We’ve made it through a tough year, and the long (cold) winter is soon to be behind us. Now it is time to GROW AGAIN! Join us for two days of authors, book buzz, professional development, and camaraderie — we can’t wait to see you in the spring.
Thursday, April 8
9AM MDT | Opening Keynote Conversation: History as Story
Two acclaimed nonfiction authors join us to present their important forthcoming books and discuss the unique experience of relating history as compelling story. We’ll save time for Q&A with the authors.
THE WOMAN THEY COULD NOT SILENCE
Kate Moore
Sourcebooks
FACING THE MOUNTAIN
Daniel James Brown
Viking
10:45AM MDT | Professional Development
Conversations with Colleagues:
Growing and Maintaining Online Sales
Did you start selling online during the pandemic? Or did you drastically increase and improve your web sales game? Has your staff mastered customer shipping? Join us to share success stories and ideas for how to keep the online sales growing.
Conversations with Colleagues:
What’s Selling?
Titles, genres, gift items, food and beverages — what’s selling best right now, and what is hard to move? Share your bestselling products, especially surprises, and hear what others are having success with. Plan to find some things you need to stock up on!
12:15PM MDT | Author Smörgåsbord
We’re having an Author Smörgåsbord for lunch! You’ll hear from a wide array of authors, writing in a variety of genres, to find forthcoming books perfect for your store! Join in a lively Zoom chat with authors and your bookselling colleagues.
MARY JANE
Jessica Anya Blau
Custom House
ESCAPE FROM A VIDEO GAME
Dustin Brady
Andrews McMeel Publishing
FULL ECOLOGY
Mary Clare & Gary Ferguson
Heyday
THE FIREBIRD SONG
Arnée Flores
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
FOOTNOTES
Caseen Gaines
Sourcebooks
THE BOOK OF OTTO AND LIAM
Paul Griner
Sarabande Books
THE OTHER BLACK GIRL
Zakiya Dalila Harris
Atria Books
JAY’S GAY AGENDA
Jason June
HarperTeen
UNDER THE MAGNOLIAS
T. I. Lowe
Tyndale House Publishers
HOT STEW
Fiona Mozley
Algonquin Books
ANGEL OF GREENWOOD
Randi Pink
Feiwel & Friends
GHOST IN A BLACK GIRL’S THROAT
Khalisa Rae
Red Hen Press
DELICATES
Brenna Thummler
Oni Press
2:00PM MDT | Three Minute Throwdown: Rep Picks
It’s going to be fast and furious! Our reps have only three minutes each, so get ready for some perfect pitches! We’ll spend the last 15 minutes of this event connecting in smaller groups to discuss the titles we’re most excited about.
Presenters include: Christine Foye, Simon & Schuster; Randy Hickernell & Jan Coco Day, Hachette Book Group; Jim Riggs, Macmillan; Heidi Hill, Blue Dot Kids Press; Rachel Miller, Island Press; Michelle Dotter, Dzanc Books; Jisu Kim, Feminist Press; Jenny Sheridan, HarperCollins Children’s Books; and reps for HarperCollins Adult and Penguin Random House TBA.
3:45PM MDT | Right Book, Right Hands: Books for Every Young Reader
We all know there is a perfect book for every young reader, even reluctant readers, we just need to discover them. Our guest authors today will help you do just that. We’ll have Q&A after the author presentations, time permitting! During the event, share your “Right Books, Right Hands” ideas with your colleagues in the Zoom chat.
DAISY
Jessixa Bagley
Neal Porter Books
DON’T HATE THE PLAYER
Alexis Nedd
Bloomsbury YA
CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY
Steven Salvatore
Bloomsbury YA
WE ARE STILL HERE!
Traci Sorrell
Charlesbridge
BETWEEN PERFECT AND REAL
Ray Stoeve
Amulet Books
THE CHANCE TO FLY
Ali Stroker & Stacy Davidowitz
Amulet Books
TBA
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TBA
5:30PM MDT | Mix & Mingle Social Hour
Booksellers, authors, publishers, friends, let’s mingle! Grab a beverage, grab your SpringCon t-shirt, or show off your branded bookstore apparel, and join us for some breakout room mingling. We’ll mix the group up a couple of times and provide some fun questions to get the conversation started!
