Events
Mark your calendars for trade shows and book fairs! The trade shows listed below are some of the best places to meet other book professionals, learn more about new titles and the business--and have a good time. The consumer book fairs and festivals that follow the trade show listing offer unusual opportunities for publishers and booksellers to meet the people who keep the business going: readers.
Trade Shows
June 2013
The Association of American University Presses' AAUP Annual Meeting. Thu.-Sat., June 20-22. Boston, Mass.
CBA's International Christian Retail Show. Sun.-Wed., June 23-26. St. Louis, Mo. The main event for Christian booksellers and other retailers.
The American Library Association's ALA Annual Conference and Exhibit. Thu.-Tue., June 27-July 2. Chicago, Ill.
August 2013
Beijing International Book Fair. Wed.-Sun., August 28-September 1. This is the 20th annual Beijing International Book Fair. The Republic of Korea will be the Country of Honor.
September 2013
The New England Independent Booksellers Association's NEIBA Fall Conference. Tue.-Thu., September 17-19. Providence, R.I.
The Southern Independent Bookstore Alliance's SIBA Trade Show. Fri.-Sun., September 20-22. New Orleans, La.
The New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association's NAIBA Fall Conference. Mon.-Wed., September 30-October 2. Somerset, N.J.
October 2013
Heartland Fall Forum. Fri.-Sun., October 4-6. Chicago, Ill. This is the second joint fall trade show and conference of the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association and the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association. Together the two associations represent nearly 350 bookstores in 12 states in the Midwest.
The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association's PNBA Fall Show. Sun.-Tue., October 6-8. Portland, Ore. This year's show will be held at the Airport Holiday Inn.
Frankfurt Book Fair. Wed.-Sun., October 9-13. The mother of all book fairs, this makes BEA look like a regional. American attendees love to hate it, but if you venture outside the English-language hall, you can see the book world. Related literary and cultural events take place on the fairgrounds and throughout the city. You can find reasonably priced hotels and restaurants, and public transportation runs fast and cheaply. This year's guest of honor is Brazil.
CIROBE, The Chicago International Remainder & Overstock Book Expo. Sun.-Sun., October 27-November 3. Hilton Hotel, Chicago, Ill. The granddaddy of remainder shows in the U.S.
November 2013
Guadalajara International Book Fair. Sat.-Sun., November 30-December 8. This is the 27th annual gathering of the preeminent Spanish-language book fair. The Guest of Honor is Israel.
Consumer Book Fairs
June 2013
Nantucket Book Festival. Thu.-Sun., June 20-23. Nantucket, Mass. A four-day celebration of Nantucket's literary past, present and future.
September 2013
Burlington Book Festival. Fri.-Sun., September 20-22. Burlington, Vt. The ninth annual festival takes place at a variety of locations in downtown Burlington.
Brooklyn Book Festival. Sun., September 22. Brooklyn, N.Y. The eighth annual Brooklyn Book Festival takes place at Borough Hall in downtown Brooklyn on Sunday, September 22. Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend events take place in a variety of locations from Monday, September 16, through Sunday, September 22.
Orange County Children's Book Festival. Sun., September 29. Costa Mesa, Calif. Now in its tenth year, the festival attracts 30,000 people, and will be held at Orange Coast College.
October 2013
Wordstock. Thu.-Sun., October 3-6. Portland, Ore. The biggest book festival in the Pacific Northwest.
New York Comic-Con. Thu.-Sun., October 10-13. Javits Center, New York, N.Y. The seventh annual, this show keeps growing and has a focus on comics, graphic novels, anime and games.
UNESCO City of Literature Iowa City Book Festival. Fri.-Sun., October 11-13. Iowa City, Iowa. After four successful years, the University of Iowa Libraries has handed over the reins of the Iowa City Book Festival to the UNESCO City of Literature.
Texas Book Festival. Sat.-Sun., October 26-27. Austin, Tex. In its 18th year, the festival benefits Texas public libraries.
November 2013
Buckeye Book Fair. Sat., November 2. Wooster, Ohio. This is the 26th annual book fair.
Kentucky Book Fair. Fri.-Sat., November 15-16. Frankfort, Ky. The book fair is Kentucky's premier literary event. Each year some150 authors attend and autograph copies of their latest book. Between 4,000 and 5,000 patrons attend and gross sales annually top $120,000. This year's book fair is the 32nd annual.
Miami Book Fair International. Sun.-Sun., November 17-24. Miami, Fla. The model for so many other book fairs and festivals, this one draws hundreds of thousands of people. The street fair runs Fri.-Sun., Nov. 22-24, and the writer events run the whole week.
