More than 230 booksellers from across the state of California convened this week at the South San Francisco Conference Center for the California Independent Booksellers Alliance's Fall Fest. According to CALIBA co-executive director Ann Seaton, there were around 100 more attendees this year than at last year's Fall Fest in Sacramento.
Booksellers mingled prior to the exhibit hall opening.
The busy exhibition floor.
The aftermath of Wednesday night's rep picks bingo and pizza party: (l.-r.) Angela Engel (Collective Book Studio); Jen Cameron (Orca Books); Kevin Peters (Book Travelers West); Richard McNeace (Faherty & Associates); Vicki DeArmon (Sibylline Press); Ty Wilson (Ingram); Travis Hale (IPG); Kristianne Huntsberger (Shelf Awareness); and Lise Solomon (Consortium).
Authors Jason de León (Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling), José Valdi (Chipped: Writing from a Skateboarder’s Lens), and David Kipen (Dear California: The Golden State in Diaries and Letters) discussed their forthcoming books Thursday afternoon. Stephen Sparks, co-owner of Point Reyes Books in Point Reyes Station, moderated the discussion.
The 2023 Fall Fest concluded with a toast to retiring sales reps Wendy Pearl, Roz Hilden, and Tom McIntyre.