Dinner At The Kids' Table
Author Information
At a Glance:
Date: Sunday, October 3, 2021
Location: Mt. St. Helens Ballroom, Red Lion Hotel on the River, Portland, OR
Show Registration open: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Time to meet: 7:00 p.m.
Event time: 7:30-9:15 p.m.
Pre-sign books: Sunday afternoon by appointment, or one hour before the event. Please contact Greg at 541.226.8842 or go to the PNBA registration desk to arrange a specific time.
Bring: Badge, meal ticket, any props or multimedia you want to use
Details:
The Dinner at the Kids' Table event is a member favorite and brings a rapt audience of approximately 150 booksellers and librarians eager to learn about new children’s books their customers will love. This event features five authors who each have up to twelve minutes to discuss their book, writing or illustration process, inspiration, or any other topics you think will be interesting to the audience and make them want to order and hand-sell your book. Attendees will dine while they listen.
The emcee for the Dinner at the Kids’ Table will meet with the authors at 7:00 p.m. to finalize the order of speaking, to confirm name pronunciations, to set up A/V as needed, to clarify any details that authors do not want included in their introductions, and to emphasize the fifteen-minute limit for speakers. You are welcome to prepare a PowerPoint or other visual presentation. Please let us know ahead of time if you will need AV and bring a flash drive with your presentation. The emcee will act as timekeeper and will give you a sign if you approach your time limit.
The hotel staff will begin serving dinner at 7:30 p.m. Authors are encouraged to bring a companion to the event—please provide your guest’s name and meal preference when you so we can include their free show badge and dinner ticket with yours. Authors and their guests will be served first, followed by attendees. No later than 8:00, the emcee will welcome everyone to the event, make a few announcements, and begin introducing the authors.
The emphasis of your talk should be to convey to the booksellers something that will pique their interest, enticing them to (1) read the book, (2) stock it in their stores, and (3) hand-sell the book to customers. We highly recommend that you not simply read from your book.
The dinner is scheduled to end by 9:15 p.m. As the attendees leave the room, they will pick up a previously signed copy of each author’s book.
Your publisher will have provided at least 125 copies of your book for dinner attendees, and these will need to be signed before the event begins. If you have not pre-signed the books before the publisher ships them to PNBA, you may sign them on-site the afternoon of the event or an hour before the event. Please let us know in advance if you will need to sign your books on-site and what time you will be available so we can schedule with the appropriate staff.
PNBA will give you and one pre-registered guest tickets to the dinner as well as free badges good for attendance to the entire show. Your badges will provide you with entry to the exhibits, and to all other PNBA events and parties except those that require meal tickets. If you (and your guest) would like to attend any of the other meal events at the show, please fill out an Attendee Registration Form, indicating which meals you would like to purchase, for whom they should be held, and how you will pay for those tickets. Your badges and meal tickets will be held under your last name and may be picked up at the PNBA registration desk. If you are unable to pick them up before we close, the emcee will have them for you at the event.
PNBA considers the authors featured at our shows to be our celebrities. Our booksellers need to meet you, hear about your books, and decide which of you to invite to do author events at their stores. Those events are one of the few ways that our member stores can distinguish themselves from online and big-box booksellers—providing their customers with a chance to meet and interact with the actual author in an event that will work well for you. We pledge to treat you as the celebrity you are and to make sure that you have a fun and productive show.
Date: Sunday, October 3, 2021
Location: Mt. St. Helens Ballroom, Red Lion Hotel on the River, Portland, OR
Show Registration open: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Time to meet: 7:00 p.m.
Event time: 7:30-9:15 p.m.
Pre-sign books: Sunday afternoon by appointment, or one hour before the event. Please contact Greg at 541.226.8842 or go to the PNBA registration desk to arrange a specific time.
Bring: Badge, meal ticket, any props or multimedia you want to use
Details:
The Dinner at the Kids' Table event is a member favorite and brings a rapt audience of approximately 150 booksellers and librarians eager to learn about new children’s books their customers will love. This event features five authors who each have up to twelve minutes to discuss their book, writing or illustration process, inspiration, or any other topics you think will be interesting to the audience and make them want to order and hand-sell your book. Attendees will dine while they listen.
The emcee for the Dinner at the Kids’ Table will meet with the authors at 7:00 p.m. to finalize the order of speaking, to confirm name pronunciations, to set up A/V as needed, to clarify any details that authors do not want included in their introductions, and to emphasize the fifteen-minute limit for speakers. You are welcome to prepare a PowerPoint or other visual presentation. Please let us know ahead of time if you will need AV and bring a flash drive with your presentation. The emcee will act as timekeeper and will give you a sign if you approach your time limit.
The hotel staff will begin serving dinner at 7:30 p.m. Authors are encouraged to bring a companion to the event—please provide your guest’s name and meal preference when you so we can include their free show badge and dinner ticket with yours. Authors and their guests will be served first, followed by attendees. No later than 8:00, the emcee will welcome everyone to the event, make a few announcements, and begin introducing the authors.
The emphasis of your talk should be to convey to the booksellers something that will pique their interest, enticing them to (1) read the book, (2) stock it in their stores, and (3) hand-sell the book to customers. We highly recommend that you not simply read from your book.
The dinner is scheduled to end by 9:15 p.m. As the attendees leave the room, they will pick up a previously signed copy of each author’s book.
Your publisher will have provided at least 125 copies of your book for dinner attendees, and these will need to be signed before the event begins. If you have not pre-signed the books before the publisher ships them to PNBA, you may sign them on-site the afternoon of the event or an hour before the event. Please let us know in advance if you will need to sign your books on-site and what time you will be available so we can schedule with the appropriate staff.
PNBA will give you and one pre-registered guest tickets to the dinner as well as free badges good for attendance to the entire show. Your badges will provide you with entry to the exhibits, and to all other PNBA events and parties except those that require meal tickets. If you (and your guest) would like to attend any of the other meal events at the show, please fill out an Attendee Registration Form, indicating which meals you would like to purchase, for whom they should be held, and how you will pay for those tickets. Your badges and meal tickets will be held under your last name and may be picked up at the PNBA registration desk. If you are unable to pick them up before we close, the emcee will have them for you at the event.
PNBA considers the authors featured at our shows to be our celebrities. Our booksellers need to meet you, hear about your books, and decide which of you to invite to do author events at their stores. Those events are one of the few ways that our member stores can distinguish themselves from online and big-box booksellers—providing their customers with a chance to meet and interact with the actual author in an event that will work well for you. We pledge to treat you as the celebrity you are and to make sure that you have a fun and productive show.