Binc: The Southern Bookselling Community Steps Up!

SIBA raised over $3000 for the Book Industry Charitable Foundation at the SIBA Discovery Show last week. Binc is a charitable foundation that provides assistance to bookstore employees who have a demonstrated financial need arising from severe hardship and/or emergency circumstances. The generosity of show attendees was especially in evidence as Hurricane Florence made landfall on the North Carolina coast, threatening friends and colleagues.

"SIBA and her team raised a total of $3,039," said Kathy Bartson of Binc, "thus helping at least one bookseller and family but most likely two booksellers!"

The "Heads or Tails" Binc fundraiser has become an established event at the show. A game in which participants buy flashing pins for a chance to win a $500 cash prize, the fundraiser culminates in a fun event on the show floor where everyone who has bought a pin stands, pins blinking, and when the coin is flipped, each person publicly indicates their guess by placing their hands on their “head” (head) or “tail” (backside). Each flip eliminates those who guessed wrong, and they turn off their pin; More pins mean more chances to play and the last person standing wins.

SIBA and Binc sold the pins for $20 each, or 2 for $35. Publishers stepped in to play on behalf of their authors and show presenters who couldn't stay for the event but wanted to support Binc and the many booksellers threatened by the storm.

The winner of the #SIBA18 Heads or Tails contest was from The Muse Bookshop in Deland Florida.

Donations to Binc can be made here

https://secure.donationpay.org/bincfoundation/

If you are a bookseller in need, you can request assistance here:

https://www.bincfoundation.org/request-assistance/

Booksellers can also email to help@bincfoundation.org or call 866-733-9064.

In the words of Binc Executive Director Pam French "We are ready to assist."

*A personal note from Nicki: I sometimes think people don't take the phrase "we are ready to assist" seriously or literally, but I am here to tell you that when Binc says it, they absolutely mean it. It was no secret at this year's SIBA show that I was feeling worried and a little frantic. Hurricane Florence made landfall...well, right in my front yard, frankly. I live just north of Wilmington, NC, on the coast. Needless to say, I was distracted the entire week, unable to get any news about friends or loved ones, not to mention my friend who housesits for me and takes care of my dogs and cats. (Everyone is fine, by the way, as is my house). The day the hurricane hit, the Binc people emailed me, asking if I needed help and letting SIBA know they were ready to help any bookseller in harm's way. Pam and Kathy were both at the show and checked in with me periodically. And as I made my way home (as of this writing I am still en route, all the roads to Wilmington are closed), Binc called me on the phone just to check in and make sure I knew help was available. In fact, one of the most rewarding things I have done post-show was to help Binc compile a list of our member stores that may have been affected and have staff in need. They are that committed to their mission.

Binc is good people, folks. Give if you can. And please, please, ask for help if you need it.

Rick Bragg, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, journalist, and author of two bestselling memoirs and numerous other books, has been selected as the 2019 Conroy Legacy Award Recipient. Created in honor of the example set by the beloved Southern author Pat Conroy, the Conroy Legacy Award recognizes writers who have achieved a lasting impact on their literary community, demonstrated support for independent bookstores, both in their own communities and in general, written work that focuses significantly on their home place, and supported other writers, especially new and emerging writers. Serendipitously, Rick Bragg is a contributor to Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy edited by by Nicole Seitz and Jonathan Haupt, published by University of Georgia Press and releasing this September. 

When informed of the award, Rick Bragg shared, “I heard Pat Conroy read his work aloud and it will almost make you abandon this craft for good and take up something like brick laying. The elegance and beauty of it always, across decades, made me think ‘Oh, so this is what it is supposed to sound like, be, linger in the mind.’ The fact he once said good things about my own work made me walk on air. I mean it, my step was lighter somehow. To be presented his award by people who have been with me since the beginning of my writing life, in his name, is as fine a thing as I can ever expect.”

Suzanne Lucey of Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, NC praised this year’s award winner, “Rick Bragg is the whole package. Intelligent, to the point, hilarious and beyond generous with his time and storytelling. A true man's man and momma's boy who makes us cry with laughter. He embraces his Southern Roots and contributes to the overall reason we all love the South.”

SIBA will make a donation to the Pat Conroy Literary Center and to the Margaret Bragg Scholarship for first generation college students at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama in the name of Rick Bragg.

Saving the Best for Last? Food, Fun, and Books Galore at Our Moveable Feast of Authors! 

Close out an amazing #SIBA18 by attending one of SIBA booksellers’ perennial favorites; the Moveable Feast. What’s better than hanging out with your colleagues, eating lunch, and hearing about new books? Maybe listening to more authors, at lower decibels, and no shouting to be heard. Because this year, there’s a twist! 20 authors get 90 seconds to present to the entire crowd. You will not miss out on a single author or a single book, as lunch ends with author signings. What fun, and what a deal!

