Quick Hits

What, no BEA?!

This is the first post Memorial Day Tuesday that I haven't been gearing up for Book Expo America in six years. We made the decision to send a very small crew this year for a few reasons, including a recent trip to NYC for a launch party and a guess that this year's event won't be much of one.

I will miss a few things about BEA, including seeing good friends, getting a good pulse for the fall lists, swiping a few free galleys, the first-ever BEA Tweet-up and, you know, high-fiving the Pope:


I won't miss trying to catch a cab during a Friday afternoon downpour, waiting 20 min for $5 coffee, sore feet from walking the show floor all day or 6:30 AM breakfast meetings.

If you will also be vicariously attending BEA through Twitter, join me in following the BEA 2009 hash tag on Twitter: #BEA09.

For those heading to NYC, check out the Book Publicity Blog's list of things to download before you make the trip.


The Noticer is a bestseller

Late last week we received word from Thomas Nelson that The Noticer debuted on both The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. It is #6 on the NY Times Hardcover/Advice list and #15 on the WSJ nonfiction list.

This book has been the subject of a large amount of well-deserved buzz this spring and is one of the best team-based campaigns we have been involved with.

For those of you who have yet to take part in the social media movement inspired by the book, The Noticer Project, you can read pages and pages of notices on the website and begin noticing those who have made the biggest impact on your life there as well.

It has been exciting to watch a campaign that has combined the best of traditional media with social media for the same purpose--to attract readers to a very good book by one of the best storytellers in publishing.

Amidst the shots publishing takes from those who label it slow-to-adapt and too dependent on print media, this launch is a very good example of how the industry is adapting and finding ways to reach readers in new ways.

For those who haven't read the book, through the end of May, Thomas Nelson is running a special where if you buy a copy of the book you can receive it in every format with which it is available. I highly recommend it.

Sex in Another City

Like the lonely girl who didn’t get to go to the prom, I sat home this weekend watching a chick flick. No, I did not attend BEA. No, I did not see the bright lights and big city of Los Angeles. I shunned all books in protest, wiping my tears on a bone-and-ivory vintage Yves St. Lauren drape blouse. Didn’t sleep. Didn’t eat. (Unless you count reading this month’s Vogue, which fed me more than food itself).

Meanwhile, while I was wringing my hands – hands ensconced in Zac Posen distressed leather gloves - Samantha was relishing BEA's past. The place? BEA Manhattan. The crowd? Literati. My heart? Breaking. I mean, wasn't I the writer here? Why did she get to go mingle with all the hot literati? And, she went back in 2005! I never went! I was just about to go affix a nasty Post-It note to her high-rise loft door, when I remembered: I had a movie to see.

So that night, with the girls on-hand and Manolos on-foot, I was off. The theater was packed. Perhaps not quite the crowd at BEA, but then, this crowd was holding Cosmos, not galley books. (Take that, Samantha). True, there was nary a Y chromosome in sight - but then, who wants those eye-rolling, buzz-killing, one-thing-wanting men to ruin a perfectly good Ladies Night, anyway?

With the lights low and music cuing, I was happy as a Derek Lam. Here we were, out on the town! Four girls as fearless - and fierce! - as they come. And yet - as I looked around at the sea of pink, glitter, and Vera Wang clutches, a sea that was still just a drop in the bucket for BEA's crowds, I couldn't help but wonder: when it comes to sex, are books the new black?

Barbara Walters recently revealed her steamy affair with Senator Edward Brooke in her memoir Audition - not on TV. Prince just released 21 Nights - a book, not an album - and I don't think I have to tell you what he did on each of those nights. It seems that sex is between all the covers these days - and I don't mean just chick lit.

So during two of the biggest events of the year - BEA and Sex and the City film release, both held on a single, fateful weekend - it's clear that sex sells. But when the pink book is closed, the martini is put down, and this monologue finally comes to an end - the real question will be, "will sex continue to sell?"

Judging from the impressive Amazon rankings of this hardcover, movie tie-in book, it would appear so.

