Category Archives: BEA

June 12, 2012   Jane   BEA, future of publishing, Jane, opinion  
2

The same is not the same

So this past week, BEA took place again in New York and, walking around the floor, I was more aware than ever of all the changes that have occurred and continue to take place in our business. This is far from those first meetings I attended so many years ago at the Shoreham Hotel in Washington.  It is also incredibly distant from the heady years where the show, held in Los Angeles, or Las Vegas or even New Orleans included multi-level booths, every bell and whistle imaginable and parties that were incredibly over-the-top.  Julie Bosman’s article in The New York Times described some other interesting changes

This year, the space itself was noticeably smaller than last year (and recent years past) with fewer exhibitors.  And despite the fact that we attended on “opening day”  the crowds and excitement seemed diminished.

The fact of the matter is that our business is going through some real upheavals. E-book sales continue to grow and this is pushing down the number of physical books sold.  The mass market distribution system has almost totally collapsed and so those categories previously published in mass market are either not being published or are being published exclusively online. The Department of Justice lawsuit has distracted everyone and if the settlement isn’t overturned or changed, the future of independent bookstores could be in jeopardy because they simply will not be able to compete against Amazon.  Self-publishing online is becoming far more “acceptable” and many writers are beginning to make a very good living doing this.  And then there are those of us who are helping in the self-publishing/e-book publishing process and establishing new branches of our business in order to keep up with the times.

Indeed, walking around the hall, I heard many who were genuinely worried about the future of our industry.  But then there are others of us who are excited about the innovation that is taking place.  Yes, many of these changes are challenging, but I am personally delighted to face them and see what we can do to help our clients understand and deal with them – and ultimately benefit from them. I think the only way to go forward at this point, is not to look back at any mistakes our industry has made and move forward to make sure the book, in whatever format, continues to thrive and that writers are encouraged to produce new and exciting material.

Most of all, we cannot forget that one of the reasons we are in this business is that our colleagues, by and large, are truly a great group, and that we all have the same goals in common.  Remembering this will make our work going forward more satisfying…if not easier. I, for one, am looking toward many more BEAs and an exciting new world of publishing.

June 08, 2012   Rachel   author events, authors, BEA, Rachel S.  
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One more about BEA (Kind of)

Since no one has written about BEA yet, I thought I would be the trailblazer on this one.

My favorite thing about BEA (Besides, obviously the free totebags and galleys, oh, and also chocolate. There’s so much chocolate.), are the author signings. Some are celebrities, yes, and others are big name authors who already have a huge fan base, but there are also a large percentage of first time authors on the schedule, sitting at their respective booths with a  big stack of galleys, a pen and a line of eager readers waiting for their copy.

Both the publishing industry and the readers it caters to are still excited about new talent—a good story and great writing can still beat out the name on the cover. What other chance will a reader have to chat, however briefly, with an author whose work they love, or whose story they identify with? Having that personal connection with the author of a book can enrich the reading experience, even if your conversation consisted solely of a discussion of your mutual love of glitter nail polish, which you both happened to be wearing. Yes, this was an actual conversation I had with an author at a book signing. And yes, it was great and yes, I enjoyed her book more for it.

Where in normal circumstances, you have to go out of your way to one bookstore to see one author and get one book signed, at BEA there are dozens of authors and dozens of books and everyone is equally as excited (if not more, in some cases—I’m looking at you, Chris Colfer fans) about the prospect of meeting multiple authors as you are.

What’s your greatest book signing/author meeting story? Did you find it changed your perception of the book at all? How great is glitter nail polish?

June 06, 2012   Miriam   BEA, fun, Miriam  
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It’s BEA week…

…and, since all anyone’s doing is trying to find a comfortable seat somewhere on the floor of the Javits Center and thinking ahead to their drink order at one of the cocktail parties happening around town, I thought I’d ask you guys to make up a story involving these three pictures I took while making the rounds at BEA yesterday (yes, that’s Jim sporting an Afro). Go!

 

 

 

 

 

June 05, 2012   John   BEA, future of publishing, galleys, John, opinion  
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BEA comes to town

Today’s the first day of Book Expo America here in NYC, which, as you probably know, is the big trade show for the publishing industry. Along with publishers showing off their books, BEA is usually a time for a lot of state-of-the-industry talk, and indeed, there are a number of posts today about where we’re at and where we’re going.

From Publishing Trends, it seems like the hot topics this year are eBooks (natch) and self-publishing, with the various pros and cons debated as they’ve been ad nauseum for the past year.  From Publishing Perspectives,  we get the news that foreign publishers are going to sell eBooks here in the States, complicating further the territorial disputes that arose with the first wave of e-publishing. And then, we have this surprising piece of news from the American Booksellers Association: their membership of independent booksellers rose by 3.5%, or 55 stores, in the past year.

So on the one hand, we have eBooks and self-publishers taking over the world—and on the other, independent bookstores not just holding their own but increasing in number.

