Comblogged Book Exhibit

It Doesn't Just Drizzle in Beijing

2009-09-03T17:38:00.000-07:00

In my life I've spent a total of maybe 18 days in Beijing (with about 4 left on this trip) and, while that's not exactly a long time, I've never seen a single rain drop. Today, the second morning of BIBF 2009, its absolutely pouring outside.

Bad news for formal wear, but, if you want to follow me in this medaphor, maybe good news for us. The first day of the fair didn't drizzle, it poured. Halls were packed with people, meeting tables had every seat full, Spain-the country of honor-was hopping with activity, the American Collective Stand was abuzz, and where I am in the International Children's Publishing Exhibit was packed wall to wall. The weather today might be soaking, but the people inside are bright with enthusiasm.

A few negative notes that aren't really new news include some major downsizes or complete lack of presence at the show from some major players. We in the US, as well as the UK are smaller, Canada's not even here, and many of the other international collectives are smaller than previous years.

But its still pouring with activity insid-and I'm going to project, perhaps because no one wants to get wet outside?-that today will be a good day in the halls.

(Let's ignore that I haven't blogged since London, ok?)

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Important Update!

2009-05-15T05:55:00.001-07:00

I could not have dropped the ball further when it comes to posting blogs. However, I know when soemthing's worth dropping everything and writing about, and I know that a letter I got today is just that.

The following comes from my friend, a librarian in New York City:

"I will be honest. I want to save my job. I actually quite like it. And I think the kids do too! People start lining up 30 minutes before the library opens to get tickets for Toddler Time. We string yarn across the conference room and crawl through the web. (Then, we sit in the middle and learn about spiders.) We make shadow puppets. We create our own computer animations. We dance!

Most importantly, we read (yes, kids still do that).

I urge you to write your City Council Member or Mayor and tell them how important the library is to you. NYPL has a pop-up prompt on their homepage that will help generate an email to your local official within minutes. Please, pass this on."

If you don't live in the NYC area, this letter isn't directly to you, but it can serve as a wakeup call that your local area library system might be facing the same issues. Take the time to find out, and see if there's anything you can do to help!

Whether your a reader, a publisher or an author, libraries are your place to get a new book, sell a book, market a book, promote a book, sign a book, and help everyone READ!

Coming to an End...Again

2009-04-22T00:22:00.000-07:00

I feel like my life is made up of a few three-to-four day periods at a time, and sadly this, one of the better three day periods, comes to an end later today. But, as it's not ended yet, and I still need to recap yesterday, I'm not yet ready to call it the end, just coming to it.

Yesterday, the second day of London Book Fair 2009, was another one full of great traffic, lots of meetings and lots of inquiries to the New Title Showcase. Aside from the exhibits I'm working, lots of "future of publishing" and "next big market" discussions were had. I can only speak for me, but I'm getting a big impression that although India is the Country of Honour here this year, The Arab World is still the buzz. They're still striking up a lot of conversations--even one's that they're not actually involved in--and while a lot of people seem to be sold on India as one of the next great English Language markets, the Arab World is still an unexplored territory that a lot of people are happy and excited to explore.

Aside from official business, I spent a lot of my day yesterday doing things surrounding the Society of Young Publishers here in the UK. I've spent at least six months trying to conjure up something similar in the states (with lots and lots of help of course), but we've so far just had a few ideas. However, yesterday I was re-energized not just from the great stuff fed to us by the SYP, but also by the few American's there that are pumped to start something similar as well. (I should not that the AAP has a group for Young Publishers that is just great!..but it doesn't meet the needs of many of the people I've met around the world). The SYP also hosted an event that they call Cannon Tales, which is a series of publishing professionals sharing their stories in different ways. Last night's stories were told with pictures. Each presenter had 7 minutes to tell their story using different pictures that remained on the screen for 21 seconds each. It was awesome...

...and so has been LBF!!

Not Quiet

2009-04-21T00:09:00.001-07:00

A few nights ago when I went out to dinner, the bosses and I were deciding what to wear, unsure if the restaurant was more formal or casual, when one of my bosses said "everyone could use the money, what are they going to do? Not seat us?" to which our friend from the Publishers Association here in the UK replied, "I don't think we've been hit as hard as you yet here." The hard hitting she spoke of was, of course, the economy, and judging from the traffic here at London Book Fair, she's completely right.

