The first full day of programming at Children's Institute in New Orleans featured a keynote by Renée Watson, lots of education sessions and meetings, rep picks, an author luncheon, and much more. And at Tuesday evening's Author Reception, authors and illustrators signed copies of their books for throngs of excited and eager booksellers.
(l.-r.) Verlean Singletary of Da Book Joint in South Holland, Ill., ABA board member Kathy Burnette from Brain Lair Books in South Bend, Ind., and Tameca Lyons of Brown Babies Books in Evanston, Ill., spent some time catching up after Renée Watson's morning keynote.
The Understanding Cost of Goods session was designed to teach booksellers how to calculate the cost of goods sold (COGS) and maximize it for increased profitability. Panelists created a foundation for understanding COGS so that booksellers can compare their information to ABACUS data. (l.-r.) Josh Christie, Print: A Bookstore, Portland, Maine; Rebekah Rine, Watermark Books & Café, Wichita, Kan.; ABA CFO PK Sindwani; and Tegan Tigani, of Queen Anne Book Company, Seattle, Wash., and ABA president.
At Tuesday's author reception, Tracey Baptiste (l.) with her forthcoming Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos. It's the inaugural title from the new Disney imprint Freedom Fire, spearheaded by author Kwame Mbalia (r.), with the imprint's sophomore title, Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek.
Tundra authors Ben Clayton (l.) and David A. Robertson (r.) show off new paperbacks of the first books in each of their series: Narwhal and Jelly (Super Pod Party Pack, books one and two) and the Misewa Saga, respectively.
Ruth Chan (l.) holds up her middle-grade graphic novel memoir, Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back (Roaring Brook Press), next to Craig Kofi Farmer and his middle-grade fantasy debut, Kwame Crashes the Underworld (Roaring Brook Press).
The newly joined marketing and sales teams of Candlewick, Holiday House, and Peachtree held a celebratory dinner last evening. Authors in attendance included (l.-r.) Cheryl Willis Hudson (When I Hear Spirituals), Megan McDonald (Fairy Door Diaries), Jodi Meadows (Bye Forever, I Guess), Dina Havranek (Giddy Barber Explodes in 11), Meg Medina (No More Señora Mimi), and Juan Vidal (A Second Chance on Earth).