02/22/2006

ABA’s Teicher, Vlahos to Keynote Spring Book Show 2006
American Booksellers Association Seminars in Atlanta

ATLANTA, Ga.- According to Larry May, organizer of Spring Book Show 2006, scheduled for March 17-19 at Atlanta’s downtown World Congress Center, the educational component of the conclave will be keynoted by two of the American Booksellers Association’s top executives.

The keynoters are:

Oren Teicher, ABA chief operating officer, Tarrytown, N.Y., and Len Vlahos, in charge of ABA’s BookSense program.

Founded in 1900, the American Booksellers Association is a not-for-profit organization devoted to meeting the needs of its independently owned bookstore owner members. ABA represents more than 2,200 bookstores. The Book Sense program that Vlahos heads is a national marketing campaign that supports ABA’s independent bookseller members. Among the components Vlahos oversees are the Book Sense Picks program, the Book Sense Bestseller lists, a gift card program and the www.BookSense.com  Web site.

Other seminars designed to educate book retailers attending Spring Book Show 2006 are being organized by the Southern Independent Bookstore Alliance (SIBA). Speakers from SIBA who have been invited to make presentations include:

Karin Wilson, Page & Palette Bookstore, Fairhope, Ala., “Anatomy of an Author Proposal.” Frazer Dobson, Park Road Books, Charlotte, N.C., “Harnessing the Power of Newsletters.” Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, Va., “Authorless Events.” Sally Brewster, SIBA president, Park Road Books, Charlotte, N.C., “Cashing in on Book Clubs,” and Wanda Jewell, SIBA executive director, Columbia, S.C., “Benefits of SIBA Membership”

Christian booksellers will be among the featured guests when the South’s largest bargain book show opens in Atlanta in mid-March. Speakers at the Christian Bargain Book Forum (CBBF) will include:

Steve Slack, owner of seven retail stores in East Tennessee and the largest Christian bargain wholesaler in the nation, speaking on “The Opportunity.” Fred Plutchak, president of the Christian Outlet Group of Fair Oaks, Calif., “There is more to it than books - vendor sourcing” Debbie Smith, Christian title wholesaler from Grand Rapids, Mich., “How to purchase bargain books from wholesalers” Benny Gilliard, general manager of Crossway Christian Stores in Greenville, S.C., “Chain stores are taking advantage of the opportunity - you can too,” and Craig Stoll, merchandising manager, Mardel Christian and Educational Supply, Oklahoma City, Okla. (owned by Hobby Lobby), “Bargain books in the front line store.”

Spring Book Show 2006 is expected to draw more than 100 dealers to Georgia’s World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. They will be offering more than 50,000 book titles at bargain prices to hundreds of buyers from bookstores, public and academic libraries and school media specialists.

According to show organizer Larry May of Knoxville, Tenn., this year’s theme, “Think green this spring,” was chosen to reflect the St. Patrick’s holiday weekend. A “good ole’ Irish gig” to permit conferees to socialize is planned for the evening of March 17. Plans include the giveaway of a St. Patrick’s Day “pot o’ gold” (a skid of books) to one lucky attendee.

May said the remainder dealers from the United States, Canada and Great Britain attending the Atlanta show will display their wares – the largest collection of remainder books, returns, white sales and promotional books in the nation – at 500-plus display units in over 60,000 square feet of space.

The Spring Book Show caters to buyers who purchase multiple titles and larger quantities of individual titles from dealers who specialize in remainders.

This year, school media specialists, public and academic librarians, school principals and superintendents and other public employees who purchase books in quantity will be able to attend the show free. Like other quantity buyers, the school and library group will be able to buy titles – including Caldecott and Newbery children’s book award winners and a wide selection of classics – for far less than retail. “We wanted to give school systems, colleges, librarians and educators the opportunity to essentially quadruple their book buying budget for the coming year,” May said. “The educators and librarians wishing to attend free should register at the Spring Book Show Web site (www. springbookshow.com) to get their credentials.”