The NCIBA in Pictures

Gallery Bookshop owner Christie Olson Day is pictured with the NCIBA plaque announcing her store as this year’s winner of the Outstanding Community Bookstore in Northern California.

Thaisa Frank reading from her new book Enchantment at Mrs. Dalloway’s in Berkeley.

Michael Ondaatje visited the NCIBA office in December to chat with booksellers and sign pre-ordered copies of The Cat’s Table.

Penguin sales reps Lindsay Wood (left) and Wendy Pearl hosted Sebastian Barry for a book signing and meet-and-greet to promote his new book On Caanan’s Side at the NCIBA offices in late September.

The NCIBA office recently hosted a signing and meet-and-greet with Grace Bonney, author of Design*Sponge at Home.

The NCIBA office was delighted to host a meet-and-greet with booksellers and Suzanne Collins, who personalized more than 200 copies of Mockingjay right before the holiday selling season. Photo by Carol Seajay.

Before his Thursday lunch appearance at the NCIBA Trade Show, Michael Cunningham sat down at the NCIBA booth and signed 400 copies of By Nightfall that had been pre-ordered by stores. Photo by Calvin Crosby.

Jonathan Franzen relaxes with NCIBA’s Carol Seajay and Hut Landon after signing more than 500 copies of Freedom for our bookstores. Photo by Gigi Reinheimer.

Bookseller favorite Barbara Kingsolver signed over 400 copies of The Lacuna at our offices in November.

Jonathan Lethem was on hand at the office recently to sign copies of his new novel Chronic City for bookstores.

Margaret Atwood signing copies of The Year of the Flood in our office on October 5, 2009. Photo by Carol Seajay.

Alexander McCall Smith visited the NCIBA office on a recent Sunday to sign copies of his new book, Tea Time for the Traditionally Built, for booksellers. Photo by Joyce Ripp.

Mary Roach signs copies of Bonk after her uproarious morning talk at the NCIBA’s recent Spring Gathering. Photo by Joyce Ripp.

T.C. Boyle signing copies of his new book The Women in the NCIBA office. Photo by Joyce Ripp.

ABA Advises Booksellers to Opt Out and Object To Swipe Fee Settlement

This is an important opportunity for booksellers to join a growing effort to reject the recent class action settlement over rapidly rising Visa and Master Card swipe fees. Read more.

Hut’s Place: Weekly Words About Books

Weekly Column Touts New Titles, Good Reads On Store Shelves

NCIBA Executive Director Hut Landon is now writing a weekly column called HUT’S PLACE. The column, which is sent via email through Constant Contact to subscribers (for free), is aimed at book consumers. The goal is to keep readers up to date about new books hitting the shelves, share what booksellers are recommending in their stores, comment on titles landing on bestseller lists, and pass on occasional news about the book world.

Oh, and singing the praises of independent bookstores as often as possible.

Hut’s Place is not a place for long, wordy reviews or literary criticism; it’s designed to be a quick, fun read for book-buying customers and to motivate them to visit their local independent more frequently. Back issues of the column can be accessed here.

If you’re so inclined, email and we’ll send you a copy of the column. Then, if you’d like to help spread the word, simply forward that email to anyone you think would be interested; let them know they can subscribe for free by clicking the Join Our Mailing List button in the column.

NCIBA Bookstore Blogs Page

We have a page with the latest posts from blogs written by NCIBA members. Check it out!