Top 5 Things to Learn from BookExpo America

Michelle Dunn, author of Mosquito Marketing for Authors, wrote the following blog on the Book Marketing Network (http://bookmarket.ning.com):

There was so much talk about how this year's BEA was going to be smaller, less attended by industry vendors and visitors and so much less of a networking experience than previous years because of the smaller size. It is true that there was only one floor of the Javits Center this year and less people but I found that to be to my advantage. Less booths to visit, so more time talking to the folks I wanted to talk to, less crowds to get through and a much more relaxed atmosphere.

According to BookExpo America, there were 21,919 people that attended BookExpo this year, while there were over 29,000 industry professionals in attendance in 2009 and 20,000 in 2008.

I came prepared to meet publishers I had been published by, that I had met at other networking events and to speak to publishers who might be interested in my book ideas. I brought business cards I had made up especially for the BEA with pertinent information that publishers would be interested in (how many on my mailing lists, my platform information, etc), and a few press kits. I did well meeting and talking with publishers all day on Wednesday and found 4 publishers interested in my work that took my press kits and cards. I have already had 2 publishers call me about my book idea since I have been back! I landed my first book deal by attending the BEA so that was my goal this year as well.

I really enjoyed the BookExpo being smaller - less crowds, less waiting to talk to people you want to meet and talk to, and less walking! I received a newsletter that had a review of this year's BEA and they called it “boring” and said “that it was not a venue for doing business and that if you hear differently it is simply propaganda from the BEA folks”.

I am not affiliated with the BEA and in my opinion it WAS a venue for doing business and that is not at all propaganda for the BEA. I definitely found some publishers interested in my work and am sure I will get another book deal out of the contacts I made there. In my opinion if you go to the BEA with a clear goal, set up appointments and present yourself in a professional way you can make good contacts and do business attending the BEA. I have attended for the last 6 years and have always had good luck in gaining work and meeting and networking with people that I keep in touch with in the industry.

Some things I noticed at the expo this year were that some of the vendors were late in setting up their booths and when I tried to talk to them, they were too “busy” setting up and asked me to come back later. Others were so busy talking among themselves they would literally just ignore you while chatting or texting - or just walk away from the booth leaving it unmanned. This is fine, I take that to mean they are not serious and if that is how they approach their business, I am not interested in working with them anyway. So by doing this they really did me a favor and saved me from wasting time with them.

I was looking to talk to publishers of business books since that is what I write and in some cases the representatives that I approached at a publishers booth didn’t know who was in charge of the business books, or just didn’t know where they were but they weren’t worried about it. They would ask me to come back later or would just tell me that someone was there that was in charge of the business books but they didn’t know where they were and would walk away. I am still trying to figure out why they were there, maybe to get a day out of the office, or to network with other publishers, but certainly not to meet new authors or look for new talent.

This surprised me since the economy is still in the toilet and the publishing industry seems to be suffering but maybe not enough for them to focus and really try to get the most out of the Expo. On the other hand the folks in the digital publishing sector were outgoing, friendly and helpful. Maybe because they know this is the wave of the future. So, what did I learn from attending my 6th year at the BookExpo?

* It works! It is important to go to the expo with a clear purpose in mind and to be prepared. If you are going to look for a publisher (like I did) make sure you research BEFORE you go, bring relevant business cards and a few press kits. Know what your talking about and present yourself in a professional manner. You have to stand out and have a relevant book idea, as well as information about how you market, your platform and your previous writing experience.

* No matter what the size of the expo, it can be worthwhile. It was for me, the publishers that did not attend did not affect my purpose. I focused on business publishers, made sure I visited their booths, asked relevant questions and spoke to the editors and people that could help me get published.

* Do your research! Check out the publishers websites before the expo, be familiar with how they work. When they are talking with you make sure to mention that you have researched their company, talked to other authors that have worked with them and know their background. This is impressive and extremely helpful. The publishers and editors I spoke with were much more receptive to me, knowing that I had done my research.

