The eight regional bookseller associations are working together this fall to present a special trade show season Closing Keynote event with author and artist Allie Brosh. Independent booksellers are invited to join us on Wednesday, October
14 at 7:00 pm ET. Brosh will discuss SOLUTIONS AND OTHER PROBLEMS (Gallery Books; 9/22/20) with Jenny Lawson, author of Broken (in the best possible way) (Henry Holt and Co.; 4/6/21) and owner of Nowhere Bookshop
in San Antonio, following an introduction by Mary Laura Philpott, author of I Miss You When I Blink. There will be an opportunity for audience questions.
Allie Brosh’s critically acclaimed debut, Hyperbole and a Half, introduced readers to her inimitable voice, impeccable comic instincts, and preternatural ability to capture complex emotions with deceptively simple drawings. By turns moving, droll,
and darkly funny—with unforgettable meditations on depression that somehow manage to be all of the above, the book was a #1 Indie Next Pick and #1 Indie Bestseller.
An Indie Next Pick for October, SOLUTIONS AND OTHER PROBLEMS is an entirely original, full-color collection of autobiographical, illustrated essays, encompassing hilarious stories from Brosh’s childhood; the adventures
of her simple, yet sneaky, pets; a meticulous dissection of her own character flaws and drastic measures to eradicate them; incisive essays on powerlessness, loneliness, and grief; and reflections on the absurdity of everyday life.
This virtual event will be held via Zoom Webinar, and access will be limited to association member booksellers only. Booksellers may register for free now, via this LINK. Attendance will
be limited 500, with a waiting list. Approved registered attendees will receive a Zoom Webinar link prior to the event.
Special thanks to Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster for their support.
Gallery Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, is an imprint dedicated to publishing a variety of must-read books on a wide array of topics. Launched in 2010, Gallery is designed to showcase established voices and
to introduce emerging new ones—in both fiction and nonfiction. Gallery Books is the publisher of The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish, Melania and Me by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by
Amy Schumer, One by One and The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware, The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe, The Problem with Everything by Meghan Daum,The Perks of Being A Wallflower by
Stephen Chbosky, and Five Presidents by Clint Hill.
Simon & Schuster, a ViacomCBS Company, is a global leader in general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages, and in all printed, digital and audio formats. Its distinguished roster
of authors includes many of the world’s most popular and widely recognized writers, and winners of the most prestigious literary honors and awards. It is home to numerous well-known imprints and divisions such as Simon & Schuster, Scribner,
Atria Books, Gallery Books, Pocket Books, Adams Media, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Simon & Schuster Audio and international companies in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom, and proudly brings the works of its authors
to readers in more than 200 countries and territories. For more information visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.
Join us to meet the editors from publisher members of the Independent Publishers Caucus on Wednesday, October 14 at 3PM ET. This is the perfect opportunity to get your store on their radar, begin the connection for potential author events, and discover small press titles that reflect the thoughtful curation and literary quality that indie bookstore customers so appreciate.
Blair Publishers Robin Miura, Senior Editor & Assoc. Publisher.Robin Miura has worked in publishing for 17 years, first as a production editor for Oxford University Press and later as an editor for Press 53 (where she edited a novel and memoir series) as a freelance editor, proofreader, publishing consultant, and writing coach for publishing companies and individual authors. She has worked with all types of books, but her passion is literary fiction and creative nonfiction. Her freelance clients have included Algonquin Books, Oxford University Press, Duke University Press, River’s Edge Media, and University of North Carolina Press. She is also a founding editor of the online magazine South Writ Large.
Feminist Press Jisu Kim is the senior marketing, sales, and publicity manager at the Feminist Press. She oversees the marketing life of a book, from its beginnings as an ISBN to becoming course adopted and a backlist gem. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied comparative literature and political theory, and now lives in Brooklyn.
Tin House Masie Cochran is the Editorial Director at Tin House.Before coming to Tin House, she worked at InkWell Management Literary Agency in New York, NY.
Deep Vellum Will Evans is a publisher, translator, and entrepreneur with an unparalleled knack for finding undertold, outstanding stories and connecting them to audiences. In 2013, Evans founded Deep Vellum Publishing, a nonprofit indie book publisher dedicated to translating the world’s best novels into English for American audiences.
Seven Stories Ruth Weiner, Director of Publicity at Seven Stories Press
Europa Editions Rachael Small, Director of Publicity, has an MFA in Literary Translation from the University of Iowa and a BA in French Studies and Creative Writing from Bard College, where she studied under Mona Simpson and Bradford Morrow. Her translations from the French and Spanish have appeared in The Buenos Aires Review and Anomalous Press, among others, and she was a 2012 participant in the Banff International Literary Translation Center.
