Original BEA Interviews with Wally Lamb and Ishmael Beah

These videos were sent out today via e-mail to the BEA universe, but I though it would be fun to share them here on the Bean.  These are great interviews!

I'm so excited to share another new original video series from BookExpo America (BEA) called BEA In Your Space. Get an intimate look into an author's life and what inspires them as the videos are filmed right in the author's homes—their very own creative "space."
Take a few minutes to check out these three new videos featuring leading authors Ishmael Beah and Wally Lamb. We were so privileged to meet these amazing creative artists and spend time speaking with them. 

Link to Wally Lamb Part 1  Link to Wally Lamb Interview Part 2

 
Link to Ishmael Beah Interview





If you didn't know, both Ishmael and Wally will be at BEA's Adult Author Breakfast, Thursday, May 30. There's still time to register and get a ticket to the breakfast to see them in person.

Please pass these videos on to all your book-loving friends—even if they don't work in the industry, they can now enjoy BEA on Saturday, June 1 which is our new consumer day.

BookExpo America: Global Market Forum: Mexico

The Global Market Forum: Mexico at BEA 2013 is an ambitious one-day series of educational sessions that present the exciting book and publishing industry that exists in Mexico today.  The focus of this groundbreaking forum is to encourage an open exchange of thoughts, educational information and proactive solutions that ultimately unlock challenges of logistical and cultural barriers. Join BEA's Global Market Forum: Mexico where publishers from both the United States and Mexico, learn to best serve Spanish readers with literature that they will love!

9:30 - 9:40 am Opening remarks

9:40 - 10:30  Overview of Mexican Publishing and the Spanish Book Market in the US

Top players from Mexican publishing companies share the key drivers that define the book industry in Mexico. Learn what domestic companies are shaping the market and who their domestic and international competitors are. Find out how books perform in comparison to other media content in Mexico. Discover the impact of the overall economics in the emerging Mexican literature market.

10:40 – 11:30 Independent & Alternative Publishing – Bucking the trend

Mexican publishing initiatives are largely comprised of small and medium sized publishing companies and independent enterprises. As a result, smaller publishers have found that they are more able to create closer relationships with authors. This has resulted in books that are focused on topics and agendas that rarely make it to bestseller lists. These types of titles are a crucial and important component to what has given a voice to the large and diverse community that has formed Mexico’s lush literary culture. 

11:40 – 12:30  Mexico’s cultural ambitions on books, reading, translation and a broader exchange with the US market
Public initiatives and supportive policies are at the core of the people’s agenda in Mexico. The proposed instruments include funding for translation, the by far most important and largest international book fair in the Spanish language at Guadalajara, as well as ambitions to open new ways for a better mutual exchange of books, business and culture with the huge US Spanish language market. Expert speakers will introduce a set of case studies highlighting these programs. An assessment how these initiatives can help move titles out of Mexico and into the US for American and Spanish audiences will be covered. Working with translations, co-edition projects and exports and cultural co-operatives will also be a focus of this panel discussion.

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch Break

1:30 – 2:20  Following The Book Chain.

Expert speakers, including distributors, policy makers and marketing professionals, will explore book production and how to find audiences domestically and internationally. Learn key information about imports and exports and the complex set of rules that comprise best practices. Discover how to walk books across the border between Mexico and the United States. Find out what the current trade limits are and what initiatives would be required for Mexican literature to expand into the U.S. marketplace.

2:30 – 3:20 Pack Light – eBooks Make Travelling Across Borders Easy!

The United States has felt the digital revolution and all the positives it has brought into the publishing industry. In Mexico, the digital revolution has just begun. Learn about the opportunities that are re-inventing the publishing industry south of the border. Join this controversial exchange on what digital eBooks mean to Mexican publishers and how a global domination impacts the future of digital innovation. Discover the value of bringing diverse literature from Mexico into the U.S. markets through digital distribution.

