It's been 11 years since the last time BookExpo America was held in New York. The city has changed much in that time and, of course, the attacks of September 11 have left a long shadow. Still, by many measures, the city has come far in recovering from the trauma of that awful day. In midtown, where BEA and most related events will be held, theaters, restaurants and other public places have, for the most part, tossed off the solemn, empty air of last fall.
In fact, BEA attendees will be visiting one of the most exciting cities in the world at a time when crime is down and camaraderie is high. Part of that change is apparent at the Jacob K. Javits Center itself. In our guide to the 1991 show, we warned that the area around the relatively new convention center wasn't the safest in the city. Inside the convention center, we noted that food services were so far from the trade show floor that shuttle buses into the city might be faster. Well, times have changed: the convention center's food and conference facilities have improved greatly, and the bulked-up police force has lowered the city's crime rate.
This year's trade show should be packed—at least with folks from publishing houses. And why not, it's on their home turf. Without the added expense of flights and hotel rooms, you're sure to see a lot more people staffing booths.
Educational Programs
The educational programs being offered this year (virtually all at the Javits Center) are filled with all-day affairs. The ABA is offering a full day of educational programming on Thursday. With concurrent seminars running from 8:15—11:30 a.m. and 2:15—5 p.m., for $25 (for ABA/ABC members; $50 for non-members), booksellers and publishers will be able to select one of the three morning programs, attend a business panel discussion on the bright prospects for small businesses and then choose two more afternoon programs from an offering of six. The panel will feature business authors Tom Ehrenfeld (The Startup Garden, McGraw-Hill), Doug Hall (Jump Start Your Business Brain, F&W Press) and Robert Spector (Anytime, Anywhere, Perseus) and be moderated by C-SPAN's Connie Brod.
Wednesday brings three concurrent all-afternoon educational sessions aimed at publishers. "The Best Way to..." (in room 1E09, 1—5 p.m.) is geared toward independent publishers trying to maximize their exposure. "Selling Subsidiary Rights and Permissions" (room 1E07, 1—5:30 p.m.) includes sections on getting books picked up by book clubs, selling film/TV rights and the ins and outs of permission deals. And "What Works" (off-site, at New York University Center for Publishing from 1—5:30 p.m.) is focused on textbook publishers and highlights successful Digital Content Initiatives on campuses.
As usual, there is the day-long African-American Booksellers Conference on Thursday (room 1E08, 11:30 a.m.—5:30 p.m., followed by an Ingram-sponsored reception), with Johnny Cochran as luncheon keynote speaker. The Latino Book Summit will be also be held on Thursday (offsite, at the New Yorker Hotel, from 9 a.m.—3 p.m.).
Booksellers, librarians and publishers won't want to miss Thursday's "The State of Our Industry: Trends, Data and Intelligence" (room 1E15. 8:15 a.m.—12:30 p.m.), chaired by PW's Nora Rawlinson and Jim Milliot. Industry executives and data providers will share their perspectives on industry trends and describe how they are able to transform data into information that helps increase profits.
Children's Books
There are a few changes in children's events at this year's BEA. As usual, things get started on Thursday, with the ABC annual meeting—this year, though, the meeting will be held during a lunch courtesy of Scholastic imprint the Chicken House—and an afternoon of panel discussions in room 1E11 at the Javits Center. The ABC has joined with the ABA for educational programming this year; the theme of Thursday afternoon's discussions is "Find Comfort in Books," and speakers include author Russell Freedman and illustrator Mark Teague.
Friday morning is the annual children's breakfast; speakers will be Maurice Sendak, Tony Kushner, Kate DiCamillo and John Lithgow. Friday night is when ABC members will notice the major change: there is no Evening with Children's Booksellers dinner, and the silent auction that usually precedes that dinner is open to all BEA attendees. Auction bidding will end prior to the beginning of Friday night's ABA Celebration of Bookselling (both the auction and the Celebration event are also held at the Javits Center), when the Book Sense Book of the Year Awards will be announced. Children's booksellers then have the evening free.
The balance of the convention will be the same as in years past, with three ABA children's-interest panels on Saturday and things wrapping up on Sunday. The ABC hospitality suite will be in room 2D03; there will be no boxed lunches for sale.
Authors
One of the biggest draws to any BEA is the chance to meet and mingle with favorite authors. This year, there are a whopping 630 author signings set up in the traditional author signing area and (at press time) nearly 150 authors signing books at publisher's booths.
Among the authors autographing at their publishers' booths are Al Sharpton (Al on America, Dafina Books), Mark Bowden (Finders Keepers, Atlantic Monthly), Leonard Nimoy (A Lifetime of Love: Poems, Blue Mountain), Heather Graham (several titles from Mira/ Harlequin) and Paul Auster (Book of Illusions, Holt). Of special note is Robert McCammon, whose Speaks the Nightbird (River City Publishing) is his first novel in a decade, and Ziggy creator Tom Wilson will be signing his 31st annual BEA lithograph, entitled "In Memory of September 11, 2001," at the Andrews McMeel booth on Friday, from 4—5 p.m.
The lion's share of the autographings will occur at the author signing area. Friday's lineup includes a number of familiar names who have written books for children, including Toni Morrison (The Book of Mean People, Hyperion Books for Children), Marlo Thomas (The Right Words at the Right Time, Pocket Books), Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner (Brundibar, Hyperion Books for Children), Michael Chabon (Summerland, Talk Miramax), Leo and Diane Dillon (Rap A Tap Tap, Scholastic/Blues Sky Press) and John Lithgow (Micawber, S&S Books for Young Readers). Adult fare is provided by Mary Higgins Clark (Daddy's Little Girl, S&S), Barbara Kingsolver (Small Wonder, HarperCollins) and former game show host Peter Marshall (Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square, Thomas Nelson).
Saturday brings some big guns, including: Jean Auel (The Shelters of Stone, Crown), Gore Vidal (Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace, Thunder's Mouth), Joyce Carol Oates (I'll Take You There, Ecco), Al and Tipper Gore (Joined at the Heart, Holt), Reynolds Price (Noble Norfleet, Scribner) and Zane (The Heat Seekers, Pocket Books).
Sunday offers an interesting mix of authors ranging from Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Rhodes (A Hole in the World, Univ. Press of Kansas) and National Book Award winner Tim O'Brien (July, July, Houghton Mifflin) to John Cassidy, creator of Juggling for the Complete Klutz (Klutz), which has a 25th-anniversary limited edition. The City
As exciting as the BEA can be, New York City is more so. Sometimes, it's hard to venture out into the host city after a long day of educational programs or walking the trade show floor. But how can you resist the lights of Broadway, the lure of sight-seeing and the busman's holiday of checking out Manhattan bookstores? You can't. That's why we have created an easy-to-use visitor's guide to the food, sights, clubs, bookstores and points of interest in the city. We even offer an article on activities that parents and kids can enjoy together. Welcome to our city!
