I just got back from this year’s BEA event in NYC, and I want to summarize a few things for those of you who wonder what happens there, or what this BookCon thing is, or what’s going to happen to BEA in the future…which is a big question, for sure.
BEA is short for Book Expo America.
It’s a trade show held at the Javits convention center in NYC each year (until 2015, that is). If you’ve never been to a trade show, imagine an enormous building the scale of a concert hall, lined with booths and banners. What’s in all of those booths? Publishers, but also companies that are related to publishing (including printing services, toy companies, app groups, etc).
For most people, the only parts of the BEA floor that hold interest are the publisher’s booths. During the show, you can get ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) of books from these booths, as well as line up to get books signed by certain authors (there’s also a large Autographing Area for this specific purpose). What this means overall is that you end up walking around a crowded convention hall, trying to decide which book to line up for, if the line is too long, or if there might be a book drop (an unscheduled release of ARCs) at any of the big booths.
Yes, you can get a bunch of books for FREE at BEA…but that’s changing.
While this year’s event is fresh in my mind, here’s what I think is coming: BEA as a trade show has lost some of it’s past functionality. Meaning, there aren’t a TON of publishing deals going down at the show compared to the past. Publishers are seeing less incentive to spend a lot of money on the event (and that means fewer free books for attendees).
Plus, the books they are giving away aren’t intended as awesome presents from heaven–they’re intended to help market the upcoming books and build buzz. That’s why the event is traditionally limited to publishing professionals, including bloggers. Bloggers and avid readers will promote a book and build buzz, and therefore are worth the investment. The general public isn’t considered as great of an investment when it comes to ARCs.
This year, I also noticed that the ARCs were even more tightly controlled than last year. Many book drops were scheduled, instead of being randomly set out. Some of the book drops even required lines, which meant that over all, you weren’t going to grab as many books (because there is only so much time, and you can only wait in so many lines).
So, professional or public, BEA is changing.
It’s not so much about the books anymore.
Instead, BEA is evolving into a more consumer-centric event with the advent of BookCon.
Now, BookCon came about in a way that was uber confusing for a lot of attendees. Last year, BEA offered Power Reader passes, which were one-day passes for the public to attend the show on Saturday. This was the only opportunity for “non-publishing” people to attend this show. Usually, you have to be an author, blogger, or publishing professional of some sort to attend (again, that whole “investment” concept).
But back to BookCon. This year, after Power Reader passes were sold, attendees were informed that a new event was taking place–BookCon–and that their Power Reader passes were being reassigned to this event. Most people crossed their fingers and hoped for the best: that BookCon would be the same as Power Reader day last year.
Well, it wasn’t.
And it’s not going to be in the future, either.
BookCon is run by the same entity that runs ComicCon. They are focused on consumers, celebrity, and drawing large amounts of revenue by bringing those two entities together. Like ComicCon, BookCon was focused on panels. Panels are basically presentations/Q&As with important people of some sort–in BookCon’s case, the panels were mainly focused on authors and celebrities with tie-ins to publishing or book-to-film projects (like TFioS, Stan Lee & Marvel books, Dystopian panel including Veronica Roth). Yes, there were panels on other topics like diversity, but by and large, the panels were focused on presenters with some clout behind their names, culminating in the TFioS panel with John Green.
So, what happened at BookCon?
Basically, thousands of people showed up and lined up for different panels or a few select book giveaways on the BEA floor. By noon, publishers on the BEA floor started packing up. Their trade show was over, which was utterly confusing to many of the BookCon attendees hoping for free books. There weren’t a lot of those on Saturday, because BookCon attendees are perceived as the general public, and remember, they aren’t the intended audience for ARCs. But there were a lot of opportunities to line up and see celebrities, as well as a greater emphasis on poster, sticker, and button giveaways.
So, if you’re considering attending BEA next year, while it’s still in NYC, here are a few important details to keep in mind:
- BEA is evolving toward a pop culture event for consumers centered around books and authors, as quoted from this PW article.
- BookCon organizers have announced the intention to hold MULTIPLE BookCon days in 2015, with an increased focus on consumer attendance and revenue generation, as described here.
- BEA is moving to Chicago in 2016, and the word I heard is that many publishing pros will not be able to justify attending, and so the event is likely to evolve even further toward the ComicCon approach. Meaning, there will be a focus on books and authors, but in the celebrity-viewing sense, with fewer free books.
- Many authors attend BEA because it’s in NYC, and they get a chance to meet with their editors, agents, and publishing friends while in town. Many of us are only at the show itself for smaller periods of time, so a lot of the fun stuff you see on Twitter and the like is not even at BEA itself.
So, consider all of this before you invest in attending–what will you get out of BEA? Or BookCon? They are fun events, but also events with a very specific purposes, and those purposes are changing. In the future, I think BEA will have less and less emphasis on books, and more on cultural tie-ins that tend to be more lucrative, as evidenced with the shift toward BookCon. It’s something to keep in mind.
 |
| My younger son and I, reading MY TRUCK IS STUCK to his class |
It can be easy to forget why we do this work, what with deadlines and doubts and all of the things we do in our own little writerly vacuums. The good news: All it takes is reading a book to a class of eager young readers to remember the why.
Thanks to the lovely Miss Louise Galveston (whose hilarious gross-out book BY THE GRACE OF TODD is not to be missed), I doodled something for you guys. Here’s my writing process, in one complicated, annotated, illustrated nutshell:
As you can see, a lot goes on inside my head. If you’d like to read more about my process (which I love to gab about), check out these posts on outlining and revision. You can also find a TON of awesome writing posts from other authors on Le Twitter, under the hashtag #MyWritingProcess.
