Snowicane strikes BEA (or a chance to work from home) Librarian News Today

While I have not ventured out to tackle my driveway yet - I have been able to keep plenty busy with BEA business, getting excited reviewing the press release for next week on BEA's Author Breakfast & Lunch line ups.  It is a great group!!!

Okay enough teases - one announcement I can share full details on is that Library Journal and School Library Journal will bring the Day of Dialogue to Javits on Tuesday May 25th.   LJ and SLJ have long recognized that librarians can not only benefit from what happens at BEA, but they are a constituency that belongs at BEA.  Francine Fialkoff, Editor-in-Chief for Library Journal was a great help to me when I started in earnest to bring more librarians to BEA, understanding the value of BEA for librarians as well as educating publishers to expect librarians would be attending BEA looking for what will be the big fall/spring titles, getting to talk with directly reps and making connections with publicity staff to coordinate author events.  As recently as 5-6 years ago BEA might get 400 librarians.  We now regularly get 2,500 and expect over 3,000 librarians for BEA 2010.  Having the great program that LJ & SLJ puts together for the Day of Dialogue (DoD) will also allow those librarians to take advantage of the BEA Buzz Panels and Opening Night on the same day.  There was always a number of librarians that would attend DoD but could not also attend BEA.  This will allow them to get the best of both worlds.  LJ & SLJ will soon post their registration links for DoD and we will have a link on the Librarian page from the BEA website.  To get info before that, e-mail: DayofDialog@reedbusiness.com


One other fun librarian tidbit -  the BEA contest held at ALA Midwinter has a winner:  Theresa Webster, YA Librarian from Los Angeles Public Library.   Theresa will get her hotel at BEA, free admission to BEA, tickets to the BEA Author Breakfasts & Lunches and get to hang out in the Green Room before those events.  She will also get her own blog that will be posted on the BEA Librarian Page sharing what she is excited about before, during and after BEA - all from a librarian's wonderful perspective, first hand.

A couple of photos at what it looks like to work from the Rosato house today.  Josh & Luke in PJ's playing games and below is the view from my basement 'office' window.

More new on BEA

I am looking forward to participating in my first ever Twitchat on Friday February 19th at 4:00 pm (#FollowReader Twitter conversation topic is "Reader Cons" ).  I will be weighing in on my perspective on the pros and cons of having the public at BEA.  For the record, before anyone calls - BEA remains a trade only event.  The tired, poor, hungry huddled masses shall not be decending upon Javits.  That being said (license to contradict myself according to 30 Rock) as I look forward, BEA needs to find a meaningful way to engage readers.   SPOILER ALERT:  Our efforts around New York Book Week will hopefully go a long way toward making that happen.  One of my next few posts will have details that I can share about New York Book Week.

Brien McDonald is the newest thing to land on BEA. We welcome Brien as the National Accounts Manager who will be working with a lot of the major publishers to make sure they are not only engaged in BEA, but that BEA is serving their needs as an event. Brien comes to BEA with a strong background in publishing having worked with Greenwood and most recently ABC CLIO.

Reflecting on Winter Institute

My return trip from the ABA's Winter Institute in San Jose this past weekend was like rushing to be at your local DMV before it opens, no matter how quickly you get through it, visiting the dentist is a more satisfying experience.  I took off early to get ahead of the snow, which turned out to be a non-event for NYC airports.  My attitude about my return trip was thanks to American Airlines losing my bag.   Once found, it was then delivered to my house at 3:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, sans a burgled camera and GPS.

That aside, I did leave the Winter Institute motivated and optimistic.  The ABA ran a fantastic event that provided great connectivity for authors and publishers with booksellers, not to mention terrific sessions.   Not being tied to running an event or being in a booth like LBF or Frankfurt, provided the chance to be there for exactly what I needed to do was not only liberating, but a valuable use of my time for what I got to accomplish at the Winter Institute.  The theory of If a little is good, a lot must be better can be flawed, especially applied to things like dessert, shots at closing time or butter.  However I look forward to BEA being the positive intent of a lot being better.    I walked away from the Winter Institute seeing how great the Author Reception and publisher pitch sessions were and envisioned how BEA is going to be a lot of a better thing.  When I get excited about something, I have an odd habit (annoying according to my wife) of rubbing my hands together like you would on a cold day.  Well - I was rubbing my hands together thinking of how BEA will be all that great was at the Winter Institute only a lot more of it!

P.S.  We will be making our author announcements shortly and it is a GREAT line up.  I can share one tidbit - we will be welcoming Sara Gruen to BEA this year.

P.P.S.  American Airlines will be getting back to me in 8-12 weeks after they conduct their 'investigation'.  If I am blue at BEA, that will be the result of holding my breath over that period.