Verso Jessie Kindig is an editor at Verso Books, and her writing has appeared in n+1, Artforum, Jacobin, and the Boston Review.
SIBA promotes six new books every month to readers, the customers of our member stores, in our Lady Banks Bookshelf promotion. These titles appear at the top of our weekly Lady Banks Commonplace Book newsletter, which has a circulation of over 60k. We also feature them above the fold on the homepage of Authors 'Round the South and as the cover image of the ARTS facebook page, with buy links promoted to our 15,000 Facebook friends. Plus, we boost these titles on our Facebook page for thousands more views. A different member store is featured with the titles every week. We give SIBA member stores a heads up on each month's featured titles, to encourage in-store and online displays.
For publishers looking to promote their new titles out to readers across the South, Lady Banks Bookshelf is our greatest value because of high visibility and engagement across multiple platforms. Contact us for more information or to get your titles on "The Shelf" in coming months.
Coming up in October:
The Wrong Kind of Woman by Sarah McCraw Crow The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard The King of Highbanks Road by Steve Watkins Restitution by Janet Lee Berg A Palm Beach Scandal by Susannah Marren
We recently received this wonderful letter and poem from poet Tim Conroy, brother of Pat Conroy, and a founding board member of the Pat Conroy Legacy Center. Tim writes, "This is a short poem dedicated to all the independent booksellers I have met in my life especially NeverMore, Beaufort Bookstore, Buxton Books, and Itinerant Literate books. During this challenging time, I want to thank SIBA for what you do for the communities you serve and for connecting people with great books. You remain vital to our evolution and growth to become a more empathetic people. All praise, Tim Conroy." Thank you, Tim, and we second "all praise" to the work of independent booksellers everywhere, but especially to our dear colleagues in SIBA.
Book Shop Owners
Their help is (keenly) silent. Page-turning glances trace my path as books flaunt
spines from lonely rows. I want more than a quick thumb through and put back.
They work new arrivals while I wince at authors overripe photographs.
They note the subtle signs which reveal preferences to wed me to my match.
Browsing empty-handed, they steer me to choices— subgenres and stories
never dreamed possible. Take appraisal, volumes for us to gain ourselves.
New Voices New Rooms, our SIBA/NAIBA trade conference , brings you five days of events to plug into your schedule and enjoy, learn from, and share with your colleagues. For your ease getting into events, please register for each event asap rather than day of, and download the events right into your calendar. Each event has a different Zoom link, so your prep now will make your experience later much easier! Make sure to register for the conference first as your key to entrance to the show, the equivalent of getting your show badge. Please take five minutes to scroll through the schedule and begin to plan your week (CYOA!).
Beginnings and endings are so meaningful, and we crafted this show with powerful intention. The result? It’s bookended by two beautiful events you won’t want to miss. We begin on Monday, Sept 21 at 8:30AM with All Because You Matter with Tami Charles and Bryan Collier, the author and illustrator of All Because You Matter. Their book is “a lyrical, heart-lifting love letter to black and brown children everywhere: reminding them how much they matter, that they have always mattered, and they always will, from powerhouse rising star author Tami Charles and esteemed, award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier.” The conversation will be moderated by Liza Baker, VP and Publisher of Cartwheel and Orchard Books, Scholastic Inc.
We close the show on Friday, Sept 25 at 6PM with The Way Forward: Meeting Crisis with Creativity. Rockstar authors and mentors Ann Patchett, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Glennon Doyle will be in conversation about our present moment and the theme of creative response to crisis, followed by a lively Q & A from attending booksellers. Finding and supporting creative responses during such difficult times can often be the work that not only helps our businesses survive, but also saves us personally. Please join us as at our final event for #NVNR2020 and let’s do this important work together. And then celebrate.
SIBA Will Install Two Directors to the Board of Directors at the New Voices New Rooms Show
SIBA is pleased to announce the addition of Jamie Rogers Southern of Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, NC to the SIBA Board of Directors. She will join Deanna Bailey of Story on the Square in McDonough, Georgia, appointed in July, at the SIBA Annual Meeting being held online during New Voices New Rooms September 24th at 11:30 AM to be formally welcomed to the Board.
Jamie Rogers Southern is the Interim Executive Director at Bookmarks as of October 1st. Bookmarks is a literary nonprofit organization based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It began as the largest annual book festival in the Carolinas, and an Authors in Schools program reaching 7000+ students of all ages annually, and several other book and author events throughout the year. In 2017 the organization completed a successful capital campaign and opened a bookstore and permanent event space in downtown Winston-Salem. Before Bookmarks Jamie worked at Alabama Booksmith in Homewood, AL, and for the American Booksellers Association. She is married to Ed Southern, Executive Director of the North Carolina Writers Network. She's also a University of Alabama football fan. Roll Tide!