In other words–huh?

I’m heading over to the Javits Center tomorrow to check it out for myself, but if any readers have been over today, I’d love to hear impressions—especially if there are any galleys worth seeking out. Which, really, is the best feature of BEA anyway: in the end, it all does come back to the books.

May 26, 2011   Jessica   advice, BEA, Jessica, writing  
2

Staying in the Race

Heading home from BEA with an armload of catalogs representing an embarrassment of riches–each page bristling with promise and laudatory prose–I spotted this article in Publishing Perspectives from novelist Lisa Tucker on the arc of a novelist’s career.

While it’s true that many of the readers of this blog are looking to break into publishing, veteran authors like Tucker know that getting even a long sought-after deal is not, in most cases, the happily-ever-after ending that it can appear when trying to place a book or find an agent. BEA is a particularly poignant time to reflect on this, because it is a show built around great expectations, only some of which can be realized. In the author signing center, vast bullpens full of writers autograph galleys, making way every half an hour or so for or a new group of aspiring future bestsellers to come in. Articles and blog posts speculate on the fair’s “big books,” amplifying and in some cases creating the buzz on which they report. BEA exists, in part, to write a self-fulfilling prophecy. Namely: these books are exciting and worthy, these books will sell. (BEA may also exist as an experiment in seeing how much people will pay for a mediocre sandwich, but that’s fodder for another post.) But we all know that even those books with great expectations, those selected by their publishers to receive what Tucker calls “the Big Love” don’t always succeed, and if an author plans to have a second and third and fourth act—as most of you probably do—it’s worthwhile to think of publishing as an endurance run, and gird yourselves accordingly.

Tucker writes:

I’ve learned that keeping a career going as a writer requires flexibility and a willingness to keep trying whatever I can to get my book in the hands of readers. And so my advice to any new writer is simply this: get in the game. Make friends with your coworkers at the publishers’ office and out in the field. Go to your local bookstores and offer to come for a reading, or even offer to run a writing group. Buy a book or two from the stores you want to sell your books. Read as much as you write, if not more…

For those of you out there with one or more books to your credit, what are your strategies for staying in the race?

May 25, 2011   Stacey   BEA, book club, reading, Stacey  
0

A Worldwide Book Club

It’s BEA this week, so we are all running circles around the Javits Center and waiting for news of book deals, gossip, and trying to catch up with friends and editors we only have a chance to see during this annual book pilgrimage.

I thought it would be a good time to talk about something that aims to get people reading. Jeff Howe, a professor at Northeastern and contributor to The Atlantic, has resurrected the very cool book club he started last spring that attracted 12,000 reader to Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. He’s renamed it 1book140, and its goal is to get as many people as possible around the world together reading a single title chosen by his readers. Check out the list of books for a fun exercise in commercial and literary fiction. You’ll have ample time to get involved, even if you miss the first month since it will continue indefinitely with a new book being chosen each month. It’s a little hard to navigate the articles about the club, but here’s a bit about the criteria for chosen books.

I think it’s a great opportunity to get reading, and get involved in the larger reading community. The nominations are based on popular demand, so vote for your favorite before polls for this month close May 26. My pick is The Keep by Jennifer Egan, who just won the Pulitzer. Let us know what your picks are, and if you’ll be reading along with this new literary endeavor. Do  you have any suggestions for titles that aren’t on this first lengthy list?
May 24, 2011   Stephanie   agents, BEA, collecting, fun, galleys, Stephanie  
2

BE At BEA (Too much?)

I thought I’d briefly add my own thoughts John’s post about BEA earlier today.  As it was my very first time at BookExpo, I will admit that it was a lot to take in—but in a good way. The crowds were a tight squeeze at times, the mood was good, and I can’t say no to free stuff! Easily one of the best parts of BEA is collecting the many galley copies publishers give out. By the end of our perusal, I was sure my shoulder muscles were all but destroyed from carrying my treasure, and I found myself blithely forgetting about the long walk I faced from 11th Avenue back to civilization (or the nearest subway).

Having made it back alive from the convention, I know it will be exciting to dive into the new and unfinished novels I collected, and then hopefully watch some go on to fabulous sales and notoriety.

Will any of our readers out there be attending BEA this year? If so, what books or events are you looking forward to?

May 24, 2011   John   BEA, John, opinion, trends  
1

Thoughts on BEA

Book Expo America, the book industry’s annual convention, opened this morning at the Javits Center here in New York, and Steph and I went across town to check out the fun. I’ve been going to BEA for as long as I can remember, and naturally, every year is a comparison to prior shows. Hence, for the purposes of keeping score:

1.       Crowds—check plus. Boy, was it a zoo this morning—getting out of the Harper booth was like Times Square at rush hour. Granted, the largest crowds are usually opening morning, but I’ve seen years when the attendance was noticeably down. And the lines for author signings, both on the floor and in the signing area, were impressively long. Will be curious to hear how well-attended the breakfasts and panels are.