That's not to say that it's busier than years past (or year past in my case as I've only attended once before), but it's certainly not "no one has any money for the fair" quiet. It's really great.
And, speaking of really great, the New Title Showcase, in its new location is making a killing. This is the first time the exhibit's not at the very front of the hall, but in the main thorofair between the two halls of the show. It's a much more logical location for people to spend their free time than the front of the hall, and it garners traffic from people who have destinations anywhere in the hall. And we're collecting quite a lot of impressive leads from some pretty impressive visitors to the exhibit. Let's hope they all lead to good things.

Today is the International Society of Young Publishers conference that I'll be attending. I'm interested to see how other countries facilitate young publishers, in the hopes we can expand what's currently in the US. Lots more on all that after.

Excitment Fom Home Whilst in London

2009-04-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

We're two days into building our stand here at the London Book Fair. Things are going more smootly than we could have imagined (knock on wood). Everything's built and spotted, and all that's left it to unpack a TON of stuff. Surprising that we're not even unpacked after two ten hour days, but we have a lot of space here, including the New Title Showcase.

However, while all that is all well and good, the really exciting news of our day (which is coming to an end soon, as it is approaching 6PM here), is that PubMatch got covered in Publishers Weekly!! You all remember PubMatch, don't you? Well we're expecting lots of big things from the site, and now that the news is officially released, we're hoping to help connect publishers, agents, authors and soon illustrators world wide! Keep checking the site for new members, and maybe your perfect match is there too!

Cheers!

Does Time Fly or What?

2009-04-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

Wow! You know what I’m doing tomorrow? I’m going to London for The London Book Fair. If that doesn’t say time flies, I don’t know what does. I literally just unpacked from Bologna.

Not that I’m complaining—I love being busy, in part because it makes the time go by so quick, and it doesn’t feel like such a long time before fun and exciting things like The London Book Fair. Before you know it, it’ll be BEA, and I’ll be waiting in line to get Chuck Klosterman’s autograph. That’s right, the Klosterman will be there. Be sure to check out the BEA site and see who else is signing this year.

In the meantime, will I see you in London? I’ll be there with bells on, and I’ll be plenty busy there too. In fact, if you’re there, and consider yourself part of the young demographic, I definitely recommend checking out the Society of Young Publishers round table about international young publishing groups. I’ll be there giving some perspective from the US on the topic. Why? Because I’ve done my research, and I might have something related planned for YOU. Seriously.

Drop me a line if you’ll be in London and we’ll enjoy near-the-source Guinness together!

For Us, For You

2009-03-31T04:40:00.001-07:00

I'm currently away again, in upstate New York for the New York Reading Association. The first full day is today, so if I'm lucky and can keep my eyes open, I'll try to update something about it later tonight or tomorrow. But in the meantime, BookBrunch, a daily publishing industry newsletter has a very short note about Americans and the Bologna Book Fair. Check it out here.

All Good Things...

2009-03-26T00:24:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of the fair, but as I might not have internet access later, this might also be my last blog from the fair too.

There's not much to report on from my end about yesterday. Traffic started dying down in the afternoon, and many exhibitors even left before the show closed yesterday. Candedly, not too many people have high expectations for the day. But, we shouldn't let that reflect negatively on the fair. It's been fantastic and lots of business seems to have gotten done for everyone.
Aside from marketing the books in the collective, we've made a concentrated push on PubMatch, and I think it's really paying off, and I'd expect lots of great stuff there in the coming days, weeks and months.

I'll write up a final report about Bologna and have it posted on Combinedbook..com, so keep your eyes peeled. But for now, I'm going to have a cappucino!

Books for Kids. A Fair for Everyone

2009-03-25T00:54:00.000-07:00

The second day of the fair was actually quite a bit busier than the first. I'm still getting the impression that that's not the norm here, but if every show is facing less attendance this year, and we had that much traffic yesterday, then I'd say once this whole economic thing passes (or before it came), traffic here will (and probably did) border on the amazing. I'd rate yesterday a fair 7 out of 10.

Outside our exhibit and hall, I managed to get some time to check out the other international collectives. But first, a note on that:

The American Collective Stand (which, along with Combined Book Exhibit, is the "us" that I refer to), is one of a few collectives of American publishers (ask me, and I'd say we're the best!). In most other countries there's only one, or at least only one official collective stand, and that collective stand is generally part of the that countries publisher's association. Together, these groups make one group that is both an advocate and collective organizer, and in many cases is somehow connected to the government. In the US, we have groups like us (remember what "us" means again?), and then on the advocacy side, there's the AAP (which is the only one of its kind that I know of in the states). So when I say other international collectives, that's not to say that I haven't seen publishers from other countries, but that I'm going to see what the countries themselves are sending rather than what each individual publisher is sending.