Still need a ticket? No problem! Email Nicki@sibaweb.com

On the Exhibits Stage at #SIBA18: The Rise of Alt Science Fiction & Fantasy

SFF is more than a one-trick unicorn: we are seeing a smart evolution in one of literature's most popular sub-orbital genres. Even if you don't read science fiction, it's hard to ignore the critical attention that the new crop of alt SFF is generating. Whether it's a foray into the mildly dystopic future, and exploration of Afrofuturism, a re-imagined world under some of the harshest authoritarian principals at work on Earth today, SF is edging so much closer to science faction. Alt SFF is worth paying attention to- so as we navigate an increasingly dystopic present day, how can your store foster informed escapism by recommending hottest new titles in the SFF scene, cultivating sales to lit lovers and genre readers alike? Don't miss this panel discussion on Friday (9/14) on the Exhibits Stage in the Inverness Ballroom from 11am-noon. 

Moderator: Caroline Perny, (Senior Publicist at HarperVoyager)
Nicky Drayden (Author of TEMPER and THE PREY OF GODS)
Ann Leckie (Author of THE RAVEN TOWER and ANCILLARY JUSTICE)
Lucia Drinkwalter (Bookseller at Flyleaf Books)
Beth Seufer Buss (Community Outreach and Bookstore Manager at Bookmarks)
Jessica Osborne (Bookseller at E. Shaver)

One of this Year's Premier Events: The SIBA Supper!

One of our premier events, the SIBA Supper on Thursday night (9/13) at 8PM, brings together authors SIBA booksellers adore! Host Will Walton is the author of Okra Pick and SIBA bestseller, I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain. Will is also a bookseller at Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA.

He’ll be introducing B. A. Shapiro, author of The Collector’s Apprentice. Shapiro has made the historical art thriller her own. Author Dawn Tripp praises Shapiro’s newest as “an exhilarating tale of shifting identities, desire, and intrigue set between 1920s Paris and Philadelphia.”

We’ll also hear from T. R. Simon, author of Zora and Me: The Cursed Ground, a powerful fictionalized account of Zora Neale Hurston’s childhood adventures that explores the idea of collective memory and the lingering effects of slavery. T. R. Simon is the co-author, with Victoria Bond, of the 2011 John Steptoe New Talent Author Award winner Zora and Me. 

Mary Laura Philpott, loved by SIBA booksellers for her earlier work Penguins with People Problems, will discuss her new collection of essays, I Miss You When I Blink. Philpott is the founding editor of Musing, the online magazine of Parnassus Books, as well as an Emmy-winning cohost of the show A Word on Words on Nashville Public Television.

This year’s  SIBA Supper features a Recipe Sponsorship from University of North Carolina Press from Perre Coleman Magness, Southern Snacks: 77 Recipes for Small Bites with Big Flavors. Magness is based in Memphis, Tennessee and is the cook and writer behind the websiteThe Runaway Spoon, which focuses on creative recipes with a Southern Slant.

Need a ticket? Email nicki@sibaweb.com

Wine & William & The Lost Country: A Celebration of William Gay at #SIBA18!

Here's a late-night event worth staying up for: a celebration with wine, song, and story of William Gay's The Lost Country. Join us for a fifty minute stage production of the stories of William Gay and the songs by his favorite songwriters, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell, and Townes Van Zandt. Sip wine while authors Patti Callahan, Anthony Grooms, Jana Sasser, Jon Mayes, and Shari Smith, writer of the show, read from The Lost Country, William's last manuscript. Music is by Eric Erdman and Eddie Heinzelman. Be steeped in the magic of William Gay's literary world, which Kirkus Review describes as "full-on Southern gothic."

Thursday, Sept 13, at 10pm in the Stirling Ballroom East, no ticket required!

Make Your Mark on 2019: First 180 Days Party Celebrating the Books Coming Your Way in 2019!

Mark this event at #SIBA18 on your "Must-Do" list. This fun gathering of 19 authors with books coming out in 2019 takes place after the first full day of programming. After attending EUREKAsiba, EDUCATIONsessions, AUTHORinteractions, and maybe even a fun and nerdy half-hour of team-building in the ESCAPEroom, make time to connect with authors, pick up signed copies of their books, pass out your business cards, schmooze with colleagues, and enjoy some light bites and drinks from the open bar. The "First 180 Days" takes place right before our SIBA Supper and it's where you'll want to be Thursday night (9/13) at 7pm!

THE BOOKS YOUR COLLEAGUES ARE TALKING ABOUT

Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Avid Bookshop, Bookmiser, Fiction Addiction, Fountain Bookstore, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, McIntyre's Fine Books, Octavia Books, Page 158 Books, Parnassus Books, Sunrise Books, and The Country Bookshop.

9781250020666 Rush 8/21/2018
"Intriguing, gut-wrenching and full of friendship, heartache and questions of character. A much needed escapist read."

9781335652928 The Boy at the Keyhole 9/4/2018
"The ending caught me totally by surprise and I am still trying to come to terms with what happened"

9780802128782 Virgil Wander 10/2/2018
"comforting with out any saccharine sweetness and with just the right about of dry wit."

