I was at the Book Expo for much of last week covering it for
Publishing Perspectives and am still processing everything that I saw, heard, want to read, and don't want to read. In some ways it's like heaven- 4 p.m. rolls around and suddenly it's book happy hour: cheerful book people offer you wine, chocolate and books. I wish I'd heard more authors speak, but learned a lot from various conferences on things like Twitter, publishing in China (!), middle readers, and more. I also learned that one of the saddest things I've ever seen is what I'll call Remainder Alley-- a gorgeous row of books that didn't sell and who need homes. Wholesalers buy them up and they get a second life at bookstores willing to give them a second chance. I ran into this guy Jim, an eccentric bookseller from Carmine Street who owns The Non-Imperialist and Non-Oppressive Bookstore. This is his secret for offering good prices, and I've been taking advantage of his hunt-and-peck skills set for years. Another personal highlight for me was talking with the great Jane Friedman, multi-decade publishing veteran who's Open Road Media is on course to change eBooks and how we see them forever. She spoke with me and my friend Kathleen for a long time, and I think I'll drum up a feature about her advice for the Indies...
Here's a link to two pieces I wrote, one about the keynote panel and another about a Twitter Master Class. More to come, but in the meantime:
Keynote on the state of the industry: http://publishingperspectives.com/2013/05/as-bookexpo-america-opens-industry-concerns-remain-largely-unchanged/
The Twitter: http://publishingperspectives.com/2013/06/9-tips-from-beas-twitter-for-publishing-master-class/