Jamie Rogers Southern and Deanna Bailey join board members Janet Geddis of Avid Bookshop in Athens, Georgia, John Cavalier of Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana, and Kelly Justice (current Board President) of Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Thursday, September 3, 2020
The stellar programming in place for New Voices New Rooms wouldn't be possible without the generous (that's too mild a word) support of the the show's exhibiting publishers and vendors. These companies recognize the importance of independent booksellers
to the success of their products and to the book industry itself, and they have gone above and beyond to demonstrate their commitment to the indie bookseller market.
The Virtual Exhibit Hall is filling up with new publishers, gift companies, and services being added every day. Visit and see for yourself!
Although the show won't start for another 19 days, many exhibitors already have links on their pages for setting up appointments to meet or requesting review copies. There are video links to editor and rep presentations,
edelweiss collections, and information about show specials.
On each page you'll also find a form to leave your virtual "business card." Your information goes to the exhibitor, and enters you in the New Voices New Rooms Show Raffle.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Thursday, September 3, 2020
Eight Regional Bookselling Associations
Present Opening Keynote Event with Rev. Al Sharpton
The eight regional bookseller associations are working together this fall to present a special trade show season Opening Keynote event with the Reverend Al Sharpton. Independent booksellers are invited to join us as Rev. Sharpton presents his important, timely book RISE UP: Confronting a Country at the Crossroads (Hanover Square Press; 9/29/20), on Tuesday, September 15, from 4:30 to 5:30 pm ET.
Rev. Al Sharpton is the host of MSNBC’s “PoliticsNation” and the founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), one of the leading civil rights organizations in the world. With over 40 years of experience as a community leader, politician, minister and advocate, the Rev. Al Sharpton is one of America’s most-renowned civil rights leaders. Sharpton also hosts the nationally syndicated radio show, “Keepin’ It Real”, which broadcasts in 40 markets, five days a week.
In RISE UP, Rev. Sharpton revisits the highlights of the Obama administration, the 2016 election, Trump’s subsequent hold on the GOP and his interactions and relationships with other key players in politics and activism. He also amplifies the new voices and movements that have emerged in response to the Trump presidency.
Rev. Sharpton will be in conversation with Ramunda Lark Young of MahoganyBooks, and will take questions from attendees. This virtual event will be held via Zoom, and access will be limited to association member booksellers only. Booksellers may register for free now, via this link. Approved registered attendees will receive a Zoom link prior to the event.
Special thanks to Hanover Square Press/HarperCollins Publishers for their support.
About Hanover Square Press: Hanover Square Press publishes compelling fiction and nonfiction encompassing a broad range of genres—from crime, thrillers, literary and high-concept fiction to narrative history, journalism, science, biography and memoir, including New York Times bestsellers from Dan Abrams and David Fisher, and Rick Ross. www.hanoversqpress.com
SIBA's Reader Meet Writer Author Series branches out into children’s programming in October with two author-illustrator hosts, Constance Lombardo and Vanessa Brantley-Newton. They will rotate duties and bring up the energy for kids and adult viewers. Constance is the author/illustrator of the middle grade Mr. Puffball series (HarperCollins) and the picture book Everybody Says Meow (HarperCollins). She currently lives in Asheville, NC with G. G. the cat and Louie the old beagle. Vanessa is the author of 5 children's books and has illustrated over 50. Diversity is at the core of her work as she longs for all children to see themselves beautifully illustrated in picture books. She lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband and daughter and has a cat named Stripes.
We are so excited to bring you this programming! Please email lindamarie@sibaweb.com if you’d like to join the circle of participating Reader Meet Writer indie bookstores, or to book your authors into our programming.
Saturday, Oct 10th 11:00am - 12:00pm EST: Out! How to be Your Authentic Self with Miles McKenna in conversation with Emily Hampshire of Schitt’s Creek (!!!). This is the ONLY event Miles McKenna is presenting in this way for booksellers. Activist Miles McKenna came out on his YouTube channel in 2017, documenting his transition to help other teens navigate their identities and take charge of their own coming-out stories. From that wisdom comes Out!, the ultimate coming-out survival guide. Viewers at this event will find validation, inspiration, and support for their questions big and small—whether exploring identity or seeking to understand the experience of an awesome queer person in their lives.
Posted By Nicki Leone,
Wednesday, September 2, 2020
In order to prepare for the forthcoming New Voices New Rooms show, for the month of September SIBA's Office Hours will be held by appointment only. To make an appointment, email Linda-Marie Barrett at lindamarie@sibaweb.com.
There are already over 300 people registered for New Voices New Rooms, not to mention over 50 exhibitors, and more than 75 events on the schedule. Will your
store be represented?
You must register by 8/31 to receive the show box of goodies, and you must be registered to be able to attend ANY of the events. Look who has already registered!