* Stop in to say hello to anyone who is there that you know. Networking with these folks and just saying hello goes a long way. Especially if you have only corresponded by email, putting a face to the email is key in networking. For example, If you are a member of a writers association or subscribe to Writers Digest magazine, you would want to stop by and introduce yourself. I like meeting the folks that put out the magazines I read, and meeting the folks that run the writing associations I belong to and they do as well. Make an effort and it will come back to you in a positive way.

* Bring a helper. I have always brought an assistant with me to the book expo, I have this person carry extra business cards, my press kits and approach the next person I am going to speak with while I am finishing up with my current conversations. Having someone give an introduction about you, what you write and how successful you have been is a very professional way to present yourself and you have help carrying your materials and any books you pick up!

* In closing I want to say that the publishers I did speak with were very open and friendly, spent time talking with me to see if I was worth their time and could be an author that would write a book that was relevant to their company and asking about my platform,other writing and marketing experience.

Attending BookExpo was once again, a rewarding experience for me that will result in a paying job and hopefully in getting to know more people in the industry that I met at the expo and now email with and work with in the future.

John's Comments: First, the attendance of real people to do business with was much lower this year than last year. There were many attendees looking for free books who had not decision-making responsibilities.

Second, the bookseller contingent had to have been incredibly much lower (why else would BEA not release those numbers?). That didn't concern Michelle, since her focus was on publishers. For an author, BEA can still be a useful trade show to attend. For book publishers, that's not always the case.

Third, with a two-day show, there wasn't enough time for many publishers to hold all the meetings they would have wanted to under normal conditions. It takes time to hold meetings when negotiating rights sales.

Is BookExpo still worth attending? I'd say yes. Of course, my actions the past two years would say no, since I haven't attended the past two years. But I promise I will be there next year, if the show actually happens again.

Book ‘Em, Danno. A Report from BookExpo America

The following report on the most recent BookExpo America in New York City was written by syndicated columnist Michael J. Herman . . .



In an economic environment where everyone is consciously wondering where and when the next shoe will drop, it is refreshing to see that things are not as grim in Whoville as they seem. Predictions for this year’s Book Expo America (BEA), which took place at New York’s Jacob Javits Center several weeks ago, were dismal at best.

Rumors of the show's imminent demise seem surprisingly premature. Godfrey Harris of The Americas Group, a Los Ageles-based consulting firm said: “In today’s new publishing landscape, BEA is becoming increasingly irrelevant.”

However, rather than downtrodden and gloomy exhibitors, and listless and apathetic attendees, BEA '09 has proven instead a vibrant and excited group of reinvented individuals. Well, many of them, anyway.

While the industry as a whole continues to struggle with its own identity, figuring out why it's a different world out there, and how it can get its archaic paradigms to fit into the new business models, others are embracing the new trends with gusto. By and large, the old guard continues to reign supreme. Brands like Random House, Simon and Schuster, Wiley and Bertelsmann dominate and are the bullies on the block, but the cracks in the walls are apparent to nearly everyone at the show.

No matter to whom you speak, the buzz is about the now ubiquitous transformation of e-books and the even greater rise in popularity of the small press and greater influence of the independent publisher.

Once thought to be a shear aberration, the e-book now promises to serve as savior to an industry that could be witnessing its own rapid demise. The fall of broad appeal brands like Circuit City and Mervyns foreshadow a dismal hope for longevity of niche retailers like Barnes & Noble or Borders.

The question should now be plainly posed: Can the book industry rely on the good graces of Walmart, Costco, and Amazon to provide the effective and wide enough distribution for books, music, software, and other media? Or will the only 2½% of the publishing industry represented by e-books and downloads be able to save us all? Consider the following when answering this question:

-The 2010 BEA will be cut from three days to only two days.

-The Trade Publishing Industry as a whole is experiencing what much of the economy is feeling, a seizing spasmodic choking of revenue and profits from all sectors.

