention lobby), and continues throughout the show. Avoid the rush, pick up your badge and program early. The action starts Thursday morning at 9 a.m., when colleagues share marketing ideas in hour-long roundtable discussions hosted by MPBA board members. At noon, buy lunch at the deli café and head for the author chat room. Sandra Dallas, author of The Chili Queen, is there along with a handful of other regional writers. Pre-register to guarantee a seat. The educational sessions continue until 5 p.m.

Exhibitors' set-up runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. Doors to the hall open at 7:30 a.m. for a breakfast of coffee and croissants. Food, murder and mayhem blend when Diane Mott Davidson, creator of the culinary sleuth Goldy Schulz (Double Shot), steps up to the podium for a bit of miss-chef. At 9:30 a.m., ABA's Avin Domnitz offers his own double dose of reality in a two-hour seminar for bookstore owners, managers and marketing personnel.

Sandwiches, salads and reps' "picks of the lists" are on the lunch menu. Reps will chat about books in the MPBA winter catalogue. Another lunch special: representatives from Baker & Taylor will pitch the profitability of selling DVDs and music. After lunch, Domnitz returns with the results of the 2003 ABACUS Study, giving seminar participants his own version of the 2% Solution. The seminar runs from 1:45 to 3:45 p.m. The general membership meeting is in the Aspen Amphitheater, 4-5 p.m. Friday evening's author reception gets underway at 5 p.m. More than 20 authors will be present to sign their new books.

Saturday's 7:30 a.m. Author Breakfast for Literacy features authors Francisco Goldman (The Divine Husband, Esmeralda Santiago (The Turkish Lover), Jeff Shaara (To the Last Man), and Jim Wooten (We Are All the Same). Exhibit halls open at 9:30 a.m., with staggered closings for lunch. No educational programming. No autographing sessions. No distractions. Go straight to the show floor and do business. Doors close at 5 p.m. The Saturday Night Author Reception will include presentation of the Gordon Saul Bookseller of the Year and Sales Rep of the Year Awards, followed by author signings.

Sunday is an "abridged" day, with only four short hours to wrap up business. Start by having breakfast with award-winners D.B. Johnson (Henry Works) and Mark Teague (Detective LaRue, Letters from the Investigation). Exhibit halls open at 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

A postscript: Paz & Associates will present "Opening a Bookstore: The Business Essentials" from Sept. 13 through Sept. 19 in Denver. This week-long intensive workshop is co-sponsored by the ABA and is intended for those with a bookstore in their future.

Contact: Lisa D. Knudsen, 19 Old Town Square, Ste. 238, Ft. Collins, Colo. 80524; (800) 752-0249 or (970) 484-5856; info@mountainsplains.org; www.mountainsplains.org.

Also next month, the Southern California Children's Booksellers Association will stage its Annual dinner and Golden Dolphin Award presentation to be held on Sat., Sept. 11, at the Atrium Hotel, Irvine, Calif. At 5 p.m., the proceedings start poolside with a "mini" trade show featuring the best books for fall. At 7 p.m., guests move to the ballroom where new SCCBA president Jody Fickes Shapiro from Adventures for Kids in Ventura will preside over the gala., which will also feature a long list of authors including Walter Wick (Can You See What I See? Picture Puzzles to Search and Solve), Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith (Math Curse; Science Verse), and Julie Andrews Edwards (Simeon's Gift). Deborah Nourse Lattimore, author of more than 30 books, including Cinderhazel and The Sailor Who Captured the Sea, is the 2004 Golden Dolphin award recipient. Reservations for dinner must be made by September 7.

Contact: Betty Takeuchi or Candace Moreno, San Marino Toy and Book Shoppe, 2424 Huntington Dr., San Marino, Calif. 91108; (626) 309-0222; sccba@toysandbooks.com; http://www.socalkidsbooks.com/.