Book Expo America 2008 version

Just in case you are wondering -- here is how the biggest book show in the US looks on opening day:

Book Expo is one of those things that is virtually impossible to explain.  Thousands of people; hundreds of publishers and all the free books you can carry.  Pretty much a book lovers ultimate fantasy.

This year, however, the crowd was small compared to the shows in New York and Washington DC.  I'm told that the Los Angeles show is always smaller.  Personally, I didn't find it much of a "problem" since I could actually walk around rather freely. 

We were lucky to see a number of fine authors as they talked about their new books.  The standouts were:  Alec Baldwin, Magic Johnson, Neil Gaiman, Dennis Lehane and Phillipa Greggory.  Look for their new titles in the coming months.

The floor was abuzz with rumors about Scott McClelland's book and the party thrown by Prince; sadly I was not invited.

Amazon had one of the most crowded booths -- everyone wanted to see and feel the Kindle.  Publishers are noticeably nervous about Amazon, eBooks and falling book sales.  Ironically there was a great deal of discussion about the book industry going Green.  Of course they are talking about using recycled paper and do not want to hear about eBooks. 

I had a wonderful time, learned a whole lot and am totally exhausted.  Not only from all the hours on my feet but also from the over stimulation.  It is going to take a few days for all of the info and impressions to settle. 

For more stories about BEA check out Publisher's Weekly and the New York Times. 

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Book Expo America -- BEA 2008

We're off to BEA today --

The nice thing for me is that it is LA this year. For once I can actually drive there. No big travel hassels and no jet lag!

BEA can be a little overwhelming with thousands of attendees, hundreds of authors and a myriad of events. For me, however, the best part is catching up with old friends and making new ones.

There are a lot of events and author signings. So here is an idea of how we will spend our days.

Friday morning Thomas Freidman kicks of the show with this opening address. The rest of the day will be spent in education session or walking the show. I am especially looking forward to the session with Chris Anderson (Wired Magazine) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon).

We start Saturday with the Author Breakfast. This year we will hear from Magic Johnson, Philippa Gregory, Andre Dubus III and Alec Baldwin. And for a bonus we will have lunch with Richard Engel, Markos Mouslitsas Zuniga, Jon Krakaur, Micheal Moore and Christopher Buckley.

The most fun, however, should be the Saturday night event with Lewis Black. I just hope I can stay upright for that long!

We end the conference with a Sunday breakfast featuring Ted Turner, Azar Nafisi, Dennis Lehan and John Hodgeman.

By Sunday afternoon when we head home we will be loaded down with books -- galleys, free copies and few we bought and with very sore feet. I wouldn't miss it for anything!

Maybe we'll see you there . . .