Awards

This year's ABA Celebration of Bookselling Luncheon was a festive affair bringing together hundreds of indie booksellers and more than 40 authors whose works they nominated to the Indie Next Lists.

This year's Indies Choice Book Award winners explain how independent bookstores have helped shape their careers while providing some memorable experiences along the way.

Amulet announces laydown date for fifth book in Wimpy Kid series; Gayle King to interview Barbra Streisand for BEA Keynote; Senate passes amendment on debit and credit card swipe fees; Nebula Award winners announced.

Children's Choice Book Awards Announced The winners of the third annual Children's Choice Book Awards, sponsored by the Children's Book Council in association with Every Child a Reader, Inc. (the CBC Foundation), were announced at a gala in New York City on Tuesday, May 11. The winners were chosen by children who voted for their favorite books, author, and illustrator at bookstores, school libraries, and at www.BookWeekOnline.com. More than 115,000 votes were cast.

NCIBA Receives "Chain Alternative Award"

The Women's National Book Association has announced the winners of the 2010 WNBA Pannell Awards, given annually since 1983 to two bookstores that excel in contributing to their communities in ways that bring books and young people together. This year's General Bookstore winner is The Green Toad Bookstore in Oneonta, New York. The Children's Specialty Store winner is Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia.

When Tinkers won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for fiction last week, author Paul Harding was understandably elated, as was Erika Goldman, editorial director at Bellevue Literary Press, the book's publisher. So were several of the independent booksellers who had steadily handsold and promoted the book since it was published in January 2009.

ABA Meets With Ingram and Publisher Partners for Wi5 DebriefOn Thursday, April 8, ABA senior staff met with representatives from Ingram and 18 publishing houses in order to garner publisher feedback on January's ABA Winter Institute, in San Jose, California. About half of the almost four-hour meeting was devoted to an in-depth discussion with the 29 attendees about the three-day institute, which offered a wide range of educational programming free of charge to ABA bookstore members.

The American Booksellers Association today announces the winners of the 2010 Indies Choice Book Awards, reflecting the spirit of independent bookstores nationwide and the IndieBound movement. This year's winners were chosen by the owners and staff at ABA member stores nationwide in more than four weeks of voting. Book of the Year winners and Honor Award recipients are all titles appearing on the 2009 Indie Next Lists.

President Obama Mentions Prairie Lights in Health Care SpeechIn a speech at a health care rally in Iowa City today, President Barack Obama referred to Prairie Lights Books as just the type of small business that health care reform would benefit. Here's the except from the president's speech, which can be read in its entirety on the New York Times website: