Book Expo America, or BEA, is the book industry’s premier trade show. Before you start thinking of stereotypes of black-rimmed glasses and hair buns (though, I guess there is a good bit of that), think for a minute why BEA is a good thing for people that just appreciate good books.

First, though publishers, especially the big 6, have been drug through the mud a lot lately (meaning people that are self-publishing are calling them dinosaurs and incompetent fools who have no idea what a good book is and are only in it for the money), a lot of that negativity is hogwash in my opinion. They certainly are not always perfect, they have lots of room for improvement, and the industry is changing rapidly, but I have a lot of respect for these people. Whew, just had to get that out there.

How does my rant connect to why BEA is good for the book loving public? Major deals among major players go down, prepping the road for some fantastic reads to come in the months ahead. For better or worse, these are the people that shape and determine what a lot of people read. And though some might disagree, I know I have benefited from their discerning eyes. I love that they have a venue to hone their craft and to make decisions that effect what we will be hearing about and reading a little down the road.

Futher, BEA it is a mixing of the worlds. People new to the game rub elbows with publishing heavy weights. This can only result in innovations for publishing that again benefits the reading public.

Though you might not get to go to the show, I hope you stir in your book-loving heart a little bit of book love for the BEA and for all that comes out of it.

Photo: MissTurner, Creative Commons

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Bookmasters will have a strong presence at this year’s BEA (Book Expo America). (If you don’t know much about BEA, we have a post for you.) You may be thinking, “that’s great for you…you get to go to New York, schmooze with some industry folks, and eat some great food, but why should I care?”

While some of those things do happen and we usually have a pretty great time, BEA is a lot of work and expense. Of course part of our BEA strategy is our own self-interest; to strengthen brand reach, catch up with publishing partners, and court potential customers. And, I guess if you are one of those potential customers, this is also your benefit that you can set up a meeting with our folks at the show.

But if you are already working with Bookmasters, it still is to your benefit, and it should still matter to you that we attend the show. By attending, we do the important work of a hands-on look at what is going on at the most important trade gathering in the United States. We are on the floor hearing what the buzz is all about, attending the informational events to keep up with the changing industry, and networking with key accounts and vendors.

Maybe you are one of those folks that aren’t working with us, and you don’t really have a plan to work with us. Let me take a moment just to ask you to check out all the different things we do as a company. You will likely find that we can help you with your publishing project. And in the spirit of this topic, we are at BEA for you, too. As a company, we work to observe publishing trends and anticipate your needs. This show goes a long way in helping us accomplish those goals.

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Per their official website, BEA, or Book Expo America, is “the premier publishing event in North America where the book tradition converges with the digital revolution.” By way of invitation, they ask you to “discover authors, new titles, new ideas, new technologies, and the passion driving the industry.”

The show started out as the American Booksellers Association (ABA) convention. Back then, there were no exhibitors or publishers at the show. Now the show is driven by the exhibit floor and educational sessions, panels, and lectures.

The BEA draws more than 26,000 attendees, media, and trade professionals annually. Concurrent events include the following:

ABA Day of Education
IDPF Digital Book
Publishers Launch Conference
BlogWorld & New Media Expo NY
BEA Bloggers Conference
uPublishU at BEA
New York Book & Media Week

This year the show will run from June 5-7 at the Javits Center in New York City. Check back to our blog in the next few weeks for more information about the show and how it this important gathering of industry professionals effects you.

And if you will be at the show, plan on stopping by the Bookmasters exhibit at booth 3052.

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The London Book Fair is just finishing up, but it is not to early to start thinking about June.

Book Expo America, or BEA, is the premier publishing event in North America where the book tradition converges with the digital revolution. Each year thousands of book people gather to see what’s new, discuss what’s been working, and speculate about the future. This year the show is held June 5-7.

But for every person that attends the show, there are many that could benefit but don’t get to go. If you are one of those that don’t get to go, here are some ways you can still reap the benefits of the show.

1. Have a proxy

Yes, there is a lot of “noise” at BEA. You might even call it information overload. You may look at the number of exhibitors or see pictures of walls of books and wonder how your book can have any impact at such a venue. But don’t underestimate the value of physical presence.

Especially since so much of what anyone does anymore is done virtually, the impact of an actual physical presence where thousands of book loving professions congregates can have a good marketing impact. Even if you can’t be there, your book can.

Check out Bookmasters’ Think ForeWord BEA Bundle for ways you can have your book represented at the show.

2. Follow on Twitter

Use the #bookexpo hashtag to follow the BEA conversation. You will likely find a lot of observations from the different BEA scheduled events. And though #bookexpo is the official show hashtag, you may also want to follow #BEA.

3. Watch live feeds

For the first time, BEA will offer live streaming of many of its major events including Book & Author Breakfasts, Buzz Panels, and a majority of programming from the main Author State. The live stream will also feature the ability for a live chat as events are happening. BEA show director Steve Rosato says that they “are also planning to take questions from our virtual attendees for the authors.”

4. Follow industry news those days and following

For one, be sure to check in on our blog, Facebook, and Twitter feeds for updated links and information from the show. You can also follow these major industry news outlets to get daily and event summaries from the show:

Publishers Weekly
Shelf Awareness
BEA Media and News

5. Appreciate what is done on behalf of all book lovers at this important show

A lot of deals go down at the show. This is good for people that like books. Though there is more self-publishing going on now than ever, a lot of quality authors still go through traditional publishers, and a lot of the groundwork for these types of deals happens at the show.

Also, BEA is a place were lots of great publishing minds meet to talk and make plans for the future of publishing. You can’t beat these in-person meeting for the shaping of the publishing business.

So even if you can’t make it out June 5-7 for the show, I hope you will use these tips to make the best of this nation’s largest book tradeshow.

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Karen Broach and Violeta Chini represented Bookmasters and AtlasBooks at this year’s Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association (GLiBA) trade show, held October 14-16 at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, MI.

The show was successful for Bookmasters, and we had especially lovely signings by Sharon Kreighbaum, author of Is Your House Overweight?: Recipes for Low-Fat Rooms and Michael Scotto, author of Latasha and the Little Red Tornado.

In an effort to adapt to the changing industry, GLiBA officials formally informed the membership that GLiBA and MIBA (Midwest Independent Booksellers Association) will combine to hold at least two joint shows. The first joint show will be held October 4-5, 2012 in Minneapolis, followed by a show in Chicagoland in 2013.

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The Frankfurt Book Fair starts in a week. This thing is massive. It is a five-day show with more than 7,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries and 299,000 visitors. Did I mention it was massive?

I will never forget my overwhelming first experience at the fair. I had been to BEA (Book Expo America) several times, and of course I have been in crowded places. Yet with as many halls and towers that comprise the exhibit buildings, I did not expect to see so much human traffic. I found that I had to walk with what I call my “elbows out” stride, trying to give myself enough room to cut through traffic without getting squished.

I also saw lots of fashion. One of the hair styles that stood out to me was the business mullet. I have tended to live in places where mullets abound, particularly at county fair time, but they are usually accompanied by a rusty truck. Here the mullets were gelled and accompanied by a briefcase and a stack of books. And speaking of style, a big surprise for me was that the show is opened up to the public on the last two days of the show. This isn’t the surprise. The surprise was that many students come dressed in costume. They all gather outside throughout they day near a shopping area, and it is always a lot of fun to see how extreme these outfits can be.

But I imagine you are probably more interested in what the mechanics of the show look like. This show revolves around meetings. Of course there are walk-ins or walk-ups, but I would say the meat of the business is done through scheduled meetings, often planned weeks ahead of the event. For the most part, these meetings run on a rigid schedule, so if your time with someone is up, it is time to move on (and if your meeting is in another hall, it is likely time to get moving, as it takes much longer to walk through the buildings when so many people fill the hallways).

For Bookmasters, we meet with a lot of international publishers looking to break into the US trade market. They know it is a huge market, and they don’t want to miss out. This kind of partnership works out very well. The show also gives us a chance to catch up with some of our international publishing partners to see if they have any questions or to go over their upcoming releases.

If you will be at the show, I recommend that you try to arrange a time to meet before leaving, though you can always drop by our booth at Hall 8.0, stand R905. We will look like this:

See the post from our Bookmasters blog to learn more about what Bookmasters will be doing at the show and how we can help you and your business.

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