9780062856395 Wrecked 10/9/2018
"Ide's combination of comedy and action packed, Hood detective vibes make for a great time (well, for us, maybe not for him)!"

9781501171956 Melmoth 10/16/2018
"So delicious you could have it for dinner!"

9780062843302 Congratulations, Who Are You Again? 11/6/2018
"I promise to be kinder to touring authors forevermore!"

More bookseller reviews

If your store does not have an Edelweiss+ account and need help setting one up, contact Linda-Marie

Don't Miss One of the Highlights of #SIBA18: Parapalooza!

Parapalooza happens on Friday, September 14 at 5:45pm.  Authors read with meaning, feeling, and enthusiasm a single hand-picked paragraph from their book. Every year, booksellers have to elbow their way in (kindly, but assertively) to be part of an hour of big laughs, and hear from a sampling of authors representing various genres for adults and children. And, oh, what a great selection of authors coming your way this year!  One of the stars, and a first-time presenter at SIBA, will be Tena Clark, author of Southern Discomfort, whom Maria Shriver calls, "a pioneering force of nature." Clark has written award-winning songs, contributed to the soundtracks of many movies, including "Hope Floats," and "My Best Friend's Wedding," and television shows including "Desperate Housewives." Clark is also a civil rights activist and crusader for women's rights.

We have a new MC this year, Helen Ellis, author of the Southern Lady Code. Helen Ellis has a mantra: “If you don’t have something nice to say, say something not-so-nice in a nice way.” What will that mean for the authors in attendance and booksellers in the audience? Time will tell, but I'm sure this "fiercely funny" MC will keep everyone on their toes. 

And what's more, National Geographic is contributing cold beer for attendees. The authors of The National Geographic Atlas of Beer, Nancy Hoalst-Pullen and Mark Patterson are part of the line-up. Seriously, amazing authors, an hilarious MC, and cold beer? Does it get any better? See you at Parapalooza!

An Interview with the Owners of Book No Further in Roanoke, VA

 Name: Doloris Vest and Craig Coker, owners

Store and Location: Book No Further, 16 Church Ave, SW, Roanoke, VA 24011

Number of years as a bookseller: Almost one as an owner and a couple of holiday seasons in the past.

Best part about being a bookseller: Talking books and trying to get the right book in the right hand.

What book(s) are you reading?: Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of Fist by Sunil Yapa (the Roanoke Valley Reads pick) Chesapeake Requiem by Earl Swift.

Favorite handsell of 2018: Varina by Charles Frazier about Varina Davis, wife of confederate president Jefferson Davis. I pair it with Winnie Davis by Heath Lee, a wonderful biography of Varina and Jefferson’s youngest daughter covering the same time.

Best thing you did this year at your store: Got it open! ;-) Also, I am so glad we have been able to bring attention to the literary community that exists here and bring readers and writers together. Our most successful event was a talk with Liza Mundy, a Roanoke native, on her book Code Girls about women who broke German and Japanese codes in WWII. We’re expecting 100-plus for our event on September 5 with another Roanoker and Beth Macy, author of New York Times Bestseller Dopesick.

Social Media Stats: Our likes are essentially even with the used and chain bookstores in the area who have been open more than 20 years. One of our most popular social posts was of a visit by the Easter Bunny. 

What are some ways you work with your community? Major emphasis in the store on local writers. We’re blessed with a large number of nationally published authors living in Western Virginia. Beth Macy, David Baldacci, Sharyn McCrumb, Diane Fanning, Leah Weiss and others. In our first 10 months we hosted 18 author talks for more than 30 authors, a number of special events including our Grand Opening, Small Business Saturday, Independent Bookstore Day as well as community events like MuggleFest, Spring Festival, Riot Rooster Makers Festival, Dickens of Christmas and others. We work with a lot of non-profits to offer books at their events where they otherwise wouldn’t have the resources, and generally donate some of the proceeds back to the organization, such as the Harrison Museum of African American History. My favorite activity is working with Blue Ridge Literacy. We give each new reader or ESL program completer a book of their choice.

 Do you have any community partners you work with regularly? Book City Roanoke, which supports all thing literary in Western Virginia; We work closely with Downtown Roanoke Inc. to promote downtown retail of all kinds.

 Do you have passions that carry over into your bookselling life? The most unusual thing is helping customers learn to knit or crochet. If a customer mentions trying to learn and having difficulty, I invite them to the store when it’s quiet and help them through the difficult parts.

Top priority for 2018: Getting established in the store itself, learning customer preferences, and building community awareness that there is an indie store in town.

Favorite SIBA programming benefit: Talking to all the booksellers and exchanging ideas. I’ve made great connections and have people I can call on for nearly any subject. Secondly, would be the webinars on a variety of topics. As the store’s only staff person I don’t always get to listen in, so I love that they are recorded and archived.