Publishers / Authors

The Northern California Independent Booksellers Association (NCIBA) is a trade organization dedicated to supporting, nurturing and promoting independent retail bookselling in California. With over 500 members, including more than 200 booksellers, the NCIBA has been an experienced provider of services for nearly three decades.



NCIBA returns to South San Francisco for 2013!

Thursday, October 3 and Friday, October 4
South San Francisco Conference Center

Everyone loved the new venue — the right-size exhibit floor, the easy load-in, the free parking — so we’re heading back!

We’ll be posting a schedule of events and more details soon, but count on the show floor being open on Thursday evening and much of Friday, three Rep Picks sessions, lots of education offerings, and authors galore.

In the meantime, here is a list of author opportunities for the show:

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Thursday, Oct. 3, 10:15-10:45am

Following NCIBA Membership meeting, the stand-alone kickoff event of the show features one author speaking and answering questions. Cost is $500 + 75 books.

AUTHOR BUZZ LUNCH

Thursday, Oct. 3, 12:15-1:30pm

Seven authors with new books being published in Winter or Spring of 2014 speaking for 4-5 minutes apiece. Cost is $300; galleys at event are recommended but not required. NCIBA provides lunch for author and one publisher escort. SUBMIT BY JULY 12
75+ booksellers attending — each publisher has a reserved table, and authors will sit with booksellers at lunch.

CHILDREN’S AUTHOR TEA

Thursday, October 3, 3:30-5pm

Up to four authors speaking. Cost is $400 and 125 books. NCIBA provides complimentary tickets for speakers and two publisher representatives. Speakers must have a Fall book. SUBMIT BY JUNE 7
125+ booksellers. Pre-signed books at the event.

ADULT AUTHOR COFFEE

Friday, October 4, 11:00am-12:00pm

Two authors speaking for up to 20 minutes each. Cost is  $400 and 100 books. NCIBA provides complimentary tickets for speakers and two publisher representatives. Speakers must have a Fall book. SUBMIT BY JUNE 14
100+ booksellers. Pre-signed books at the event.

AUTHOR RECEPTION

Friday, October 4, 5:30-7:00pm

30 invited authors at an evening book signing/meet-and-greet with booksellers. NCIBA provides free food and drink. Cost is $400 and 100 books. SUBMIT BY JULY 20
125+ booksellers. Books/ARCs signed at the event.

See more about our last trade show on our Trade Show page.

2013 Eat Read Give Catalog

Here is the rate card (131KB PDF) and contract (70KB PDF) for this year’s Eat Read Give catalog, for the holidays and beyond. Please contact Hut Landon with any questions.

Other Advertising Opportunities

Click here (315K PDF) for information about our newsletter, email blasts, and web site advertising.

Regional Bookseller Association Joint Promotion and Advertising Opportunities

Your friendly and enthusiastic regional independent bookselling trade associations have come together to offer publishers special marketing and promotional opportunities to reach a nationwide audience of indie booksellers—the very people most likely to get behind and handsell your books. In addition to our popular Creative Alert Program, we are now offering cooperative website banner placement and tradeshow badgeholder and attendee bag sponsorships:

The regional associations have worked hard to develop cost-effective marketing opportunities that offer national exposure and still meet your budget. But space is limited, so make your reservations early!

Your regional independent booksellers trade organizations.

New! Banner Ad on all 9 Regional Industry Website Homepages

The nine regional Bookselling Organizations have combined forces to bring yet another fantastic opportunity for promotion & advertising. Our combined websites garner over 300,000 successful page views each month and the number is climbing. These are the online go-to pages for all of our members and interested parties. Book your one week banner ad for $1000 or buy a month long banner ad for the reduced rate of $3500. This is an exclusive spot—your ad will not be in rotation.

Email nicki@sibaweb.com with any questions or to book your banner ad today! You can check the ad out at any of our regional websites and here they are:

New! Regional Tradeshow Bag Sponsorship

2500 bags will be distributed across the nine regional trade shows and we will place four full color process jackets on the bag at $3000 each. The deadline to reserve bag placement is May 1. Email Wanda@sibaweb.com to express your interest.

New! Regional Tradeshow Badgeholder Sponsorship

A single entity can purchase 7500 badgeholders for all nine regional trade shows. This is an exclusive offer and the deadline to reserve is May 1. Email Wanda@sibaweb.com to express your interest.

Northern California Book Awards

The NCIBA presents the Northern California Book Awards every Spring. Awards are given in various categories for books published for the first time in the prior year and written by an author residing in Northern California (we may a residency exception for an author whose book is nominated in the Regional Title category).

Bookseller committees review all book submissions — from publishers and bookseller colleagues — and choose finalists in each category. A Finalists Ballot is then created and distributed to all member bookstores.

Owners and all employees of those stores are eligible to vote; winners are announced by the NCIBA in early April. Bookstores receive promotional materials and stickers for winning titles.

We accept submissions between October 1 and December 31. Committees begin deliberations in January. There is no fee to submit a title; we ask for two copies of the nominated book be sent to the NCIBA office, addressed to Book Awards. Books cannot be returned. Depending how books are shipped, here are the two addresses:

USING U.S. MAIL

Book Awards
NCIBA
PO Box 29169
San Francisco, CA 94129

USING UPS, FEDEX, ETC.

Book Awards
NCIBA
1007 General Kennedy Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94129

2012 Winners (for books published in 2011):

FICTION

Turn of Mind Alice LaPlante (Atlantic Monthly)

NONFICTION

A Thousand Lives: The Untold Story of Hope, Deception and Survival at Jonestown Julia Scheeres (Free Press)

FOOD WRITING

Mourad: New Moroccan Mourad Lahlou (Artisan)

POETRY

Of Indigo & Saffron Michael McClure (University of California)

REGIONAL TITLE

The Left Coast: California on the Edge Philip Fradkin (University of California)

CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man Michael Chabon, Jake Parker (Ill.) (Balzar+Bray)

MIDDLE GRADE READERS

One Day & One Amazing Morning on Orange Street Joanne Rocklin (Amulet)

TEEN LIT

Why We Broke Up Daniel Handler (Little, Brown)

Annual Trade Show

Every year, the NCIBA sponsors an annual trade show. It is the single most important coming together for regional booksellers. The 2012 NCIBA Trade Show will be held Thursday, October 11-12 at the South San Francisco Conference Center.

Our show helps promote the vitality, diversity and prosperity of independent bookselling. We look forward to seeing you there!

NCIBA Newsletter

The Northern California Independent Booksellers Association publishes a regular newsletter of interest to both booksellers and those in the publishing community.