A Debrief of Book Expo America 2011

By Rana DiOrio, Founder of Little Pickle Press

We got a lot accomplished at BEA this year. We met with authors, printers, wholesalers, distributors, professional association executives, and technology partners. We won book awards, signed posters, and were interviewed. We got to know the people we work with on a regular basis via cyberspace and telephone better and more personally. We shared updates with our tribe via all the usual social media outlets. Now, I would like to share with you just a few of my observations of the event.

The State of the Industry

·     The book industry is alive and well. The children's picture book is safe. The event was very well attended, although it was smaller than in years past I'm told.

·     The publishing cycle is shrinking because of the dynamism and efficiencies of other micro and small presses as well as technological advancements. For example, The Domino Project, founded by best-selling author and marketing genius Seth Godin and working in collaboration with Amazon and, is publishing a hardback book from start to finish in 14 weeks. They are also printing their desired Twitter hashtags on the dust jacket of this book.

·     The digital tsunami has hit. There are still the naysayers (such as Kevin Henkes, award-winning author of 42 children's books), but the consensus is that digital will continue to thrive and peacefully co-exist  with traditionally-printed books.

·     Authors must help to build their tribes online as well as offline or else they will not be able to gain mind (or market) share. They need to overcome their fears. To do so, I think that publishers have to demystify cyberspace for authors, allay their anxieties, and help them to broaden their reach and impact with the power of social media.

·     Many publishers did not give out books. They gave out posters or T-shirts instead. The tide is visibly turning on this topic about which we feel strongly. (To read our position statement, please link to: http://bit.ly/lE38hl.)

Suggested Areas For Improvement

·     Next year, I hope to see more publishers taking a stand against giving away books to BEA attendees, many of whom take these autographed books and sell them on eBay. Books are precious. The book industry is a vital industry with many links in the supply chain, all of which are negatively impacted by unnecessarily giving away the finished product.

·     Javits is an inferior venue. It is tired, awkward, environmentally-unfriendly (no recycling, no LEED efficiencies, etc.), is not easy to get to/from, and offers inedible/unhealthy food options. I know that it is getting upgrades in certain sections. Perhaps it will be materially improved by next year, or perhaps there is another home for BEA . 

·     BEA is by far the most expensive industry trade show at which to exhibit and to attend. My friends at ForeWord Magazine told me that it is cheaper for them to exhibit at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, even with international travel involved, than it is for them to participate in BEA. As the industry shifts and embraces micro and small presses, perhaps the organizers of BEA will take that into consideration as they design and price the event.

 As always, we welcome your thoughts, so please share them with us.

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