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.

Last updated on May 21, 2008.

2008 Trade Shows

BookExpo America. Fri.-Sun., May 29-June 1. Los Angeles. In 2009, the show returns to New York City. In 2010, it's in Washington, D.C. In 2011, it rolls into Las Vegas, Nev.

BookExpo Canada. Fri.-Mon., June 13-16. Toronto, Ont. Includes the Canadian Booksellers Association general meeting, bookselling school and awards.

The Australian Booksellers Association's Annual Conference and Exhibition. Sun.-Tues., June 15-17. Melbourne. Includes seminars, the association general meeting, author appearances, publisher participation--and typical Down Under hospitality, humor and bonhomie. Especially important following the collapse of the Australian Publishers Association trade show.

The American Library Association's Annual Conference. Thurs.-Wed., June 26-July 2. Anaheim, Calif. Some 2,000 seminars and events as well as a huge trade show.

The International New Age Trade Show West seminars and trade show. Sat.-Mon., June 28-30. Denver, Colo. Endorsed by New Age Retailer and COVR (Coalition of Visionary Resources), this show features everything a New Age store needs, from aromatherapy to Zen, all under one roof. (The eastern U.S. edition takes place in February.)

The National Association of College Stores's Innovate 2008 conference. Fri.-Sat.., July 11-12, Minneapolis, Minn. This is a successor to ConText and focuses on how "the convergence of technologies in retailing and course content delivery is changing the way students shop and learn."

CBA aka the International Christian Retail Show. Sun.-Thurs., July 13-17, Orlando, Fla.

The New York International Gift Fair. Aug. New York City. One of the premier shows for finding book-related sidelines and gifts.

The Beijing International Book Fair. Mon.-Thurs., Sept. 1-4. Beijing, China.

The Annual Conference and Trade Show of the Americas branch of the International Map Trade Association. Sun.-Tues., Sept. 14-16. Vancouver, B.C., Canada. The North American event for the international association of map makers, printers and retailers.

Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association. Mon.-Wed., Sept. 15-17. Educational workshops and a trade show. Check home page for fundamental changes in how the show is structured.

Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association. Wed.-Sat., Sept. 17-20. Colorado Springs, Colo. Fall book camp!

New England Independent Booksellers Association. Thurs.-Sat., Sept. 18-20. Boston, Mass. The trade show returns to Beantown. Includes book & author breakfasts, awards and the children's book and author/illustrator dinner.

New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association's Fall Conference. Sun.-Mon., Sept. 21-22. Cherry Hill, N.J. Emphasis on helping booksellers sell upcoming titles.

Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. Fri.-Sun., Sept. 26-28. Mobile, Ala. This show includes the SIBA book award authors luncheon, team spelling bee, a moveable feast of authors and trade show. The 2009 show will be in Jekyll Island, Ga.

Midwest Booksellers Association. Thurs.-Sun., Sept. 25-27. St. Paul, Minn. Book and author meal events, educational seminars and trade show, rep picks of the lists, Midwest Connections workshop.

Great Lakes Booksellers Association. Fri.-Sun., Oct. 3-5. Dearborn, Mich. Trade show, educational sessions, quiz bowl!

Northern California Independent Booksellers Association. Fri.-Sun., Oct. 3-5. Oakland, Calif. Educational programming for booksellers on Friday, followed by a trade show and other events.

Frankfurt Book Fair. Wed.-Sun., Oct. 15-19. Guest country: Turkey. 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, many of which have Turkish themes this year, take place on the fairgrounds and throughout the city. Despite some horror stories, you can find reasonably priced hotels and restaurants, and public transportation runs fast and cheaply.

Southern California Booksellers Association. Sat., Oct 18. Los Angeles, Calif. The association's delightful Author Feast and Trade Show.

CIROBE, the Chicago International Remainder and Overstock Book Exposition. Fri.-Sun., Oct. 24-26. Chicago, Ill. The granddaddy of remainder shows in the U.S.

2009 Trade Shows

The American Library Association's Midwinter Conference. Fri.-Wed., Jan. 23-28. Denver, Colo. On the agenda: some 2,000 meetings and events as well as exhibits.

The International New Age Trade Show East seminars and trade show. January. Orlando, Fla. Endorsed by New Age Retailer and COVR (Coalition of Visionary Resources), this show features everything a New Age store needs, from aromatherapy to Zen, all under one roof. (The western U.S. edition usually takes place in June.)

The New York International Gift Fair. Sat.-Thurs., Jan. 24-29. New York City. One of the premier shows for finding book-related sidelines and gifts.

The American Booksellers Association's Winter Institute. Thurs.-Sun., Jan. 29-Feb. 1. Salt Lake City, Utah. The fourth annual--a wonderful event full of programming from the ABA's conference at BEA.

New York Comic-Con. Fri.-Sun., Feb. 6-8. New York City. The third annual, this show keeps growing and has a focus on comics, graphic novels, anime and games. Friday until 4 p.m. is trade only; the rest of the show is open to the public.