A Novel Experience Adventure Bound Books All Things Inspiration Giftique Auburn Oil Company Booksellers Avid Bookshop Bards Alley Book No Further Bookmarks
Bound2please Books Cavalier House Books Charis Books & More Copperfish Books Douglasville Books E. Shaver, Booksellers Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews Ernest & Hadley Booksellers Fiction
Addiction
Firestorm Books & Coffee Flyleaf Books Fountain Bookstore FoxTale Book Shoppe Garden District Book Shop Geomi LLC dba MoonPie General Store & Original Book Warehouse Givens Books Horton's Books
& Gifts Itinerant Literate Books M Judson Books MacIntosh Books and Paper Main Street Books Main Street Reads Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe My Sister's Books, Inc. NeverMore Books Novel.
Oxford Exchange Page & Palette Page 158 Books page after page bookstore Park Road Books Parnassus Books Prince Books Read Books Bookstore in Virginia Beach, VA Read It Again Righton Books South
Main Book Company Spiral Circle Bookstore & More Square Books Square Books, Jr. Story on the Square Sugar Island Sylvia Barnhill Designs dba Lowcountry Whimsy The Book Dragon Shop
The Book Tavern The Book Worm Bookstore The Bookshelf The Country Bookshop The Crazy Book Lady, LLC The Family Book Shop The Haunted Book Shop The Little Bookshop The Muse Book Shop The Snail
on the Wall The Storybook Shoppe Tubby & Coo's Mid-City Book Shop Turning Page Bookshop Underground Books Union Ave Books Wonderland Bookshop Writers Block Books
SIBA promotes six new books every month to readers, the customers of our member stores, in our Lady Banks Bookshelf promotion. These titles appear at the top of our weekly Lady Banks Commonplace Book newsletter, which has a circulation of over 60k. We
also feature them above the fold on the homepage of Authors 'Round the South and as the cover image of the ARTS facebook page, with buy links promoted to our 15,000 Facebook friends. Plus, we boost these titles on our Facebook page for thousands more
views. A different member store is featured with the titles every week. We give SIBA member stores a heads up on each month's featured titles, to encourage in-store and online displays.
For publishers looking to promote their new titles out to readers across the South, Lady Banks Bookshelf is our greatest value because of high visibility and engagement across multiple platforms. Contact us for
more information or to get your titles on "The Shelf" in coming months.
Coming up in September:
I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference by Mark Shulman and Serge Bloch The Lost Country by William Gay Mountain Laurel by Lori Benton The Forever Wish of Middy Sweet by Terry Kay Whose Woods These Are by John Lane Road Out of Winter by Alison Stine
SIBA's Reader Meet Writer Author Series features bestselling authors and fresh new voices, fiction and non-fiction, in an engaging and accessible format. Over 65 SIBA member bookstores participate in our virtual event series, and audiences have topped well over 400 attendees. Beloved author and indie advocate Wiley Cash is our host, and viewers couldn't be more pleased with his thoughtful, charismatic presence and engagement with featured authors. If you're a member store and would like to join our circle, or a publisher with authors you'd like us to consider hosting, please contact lindamarie@sibaweb.com<
September Reader Meet Writer Events:
Thursday, Sep 3 at 7PM EDT: Daniel Nayeri, author of Everything Sad is Untrue will be in conversation with host Wiley Cash. Nayeri is the publisher of Odd Dot, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, where he oversees a team of designers, editors, and inventors creating joyful books for curious minds. In his middle-grade novel, Nayeri shares the fictionalized story of his family’s flight from Iran in the middle of the night to a refugee camp in Italy, and eventually to a school in Oklahoma, where he is met with curiosity and suspicion. Kirkus Review calls Everything Sad is Untrue a “A modern epic... with beauty amid the pain, as well as laughter.”
Tuesday, Sep 8 at 3PM EDT: Anna North, author of Outlawed, will be in conversation with Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood. North's novel dusts off the myth of the old west and reignites the promise of the frontier with an entirely new set of feminist stakes. It’s been described as “The Crucible meets True Grit in this riveting adventure story of a fugitive girl, a mysterious gang of robbers, and their dangerous mission to transform the Wild West.”Febos' book of essays examines the narratives women are told about what it means to be a girl and the realities of growing up female in a world that prioritizes the feelings, perceptions, and power of men at girls' expense. Carmen Maria Machado praises Girlhood, "These essays are moss and iron-hard and beautiful-and struck through with Febos' signature brilliance and power and grace. An essential, heartbreaking project.”
