| Rick Frishman's BEA Report with Steve O'Keefe's comments |
| The following post is excerpted from Rick Frishman's newsletter. I agree with what he says about this year's BookExpo in New York City. "I have gone to 27 BEA's (it used to be called ABA). This one was the best ever. Thousands of authors, agents, booksellers, want to be authors--roaming the halls meeting each other. The buzz this year was great. Everyone was in a good mood. Attendance was at an all time high. "On a personal note- Just about everyone from PTA was there at the convention. The people who work with me here at PTA are the best in the business (David Hahn, David Thalberg, Deb Kohan, Sandy Trupp, Audra Berman, Sharon Farnell, Paul Schwartz, Kristen Clifford--just to name a few) If you haven't met them--you should. They are wonderful people--and they know their stuff! Most of them have been with PTA for over 10 years (David and David for 19 years each) Give them a call at 212 593 5820--say hi. Web: http://www.plannedtvarts.com." John's Comments: The people at PTA are great people. |
posted by John Kremer @
7:18 AM
2 comments |
John Kremer's Ten Million Eyeballs Internet Marketing Event
2 Comments:
I wouldn't say BEA was "the best ever," but the mood was certainly better than in recent years.
Attendance on the first day (Friday) was huge -- it seemed like all the publishers in New York brought their entire staffs. Saturday and Sunday were more normal -- the extra staff had the weekend off, I guess.
Publishers were very upbeat -- sales are up, and it shows in the mood. But there were fewer dogs, cartoon characters, and celebrities in the aisle. By comparison to L.A., the New York BEA was quiet and "all business."
PMA's Publishers University just keeps growing. The Ben Franklin Awards included submissions from such "independent" publishers as HarperCollins, Reader's Digest, Sunset, Penguin Audio, Warner Books and Houghton Mifflin. If anything, PMA demonstrates that the true independents, including self-publishers, are getting far better at their craft. The quality of self-published books has increased dramatically as PMA has helped independents get more professional about publishing. PMAU is truly a great program.
Finally, even the weather cooperated. New York is Book Heaven, and on a nice day it's Book Bliss!
Well, there were times on Sunday that I couldn't get through some aisles. While the overall crowd was down, it was still heavily trafficked right up to closing time. There was only a little bit of ripping tape compared to previous years, where after noon, that was all you heard as the placed emptied out in waves. This year, there were still tons of people in the building at 4:00 p.m., with only a few empty booths.
Every publisher I talked to was upbeat and positive, with many making more connections in one day than in three days at previous conventions. I actually saw a bookseller writing an order within minutes of the first day opening: That was Harlan Smith of Savvy Traveller bookstore in Chicago.
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