-With the rise in popularity offered by iPods and other downloadable book readers, is BEAs necessary? And,

-How can traditional publishing models continue to succeed, when to survive in the new paradigms they must shift their models and give up what they have known to be stable? Can the changes work?

The change in the length of the show is a mistake according to industry video blogger Kurt Aldag of www.ireadnet.com. He has been pressuring the ABA [Editor's note: BEA is produced by a sister company of Publishers Weekly] which produces the BEA to change its plan from two days in the middle of the week for only industry folks to attend, instead move the show to Thursday and Friday for trade and open it up to the book buying public Saturday and Sunday.

“After all” claims the web TV producer, “the exhibitors are already there with books to sell. The publishers are there with their authors and the media is there waiting for interview savvy dynamos like Ben Mizrich, author of The Accidental Billionaire: The Founding of Facebook to wow them.” Besides which, the Frankfurt Book Fair, (the world’s largest and most successful publishing expo has well proven that this formula works.

According to publishing magnet Mark Victor Hansen, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, this expo is the answer to the industry’s woes. “This is where the most forward thinking thought leaders in the world come to convene for the single cause of publishing. There are no venues in the world containing more positive and motivated people fixated on creating a better world in one location than at BEA. These are the people and companies that know how to solve problems.”

Hansen’s optimism isn’t surprising. He’s built a virtual publishing empire based on the concept of things can always get better. The Chicken Soup brand alone has sold more than 800 million books worldwide. He’s even taken substantial steps to ensure the continued growth of the publishing industry and access to all by launching his own imprint Hansen House and the new web-based http://www.youpublish.com where even beginners can compete with Mark Victor Hansen.

But even with these new outlets designed to compete with Viacom’s massive financial brawn, or Bertelsmann’s global reach, consumers are tired of the old ways and things have changed.

Reid Tracey, with Hay House Publishing, sees the rise of devices like the iPod, iPhone, iTouch, and Sony’s new E-book Reader, are indicative of where the industry simply must go. “Readers are younger, more-savvy, more technical, more educated, more information-starved, and have shorter attention spans. They want it and they want it now.”

He’s right if you consider that the most profitable brands like Harry Potter, Lord of The rings, Twilight, and Jonas Brothers all target young readers.

More than 65 million Kindle e-book downloads have been sold in under two-years and the brands with e-book readers on the way, are betting big that this trend toward portability of content, and cheap accessibility will continue as far as the third eye can see.

The prediction by publishing industry guru Dan Poynter, author of The Self Publishing Manual suggests that the e-book will experience its next tipping point when big names, celebrities, politicians, and tent pole marquis authors choose to publish their big stories by e-format, and forego the prestige commonly associated with printed books.

This opinion is shared by tech publishing guru Yanik Silver of Surefiremarketing.com, who contends that at this point there is no reason to publish traditionally, unless your objective is to be at the mercy of someone with little imagination and an even smaller vision of what is possible. “Publishing electronically is the future and you simply can’t escape that fact.”

Observations Worth Noting at This Year’s BEA:

>> There was a marked shift in exhibitors to more book and publishing related booths and a clear decrease in the number of non-book exhibitors like toys, games, music, consumer products, devices, and personalities.

>> Exhibitors consistently reported fewer qualified leads, but bigger orders and higher priced orders than last year. This is consistent with some other recent tradeshow studies.

>> The quality of titles of all kinds, small press, or by the major houses is the highest they’ve ever been. This made possible by the advent and popularity of digital printing.

If you really want to get the pulse of the book selling industry, buy a new book and read it. Do your part. Take a good book to bed.

Proving that the book publishing and book selling businesses are no laughing matter, even CBS late night talk show wise cracker Craig Fergusson has a new book chronicling his journey to American citizenship. When I asked Fergusson what the secret to his success in so many creative areas is, he chided and said, “I really don’t know.” When pressed a little more, he confessed, “I think I finally got comfortable with who I really am. When I let the world see it, the world wasn’t such a bad place.”