Day One Reflections

Before I get into my reflections I must mention that fellow Texan and Dallas Morning News Book Review Editor Michael Merschel is doing an excellent job of covering this year's event on his Texas Pages blog. Amidst several anecdotes from day one of the event, Mike tells a very funny story about trying to navigate his rented Ford Focus to Prince's mansion [and secret book party]. Apparently the fact that one of his three passengers had an invite to the secret party was not enough to get his Focus through the gate. If it makes you feel better Mike, I wasn't in one of those limos that rolled by you into the party.

The LA Convention Center is both a)huge and b)spread out. This year's convention floor is divided between the West (where the action is) and South (home to signings, indie publishers and, sadly, the international rights center) halls. We always get a table in the rights center for meetings during the show and it is normally a great location.

Not this year.

It's not enough that the rights center is miles up the coast from the main convention floor, but it's also completely separated from the actual event itself--off in its own room. Not sure we'll take a table the next time we're back in LA.

Enough grumblings. Here are a few quick hits from day one:

- The best promo button I was handed came from a group of ebook designers and read "*&#^ the Kindle!" Apparently they are not fans. I, however, got my first demonstration of Amazon's new digital reader and I have to say I am impressed. Easy to navigate, compact and very readable. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to make the switch but I'm more open to it than I thought I'd be.

- NetGalley is getting a LOT of buzz this year. Their reps have been filling up seats on panels throughout the week and have heard their name in several of my meetings with top PR directors. It sounds like they are still working out some kinks but it is clear that e-galleys are here to stay. To me, the electronic medium of galley submission is not nearly as important as the dialogue NetGalley plans to create between publicists and reviewers through its service. I'm meeting with them at 11 AM today and am curious to see how we can get in the game.

- There is a reason why Karen Kingsbury is the queen of inspirational fiction (or as she calls it, "Life-Changing Fiction"). She is notorious for creating lines that go for miles atICRS but yesterday's autograph session was proof that her work is crossing over in a major way. Her line was not only the longest in her timeslot but she was the only author standing in front of her autograph table to greet her fans. That's the way to do a signing.

- Primetime BEA shuttles (either 8-9 AM or 4-5 PM)are never a lot of fun. Always full of cranky literati feigning interest in the work of the attendee sitting or standing next to them, they are a necessary but unpleasant part of the experience.
Apparently folks have been spicing it up a bit this year. As I was getting off the bus yesterday I noticed a sign reminding passengers that no gambling is allowed during the trip. Not no smoking or no standing but "NO GAMBLING". Maybe people didn't get the memo that we don't head to Vegas until 2011.

On the eve of BEA

It's 7:32 AM on day one and I'm gearing up for the madness of BEA--appointments, old friends, free books, sore feet, parties, $10 sandwiches and other trade show accessories.

Yesterday, after our flight landed on time(!), I headed over to the convention center to attend a panel discussion I had been looking forward to. Titled "Strategies for New Publicity Opportunities in an Expanding Media Universe," this discussion featured a panel that included John Pitts (VP & Marketing Dir., Doubleday), Ron Hogan (Founder, Beatrice & lead writer, GalleyCat), Matt Baldacci (Dir. of Marketing, St. Martin's Press), Ami Greko (Marketing Director, Folio Literary Management) and Cindy Dach (General Manager, Changing Hands Bookstore).

It was a lively panel, with Pitts discussing his house's marketing efforts for Chuck Palahniuk's new release, Snuff. Not only did Doubleday start a MySpace page for the porn star protagonist, but they actually created trailers for three of her supposed movies. We were treated to one of them to open the panel. Brilliant idea for reaching the target market for the book (135K views on YouTube in the first week) but I'm not sure the footage itself was right for everyone in attendance. I mean, it was a trailer for a fake porn movie after all.

It was also interesting to hear from Ami Greko, who heads up Folio's internal marketing department. I am seeing this more and more from literary agencies--bringing PR and marketing folks in-house to assist publishers, publicists and authors in the promotion of all of their books. I think it's very smart.

Finally, Ron Hogan had some insightful thoughts on what book trailers should and shouldn't do. I thought his best line was "trailers shouldn't tell me about a story--they should tell me a story." That is what we have been shooting to do with the trailers we have just produced--and I hope we've accomplished it.

Ok, off to the convention center for what should be a very interesting day. More soon.