Thursday, Sep 10 at 7PM EDT: Carl Hoffman, author of Liar’s Circus: The Strange and Terrifying Journey into the Upside-Down World of Trump’s MAGA Rallies will be in conversation with host Wiley Cash. A former contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler, Hoffman has traveled to 80 countries on assignment; he has written about cannibals in New Guinea, Mumbai’s railways (the deadliest in the world), and the indigenous tribes of Borneo. Now he trains his unique eye on his own country. Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail meets Strangers in Their Own Landin this work of daring and immersive contemporary anthropology. Hoffman, who has written about the most dangerous and remote corners of the world, journeys deep inside Donald Trump’s rallies, seeking to understand the strange and powerful tribe that forms the president’s base.
Tuesday, Sep 15 at 3PM EDT: Simon Stephenson will discuss his debut novel, Set My Heart to Five. For fans of Fredrik Backman and Gail Honeyman, Set My Heart to Five is a delightfully entertaining, deceptively poignant debut novel about a human-like bot named Jared. Jared works as a dentist in small town Michigan and is engineered with human DNA to look and act like a real person. One day at a screening of a classic movie, Jared feels a strange sensation around his eyes. Everyone knows that bots can’t feel emotions, but as the theater lights come on, Jared could swear he’s crying. Confused, he decides to watch more old movies to figure out what’s happening. And so Jared’s adventure begins in “this profound exploration of what makes us human, and a love letter to outsiders everywhere.”
Thursday, Sep 17 at 7PM: Margaret Kimberley will discuss her book, Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents, a concise, authoritative exploration of America's relationship with race and black Americans through the lens of the presidents who are elected to represent and govern all of its people. Cornel West, author of Race Matters praises, "Margaret Kimberley gives us an intellectual gem of prophetic fire about all the U.S. presidents and their deep roots in the vicious legacy of white supremacy and predatory capitalism. Such truths seem more than most Americans can bear, though we ignore her words at our own peril!" Margaret Kimberley is a New York-based writer and activist for peace and justice issues. Perfect timing for this discussion as we head into election season.
Tuesday, Sep 29 at 5PM: Connor Towne O’Neill will discuss his book, Down Along with that Devil’s Bones: A Reckoning with Monuments, Memory, and the Legacy of White Supremacy.
Journalist Connor Towne O’Neill takes a deep dive into American history, exposing the still-raging battles over monuments dedicated to one of the most notorious Confederate generals, Nathan Bedford Forrest. Through the lens of these conflicts, O’Neill examines the legacy of white supremacy in America, in a sobering and fascinating work sure to resonate with readers of Tony Horwitz, Timothy B. Tyson, and Robin DiAngelo. Publishers Weekly praises, “O’Neill writes with grace and genuine curiosity, allowing people on all sides of the issue to speak for themselves. This inquiry into the legacy of American slavery is equally distressing and illuminating.” As communities across the South grapple with these issues, O’Neill’s book could not be more timely.
SIBA needs to hear from you. You are our core members, and the daily goal of our team is to meet your needs as best we can. How are we doing? How are we helping? How can we do better? Just a few minutes of your time answering this short anonymous survey
will be a tremendous help as we plan for the future.
As we've begun listing our schedule of author events, educational programming, and networking opportunities on our site, we sense you might be wondering, "Where do I even begin?" So much to choose from, schedule into your calendar, and register for. We hope you find the schedule a bounty of delights and resources to sustain and inspire you and your bookstores as we head into the holiday season.
Included in this session:
Quick tour of NVNR website
How to view the four programming tracks
How to make appointments with publishers and vendors
How to download events into your calendar
Which events have limited attendance and require special registration
Dear DeeDee by
Kat Meads
A Sour Mash Southern Literature title from Regal House Publishing
December 4, 2020
$13.95 - paperback
ISBN: 9781646030156
A homesick-for-the-South aunt.
A North Carolina niece.
A correspondence that explores what makes us who we are.
“Hilarious and heartbreaking” —Norma Watkins, That Woman from Mississippi
“A beguiling take on Southern memoir”—Cris Mazza, Something Wrong with Her
West Coast-based Aunt K (the author) writes to niece DeeDee, ostensibly to bring her up to speed on family history and share anecdotes about their North
Carolina relatives, past and present. The letters soon evolve into broader discussions of community, loss, love, ambition, leaving the South (in body, if not mind) and what it means to negotiate life as a female. Integral to the correspondence are books and writers (from Burroughs to Woolf), landscapes
and cityscapes in North Carolina, California, New Mexico, New York, East Sussex and elsewhere. A persistent theme: the inter-weavings of person and place. In the tradition of Jane Austen’s letters to niece Fanny Knight and Fay Weldon’s Letters to Alice, DeeDee is a female’s interpretation of the world. It is also, in the sum of its parts, deeply concerned with the question of which
elements (genetic and circumstantial) conspire to make us who we are.
