Fall Fest 2025
South San Francisco Conference Center
255 South Airport BoulevardSouth San Francisco, CA 94080-6703
United States
Please join us for two full days of education, authors and connection with booksellers throughout the state of California.
Links:
For Publishers:
Wednesday, September 17th
Fall Fest Day 1 Schedule
—Click on Blocks for Session Descriptions & Presenters—
7:30 am
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Registration Opens
8:00 am - 9:30 am
Rex Ogle, When We Ride (Norton Young Readers)
Kelly Yang, The Take (Berkley)
Claire Oshetsky, Evil Genius (Ecco)
Carolina Ixta, Few Blue Skies (Quill Tree Books)
9:40 am - 10:30 am
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Education - First-Time Trade Show Attendee
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Education - Events Beyond the P&L: Tools for Measuring Event Success
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Nonfiction Author Panel: Battling Expectations & Surviving Life
Education - First-Time Trade Show Attendee
Is it your first time at a bookseller trade show? Join us to hear how you can best take advantage of your time at Fall Fest and learn about the indie bookselling world, including information on: regional and national trade organizations, trade publications and buying resources, free or low cost marketing tools, networking with your fellow booksellers and publisher representatives, and more!
Education - Events Beyond the P&L: Tools for Measuring Event Success
How to establish a broader set of metrics for events that move beyond profit and loss to acknowledge the nuanced ways events support our businesses and communities.
Nonfiction Author Panel: Battling Expectations & Surviving Life
Featuring:
Nikki Nash, Collateral Stardust: Chasing Warren Beatty and Other Foolish Things (Sibylline Press)
Sue Aikens, North of Ordinary: How One Woman Left it All Behind for Wilderness and Wonder in Alaska's Frozen Frontier (Sourcebooks)
Shannon Michelle, Step into Your Miracle: Transforming Trauma into Triumph (Liberte Press)
10:40 am - 11:30 am
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Annual Meeting
11:45 am - 1:15 pm
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Rep Picks Lunch
- Patricia Nelson, Princeton University Press
- Sherri Puzey, Zibby Publishing
- Lindsay Ryon, Arcadia Publishing
- David Goldberg, Steerforth / Pushkin Press
- Jill Eisenberg, Lee & Low Books
- Will Gawronski, Columbia University Press Sales Consortium
- Vicki DeArmon, Sibylline Press
- Angela Engel, The Collective Book Studio
- Holly Aitchison, Mad Cave Studios & Papercutz
- Andy Weiner, Abrams Books
Tickets are needed to attend breakfast and lunch sessions. To purchase a meal ticket, go through the registration form and select the meal ticket.
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
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ABA Education - Measure What Matters: 5 Key #s to Focus on During Turbulent Times
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Horror/Thriller Author Panel: Setting the Scene for Maximum Thrills
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YA/Middle Grade Author Panel: Mysteries from Beyond the Grave
ABA Education - Measure What Matters: 5 Key #s to Focus on During Turbulent Times
Learn which five KPIs to track during turbulent times so you feel empowered and confident to make data-driven business decisions.
Featuring:
Catriona Ward, Nowhere Burning (Tor Nightfire)
Allison Mick, Humboldt Cut (Erewhon Books)
Mary Kubica, It's Not Her (Park Row Books)
Brian Asman, Man F*ck This House (And Other Disasters) (Blackstone Publishing)
YA/Middle Grade Author Panel: Mysteries from Beyond the Grave
Featuring:
Laura Taylor Namey, If We Never End (Bloomsbury YA)
Erin Entrada Kelly, The Last Resort (Scholastic Press)
Katrina Leno, Persephone's Curse (Wednesday Books)
2:40 pm - 3:30 pm
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Education - Handselling the Holidays: What You Don’t Know About Kids Books
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Author Panel: The Drama of Family Life
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Author Panel: Let's Go Monster Hunting!
Education - Handselling the Holidays: What You Don't Know About Kids Books
Learn and apply best practices for how to sell Children’s Books for every age to the wide range of adult consumers all while balancing the wants and needs of the young reader.
Author Panel: The Drama of Family Life
Featuring:
Aja Gabel, Lightbreakers (Riverhead Books)
Justinian Huang, Lucky Seed (MIRA)
Sonya Walger, Wifehouse (Union Square & Co.)
Author Panel: Let's Go Monster Hunting!