Friday, April 9
9:00AM MDT | Story Time for Booksellers
Good morning booksellers. Grab your favorite hot beverage and snuggle up for a special storytime just for you. Our very special guest authors and illustrators will tell us about themselves and read us their stories. We’ll have Q&A with our guests after the presentations.
SHARICE’S BIG VOICE
Sharice Davids
HarperCollins
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A FLOWER?
Shawn Harris
Chronicle Books
I WISH YOU KNEW
Jackie Azúa Kramer & Magdelena Mora
Roaring Brook Press
WHAT WILL YOU BE?
Yamile Saied Méndez
HarperCollins
WATERCRESS
Andrea Wang & Jason Chin
Neal Porter Books
LALA’S WORDS
Gracey Zhang
Scholastic, Inc.
TBA
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TBA
10:45AM MDT | Professional Development
Education Session:
What is Co-Op Marketing?
If your store is promoting books and author events and not collecting co-op marketing dollars from publishers, this session is for you. Join us to learn what co-op IS, and why you should be taking advantage of this available money for your store.
Conversations with Colleagues:
Pandemic Takeaways
What has your store done during the pandemic times that you plan to continue? What lessons have you learned about your systems, inventory, staffing levels, and marketing? Bring your best “pandemic takeaways” and share them with your colleagues.
12:15PM MDT | Regional Author Round-Up
Our huge region is filled with amazing authors! Colorado author Carter Wilson will host this event with quite a few of them. Join us to hear all about their new books, and get ready to work with these local authors moving forward. We’ll have a lively Zoom chat with authors and booksellers, don’t miss it!
SITE FIDELITY
Claire Boyles
W. W. Norton & Company
FAKING REALITY
Sara Fujimura
Tor Teen
GIRL IN THE WALLS
A. J. Gnuse
Ecco
EXCUSE ME WHILE I UGLY CRY
Joya Goffney
HarperTeen
GHOSTS OF WEIRDWOOD
Christian McKay Heidicker
Henry Holt and Co.
MISCHIEF & MAYHEM #1: BORN TO BE BAD
Ken Lamug
Katherine Tegan Books
NATIONAL PARKS MAPS
Abby Leighton
Gibbs Smith
A CAMERA OBSCURA
Carl Marcum
Red Hen Press
FALLING
T. J. Newman
Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster
ENDINGS
Linda L. Richards
Oceanview Publishing
SLEEPING BEAR
Connor Sullivan
Atria/Emily Bestler Books
OLYMPUS, TEXAS
Stacey Swann
Doubleday
THE ELEPHANTS COME HOME
Kim Tomsic & Hadley Hooper
Chronicle Books
RIVER, SING OUT
James Wade
Blackstone Publishing
THE DEAD HUSBAND
Carter Wilson
Poisoned Pen Press
2:00PM MDT | Professional Development
Education Session:
Introduction to Edelweiss Analytics
Edelweiss+Analytics is inventory management made easy. If you’re using Edelweiss for title research and ordering, but not using Analytics to analyze your stock, view comp data, understand sales trends, and increase turns, join us to learn more about this important tool.
Conversations with Colleagues:
Front Line Booksellers Check In
Whether you’re new to bookselling and learning the ropes during a pandemic, or have been handselling to customers for years, bookselling for the front line looks different these days. Come with questions and creative ideas for your colleagues, and share your favorite customer interactions over the past year.
3:45PM MDT | Closing Keynote Conversation: Western Thrills
We are thrilled (get it?) to present these two bestselling authors in conversation about their exciting forthcoming books, both using small western towns as the setting for their stories. We’ll have Q&A with our guests after the presentations.
MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW
Stephen Graham Jones
Gallery / Saga Press
GODSPEED
Nickolas Butler
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
5:30PM MDT | Trivia Challenge Night Cap
Virtual Trivia at FallCon was so much fun, we’re doing it again! Booksellers, authors, publishers, friends, grab a cocktail (or mocktail) and join us for this fun social hour. We’ll divide everyone into break-out room teams, and then competition will get real! The winning team will receive prizes.