Events and buyer contact info: Arrylee Satterfield/VaLinda Miller
Number of years as a bookseller: 6
Best part about being a bookseller?: New Books
What book(s) are you reading?:The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel; Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement by John Lewis and Mike D'Orso; The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson; This is my America by
Kim Johnson; Bookmarked for Murder by V.M. Burns
Favorite handsell of 2020: All of V.M. Burns' Mystery Bookshop series, Hannibal B. Johnson's Black Wall Street: From Riot to Renaissance in Tulsa's Historic Greenwood District), and JoJo Moyes' The Giver of Stars
Best thing you did this year at your store in response to Covid? Hired a company to come in two or three times a week to sanitize the store. Ensure staff and myself wear masks. Blessed to have emergency funds available to cover expenses
and blessed that I was able to telework for my full time job.
What are some ways you work with your community? Joined the political arena to understand the needs of the community. Involved in Race talks with the mayor and the community. Provide free books with an apple or healthy snacks for kids.
Volunteer for Charleston County Library. Board member of the Friends of the SC Library. Yearly Bring Your Child to Work Day.
Do you have any community partners you work with regularly? Not on a regular basis. Only when needed.
Do you have passions that carry over into your bookselling life? The love generated by my grandmother (She had to drop out of school when she was 14 years old) who walked me to my first library because she knew Rep. John Lewis and other
blacks were denied a library card.Rep. John Lewis, as was my grandmother, was told that libraries were for whites only and she was powerfully determined to see that I got a library card and read every book in that library.Those librarians took me
in their heart and when I would walk without my grandmother, having gone without food for that day, they fed me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.I will always for the rest of my life thank them for feeding me books and food.It's my passion in life
to continue to support all independent bookstores and libraries and provide food and books for kids.
What e-commerce platform are you using, and why did you choose it? Square and Go-Daddy. I use them because they are cheap and I have lots of computer geek friends who can help me.
Top priority for 2020/2021: Save for one year of expenses. Open a second bookstore. Continue working my full-time time. Have more virtual signings. Improve website. Improve social media. Work more in the political arena.
Favorite SIBA programming benefit: SIBA Discovery Show
2020 has been a challenging year, to say the least. But if there is a silver lining to be found it is perhaps that so many bookstores have risen to that challenge, finding new and creative ways to stay in business and serve their communities.
Organizations like SIBA and NAIBA have also had to become creative and innovative in order to serve their member bookstores. Creativity and innovation are the driving forces behind New Voices New Rooms:
the joint SIBA/NAIBA virtual show.
Eileen Dengler, the Executive Director of NAIBA, and Linda-Marie Barrett, the Executive Director of SIBA, came together to harness the resources of both organizations in order to produce a virtual event that would go above and beyond in meeting the needs
of their member stores. They recently sat down together (on video, of course, from their own respective offices) to talk about New Voices New Rooms, its challenges and some of the hopes they have for the event.
What are your roles at New Voices New Rooms?
Eileen: Linda-Marie and I are working (virtually) shoulder-to-shoulder to create the programming, fill the exhibit hall, and dream up fun events for all who wish to be part of this great bookselling community.
Linda-Marie: We want to create programming that’s compelling and meaningful for everyone involved: booksellers, authors, publishers, and vendors. We intend to curate each event carefully to make some virtual magic. Just you wait and
see :)
What are some of your goals for this event?
Eileen: I want this virtual event to reach the booksellers and publishers who felt an in-person meeting was either hard to attend because of time or money constraints, or who didn't know about this community of booksellers and publishers.
A community that champions and cheers each other, and lends a helping hand and sage advice so everyone succeeds.
Linda-Marie: To that end, we are crafting events that offer booksellers things they expect and need from a tradeshow and things they might not have thought of or expect from a virtual show: A fun and productive experience that inspires.
Insider info about books and gifts that they can use to handsell with great success. Education they can take action on immediately. Connections with publishers and vendors that enhance their businesses. Opportunities to engage with each other and
network. Meaningful communication is a high priority for New Voices New Rooms.
What have been some of the challenges to creating this event?
Linda-Marie: Running a virtual trade show is new to SIBA and NAIBA, though we’ve both been running online events for years. We’re learning new things every day, and challenging ourselves to consider every angle of our programming from
an attendee’s perspective. How can we make this easy, safe, responsive, engaging, and worthwhile? We have a great team in place that’s tech-savvy, very experienced with running a trade show, and focused on doing this expertly.
Eileen: The technical side of hosting a virtual event has been a challenge. It is not as simple as sending out a zoom invite and sitting in front of your screen at the appointed time. It is complicated, time consuming, and intricate,
and we are fortunate to have the skills great staff from SIBA and NAIBA to guide us, research options, and create a platform that is user focused and friendly.
What are you most excited about?