Featuring:
Hiron Ennes, The Works of Vermin (Tor Books)
Serra Swift, Kill the Beast (Tor Books)
Kalyn Josephson, The Library of Amorlin (Erewhon Books)
3:40 pm - 3:50 pm
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Exhibit Hall Opening Reception
Featuring:Thursday, September 18th
Fall Fest Day 2 Schedule
—Click on Blocks for Session Descriptions & Presenters—
7:30 am
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Registration Opens
8:00 am - 10:00 am
Day 2 - Rep Picks Breakfast:
- Dave Ehrlich, Chronicle Books
- Shannon Grant, Simon & Schuster
- Ivy Quirk, Simon & Schuster
- Ty Wilson, Ingram Publisher Services (IPS)
- Suzi Hough, HarperCollins Publishers
- Kristin Rasmussen, Scholastic Press
- Leslie Jobson, Publishers Group West
- Brittany Greenway, Macmillan Publishers
- Julia Callahan, Hachette Book Group
- Joe Murphy, W.W. Norton
- Elyse Vincenty, Candlewick / Holiday House / Peachtree
- Jordan Standridge, Sourcebooks
- Kevin Peters, Imprint Group West
- Dandy Conway, Penguin Random House
- Jenn Ramage, Penguin Random House
- Amy Hordes, Insight Editions / Weldon Owen / Mandala Earth
Tickets are needed to attend breakfast and lunch sessions. To purchase a meal ticket, go through the registration form and select the meal ticket.
10:15 am - 11:15 am
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ABA Education - Navigating Attacks on Your Store
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Education - Working with Self-Published Authors: Softening the “No” and Finding the Win-Win
ABA Education - Navigating Attacks on Your Store
Learn best practices and strategies for dealing with harassment, threats, vandalism, and other attacks targeting your curation and events.
Education - Working with Self-Published Authors: Softening the "No" and Finding the Win-Win
A multidimensional approach to working with self published authors that helps you build a system that prioritizes community relationships and protects your peace of mind.
11:30 am - 12:20 pm
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Education - Managing for Cultural Stewardship: Caring for Your Institution's Cultural Health
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Author Panel: Humor in Picture Books
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Sourcebooks Education - Love, Lore, and the Unknown: The Expanding Universe of Genre Fiction
Education - Managing for Cultural Stewardship: Caring for Your Institution's Cultural Health
Management practices for cultural leadership and institutional longevity, teaching managers to live their mission through applied institutional behavior
Author Panel: Humor in Picture Books
Featuring:
Matthew Diffee, Zip Zap Wickety Wack (Neal Porter Books)
Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic, Zombie and Brain Are Friends (Bloomsbury Children's Books)
Katherine Pryor, Attack of the Hangries (WorthyKids)
Sourcebooks Education - Love Lore, and the Unknown: The Expanding Universe of Genre Fiction
From romantasy to cozy horror, today’s genre fiction is reshaping the bookstore shelves—and readers are loving it. We’ll explore how authors are weaving together elements of romance, mystery, horror, science fiction, and fantasy to create fresh, emotionally rich, and commercially magnetic stories—and how booksellers can meet reader demand across genres and age groups.
12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
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Author Lunch: The Transformative Power of Books for Readers of All Ages - $35
Author Lunch: The Transformative Power of Books for Readers of All Ages
Featuring:
Oliver James, This Book Saved My Life (Union Square & Co.)