3:30 4:20 The World of Children’s and young adult books in MexicoBooks for young readers are at the core of any country’s strategies to reach out to new frontiers, which is clearly the case in Mexico. A high standard in story telling as well as in design and illustrations meets with high expectations to buy and sell rights. Three leading innovative Mexican publishers will introduce their newest and most exciting creations, and compare them to their US equivalent’s works and expectations.

4:30 – 5:00 Creating Future Partnerships – Match Making and Speed Dating!

An open forum for match making and informal discussions promote 5 initiatives of Mexican literature. Join in on the fun – 5 slots of 5 minutes will highlight 5 fabulous opportunities.

GUY KAWASAKI named as “uPublishU” KEYNOTE

I am so excited about how dynamic our uPublishU event has become.  Below is the press release announcing the uPubU keynote with additional details.   I am biased, but I am also  honest to a fault so my excitement is genuine and based on the incredible speakers, the quality and variety of the sessions PLUS lunch for $99.00 - it is really an unbelievable bargain.

Over 40 Speakers to Participate in 14 Sessions on

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Leading Agent Robert Gottlieb and Many Bestselling Authors Share Tips, Practices and Tactics!

Norwalk, CT, April 11, 2013:  Noted author and speaker Guy Kawasaki will be the Keynote Luncheon Speaker at uPublishU (uPubU) which will take place on Saturday, June 1, 2013 at BookExpo America (BEA) at the Javits Center in New York City.  uPubU, which is targeted to authors who have self-published but want more insight and direction on how to get books discovered, is a pivotal part of BEA’s newly expanded conference programming for the self-published market.  The full day conference program was widely attended in 2012 and convention officials are expecting greater success this year with the addition of many leading speakers and panelists.  Mr. Kawasaki is the author of the definitive book APE: Author, Publisher, Etrepreneur – How to Publish a Book.  Robert Gottlieb is the founder and CEO of the Trident Media Group and has worked with hundreds of authors providing guidance on how to get to the top of the bestseller lists.  Other notable authors participating in the event include #1 New York Times Bestselling author Barbara Freethy, as well as bestselling authors Bella Andre, Maria Murnane, among others. 

As noted, uPubU will take place on Saturday, June 1^st at the Javits Center.  Sponsors for the conference include Platinum Sponsor Publishers Weekly and Gold Sponsors Ingram Content Group and Kirkus Reviews.  Registration opens at 8am and the conference runs 9am – 5pm.  The “early bird” cost is $99 (before May 15) and includes a boxed lunch.  The cost to register after May 15 will increase to $199. 

“Our uPubU Conference is a huge and very significant part of BEA’s overall conference programming,” notes Steven Rosato, Show Manager for BEA.  “The publishing landscape is always changing but the empowerment of the author to take charge of their work and control their own destiny is perhaps the single biggest shift in many years.  The author community is vital to the future of publishing and we need to serve this community to the very best of our ability.  I am incredibly proud of the program that BEA has created which is one of the very best in the world.”

With over 40 speakers from U.S. operations as well as international companies, and 14 different sessions, uPubU will provide critical information and knowledge about how first-time and established authors may take charge of their publishing efforts.  In addition to individual sessions, there will be over 24 exhibitors, also from the U.S. and the international arena, providing information on ways to support authors in their efforts to reach readers and be successful in the decisions they make when publishing.  The audience for uPubU includes authors who have self-published but want more insight and direction on how to get books discovered; authors who have previously published with traditional publishers and who are now seeking information and direction to take charge of their own publishing efforts; first-time writers and aspiring authors who need information about how to publish; and business professionals and consultants who want to learn to publish books to raise their company profile and expertise and generate revenue.  

BEA Book Blogger Conference Announcement

I am sharing today's press release detailing the keynote speakers for the BEA Blogger Conference.  I am very grateful to the Bloggers Conference Advisory committee who sifted through all the submissions, reviewed all the research from the 2012 BBC and made real changes so that BEA delivers the best possible event on the planet for book bloggers.  