So now that you have your crash course in international collectives, I'll make another generality: lots of people do a lot of similar stuff. In my travels throughout this show, I've seen lots of updated and reimagined fairy tales, some relaunches of old franchises, lots of "comics for kids" and a fair amount of non-fiction and novelty stuff. That's all a quite sweeping generalization. Of course, everywhere has their specific content, which is what I love so much about the spreading of ideas that these fair (and PubMatch.org) provide venues for.

I grabbed a whole bunch of publisher seasonal and rights catalogs, which I plan to go through and compare to get a better idea of the similarities and differences. I've also taken a lot of pictures that I'll share once I can get them onto a computer.

Day three is about half an hour away, and I can't wait to see what it brings.

Day One From Day Two

2009-03-24T00:48:00.001-07:00

This fair is so cool! All of the children's book publishers are here (albeit, with a smaller presence than...well ever), some adult publishers with new children's lines are here, and all together new publishers are here. The books are beautiful, and the art...

Art seems to be a huge running theme throughout the show, which is something that I would love to see spread to more shows. There's an exhibit of illustrations from books from around the world (all collected in one volume, which I now own), and illustrators walk the floor with their portfolios as if this was Comic Con.

The show is very laid back, and though the halls are full, they seem to be moving slow (if that makes any sense). Not sure if that's an economy based issue, or a Bologna characteristic. I'll be curious to see how this year's final figures match up against those of last year. The important thing however is that the meetings are still aplenty, and the booths get very fulled. The Combined Book Exhibit is being very well received, not only by people who love the books, but by publishers and authors who love the idea.

Another idea we're presenting that's being incredibly well received is PubMatch.org. I'm hoping you got a change to check it out, but if not, definitely do, because it's going to be a huge tool in the future for the industry. I can just feel it. And this show has been an inspiration of sorts for the growth of that site, and I'm excited to see those changes take fruition, and what other new ideas will spawn from here, and from London in just a few weeks (!!!!).

Day two is starting soon, and I'm going to make it my business to get into some of the other halls, and see some of the international collectives. One of the greatest aspects of these shows is seeing the cultural exchange. In the rights seminar I mentioned yesterday, we spent a short time looking at illustrations from different books from accross the world, and taking into acocunt how the cultural divide might create the need for an illustration "translation." Anyway, the point is that I'm excited to see the types of children's material other countries are offering that might never reach the American shelves, and maybe see how the same book has or will change from here to the edition that I can by in New York.

Update From Bologna

2009-03-23T00:29:00.001-07:00

I am very much at fault here for not posting, so let me give you a quick little update in the few minutes before the show officially opens: The food is amazing, and the city is beautiful!!!

On a more official note, set up was fairly smooth, but in the three days we were here setting up before the show opened, we can already get a sense of how laid back this is going to be. As I type this, just minutes before the show's opening, some of our neighboring booths are still not set up. This is no Frankfurt, I can tell you that.

Rumor has it that the whole show is a joy, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it goes. There's a huge illustration exhibit at the entrance to the fairgrounds at which I plan to spend a lot of time (if I can get out of the booth). The fair is spread out between four halls, with the majority of American publishers and companies here with us in hall 26, so all the foreign publishers will know where to find us. The fair's organizers and management are very happy that we and The American Collective Stand are back, so we have a prime spot. Fear not: if you have a book in the collective, it will be seen!

I spent all of yesterday in a seminar about International Rights. It was seven hours of intensive "training," and I'm looking forward to getting out all of the information I've picked up onto you one way or another, so be sure to check out the next issue of the CBE Newsletter, and keep on eye on PubMatch.

Speaking of PubMatch, it's growing daily! And, while we're here in Bologna, we plan on getting the word out and spreading the international flavor. If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to check out www.PubMatch.org! It's free and useful (and free)!

More tomorrow (or later today).

Heading Out

2009-03-18T07:14:00.001-07:00

I'm leaving in a few hours to head to Bologna for the book fair. I couldn't be more excited! Keep checking here for updates from Italy, about the show, about the food, and about anything else I can think of (but I'll try to keep it book related). Drop me a line if have any words of encouragement, meal recommendations or questions! seth@combinedbook.com.

See you from Italy!

