Have Your (Cup)cake and Read It Too

This is a link to the Huffington Post Book section on a new feature BEA is doing with them.  This is just simple and fun.  Or you can find this on BookBliss

Have Your (Cup)cake and Read It Too

Have you submitted your BookStats survey yet?

I am doing a blog post supporting the AAP & BISG effort to get publishers to report their data in order to compile the BookStats report.  Below gives a detailed explanation of BookStats.  If you are a publisher, hopefully this friendly reminder is useful.  For anyone else, it is a fantastic report that I have grown to depend upon when I work on the short and long term strategic planning for BEA.  Without exaggerating, it is the most important information I use outside of Reed in planning for BEA.  

It’s now February.  Have you submitted your BookStats survey yet?  This is a friendly reminder that the submission deadline this year is February 28, 2013.

BookStats—a joint venture of our two organizations, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the Book Industry Study Group (BISG)—provides the industry with the most comprehensive and reliable analysis of publisher net sales. Measuring the size and scope of the entire U.S. publishing industry, BookStats puts all this data and more at your fingertips through our Online Data Dashboard, and through written reports.

But the BookStats tools are only as good as the data we collect. We’re writing today to tell you that submission guidelines for the 2013 Edition are now available, and to encourage you to participate as early as possible.

We are asking for 2012 data with a 2011 comparative (if you submitted last year, the 2011 data will be used in extrapolating a restatement). You can view the guidelines, here: http://www.bookstats.org/submit-bookstats.php.

Participation in BookStats at the most basic level is a simple process involving the completion of a short online Survey. To begin this year's survey, please go here: http://deploy.ztelligence.com/start/index.jsp?PIN=16932TDN54YJZ

Once you complete this basic survey, we would like to ask that you consider increasing your participation by taking part 2 of this survey. Once you complete the basic information, you will be prompted to continue the survey and provide your sales data based on formats, channels, and product categories. By including this data, you will be providing the BookStats report a new level of granularity not previously available. This will help you see how you are performing against your peers in the fast moving shifts in the book industry, including the very still evolving format of digital books.

Additionally, if you would like to consider participating at an even more detailed level (Survey B or Survey A); you can see the requirements on the www.BookStats.org website. Should you choose to participate at one of these levels we will gladly schedule a time to meet with you and your team to walk you through this process. We believe there is a strong value proposition in participating in either Survey A or B as are outlined in the 'Benefits Tab' found on these downloaded Microsoft Excel files.

The BookStats Management Team has made your participation in BookStats a very high priority. Feel free to contact us for guidance and assistance. We’re happy to provide a demo of this year’s product, details on the very simple data submission process, or anything else related to the project. Contact us at:

Tina Jordan, Vice President, Association of American Publishers, 212-255-0275; tjordan@publishers.org

Len Vlahos, Executive Director, Book Industry Study Group, 646-336-7141; len@bisg.org

Please visit www.bookstats.org for all you need to know about the project, including a list of prior participants, methodology, detailed submission guidelines, and pricing.

We’re indebted to you, our members and industry partners for your past participation, and look forward to receiving your data this year.  Best wishes for a Happy New Year.

Jumping the gun on CHEAP housing for BEA = $115.00

While this is premature because there are a few details to work out before we can execute a contract, I am confident that is only a formality and we will make the announcement next week that we have secured a block of 120 rooms at Barnard College for $115.00/night.  That is the total price, including taxes and BEA will include a $10.00 MetroCard.  

While this ain't exactly the Four Seasons or the Plaza, I prefer to think of it as a clean well lighted place.   

Here are the facts:  The rooms have to be prepaid, they are transferable, but they are not refundable, it is a shared bathroom but they are private single rooms and there is a secure 24 hr entrance.  The rooms will include pillows, linens, towels plus there are common rooms with small kitchens as well.  The upper floors have spectacular views of Morningside Park and the Hudson River.  It is on the corner of 116th and Broadway and it is steps (really it is super close) to the #1 train, from here it is a 16 minute ride to 34th & 7th which is a 5 block walk to Javits.  It is an awesome neighborhood adjacent to the Columbia campus.  Below is a photo of what the rooms look like plus some sights in the neighborhood - you can recognize Tom's Diner made famous on Seinfeld just 2 blocks down across the street, it is 4 blocks from the main Book Culture store (1 block from the second store).  The last photo on the bottom is the entrance gate at 117th & Broadway looking south.

So if you are mildly adventurous and looking for an inexpensive way to stay at BEA, this is your ticket.  Plus you will be able to claim you have attended an Ivy League institution.  Look for us to announce this next week via BEA's social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, etc...) and email.  

PS:  If you were curious about the bathrooms.  There are 8 rooms per floor and the bathrooms are like any dorm or gym: multiple showers + multiple sinks + multiple toilets.  We will place men and woman on separate floors by gender.   

Last comment - if my travel budget was tight, I would stay here in a flat second and I know have stayed at far worse places in my infinite travels for Reed.  Lance if you are reading this - you know the place in Amsterdam - matress on floor, stained shower curtains and as clean as a local landfill....

B2B marketers to boost event budgets in 2013

This is article was interesting for me, highlighting that companies are bullish enough to forecast an overall increase in their events marketing budgets for 2013.  Also the fact that investment in mobile spending continues rise, but is a distant 4th in terms of allocation of resources compared to websites, social and even print.  Part of that surprise for me is I am not sure where tablets fit in, if they are considered mobile or not?  

Over 40% of B2B marketers are planning to increase their event budgets this year according to the latest Outlook survey from BtoB entitled “2013 Outlook: Marketing Priorities and Plans.”

The annual report, now in its 10th year, was based on an online survey of 366 B2B marketers conducted between 12th and 30th November. It found that:
• 48.7% of marketers plan to increase their budgets this year, up from 40.1% last year; 41.8% will hold budgets flat, down from 48.4%; and 9.5% will decrease budgets, down from 10.8%.

• The top marketing goal for B2B marketers this year is demand generation/customer acquisition (69.3%), followed by brand awareness (17.6%) and customer retention (13.1%).

• Many B2B marketers still see events as a key part of their marketing mix with 41.5% planning budget increases in 2013.

• Digital marketing is also a priority, with 67.2% of marketers planning to increase their spending this year. The top spending areas will be website development (with 70.1% planning increases this year), email marketing (61.9%), social media (56.0%), online video (55.8%) and search (52.5%).

• Mobile is growing in importance for B2B marketers, with 32.7% of respondents now using mobile as part of their marketing strategy, and 35.5% planning to increase their spending on mobile marketing this year.

• 72.2% of B2B marketers use content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy. The top content marketing platforms are websites (93.0%), social media (65.4%), print (47.5%) and mobile (20.9%)

BookBliss is LIVE!!!

We soft launched BookBliss.com as a repository for BEA's video and podcast content from the 2012 show back in May of 2012.   Since then, we have upgraded, updated and continued to add to BookBliss.com  with the idea of creating a community that loves books and authors.  

Now you can discover original content on books and author interviews, you can find video of events you missed at BEA and also access a lot of the programming that delivers insights into the world of publishing that will be valuable for publishing professionals and fans of reading alike - all for free.  This is just the beginning of what will be a wonderful journey.  Please click through one of the 2 earlier links and enjoy!!!!