WILL SCHWALBE AND RANDI ZUCKERBERG TO KEYNOTE BEA BLOGGER CONFERENCE

Other Notable Panelists Also to Speak at Full Day Conference;

Breakfast, Lunch and Happy Hour Included

Will Schwalbe and Randi Zuckerberg will headline the festivities at this year’s edition of the BEA Blogger Conference which will take place on Wednesday, May 29^th, 2013 in Hall A at the Javits Center in conjunction with BookExpo America (BEA).  Last year’s Blogger Conference was a huge success with over 400 attendees.  Officials at BEA are eager to build on this success and will once again hold the conference on the day leading into BEA just before the exhibit floor opens on Thursday, May 30^th.  This allows the book blogger community to have their own tailored event while being fully integrated into the activity of BEA and all that it affords.  Schwalbe, who will be the Opening Keynote speaking at 9:15am and Zuckerberg, who will be the Closing Keynote speaking at 4:00pm, will be joined by other notable panelists over the course of the day.  Participation in the BEA Blogger Conference includes breakfast, lunch, and a Happy Hour networking opportunity at the end of the day.       

Book Expo America will take place at the Javits Center Wednesday, May 30^th – Sunday, June 1^st, 2013.  Registration and tickets for the Book Blogger Conference are available at:

http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/Concurrent-Events/BEAs-Book-Blogger/#page=page-1

Will Schwalbe is well-known to everyone in the book community.  He has worked in publishing (most recently as Senior Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of Hyperion Books); digital media, as the founder and CEO of Cookstr.com; and as a journalist, writing for various publications including The New York Times and the South China Morning Post.   His most recent book is The End of Your Life Book Club which will be published in paperback from Vintage Books in June 2013. 

Randi Zuckerberg is the CEO and Founder of Zuckerberg Media, a new digital and traditional media and production company, and Editor-in-Chief of Dot Complicated, a modern lifestyle newsletter and blog.  She is the author of the forthcoming Dot Complicated which will be published by HarperOne in November 2013 and addresses the multifaceted complications of our socially transparent world today, including issues of privacy, social identity, authenticity, crowd sourcing and the future of social change.  In addition, Ms. Zuckerberg will author a HarperCollins’s Children’s picture book which will also be published in November 2013.  

Other panelists who will be featured at the BEA Blogger Conference include: Mandy Boles (The Well-Read Wife), Thea James (Booksmugglers), Josh Kendall (Editorial Director, Mulholland Books), Hut Landon (Northern California Independent Booksellers), Jenn Lawrence (Jenn’s Bookshelves), Jane Litte (Dear Author), Andrew Loskowsky (Books Editor, The Huffington Post), Cindy Minnich (Nerdy Book Club), Mandi Schreiner (Smexy Books), Malle Vallik (Director of Digital Content and Social Media, Harlequin), Sarah Wendell (Smart Bitches). 

Full session details are available at: http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/Concurrent-Events/BEAs-Book-Blogger/#page=page-2

“Book bloggers are very important to the book world and they are instrumental in developing and spreading the word about books”, notes Steve Rosato, Show Manager for BookExpo America.  “We were enormously pleased to have a successful event in 2012 and we are eager to build on this success in 2013.  I am grateful to both Will Schwalbe and Randi Zuckerberg for agreeing to appear in their Keynote roles and I know that Will and Randi, as well as the other terrific panelists, will provide a lively day of discussion.”

The programming for this year’s Blogger Conference was developed by an advisory committee of book bloggers who worked from submissions BEA received from book bloggers.  Organizers note that this has resulted in an improved program from last year that is completely driven by the book blogging community itself.  The BEA Blogger Conference pass is $135 if you register by May 15 (after May 15, the price will increase to $165).  This pass includes Continental Breakfast, Lunch tickets, and free participation in the Happy Hour at the Blogger Conference as well as a BEA pass for May 30 – June 1.    

For more information about BEA please visit the website at www.bookexpoamerica.com.