My Bloggy-Wog

2009-03-13T12:32:00.001-07:00

A bit less than a year ago, I was wondering around Piccadilly Circus, while at the same time, my boss Janet was attending the British Book Awards. The next morning over breakfast, Janet retold me all the details she could remember, including seeing J.K. Rowling, these two talk show hosts that were incredibly famous (who she of course had no familiarity with), and of seeing this wild-haired man who’s name she couldn’t remember, but knew that he had won an award for a memoir or autobiography called “My Booky-Wook.” When she looked in the program and read that his name was (and still is) Russell Brand, I knew the name immediately.
Of course, I knew the name immediately not because of his level of fame—or as the case may be, infamy—but because he was in a movie that was about to come out at the time called “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” While the movie didn’t take off quite as high as other movies associated with that particular producer’s other movies (namely, “Knocked Up,” and “The 40 Year Old Virgin”), something about Brand stuck in America. Or at least had some adhesive too it. Brand would soon host the MTV Video Music Awards (for some reason), and completely bomb.

Fast forward to, well now. “My Booky-Wook” is now available in a store near you, right here in the US-of-A. Do you know who Russell Brand is yet? It’s quite possible you do not. I however had the pleasure of seeing his stand up performance last night (and quite literally walking right into him). Brand has no qualms with his infamy in his home country, or his lack of fame here in America, but it all adds to his charm. How often do we read the memoirs of someone we don’t know? I do it all the time. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on this particular book(y-wook) though, and putting some of the stories behind the jokes into context.

Hopefully, it’ll make me laughy-waugh.

I Watched Watchmen

2009-03-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

Not only did I watch it, but I also titled this blog a derivative of the now ubiquitous “Who Will Watch ‘Watchmen?’” phrase that’s literally everywhere. I’d like to give a detailed review, but I had spent the entire day celebrating my 25th birthday, so you can probably guess the state in which I watched the movie.

While not completely detailed, I can give a fairly general review. I only read the book (yes, I’m calling it a book. You know why? Because it IS a book. It doesn’t matter that it happens to be a graphic novel, it’s still a book!!!) recently, but I was as impressed with it as anyone else. The only difference is that I haven’t had all the years to stew in its greatness the way most other fans have, nor have I had the time to put in multiple readings.

All of that is to say that I didn’t catch all of the details that director Zack Snyder put in or kept out—but I do know there were a lot in both categories because I’ve read all the good and bad reviews. But my feeling toward the movie are mixed, and it’s not just because of the state in which I saw it.

The book is so incredibly dense that it just couldn’t possibly make a good movie. So, for all of the details left in, I think enough was left out to make a good go at it. But does anyone remember the 4th Harry Potter movie? How they tried to include so much that everything moved way too fast and became inherently anti-climactic? That’s what happens when you try to put too much in. But the 5th Harry Potter movie—which was the longest book—was one of the shortest movies, and was a whole new and wonderful experience. I guess Snyder was in a no-win situation here, because if he had changed it too much, his only target audience would have revolted against him, but as is, it was just a bit too much (at least in my opinion).

Does that mean my bottom line is that the movie should not have been made? I’ll have to watch it again before I can say that. Either way, I can definitely recommend it to anyone…the it being the book of course.

A Rush of Children's Stuff

2009-03-02T13:07:00.001-08:00

On this, the birthday of the beloved Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, it’s all about children’s material for me. For one, I’m watching “Wall-E” right now. Seriously: I’m at work, at my computer, with a big screen TV set up across the office, with “Wall-E” playing. It might be the best day of work I’ve ever had, but that could just be because “Wall-E” is one of my favorite movies of all time.

But of course, Dr. Seuss wrote books, not movies (unless you count the generally horrible movie adaptations of his books, and frankly I don’t), so we should concentrate on books. And what better place to do that then…Asia? Publishers Weekly recently did a rundown of children’s books in the Asian market. Luckily, we’re doing our children’s exhibit at the Beijing Book Fair—only the largest book fair in the Asian Market. No big deal. It’s called the International Children’s Publishing Exhibit. Have a looksie.

I wonder if it’s a coincidence that the month in which Dr. Seuss was born also happens to be the month in which the Bologna Children’s Book Fair is taking place. T-Minus 16 days until I’m off to there for the first time. I’m incredibly excited about the fair, and all that’s involved with it. We still have slots open if you want your children’s book included, just go to our site at www.combinedbook.com to learn more.

Unrelated to the children’s stuff, I know I said I’d have a big announcement soon that I haven’t announced within the time frame. The good news is that it keeps getting bigger, so in order to do it justice, I put it off a bit. You’ll appreciate it once it comes though, I promise.

And the final notice for today: Aside from our beloved doctor, it's also my big brother's birthday! Let the partying commence!

