With baby boomers a prime demographic for book publishers, PW and AARP organized a pavilion for publishers at AARP's Vegas@50+ member conference at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas October 22—24. The Books for Grownups area of the show floor consisted of four publishers as well as an AARP bookstore selling books. Some 24,000 AARP members attended the conference, and publishers reported meeting high numbers of consumers they were anxious to reach.
Cathy Ventura Merkel of AARP said publishers were a welcome addition to the conference. “We were thrilled to have book publishers there,” she said. “We know this is an audience that buys a lot of books, not just for themselves but for family members, too.”
John Goodwin, president of Galaxy Press, said conference attendees were “a perfect audience” for publishers: “They are intelligent, educated, they have income, and they enjoy reading.” Galaxy sold 400 books. Other publishers, such as Medallion Press and Upper Room Books, did not sell books, but said they reaped high-quality contacts from the event. Medallion president Adam Mock said, “It exceeded our expectations. It's a great market to tap into, and I was surprised more publishers weren't there to be part of such a specific demographic.” Medallion ended up with contact information for more than 500 potential book buyers who want to sign up for the company's e-newsletters.
The next AARP national member gathering will be in Orlando, Fla., September 30—October 2, 2010, and will again feature a publishers' pavilion.
