The year is off and running at SCIBA. The SCIBA Board and staff’s focus this year is promoting independent bookselling and, most especially, its member bookstores to the public. Following are just a few of the ways SCIBA will create awareness of the independent bookselling community in Southern California:

* The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books: For the first time the SCIBA will have its own both at the Festival of Books. At the booth SCIBA will be distributing at least 15,000 Southern California Guides to Independent Bookstores. SCIBA will also be demonstrating the California Bookstore Event website and Booksense.com to attendees at the Festival. The date for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books this year is April 28 and 29.
* SCIBA Children’s Books & Literacy Dinner: Scheduled for March 16, 2007, in Pasadena, this dinner will be geared to teachers, educators, librarians and booksellers. This event will focus on the vast array of books and services that SCIBA bookstores offer. SCIBA booksellers will exhibit during the cocktail reception offering librarians and educators a first-hand look at how these booksellers can enhance literacy programs. SCIBA is very excited to announce that the key-note dinner speaker will be Brian Selznick author of Invention Of Hugo Cabret, Scholastic Press. Additional dinner speakers will include James A. Owen, Here, There Be Dragons (The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica), Simon & Schuster and, hopefully, Robin Preiss Glasser, Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy, HarperCollins. Ms. Glasser has been invited, but not yet confirmed.
* The Southern California Guide to Independent Bookstores: SCIBA will be printing 20,000 copies for the first run. The guides will be distributed at the LA Times Festival of Books, the West Hollywood Book Fair and through our bookstores. To be included in this guide be sure your membership information and fee is received at the SCIBA office by Feb. 16.
* “I Feel the Need to Read” Independent Bookstore Tours: SCIBA is planning at least four tours this year which will include Orange County, museum stores, a tour leaving for LA to tour San Diego stores and more.
* 2007 Holiday Catalog: SCIBA has brought the catalog in house for the first time. The Holiday Catalog is FREE to member stores, imprinted if you wish, in unlimited quantities, both the full catalog and a children’s only catalog. Each SCIBA store will receive a minimum of 1000 catalogs. As many more as you wish will be available to you for the asking. The Holiday Catalog will be featured on the back cover (with a list of participating stores) of the LAT Book Review Holiday issue as well as in the San Diego Union Tribune. SCIBA has also increased its Holiday Catalog insertion grants for the stores by 50%!
* 2007 Authors Feast & Trade Show: Saturday, October 20. By popular demand SCIBA will be back at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.
* SCIBA Bookstore Event Site: Beginning January 24 you may send your bookstore events listing to the SCIBA at eventsite@scbabooks.org and we will input them to the site for you. All we ask is that you send them to us by Friday morning of each week – new listings and updates. The events will be posted over the weekend. Events will be posted events up to three months out. Just email to us the date, time, author or event name, and title of the book. Of course, you may continue to post them yourselves as well.