Support 'Em

2009-02-23T13:30:00.001-08:00

Indie Bookstore Locator, courtesy of The American Booksellers Association (and learned about via Galley Cat). Support 'Em.

http://www.indiebound.org/indie-bookstore-finder

Bookexpo New York?

2009-02-13T12:12:00.001-08:00

By now, everyone has already made their decision on if BEA moving to during the week, and remaining in New York—rather than moving around the country—for the next few years is good or bad. I’m personally torn, and it’s not just because I was planning on spending extra time in Vegas in 2011 on the company dime.

At Bookexpo, we at CBE are partners in the New Title Showcase. We work very closely with the BEA crew in making New Title Showcase a great service—especially for small and indie presses and authors. From that standpoint, I think New York is the best place possible to make that work. Not only is the Javits Center a great venue with a great location to host the exhibit, but New York is pretty much the media capital of the world, and is sure to draw the most attention possible to such a feature. For participants in the New Title Showcase, New York can do nothing but benefit them.

Aside from the New Title Showcase, we also have a huge exhibit on the show floor with our sister company The American Collective Stand. In a union town like New York, where hiring labor is required, large exhibit set up can get expensive. With the show moving to a Tuesday start, that pushed set up to the weekend—a double time cost for labor. This would be the case in many cities, especially many of the cities large enough to accommodate BEA, but there’s no doubt its going to be a prohibitive cost for a lot of the larger exhibitors at BEA (not to mention the cost of New York itself).

But costs aside, New York really is the most logical place to hold Bookexpo. From an international standpoint, a static location is helpful, and from a worldwide standpoint, New York is the place to be no matter where you’re from. The media attention and the benefits that will bring can hopefully offset the costs (which, by the way, still aren’t as high as those in Frankfurt during THAT fair). And with a large percentage of the attendees and exhibitors based in New York, it’s a convenience increase and cost decrease for the vast majority of those involved.

I think in the long run, once this new BEA format that the show management keeps mentioning is finally in place and we’re used to it, everyone will agree that these moves were necessary to take the show to the next level. Right now, the negatives might be showing through, but just like I used to tell my mom when I was cleaning my room, “it’s going to seem worse before it gets better.” I have faith that the BEA team will do a MUCH, MUCH better job making BEA one of the best book events in the world than I did cleaning my room.

Comic Industry Run Down?

2009-02-11T13:14:00.000-08:00

Let’s face it: You don’t get most of your news from here, and you’re certainly not coming here to get the latest scoops on New York Comic Con three days later. You can go almost anywhere else to learn that attendance was up about 10 thousand from last year, and the total hovered in the 77 thousand range. Certainly show manager Lance Fensterman’s blog at www.MediuAtLarge.net can give way more insight into the inner workings of the con than I can. And any number of comic book news sources can give general run downs of the show. All I can offer is my perspective, but I have decent perspective, and perhaps some perspective you might be interested in.

Just to get it out of the way, I obviously bought a lot of art, toys and comics. The dealers selling $5 trade paperbacks took quite a bit of my money, but for what I got, it was completely worth it.

I also spent plenty of time in panels, including those for Watchmen, Friday the 13th, and Terminator 4, Fringe, JustSomeRandomGuy, and my personal favorite, Chuck. However, the one that might be of most interest to you was hosted by Publishers Weekly, and gave me a lot of insight into the business of comics, and books in general.

The panel included members of the publishing community covering almost every aspect, including a distributor (from Diamond Book Distributors), a retailer (a buyer from Barnes and Noble), a few publishers (from DC Comics, Viz Media and Tokyopop), and a literary agent just to round off the group. Obviously, the discussion revolved mostly around comics, graphic novels and Manga, and not too much new information was revealed: DC is doing well on the “Watchmen” hype, others are trying to capitalize as well; publishers, agents, and retailers all still believe that a good product will still sell well, and are taking more precautions with their new material; and Diamond revealed that—surprise!!—sales are down about 10% worldwide.

But, some stuff was news to me, and it wasn’t all bad news either. I didn’t realize that not only was demand really high for graphic novels in small markets like Australia and Sweden, but supply was surprisingly low. Now, thanks to Diamond, it’s not so low. So sales are actually up quite a bit…in these places. As a not-so-big fan of Manga, I didn’t realize that its series format is hurting its sales. With mid list titles being the lowest sellers of all during this financial downturn, most series are hurting because people aren’t latching onto the earlier books, but those that they have latched onto have a built in audience with built in sales.