John Freeman, California Rewritten: A Journey Through the Golden State's New Literature
(Heyday)
Isabel Campoy, Books on Bikes (Clarion Books)
2:15 pm - 3:15 pm
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Author Showcase - Adult Titles
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Author Showcase - Children's Titles
Author Showcase - Adult Titles
Featuring:
Grant Chemidlin, In the Middle of a Better World: Poems (Central Avenue Poetry)
Grant Ginder, So Old, So Young: A Novel (Gallery/Scout Press)
Luke Goebel, Kill Dick (Red Hen Press)
Peter Clines, God's Junk Drawer (Blackstone Publishing)
Cheri Radke, An Accident of Dragons (Erewhon Books)
Marie Lu, Red City (Tor Books)
Brian Barth, Front Street: Resistance and Rebirth in the Tent Cities of Techlandia (Astra House)
Jessica Riskin, The Power of Life: The Invention of Biology and the Revolutionary Science of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (Riverhead Books)
Jyoti and Auyon Mukharji, Heartland Masala: An Indian Cookbook from an American Kitchen (The Collective Book Studio)
Toril Orlesky, Hotblood! Vol. 1: The Land of Promise (Mad Cave Studios)
Author Showcase - Children's Titles
Featuring:
Amy Chase, Abuzz (Maverick)JaNay Brown-Wood, Scientists Like Me (Workman Kids)
Claribel A. Ortega, Scepter of Memories (Witchlings #4) (Scholastic Press)
Nidhi Chanani, Super Boba Café #2: Home Sea Home (Abrams Fanfare)
Lynn Smith, Just Keep Going (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky)
Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White, Kitty Caterpillar (Balzer + Bray)
Billy Ray, Burn the Water (Scholastic Press)
René Peña-Govea, Estela, Undrowning (Quill Tree Books)
Alan Gratz, War Games (Scholastic)
Eugene Yelchin, I Wish I Didn't Have to Tell You This: A Graphic Memoir (Candlewick)
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
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Closing Reception
Featuring bites from:
Jyoti and Auyon Mukharji, Heartland Masala: An Indian Cookbook from an American Kitchen (The Collective Book Studio)
How to Get Here
If you are interested in carpooling, fill out this Carpool form. Already filled out the form and want to find a carpool buddy? Click here to access the carpool buddy list.
Where to Stay
For our group rate, book a room at the DoubleTree by Hilton San Francisco South Airport Blvd via this link by August 25th.
Our room block pricing is $229 a night for single rooms and $259 a night for double rooms. We also have a special parking deal: Free parking during the day and $10 for overnight (down from $40!).
Address: 275 South Airport Blvd., South San Francisco, CA 94080
Alternate Hotel Options
A Checklist for CALIBA Fall Fest
For many first-timers — or even 11th-timers — the annual regional trade show can be an overwhelming maze of education sessions, author panels, trade show exhibitors, and meet and greets. Here are a few reminders and tips to help you navigate Fall Fest 2025.
New This Year
Details to come.
Know What to Expect, Before You Go!
Explore our Fall Fest 2025 webpage and get information on current programming, hotel accommodations, and an overview of Fall Fest 2025. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact hannah@caliballiance.org.
We are booksellers and we salute your personal fashion sense and originality. So, dress as you would at your store! For your well-being, we suggest wearing comfortable walking shoes. We advise dressing in layers as Convention Centers are often cold. If you are invited to a publisher dinner, please check with the restaurant to see if they have any specific dress requirements.
If you are traveling by plane, you may want to leave a little room in your luggage for ARCs distributed by our publishers. You will be given one tote bag at registration, but it's always a good idea to bring a few more. We do not have mailing services on site, so please plan accordingly.
If you would like to wear a mask we encourage you to do so, but you must bring your own.
The South San Francisco Conference Center is conveniently located and offers ample free parking. We also have a special parking deal with DoubleTree by Hilton: Free parking during the day and $10 for overnight (down from $40!). Details on getting to SSFCC can be found here.
Our conference hotel is The DoubleTree by Hilton, 275 S. Airport Blvd., South San Francisco 94080. Our room block pricing is $229 a night for single rooms and $259 a night for double rooms. We also have a special parking deal: Free parking during the day and $10 for overnight (down from $40!). CALIBA conference rate ends 8/25/2025. Book your room here.
Exhibit Hall Etiquette
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Be polite! Don’t take any books without asking.
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Enter raffles for placing orders and for book discovery
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Develop a relationship with your pub sales reps, even if you're not the buyer
Wear Your Badge at All Times
You will be given a badge and welcome bag when you arrive at the main lobby of the South San Francisco Conference Center. Please wear your badge at all times. If you registered for any of our ticketed events, your badge will be coded to reflect this. If you still need to purchase tickets, check with registration to see if the event has seats available.
Also, keep an eye out for CALIBA pins and ribbons on other attendees to spot CALIBA board members, Golden Poppy Award committee members, etc.
Come Ready to Do Business & Network
Publishers and sales reps have traveled from far and wide to show off their newest books and sidelines. Come ready to introduce yourself, open an account, place orders, and make appointments. Bring business cards and one-sheets with your bookstore information.