Eileen: Through this virtual conference, the doors are going to open wide to so many more booksellers and publishers, and these new connections, friendships, and business relationships is so exciting for me.
Linda-Marie: One of the upsides to a virtual show is that geographic barriers are less important, and we will be able offer presentations from writers who would probably not be able to come to an in person event. So we’ll see more presenters
from other countries, or who are usually in such high demand their schedule is very limited. And perhaps people who normally wouldn’t be attending a show. I’d love to see more editors at the shows. And because virtual means you get these little windows
into people’s living rooms, offices, and lives, you get to “meet” writers in their own environment, so to speak. Imagine talking to a cookbook author in their own kitchen! (I really like to cook).
What do you hope booksellers will take away from New Voices New Rooms?
Eileen: These new voices in new rooms will give us all more ideas, contacts, and a stronger sense of belonging in our community.
Linda-Marie: Community is vital! It’s always been a goal of these shows to give our booksellers skills to help them make their businesses successful, and access to new books and products that they will want to sell. Those goals haven’t
changed, but this year I think there is an added one: to bring our bookstores through the pandemic and begin feeling excited about the future. It seems like a long way away right now – everything is so volatile and uncertain. But we also need books
and literature more than ever. That hasn’t changed, it has become more important. And I think our bookstores know it and want to be there for their communities.
Do you see New Voices New Rooms as a model for future events?
Linda-Marie: I do. It has been really rewarding working with Eileen and Kit at NAIBA and seeing their perspective on things, and I think it is a natural partnership. We seem to give each other lots and lots of great ideas! So we intentionally
built New Voices New Rooms with the potential for future programs in mind. The “infrastructure” of the event is stable and ready to be used for more things if we decide we want to.
Eileen: I think we are all learning and appreciating new ways of doing business and getting together. As we plan and imagine the future, virtual events for bookstores and the associations will be part of our formats. New Voices New Rooms
could very well live on. We shall take the good and move forward from there to a better place.
Watch the Q&A session between with Susan Shoger and Ashley Vogelmeier about the 2020 SIBA Holiday Catalog. The catalog will be an important tool for stores in the upcoming uncertain holiday season.
SIBA promotes six new books every month to readers, the customers of our member stores, in our Lady Banks Bookshelf promotion. These titles appear at the top of our weekly Lady Banks Commonplace Book newsletter, which has a circulation of over 60k. We also feature them above the fold on the homepage of Authors 'Round the South and as the cover image of the ARTS facebook page, with buy links promoted to our 15,000 Facebook friends. Plus, we boost these titles on our Facebook page for thousands more views. A different member store is featured with the titles every week. We give SIBA member stores a heads up on each month's featured titles, to encourage in-store and online displays.
For publishers looking to promote their new titles out to readers across the South, Lady Banks Bookshelf is our greatest value because of high visibility and engagement across multiple platforms. Contact us for more information or to get your titles on "The Shelf" in coming months.
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We recently received this wonderful letter and poem from poet Tim Conroy, brother of Pat Conroy, and a founding board member of the Pat Conroy Legacy Center. Tim writes, "This is a short poem dedicated to all the independent booksellers I have met in my life especially NeverMore, Beaufort Bookstore, Buxton Books, and Itinerant Literate books. During this challenging time, I want to thank SIBA for what you do for the communities you serve and for connecting people with great books. You remain vital to our evolution and growth to become a more empathetic people. All praise, Tim Conroy." Thank you, Tim, and we second "all praise" to the work of independent booksellers everywhere, but especially to our dear colleagues in SIBA.
New Voices New Rooms, 
We close the show on
Jamie Rogers Southern is the Interim Executive Director at Bookmarks as of October 1st. Bookmarks is a literary nonprofit organization based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It began as the largest annual book festival in the Carolinas, and an Authors in Schools program reaching 7000+ students of all ages annually, and several other book and author events throughout the year. In 2017 the organization completed a successful capital campaign and opened a bookstore and permanent event space in downtown Winston-Salem. Before Bookmarks Jamie worked at Alabama Booksmith in Homewood, AL, and for the American Booksellers Association. She is married to Ed Southern, Executive Director of the North Carolina Writers Network. She's also a University of Alabama football fan. Roll Tide!
The eight regional bookseller associations are working together this fall to present a special trade show season Opening Keynote event with the Reverend Al Sharpton. Independent booksellers are invited to join us as Rev. Sharpton presents his important, timely book RISE UP: Confronting a Country at the Crossroads (Hanover Square Press; 9/29/20), on Tuesday, September 15, from 4:30 to 5:30 pm ET.