Perhaps the most important piece of information to both Combined Book Exhibit’s and my crusade to give independently published books a bigger voice in the world came from someone decidedly not independent (at least based on his corporate connection). The graphic novel buyer from Barnes and Noble (shame on me for not catching his name) said the following in regard to small presses, which really rang in my ears for a while: “How do you market aside from selling through Barnes and Noble?” It never occurred to me that it mattered. I thought that “a good book is a good book,” but even Barnes and Noble wants to make sure you’re doing your part to get it off their shelf. It’s almost refreshing to know that even with a juggernaut like B&N, your hard work just might pay off!

This panel took place at the way beginning of New York Comic Con 2009, before my feet started killing me, my wallet became empty, and I fell in love with Yvonne Strahovski. The fact that all of this happened in the same place proves that the comic and pop culture industries are not only big money makers, and important shapers in the general book industry, but that they both kick ass! Again, my immense thanks and props to the NYCC team!

Not Enough Hours in the Day

2009-02-10T13:18:00.001-08:00

What a week of catch up I’m trying to have. I don’t have the time currently to write about everything I have to say, but boy do I have a ton to say. So here’s a quick preview:

New York Comic Con was amazing! Without touching on every single great thing I got to do, I really, from the bottom of my heart, want to thank and congratulate the entire Comic Con team that put on a show beyond my wildest dreams (and on day over lunch, I laid them out for the Comic Con team, so there were no secrets there!).

Aside from all of the “geeky” stuff I, and all of the other attendees, got to partake in, there’s actually quite a bit to learn from not only the business done at Comic Con, but a lot of the panels. One in particular that I attended, regarding comic (and to a lesser extent, general book) sales during the current financial climate was incredibly informative, and I’ll give a full recap either here, or in the next CBE Newsletter.

Now, the NYCC team might have worked their tails off this weekend, but there’s no rest for the wicked. While their Canadian counterpart announced its cancellation last week, the staff of Bookexpo America (many of whom are on the Comic Con team) announced some major changes for their upcoming fairs. I can see a few positives and negatives with the announcement.

All that and more coming soon! Including a HUGE announcement in the coming two weeks or so.

So stay tuned! Ok? Please!?

Comic Con Week! And a Note to a Friend

2009-02-02T12:49:00.000-08:00

So this Friday, the New York Comic Con’s fourth annual show will take place in New York (duh). The show has reportedly grown by leaps and bounds each year, so logic dictates that this year will be the biggest. Knowing the show management as I do, I expect nothing short of an amazing show. That, coupled with the panels, programming, exhibitors and everything else you can find out about at www.nycomiccon.com, I’d say we’re looking forward to a great weekend, no?

I’m almost always “in the middle” of a book, and this weekend, in preparation for the ultimate geek-weekend, I dove into a few graphic novels that had been on my list for a while. It felt good to be back.

I’ll be down at the show all weekend. If you see someone that looks suspiciously like that guy in that picture with Neil Gaiman, but with a beard and a badge that says “Seth Dellon,” it’s probably me. Say hi.

As exciting as the upcoming week is, I do want to touch on a bit of bad news. I found out last week, and more officially via the latest issue of “Publishers Weekly,” that PW Editor-in-Chief Sarah Nelson was let go as part of a recession-inspired cutback of staff. Sarah’s columns were a bright spot for me each week, and often times I tried to model my commentary here on hers (I rarely—if ever—succeeded). I just want to wish Sarah all the best for whatever she’s planning next. I’m sure it will be a huge success, and I can’t wait to read what she’s thinking of the industry whenever she starts publishing it!

Yay! (Second post of the day)

2009-01-26T07:44:00.001-08:00

Yay for my 200th post, and for all the winners. As a celebration, I present to you a picture of yours truly and new Newbery winner Neil Gaiman:

Big Show, Bigger Bear

2009-01-26T05:49:00.000-08:00

Outside the Colorado Convention Center is something rather alarming. Observe:

Peering in, just looking for his next meal, is a GIANT BLUE BEAR, lurking, waiting for an unsuspecting librarian (or exhibitor) to drop his or her bag, or tie his or shoe so he can pounce.

At least, that's one way to explain the slow show. According to the official numbers, there are about 3 thousand less in attendance here in Denver than there were last year in Philadelphia. And although I'm sure the bear has had his fair share of meals, no bear can eat 3 thousand people.

Fact is, the economy is the clear issue here. Many people's trips got cancelled once the market went down, or the government cut library spending. It's humbling to see first hand just how it effects every industry, even a "recession-proof" one like ours.