2.       Galleys—check minus. Seems like every year, there are fewer and fewer galleys, or at least ones that are worth taking. Scholastic had out the new Maggie Stiefavater, and I snagged Sylvia Nasser’s new book (author of A Beautiful Mind)¸ but that was about it. Yes, there have been years where I came home empty handed, but there are also years when “big books” were plentiful—this wasn’t one of them.

3.       Buzz—meh. I know, this is totally subjective, but it just didn’t seem like there was a lot of excitement about specific titles or categories. Not that 2010 was a big year, but I remember seeing a huge banner hanging over the entrance for Keith Richards’s Life—this year, it was for the new Alex Cross novel, and while Alex Cross is great and all, it’s still a little… meh.

4.       Mood—gold star! Despite a lack of buzz, on the whole the publishing folks seemed much more upbeat than in recent memory. Again, maybe it’s opening day fever, but I got a collective sense of optimism that’s been lacking recently. Considering all the hue and cry over electronic publishing since last BEA, it’s great to see so many people excited about books!

So, overall, a good visit to the Javits Center. I’m sure there’ll be plenty more on BEA in this blog over the next few days. Hopefully my colleagues will have positive reactions as well—and hopefully better galleys, too!

May 12, 2011   Michael   BEA, Michael, retailers  
5

BEA isn’t just BEA!

The book industry’s yearly trade show, BookExpo America, is just a few weeks away. I’ll be coming into New York for all the activity and festivity, and I know publishers and featured authors are gearing up for all of the events, like author breakfasts, bookseller speed dating, ARC signing and free booze (you should see the lines for tiny cups of champagne!). But the great news, with the specific events announced today, is that New York Book Week is back in a big way. With all of these amazing authors in town to promote their books to booksellers, it always seemed a waste not to give them a chance to interact with readers. There are events all week, Monday, May 23 through Friday, May 27, kicking off with the Teen Author Carnival on Monday at 4 PM, which I plan to attend. I’m hoping to make some of the other great events that week, too.

I’m genuinely excited that for at least part of BEA, I’ll be able to take off my agent hat and put on my reader hat. Will I see any of you there?

June 01, 2010   DGLM   BEA, future of publishing, Jane, libraries, opinion, publishers, retailers, subsidiary rights  
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To BEA or not to BEA

by Jane

So, as we’ve already mentioned, last week was Book Expo, and it took place mid-week for the first time in its history (I believe) and was shortened from three and a half to two days of exhibits with an additional meeting day. The question this raises for me is how relevant is BEA anymore; is it necessary and will it continue?

Historically this annual meeting was known as the American Books Sellers Association (ABA) meeting. It began in the basement of the Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., and was held annually—initially over Memorial Day Weekend. The convention’s purpose was for book publishers to present their fall publishing lists to bookstore owners who would actually place their orders on the floor. Those in attendance from the publishing companies were mainly sales people with some executives making an appearance now and then; editors weren’t included.

Over the years, the ABA convention grew larger and larger. More and more publishers added more and more staff and they began to build larger and larger exhibits. The ABA outgrew the Shoreham and was moved to a convention center in Washington and then began traveling to a different city in different parts of the country each year.

The convention has been held everywhere in the continental U.S. from Chicago, to Los Angeles and Anaheim, to San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans and even Miami (I remember that ABA well—for many reasons, it was a disaster). And each year it grew, with publishers spending more and more money on their exhibits, and having hugely lavish parties to entertain booksellers, authors and agents.

Slowly but surely foreign publishers began to participate and the ABA became a rights fair as well, sort of a mini-Frankfurt (before the London Book Fair grew as large as it now is).

Then as the chains became all powerful and publishers took orders on fall books from these huge accounts before the ABA (or at least outside of the convention), that reason for the meeting became irrelevant. Smaller accounts also started to order less at the meeting and more in other ways and at other times.

Publishers began to realize that the enormous sums of money spent on exhibits, on parties and on travel could not be justified. Displays began to get smaller; some publishers skipped years coming and eventually the exhibit was sold to an organization that became Book Expo. Now, it is a truncated and less interesting event.

My question is what really happens at BEA nowadays? Sure, it is wonderful to see old friends, but the individual exhibits are so small now that one can’t even find the fall books one is looking for. Last week I saw very little activity at the parts of the convention occupied by foreign publishers and the exhibits were downsized from two floors to one in the Javits Center. Very little actual business in terms of the initial book ordering is done anymore and with the other rights fairs around the world, those sold at BEA for the most part are also insignificant.

As I wandered around the floor last week at BEA 2010, I honestly thought to myself that the money still being spent by publishers on this meeting could be much better allocated toward finding new and effective ways to sell books in an age when our business is changing enormously and very quickly.

I would love to know what those of you who have participated in BEA in the past think about all of this.

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