CAMEX/National Association of College Stores meeting. Fri.-Tues., March 13-17. Anaheim, Calif. The annual convocation of college booksellers, which attracts more than 7,000 people, including booksellers from more than 1,100 stores. Two days of educational sessions and other events precede three days of the trade show.

Bologna Children's Book Fair. Mon.-Thurs., March 23-26. Bologna, Italy. Tough duty, certo.

Public Library Association. This is an off year for the every-other-year PLA conference. The next one is Tues.-Sat., March 23-27, 2010, in Portland. Ore.

Spring Book Show. March. Atlanta, Ga. Second-largest remainder and bargain book show in the country.

London Book Fair. Mon.-Wed., April 20-22. The show is once again at Earl's Court.

The Museum Store Association's Retail Conference & Expo. Sat.-Tues., May 2-5. Phoenix, Ariz.

National Stationery Show. Sun.-Wed., May 17-20. New York City. One of the best shows for finding book-related sidelines and gifts.

2008 Consumer Book Fairs

Printers Row Book Fair. Sat.-Sun., June 7-8. Chicago, Ill. Hundreds of authors and booksellers welcomed 100,000 book lovers last year.

Harlem Book Fair. Sat., July 19. New York City. Includes a street fair and many panels.

Fall for the Book Festival. Sun.-Fri., Sept 21-26. George Mason University's Campus, Fairfax, Va. The 2008 Mason Award goes to Nigerian novelist, poet and critic Chinua Achebe. 10th annual festival.

Baltimore Book Festival. Fri.-Sun., Sept. 26-28. Baltimore, Md. The festival bestows literary awards, has a Literary Salon and features stages with African-American, children's and cooking themes, among others.

National Book Festival. Sat., Sept. 27. Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the Library of Congress and on the Mall.

West Hollywood Book Fair. Sun., Sept. 28. West Hollywood, Calif. Co-sponsored by the city of West Hollywood and LA Weekly, this fair attracts 20,000 people.

Amelia Book Island Festival. Fri.-Sun., Oct. 3-5. Fernandina Beach, Fla. In its eighth year, this festival takes place on Amelia Island and includes an "authors-in-schools" day.

The New York Times Great Reads. Sun., Oct. 5. New York City. Great Children's Read at Columbia University; Great Literary Brunch at the Timescenter.

Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word. Fri.-Sun., Oct. 11-12, Memphis, Tenn. The show alternates between Nashville and Memphis.

Twin Cities Book Festival. Sat., Oct. 11. Minneapolis, Minn. Sponsored by the Rain Taxi Review of Books.

Wisconsin Book Festival. Wed.-Sun., Oct. 15-19. Madison, Wis.

Book Group Expo. Sat.-Sun., Oct. 25-26. San Jose, Calif. Salons for members, leaders and supporters of book groups, book clubs and book gatherings. Authors attend, too.

Kansas Book Festival. Oct. Wichita State University campus, Wichita, Kan.

Midwest Literary Festival. Oct. Aurora, Ill.

Buckeye Book Fair. Sat., Nov. 1, Wooster, Ohio.

Texas Book Festival. Sat.-Sun., Nov. 1-2. Austin, Texas. Benefitting Texas public libraries, this year is the festival's 13th year.

Wordstock. Fri.-Sun., Nov. 7-9. Portland, Ore. The fourth annual Portland book festival.

Connecticut Children’s Book Fair. Sat.-Sun., Nov. 8-9. Storrs, Conn.

Miami Book Fair International. Sun.-Sun., Nov. 9-16. 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. 14-16, and the Congress of Writers runs the whole week.

Kentucky Book Fair. Sat., Nov. 15. Frankfort, Ky.

Vegas Valley Book Festival. Nov. Las Vegas, Nev.

Louisiana Book Festival. Nov. Baton Rouge, La.

New Orleans Book Fair. Nov. New Orleans, La.

2009 Consumer Book Fairs

South Carolina Book Festival. Fri.-Sun., Feb. 27-March 1. Columbia, S.C. Panel discussions and a range of authors at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

Virginia Festival of the Book. Wed.-Sun., March 18-22. Charlottesville, Va. The 15th annual!

Arizona Book Festival. March.

Alabama Book Festival. Sat., April 18. Montgomery, Ala.

Northern Arizona Book Festival. April. Flagstaff, Ariz.

Border Book Festival. April. Mesilla, N.M.

Southern Kentucky Book Fest. April. Bowling Green, Ky.

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. April. UCLA campus in Los Angeles. This show is ever more popular and attracts nearly 150,000 readers.

Newburyport Literary Festival. April. Newburyport., Mass.

Palm Springs Book Festival. May. Palm Springs, Calif.

Ann Arbor Book Festival. May. Ann Arbor, Mich. Includes the first Ann Arbor Book Festival Writer's Conference.

Philadelphia Book Festival. May. Philadelphia, Pa.


 

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