According to bookseller veterans, the opportunity to meet fellow booksellers is one of the most valuable parts of the event. Don’t be shy! Introduce yourself and be ready to exchange contact information. Along with business cards and/or one-sheets about your bookstore, bring a pen and paper, and swap business cards with everyone you meet. For easy reference and recall later, make a note on the card about what was discussed. If you’re introverted, just remember: these are your people.
Finally
Take time each night to review your plans for the next day. We have a number of excellent education sessions and roundtable discussions aimed at many levels of bookselling, from owners and managers to frontline booksellers and specialists. If you have signed up for a ticketed session and will no longer be able to join us, please let us know as soon as possible. Schedule 30 minutes before you go home to review all of your notes and prioritize 2 or 3 action items to tackle once you get back to work.
We will have a QR code linking to an evaluation form for you to fill out after the sessions. Your feedback is enormously valuable to us, so please take a minute to fill out the evaluation form.
Congratulations, to our Fall Fest Scholarship winners:
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Monique Gonzalez (Handcrafts and Hardbacks)
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Katherine Gillum (Bookshop Benicia)
CALIBA is rewarding 2 bookseller members up to $650 to attend the 2025 Fall Fest on September 17-18, 2025.
Criteria for CALIBA's Bookseller Scholarship:
- The applicant’s store must be a member of CALIBA.
- The applicant must be a regular part-time or full-time employee of the bookstore.
- Applicant must be currently employed and have 90 days of continuous employment with the bookstore.
FALL FEST 2025 - PUBLISHERS
September 17th & 18th at the South San Francisco Conference Center 255 S Airport Blvd, South San Francisco, CA 94080
Book your room at the DoubleTree by Hilton San Francisco South Airport Blvd by August 25th to secure the CALIBA rate ($229 + tax).
200+ California booksellers looking to connect with your authors, sales reps, and discover the titles you want them to know about. Come join the fun!
SPONSORSHIP &
PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Sponsorships help us keep the event affordable for booksellers and help fund bookseller grants to attend. Please help us get as many booksellers to the event as possible.
Sponsorships include your logo on our website and all printed material, acknowledgment at the Fall Fest, one welcome bag insert, eblasts/banner promotions, and rep picks.
Promotional Opportunities:
Welcome Bag Inserts: $150 for 200 inserts: flat items only, like flyers, bookmarks, etc.
Galley Table Placement: $150, 40 books
REP PICKS, CALL FOR AUTHORS &
EXHIBITOR INTEREST FORMS
EXHIBITOR INFORMATION
DEADLINES
Monday, August 25th:
- Last day for discounted room rates at the DoubleTree by Hilton San Francisco South Airport Blvd
- Deadline for submitting an updated badge list to alecia@caliballiance.org
- Author booth signing to alecia@caliballiance.org
Friday, August 29th:
- Show specials to alecia@caliballiance.org
EXHIBIT HOURS
Wednesday, September 17:
Move-in: 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Exhibit Hall Opens with Special Reception: 3:50PM
Exhibit Hall Closes at 6 PM
Thursday, September 18:
Exhibit Hall Opens at 10AM
Closes for Lunch: 12:30-1:30PM
Closing Reception: 4PM
Exhibit Hall Closes: 5PM
DETAILS
AccommodationsDoubleTree by Hilton San Francisco South Airport Blvd, 275 South Airport Blvd., South San Francisco, CA 94080 Book your room by August 25th ($229 + taxes a night). Public WiFiAvailable throughout the conference center. If you need a secure connection, please note it on your registration form. Electrical Wall/Floor Outlet: $50 a day Shipping/Delivery OptionsExhibitors may contact Western Event Services (WES) to move your books and sundries. All trade show freight can be shipped to WES then delivered to your tables at the show. Exhibitor kit to come with confirmation e-mail.
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Show SpecialsEmail show specials to alecia@caliballiance.org by August 29th to be included on the program website. ConfirmationsConfirmations will be emailed with your table assignments and balance-due statement in early August. Name badges are not mailed. They will be available at registration. Trade show programWill list all exhibitors and their specials. Sponsors of the Fall Fest are highlighted. What's in the Exhibit Hall?
Author Signing? Special ARCs? Amazing swag? Drawings? Let us know, and we’ll add it to the program! |
For More Information:
Thank you, sponsors!
Sponsorships help us keep the event affordable for booksellers and help fund bookseller grants to attend.