Right now, I’m working on revisions for my debut novel, Counting Thyme, as well as drafting my second MG book and a YA contemporary about a boy who believes love is a delusion. I’m drawn to all kinds of stories (especially fantasy, which I grew up reading!), but contemporary characters (and families) are the ones who give me all the feels. There’s nothing quite like entering another person’s world. Which, come to think of it, is I why I both read and write. Books are the bomb!
Now, let me introduce you to three fellow writers, who are each so awesome, it’s barely acceptable to tag them all in the same post. They’ll share their process next Monday, May 5th!
 There are some books you covet so much you can taste it. That’s how I feel about Becky. I mean, her book. No, seriously. SIMON sounds like exactly the kind of endearing, unapologetically intelligent story that I love to read!
Becky Albertalli is a child psychologist turned YA writer who lives in the not cool part of Atlanta with her husband, son, dog, and cat. Her debut, SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA, will be released in March of 2015 by Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins. Becky is represented by Brooks Sherman of The Bent Agency. Blog | GoodReads | Twitter
 When it comes to heart and family, my good friend Ronni Arno is matchless, so I can’t wait to read her MG debut about a girl who hides her family’s celebrity status from her friends at boarding school.
Ronni’s debut novel, RENEE REINVENTED, publishes with Simon & Schuster/Aladdin in Fall 2015. Ronni stalks her kids and their friends for story ideas, kayaks, and eats chocolate…not usually at the same time. Ronni is rep’d by Sarah Davies of The Greenhouse Literary Agency. Blog | GoodReads | Twitter
 When I read MY 7TH GRADE LIFE IN TIGHTS, I couldn’t believe how freaking funny it was–laugh out loud lines on every page! I may have wanted to smack Brooks (just a little), but really, I’m very happy for him (ie: unreasonably jealous).
Brooks Benjamin is a MG writer, filmmaker, teacher, husband, SCBWI member, and father to a 75-pound demented German Shepherd mix named LeeLoo. Represented by the fantabulous Uwe Stender of TriadaUS Literary. Blog | GoodReads | Twitter
Because you need this information, obviously. Happy Wednesday! 🙂
I’m so, so thrilled to announce that Counting Thyme, my middle grade novel about a girl whose family relocates to NYC for her brother’s cancer treatment, has sold to the lovely Stacey Barney at Putnam! Here’s the PW announcement (!!!!!):
For as long as I can remember, books have been a magical part of my life. I can recall reading The Monster at the End of this Book with my mother before bed, and wondering when a furry blue muppet would come to visit me. By third grade, I stayed up late into the night reading classics like Where the Red Fern Grows and Charlotte’s Web by the light of our upstairs hallway, falling prey to the “just one more chapter” syndrome that now rules my life.
 |
| An early revision manuscript |
I find books miraculous. We have twenty-six letters in the English language, and a limited vocabulary, and yet writers create wonderful, new stories every single day. I’m so proud to become a part of that tradition!
Thank you to my critique partners, family, and friends for being so supportive, and of course my wonderful agent, Pete Knapp. I’m so excited to work with Stacey and Putnam to bring another miraculous collection of words into the world.
I was reminded of this poem today, when my critique partners and I were discussing words of inspiration. A poem titled “in Defeat” may not sound very inspiring on first glance, but ever since I read this in eighth grade for an English assignment, I’ve loved every word. It’s one of the very few poems I have memorized. I keep a copy of it hanging on my wall. Today, I share it with you:
in Defeat
Defeat may serve as well as victory
To shake the soul and let the glory out.
When the great oak is straining in the wind,
The boughs drink in new beauty, and the trunk
Sends down a deeper root on the windward side.
Only the soul that knows the mighty grief
Can know the mighty rapture. Sorrows come
To stretch out spaces in the heart for joy.
— Edwin Markham.
It’s hard to believe that this is just around the corner. But it is. Right? Hello? *shovels snow*
There’s this concept that one of my yoga teachers talks about: the idea of saving your energy. What I mean by that is, you know that moment, right after everyone in yoga does a partner exercise, and a burst of chatter and laughter takes over the room? Or, if not yoga, perhaps the moment right after you finish a run, or a swim, or any other kind of physical challenge? That moment is pure energy.
Seriously. In my yoga class, our teacher often has to ring a bell to get our attention after one of these energy-blasting moments. That’s how jazzed we all feel. Smiling. Chatting. Being loud as heck. Basically, we revert to being a class full of wild child three year olds for about 3 minutes, until our teacher reminds us to SAVE OUR ENERGY.
At the moment you accomplish something (often a physical effort), your brain releases a rush of happy chemicals. You feel INCREDIBLE. You’re instantaneously more extroverted and ready to gab. You can feel the energy rush through your limbs like electricity.
You have a choice then: either let all that energy out by some means of release…OR, hold it inside, like a hot little ball of inferno, fully charged and ready to explode.
Of course, saving your energy is not easy. But if you can hold onto that energized feeling and direct it inwards, you can use that energy for another challenge. In yoga, I hold onto my energy by staying silent and focused. Then my next arm balance or handstand is so much easier, because I have that charge stored up in my muscles, ready to go.
The same principle applies to creative energy. You know that moment when you have a creative breakthrough, and you want to hop on twitter and gab gab gab? Or message a friend? Or text someone? Next time, try resisting that urge. Hold onto your energy. Feel the pressure of it in your chest, filling you up. Stay focused, and move forward with your work. You will delve deeper. You will roll through to another eureka. Or in the very least, the next challenge you face will be that much easier.
Save your energy, friends. Put it to work for YOU. Happy writing, all!
I babbled on about beta readers on Twitter today, and decided to put it all here for easy reference:
|
|