SIBA's Reader Meet Writer Author Series branches out into children’s programming in October with two author-illustrator hosts, Constance Lombardo and Vanessa Brantley-Newton. They will rotate duties and bring up the energy for kids and adult viewers. Constance is the author/illustrator of the middle grade Mr. Puffball series (HarperCollins) and the picture book Everybody Says Meow (HarperCollins). She currently lives in Asheville, NC with G. G. the cat and Louie the old beagle. Vanessa is the author of 5 children's books and has illustrated over 50. Diversity is at the core of her work as she longs for all children to see themselves beautifully illustrated in picture books. She lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband and daughter and has a cat named Stripes. 
We are so excited to bring you this programming! Please email 
Thursday, Sep 3 at 7PM EDT: Daniel Nayeri, author of Everything Sad is Untrue will be in conversation with host Wiley Cash. Nayeri is the publisher of Odd Dot, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, where he oversees a team of designers, editors, and inventors creating joyful books for curious minds. In his middle-grade novel, Nayeri shares the fictionalized story of his family’s flight from Iran in the middle of the night to a refugee camp in Italy, and eventually to a school in Oklahoma, where he is met with curiosity and suspicion. Kirkus Review calls Everything Sad is Untrue a “A modern epic... with beauty amid the pain, as well as laughter.” 
Tuesday, Sep 8 at 3PM EDT: Anna North, author of Outlawed, will be in conversation with Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood. North's novel dusts off the myth of the old west and reignites the promise of the frontier with an entirely new set of feminist stakes. It’s been described as “The Crucible meets True Grit in this riveting adventure story of a fugitive girl, a mysterious gang of robbers, and their dangerous mission to transform the Wild West.”Febos' book of essays examines the narratives women are told about what it means to be a girl and the realities of growing up female in a world that prioritizes the feelings, perceptions, and power of men at girls' expense. Carmen Maria Machado praises Girlhood, "These essays are moss and iron-hard and beautiful-and struck through with Febos' signature brilliance and power and grace. An essential, heartbreaking project.” 
Thursday, Sep 10 at 7PM EDT: Carl Hoffman, author of Liar’s Circus: The Strange and Terrifying Journey into the Upside-Down World of Trump’s MAGA Rallies will be in conversation with host Wiley Cash. A former contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler, Hoffman has traveled to 80 countries on assignment; he has written about cannibals in New Guinea, Mumbai’s railways (the deadliest in the world), and the indigenous tribes of Borneo. Now he trains his unique eye on his own country. Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail meets Strangers in Their Own Land in this work of daring and immersive contemporary anthropology. Hoffman, who has written about the most dangerous and remote corners of the world, journeys deep inside Donald Trump’s rallies, seeking to understand the strange and powerful tribe that forms the president’s base. 
Tuesday, Sep 15 at 3PM EDT: Simon Stephenson will discuss his debut novel, Set My Heart to Five. For fans of Fredrik Backman and Gail Honeyman, Set My Heart to Five is a delightfully entertaining, deceptively poignant debut novel about a human-like bot named Jared. Jared works as a dentist in small town Michigan and is engineered with human DNA to look and act like a real person. One day at a screening of a classic movie, Jared feels a strange sensation around his eyes. Everyone knows that bots can’t feel emotions, but as the theater lights come on, Jared could swear he’s crying. Confused, he decides to watch more old movies to figure out what’s happening. And so Jared’s adventure begins in “this profound exploration of what makes us human, and a love letter to outsiders everywhere.” 
Thursday, Sep 17 at 7PM: Margaret Kimberley will discuss her book, Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents, a concise, authoritative exploration of America's relationship with race and black Americans through the lens of the presidents who are elected to represent and govern all of its people. Cornel West, author of Race Matters praises, "Margaret Kimberley gives us an intellectual gem of prophetic fire about all the U.S. presidents and their deep roots in the vicious legacy of white supremacy and predatory capitalism. Such truths seem more than most Americans can bear, though we ignore her words at our own peril!" Margaret Kimberley is a New York-based writer and activist for peace and justice issues. Perfect timing for this discussion as we head into election season.
Tuesday, Sep 29 at 5PM: Connor Towne O’Neill will discuss his book, Down Along with that Devil’s Bones: A Reckoning with Monuments, Memory, and the Legacy of White Supremacy.
Journalist Connor Towne O’Neill takes a deep dive into American history, exposing the still-raging battles over monuments dedicated to one of the most notorious Confederate generals, Nathan Bedford Forrest. Through the lens of these conflicts, O’Neill examines the legacy of white supremacy in America, in a sobering and fascinating work sure to resonate with readers of Tony Horwitz, Timothy B. Tyson, and Robin DiAngelo. Publishers Weekly praises, “O’Neill writes with grace and genuine curiosity, allowing people on all sides of the issue to speak for themselves. This inquiry into the legacy of American slavery is equally distressing and illuminating.” As communities across the South grapple with these issues, O’Neill’s book could not be more timely. 
Name: VaLinda Miller 
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