Friday Morning Round-up

Baker shrugs off slow economy, turns in big year

Though many publishers have struggled to advance into the headwind that is the current economy, Baker Publishing Group just turned in extremely impressive numbers for their most recent fiscal year (ending April 30th). From this week’s Publishers Weekly:

“Baker Publishing Group reported record results for its fiscal year ending April 30, 2008, with publishing sales up 16%, to $57.9 million. President Dwight Baker emphasized that although sales of its bestselling 90 Minutes in Heaven helped the company achieve the gain, "this is much more comprehensive, with growth in all divisions." Revell was up 26 %; Chosen, 25 %; Baker Books, 15 %; Baker Academic, 13 %; Brazos, 10 %, and Bethany House, 9 %. "In just about all channels and all categories we are up," Baker said.”

As PW mentions, blockbuster books like 90 Minutes in Heaven—a title that found its way on just about every bestseller list in the industry--certainly help, but Baker posted gains across just about every imprint they have, which shows a keen eye for building momentum across genres.

Congrats to Dwight Baker and the executive team at Baker Publishing Group for such a strong year. Kudos are also due to Deonne Beron, B.J. Heyboer, Caitlin Mackenzie and the entire publicity team for their savvy promotion of Baker titles.

Writers' League of Texas Agents & Editors Conference schedule announced

This year’s conference features Sara Nelson, Editor-in-Chief of Publishers Weekly, as the keynote speaker, along with editors from Crown, Thomas Dunne, Seal and other top houses, literary agents from Sterling Lord, Triada US, Full Circle Literary Mgmt and other top agencies, as well as a number of aspiring authors. It also features panel discussions on a variety of literary topics, including the one P&P organized, that boasts industry media from Publishers Weekly, Mediabistro’s GalleyCat, The Dallas Morning News, The Austin American Statesmanand KUT, Austin's NPR affiliate.

I don’t know of another conference outside of BEA that puts this many publishing heavyweights in one place. I asked outgoing Executive Director John Pipkin how the conference has attacted such a great group...

"The main reason that the Writers' League of Texas continually attracts top agents and editors to its annual conference has everything to do with the professionalism of the aspiring writers who attend," says Pipkin. "Agents and editors regularly tell us how impressed they are with the level of talent and the quality of writing that they find here in Austin, and this keeps them coming back. The conference has become an important recruitment and networking tool for many agents who are looking for new talent, and we have earned a solid reputation in publishing circles for running a first-class event."

For decades, Austin has been the muse of many a songwriter, launching careers of aspiring artists at South by Southwest and the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Already widely renowned for its music scene, it is nice to see Austin's literary prowess starting to get noticed. Thanks to a well-connected writers’ community and a city with a great reputation, publishing insiders around the country are eager to make the trip.

You can view the full schedule here. If you are an author shopping a manuscript that wants face time with some of the industry's top agencies (23 represented at this conference), there is no better place than this event. You can register here.

Live BEA updates coming next week

For those of you sitting out the west coast swing of BEA, in between meetings, panels and cocktail parties I’ll be updating the blog with pics from the event, so keep an eye out for updates…

Friday Morning Round-up

Is anyone going to LA?

It is hard to believe that we are less than one month away from Book Expo America (BEA). I'm looking forward to seeing old friends, attending great panels and catching a Dodgers game.

One downside of this year's event is the attendance is always lighter than normal in LA. I've talked with several contacts that are mainstays at BEA that aren't making the trip this year thanks to travel headaches.

To make matters worse, Slunch thanked JetBlue this week for cancelling its New York to LA service just in time for the show. Many of our friends in New York will now be facing the harrowing traffic jam that lies between Long Beach and LA. I think I'll pass on that.

New Interview Series Starting Next Week

We have decided to introduce some new voices to our blog, so starting next week, look for installments of our weekly interview series. We're going to reach out to various industry contacts and ask them to pass along their wisdom to you all.

First up--Karen Campbell, Director of Public Relations at Zondervan (a division of HarperCollins). Karen's leadership has put Zondervan authors on the cutting edge of the Web 2.0 movement and she'll be stopping in next week to share her thoughts on publicity, publishing and much more.

Blog Interview Just Posted

Those of you who frequent literary blogs know how fantastic Novel Journey is. Writers Digest just named the site one of their 101 Most Valuable Websites for Writers 2008. We have been loyal readers for a long time and were recently asked to conduct an interview series them.

The first installment was posted today.