Hachette Book Group will be hosting its second annual Reading Group Day on September 7 in New York City. A company-wide initiative, the day offers fans and authors a full schedule of events, including keynotes, panel discussions with authors and editors across imprints, and genre spotlights.
Hachette has partnered with McNally Jackson Books, who will handle registration as well as sell books at the event. The $50 registration fee includes lunch as well as a gift bag of books.
"I've been in publishing a long time," said Karen Torres, v-p, director account marketing, retail operations at Hachette, and brainchild of the event. "We're living in an age and a time where bringing the consumer directly to the forefront is happening more and more, and I thought the reading group day would be the perfect component to do that."
Hachette's Reading Group Day, much like Random House's Open House, is yet another example of a publisher reaching out directly to readers, and uniting publishing staff, consumers, and authors under one roof.
"I think publishers are all anxious to know what is going to be the next experience," said Torres. "I think bringing the consumer directly in is it."
Held at Lighthouse International in Manhattan (it was held at the New York Public Library last year), the event features keynote speakers Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, a mystery panel moderated by Mulholland editorial director Josh Kendall, and a literary fiction panel moderated by Little, Brown executive editor Asya Muchnick, among other agenda items.
"If you look at the breadth and depth of the list of authors we publish, it's quite a variety," said Torres, adding that they paid special focus, with the help of editorial members on her task force, to highlight books published in September and October.
The event last year drew in 100 people, and as of August 27, this year's event had roughly 70 registered attendees.