No matter how grim is seems now, in less than an hour, there will be some celebrating to do as this year's Children's Media Awards are announced, including the coveted Newbery and Caldecott awards. I'll keep you posted.

It Begins

2009-01-24T05:58:00.001-08:00

Midwinter kicked off last night with its traditional 2-hour opening ceremony. It was surprisingly awesome and crowded. According to the show organizers, registration was actually on par with registration at this point last year for Philadelphia, and all the hotels were sold out.

However, every time anyone sees anyone they know, there's a huge sigh of relief. "I heard about the cut backs, glad to see you made it."

While the opening was awesome, there's a somber tone surrounding the whole show. Here's to hoping everyone here will be at the next one. My fingers are permanently crossed.

More updates on the show itself after this, the first full day.

P.S Denver is beautiful!

Best-selling Author Moves Into New Home

2009-01-20T12:58:00.001-08:00

As you may have heard and/or read from any number of reputable (and perhaps even non-reputable) news sources, best-selling author Barack Obama is officially moving into a new house in Washington, D.C. today. May we all wish him good luck in his new home (and that little job promotion as well).

Sour Grapes

2009-01-13T12:08:00.000-08:00

Independent of the fact that Bookexpo America, New York Anime Fest and New York Comic Con’s go-to guy and fearless leader, Lance Fensterman, is a buddy of mine, I’m really looking forward to two of those three events. Bookexpo America is probably my favorite book fair of the year, and New York Comic Con is the FIRST time the world’s capital, publishing’s capital, and the setting for many popular comic books can call stand in front of the world and announce, “here’s the place to be!” for the comic and pop culture crowd.

So forgive me if I seem brash, but all the negative responses to this blog post at MediumAtLarge.net (all three fairs’ official blog), are completely out of line to me. For those who don’t want to click over and read, here’s a summary of what it’s linking to:

Main Blog: List of signings at Comic Con, including times. Explanation on how to purchase tickets, or get tickets for free for any ticketed signing.

Responses: Criticism of payment system, criticism of the job the Comic Con staff has done over the past four years, criticism of Lance as a person, criticism of the weather.

Aside from the fact that personal attacks are petty, almost all responses are out of line. Look: I’m a big fan of the Con and what it represents, so in my opinion, to be anything but grateful that we in New York finally have an opportunity to enjoy it seems unfair. That might be me being a bit too forgiving, but regardless of how the Con is set up, no one’s going to get to do everything they want. It’s all about give and take. And to say that it should be different to fit your needs is just unfair.

This is particularly true for those who don’t want to pay to get something signed by a ticketed author (ticketed meaning a ticket is required to get their signature). Understandably, you don’t want to pay extra for something that’s included. The good news is you don’t have to. NYCC offers two free opportunities to obtain tickets for ticketed authors. But immediately, everyone gets so mad that they have to pay that they don’t realize that paying is an option just for those you ABSOLUTELY MUST obtain the ticket. So the bottom line is that people who ABSOLUTELY MUST obtain a ticket now can. And those who ABSOLUTELY DON’T WANT TO PAY for a ticket don’t have to. Am I missing something?

Personally, I’d rather miss getting Bendis’s signature in New York, then fly to San Diego, not get my number picked in the lottery and miss it there. It’s give and take, so why does everyone just want to take?

At least I can take solace in the fact that this vocal minority doesn't represent everyone. I hope...

Roadblock Around The Corner

2009-01-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

School Library Journal recently posted an article about a lack of diversity in Newbery winning books. Since there's so much evidence supporting this idea, I won't really touch on it. However, this article did point me to an older article that SLJ published about the declining popularity of Newbery winning books. It seems that many experts in the field of children’s books simply don’t like a lot of the books. Someone credited as “one reviewer” said the following about the books and the committee: “Recent Newbery committees seem dismissive of popularity, a quality which should be an asset.” A few years ago, Stephen King wrote an op-ed in Entertainment Weekly called “How To Bury A Book” in which he describes how labeling a book as too literary will essentially kill it.

Essentially, it seems as though “critical acclaim” and “popularity” are becoming at odds. This isn’t just the case with books either: Music for “smart people” generally has no mass appeal, and art house movies that critics love pass over the heads of the general public (although Time ran an article in its most recent issue about how that’s changed this year), but this is the first I’m hearing it applied to kids books.

With the Newbery award being announced in about three weeks, its even more interesting now to see what the winner is.

Having said all this negative stuff about the Newbery, I think we can all agree that they nailed the Caldecott recently…can’t we?

