Winter Institute

For fun, the 35-plus authors participating in the Winter Institute's (Wi3) Friday evening Author Reception were asked to add 25 to 50 words to the sentence "It was a dark and stormy night in Louisville, and the room was filled with 500 independent booksellers from all over the country." Here are the 19 very entertaining responses to date -- which clearly demonstrate just why these authors are among independent booksellers' favorites:

It's now just a week before ABA-member booksellers head to Louisville, Kentucky, for the Third Annual Winter Institute.

Louisville, Kentucky, the host city for next week's Winter Institute, offers visitors a wide range of events and attractions -- everything from historical sites and distillery tours to steamboat rides and a world-class zoo, from the state science center to the Derby and Louisville Slugger museums, and much, much more.

The American Booksellers Association is asking booksellers who want to cancel their Winter Institute hotel reservations at the Louisville Marriott Downtown to contact ABA Program Assistant Margaret Nafz (Margaret@bookweb.org) before doing so to allow booksellers on the waiting list to fill their place

This week, the American Booksellers Association announced the addition of Augusten Burroughs and Jim Noles to the list of 35-plus authors scheduled to appear at the Third Annual Winter Institute's (Wi3) Friday evening Author Reception.

Without a doubt, being green is in. And though booksellers have understood the importance of being environmentally conscious since the early 1960s, when Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was published, the book industry as a whole has only recently begun looking for ways to become more enviro-friendly.

Booksellers attending next month's Winter Institute (Wi3) will have the opportunity to hear presentations about some of the best from publisher partners' upcoming lists at three Rep Picks sessions.