Registration Still Open for “Meet the Editor,” “Publicists Speed Dating” at BEA

Booksellers can still sign up for “Meet the Editor,” which is returning to BookExpo America following a successful inaugural run at the 2014 trade show. Spots are also available for the American Booksellers Association’s newest publisher networking event, “Publicists Speed Dating.”

For “Meet the Editor,” booksellers will convene in small groups with book editors at a publisher’s New York City offices for a behind-the-scenes look at the editing process. Last year, Annie Philbrick, the co-owner of Bank Square Books in Mystic, Connecticut, met with editing staff from Perseus Books Group. Although many of the publisher’s nonfiction titles were not on her radar at the time, Philbrick said she was sold after observing the editors’ enthusiasm for their work.

“I can come back to my store and sell those books better than I ever did,” Philbrick told Bookselling This Week as she reflected on the experience in the following days.

Last year, Karen Hayes, co-owner of Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee, attended the “Meet the Editor” session led by John Glusman, editor-in-chief of W.W. Norton, and Bob Weil, head of the Norton Liveright imprint. Both provided fascinating details about the editing process and the acquisition of new titles as well as backstories on the season’s new releases, Hayes said.

“It was fabulous to meet these editors, who gave a face and personality to the imprints they represent,” she said. “Norton is very hands-on with each book they acquire, and I now have a clearer idea of Norton’s publishing goals.”

In addition to Perseus and W.W. Norton, other publishers taking part in this year’s event include Bloomsbury, Disney Publishing Worldwide, Grove/Atlantic, Hachette, HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Macmillan, Melville House, New Directions, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, Seven Stories, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, The New Press, and Workman/Algonquin.

“Meet the Editor” visits will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 27, at various publishers’ offices, and participating booksellers will be assigned to a group prior to BEA. Space for “Meet the Editor” is limited, and preregistration is required by May 11. 

ABA’s new “Publicists Speed Dating” event consisting of 12-minute conversations between one bookstore and one publicist at a time will take place on Friday, May 29, from 9:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. in the Javits Convention Center’s Galleria Hall.

ABA member bookstore owners, general managers, and event managers will have the opportunity to promote their stores to different publishers, and to discover what publicists look for when planning author tours.

Publishers taking part in “Publicists Speed Dating” include Abrams, Bloomsbury, Candlewick, Consortium, Grove/Atlantic, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Perseus Books Group/PGW, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Sourcebooks, The New Press, and Workman/Algonquin.

As with “Meet the Editor,” space for “Publicists Speed Dating” is limited, and pre-registration is required by May 11.

Information on ABA’s full BEA program is available at BookWeb.org. To reserve a room at Hotel ABA, visit the Hyatt’s dedicated page for ABA members.

All ABA member stores are eligible to receive free admission to the trade show and BEA conference sessions. Register for BEA here, and learn more about BEA’s conference program at BookExpoAmerica.com.