Off to SIBA!

I seem to have unintentionally gotten this segue thing going with the last few posts (except for the oh-ye-gods-I-made-a-mistake post). From Oprah to Okra, and now from Okra to SIBA. "SIBA" is the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, which devised the "Okra picks" program and they are having their annual convention this coming weekend. I'll be headed down to South Carolina tomorrow after work to hobnob with my fellow Southern booksellers for a few days. It's always a great occasion with a wide variety of activities: workshops and seminars; a trade show with various publishers and other vendors showing their wares; loads of authors talking about and signing copies of their latest books; banquets and parties; and who knows what else.

And funny hats? Do book industry conventioneers wear funny hats? Well, I don't know of any official funny hats, but booksellers, sales reps and publishers are all a bunch of Wild And Crazy People, so you never know.

I'll let you know how it all goes down after I get back.