-- Michael J. Herman is a syndicated columnist and author of the bestselling Becoming The Complete Champion: One Motivational Minute at a Time (2003 Motivational Minute Press). Mike coaches authors, speakers, and entrepreneurs in the effective and systematic ways to build profitable enterprises. Mike can be reached at http://www.themotivationalminute.com.

Big Mistake: BookExpo America Is Changing

BookExpo America is going to a 2.2 day event midweek and only in New York City for 2010, 2011, and probably beyond. You can read more about it in Publishers Weekly at: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6636214.html?nid=2286&source=link&rid=1492972944.

I think that Reed is making a serious mistake here. They are trying to cater to the needs of the major New York publishers, but for years BEA has been paid for by all the small publishers who exhibit. Personally, I wouldn't recommend small publishers exhibit at BEA every year if Reed continues with their plans.

New York as a venue is fine once in a while, but every year it's too expensive, hard to get around, and boring. The midweek shortened event will also not be conducive to doing business. The exhibit hall will be inundated with all the minions who work for the few New York publishers making it even more difficult to get around the convention hall or do any real business.

Horrible, horrible, horrible.

Independent publishers should protest vociferously.

Kathleen Gage, John Kremer, and Bob Baker

Internet marketing expert Kathleen Gage, indie music marketing expert Bob Baker, and book marketing expert John Kremer caught at the Midpoint party during BookExpo America in Los Angeles, California.

John Kremer: Whack, Whack, Whack

Here is a YouTube video of me having some fun with Matthew Peterson and Shel Horowitz on the last day of BookExpo America in Los Angeles. Enjoy!



What would you do to make the news? Whack someone? Sing and dance? More? Check out this BookExpo America short short.

John Kremer at BookExpo America

Below are a few photos of me at BookExpo America in Los Angeles (from last weekend).



The first is a photo of me with the Pope
(he was a little stiff that day :)).



Above is another photo from the last day of BookExpo America with me in the middle, Matthew Peterson, author of Paraworld Zero on the left, and Shel Horowitz, author of Grassroots Marketing on the right.

Note how Matthew is holding his book and Shel has a badge with his book -- and me, the book marketer, with nothing. Alas.

John Kremer at BookExpo America: May 29th to June 3rd, 2007

I'll be speaking three times at the PMA University on Tuesday (2 p.m.), Wednesday (2 p.m.), and Thursday (10:30 a.m.) in advance of BooKExpo America. Details at: http://www.pma-online.org.

I'll also be speaking at the Publishing Seminar described above on Tuesday morning, May 29th, from 8:30 a.m. to Noon. Details at: http://www.PublishingSeminar.com.

I'll also be speaking on Sunday on the floor of the convention center at 11:00 a.m. at the Small Press Lounge (Booths 1643, 1645, 1646, and 1647). I'll be speaking on 30 Ways to Market Your Books in 60 Minutes.

I hope to meet some of you at one of these events or in walking the floor of the BEA convention itself.

Are You Twittering?

I just discovered an interesting website with lots of activity. It's called Twitter.com, and it is designed to keep friends and other interested parties informed about what you are doing -- especially via cell phone text messages (which you can access either via the website, IM, or your cell phone.

I'm going to use it to let people who become my followers or friends (two categories in Twitter) -- to let them know whenever I update a page on my website. As I Twitter, the RSS feed will also be sent to my website at http://www.bookmarket.com/files.htm (at the bottom of the page).

But the thing that I think is going to be revolutionary is the ability to let people know where you are at any time during a convention like BookExpo America. I've set up a page on Twitter to update people for BookExpo. This way people will be able to find me wherever I am on the floor of the convention or later during the day. Not just find me, but also track anyone else who joins the BookExpo page as a friend. I'm hoping to set up a private timeline just for the event.

If you want to see how this works, you can go to my twitter page at http://twitter.com/SparkyNM (I decided
to use a nickname so I sound cooler :))

If you want to see what a private timeline might look like, see the one they set up for SXSW (a music festival currently going on in Austin, Texas, where a lot of cool music, movie, and technology people are this weekend). Go to http://sxsw.twitter.com.