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The Agent: I'd Rather Pound Sand Than Attend the BEA
Contributor
Written by
The Agent
May 2010
Contributor
Written by
The Agent
May 2010
Erin Hosier is looking forward to not attending publishing's biggest trade show. As Mia Eaton wrote about last week, this Tuesday-Thursday in NYC is the BEA (Book Expo America), which for the uninitiated is basically a giant trade show for publishers. For a fee, any old human can get inside the Javit's Center and walk through countless isles of publishers large and small, all in hopes of scoring a complimentary galley (perhaps autographed), a copy of a Fall catalogue, or the mother of all BEA swag rarities: the canvas bookbag. More likely to fill your bags this year however is a plethora of stickers, keychains, the odd t-shirt, and more postcards than might be found at a hotel giftshop. Or you can save the price of admission and bid for this stuff on eBay come Wednesday. Famous authors or genuine celebrities are usually featured to great fanfare. This year it looks like Barbara Streisend is the big draw. (Isn't she always?) She'll be kicking things off Tuesday night with the all-important Opening Night Keynote, her appearence in support of her first book entitled Barbara Streisend: My Passion For Design, which will be published in November, just in time for the holidays. After Barbara, the celebrity quotient goes down considerably. Although John Grisham is reportedly making a rare appearence on Thursday (hubba hubba), I think if you've met Christopher Hitchens once, you've met him a thousand times - not that he'd remember it. Condoleeza Rice has a new book to promote: Dude. I just noticed it's a memoir aimed at young adults. I'm sure it will be especially hard-hitting. Why aren't I more excited? Well, I guess because I'm in my thirties, none of my authors' books are being featured this year, and I'm stuck in the office taking meeting after meeting with reps from foreign publishers, who are here in droves following the London Book Fair that wasn't because of that volcano whose name no one dare pronounce. Also, I'm cynical about trade shows. I used to hawk umbrellas at one centered around design when I was a young turk, and though the show was only held twice a year, I felt like those days in the Javits ate my soul and left me with an even worse case of "waitress legs" than I already have. All this said, I'm really looking forward to She Writes' own event, blessedly located offsite in Tribeca on Wednesday night. I'll be in a super good mood as I'll be sitting down, and I really look forward to meeting some of you in person. You might even score a t-shirt.

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Comments
  • Binnie Klein

    Thanks, Erin! "Get in and get out" was my motto for the day....

  • The Agent

    Congratulations, Binnie. That's definitely the way to go.

  • Christine Frank

    I attended both the Faire and BEA, and I must say, I really coveted those SW T-shirts!

  • Rebecca Rasmussen

    Conventions are my thing either. I'd much rather be swimming in a river -- oh, wait, that's what I was doing during BEA! :)

  • Binnie Klein

    As a new author, I found BEA somewhat....thrilling. Admittedly, I was only there for one day (which probably helped), but being part of the autographing session and able to meet potential readers (yes, I know they were getting my book free and either selling it on Ebay or giving it away) was a treat. Finally met my hard-working Marketing Director from SUNY Press. Someday I will be more cynical -- but right now I'm still mentally caressing my ISBN number.

  • Cai Emmons

    Maybe I don't feel so bad being stuck in Oregon!

  • The Agent

    Okay, so I just got back from the BEA, or at least the lobby of the Javits. A bottled water was $3.75.

  • Thanks for an entertaining read! I'm in UK so wouldn't be going to BEA but I wish I could come to the She Writes one. Actually, would really like to live in NY!
    Cheers
    Pauline
    She Writes Salonista