Welcome to 2009

2009-01-05T12:53:00.001-08:00

So the year has been rung in! I hope everyone had a great New Years Eve, and isn’t dreading being back to the grind so much. After all, we do have plenty to look forward to.

First up on the schedule this year, as it is every year, is ALA Midwinter, and sadly I’m not at all qualified to call what might be a big winner at the Children’s Media Awards (although I’d love for “The Hunger Games” to get some recognition because I loved it!). No matter what book it might be, you can bet that I’ll be sitting there excitedly awaiting the announcements.

I closed out my year with “Haristyles of the Damned,” by Joe Meno (and published by Akashic Books which is emerging as one of my favorite indie presses, and one that I’m obviously one of the last people to jump on the bandwagon for). I absolutely loved this book. It really brought me back to high school, and I’ve been listening to The Misfits like it’s my job ever since finishing the book (side note: I’ve also discovered Pandora Radio, which is a really cool Internet radio tool that is helping to indulge my Misfits craving). Currently I’ve switched back to my favorite genre, which I call “personal stories/essays by funny or funnyish people,” and am enjoying my way through “Dumbfounded” by Matt Rothschild (and published by Crown). I really love his writing, and his stories, and the fact that his last name has five consecutive consonants. I’m looking forward to his next book. Will it come in 2009? I don’t know, but I do know that not knowing adds even more excitement to the New Year.

So Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

I just sent out the last CBE Newsletter of the year, which recapped just some of the stuff we did this year, and it’s no wonder the year flew by so quickly. We were all over the place all the time. It’s a wonder we found time to sleep (and an excuse for slacking here? I won’t pull that…).

How did everyone’s holiday turn out? Get any good books? Give any good books? I tried to include books for applicable friends and family, like Sabuda’s “Narnia” pop-up, “The Drawings of Superbad,” lots of comics, and some other stuff. It felt great to give books—especially because I bought most of them at my local shop (along with some toys too—everyone should get at least a few toys for the holidays).

The pending New Year is exciting, hopefully more so for the good then the bad. We still haven’t settled this economy, and as an industry, we’re not entirely sure where we’re headed. This digital publishing thing…ever heard of it? It’s picking up lots of steam, with digital profits rising almost across the board. Is it the end of traditional publishing? Or is it a new age for all publishing. Like I said, it’s pretty exciting, and I can’t wait to experience it all. So until then, have a great New Year’s Eve, and be safe!

Do This Now

2008-12-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

I suppose there’s going to be some sort of book about it, but I can’t find any information on it anywhere. Regardless thanks to Vintage (an imprint of Random House), I was able to accompany my girlfriend to a performance of Fuerza Bruta in New York City last night (to be clear: she was the one invited. I’m simply not that important).

What is important is just how crazy this show was. I honestly don’t know if I can describe it to you, but for what it’s worth: I’m not a dancer, and this got me dancing. Take it or leave it. Learn more about the show at http://www.fuerzabrutanyc.com/. In the meantime, I’m dying to know what Vintage has in store with this, so if anyone’s in the know, drop us a line!

No More Joking

2008-12-12T13:02:00.001-08:00

Last week I posted a stupid sarcastic post about how appalling it would be to give or receive a book as a present. I hope you read into the sarcasm. In all honesty, I think it’s a great idea, and a lot of the gifts I’ll be giving this year include books.

A bunch of publishers, as well as new video producers Random House, AND a bunch of celebrities all either agree or are pretending to agree, and have created the site BooksAreGreatGifts.com. Not that I think any of you need to be convinced, but check it out anyway. At the very least, it’s amusing, and at best, it’s a really good point.

NYCIP Praise

2008-12-10T13:11:00.000-08:00

I’m a bit late on this, but I wanted to throw a bit of a review on here from an event I attended this past weekend.

As part of Combined Book Exhibit’s 75th Year Anniversary celebration, we decided to sponsor the 21st Annual Independent and Small Press Book Fair at the New York Center for Independent Publishing. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect when I got there, but my goodness was it awesome.

The NYCIP (formerly the Small Press Center) is located in the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen building in midtown Manhattan (only low point of the show: the traffic cause by shoppers on 5th ave). The building (which I had been to before for one of Publishers Weekly’s breakfast panels) is essentially a big library on the ground floor, with about four additional floors of rooms. For this specific event, small presses and independent publishers set up tables in almost every room, with a few leftover for educational sessions and panels.

The best part about the show wasn’t even all the great books I saw (and the many I subsequently bought), or even the dichotomy of publishers attending. The best part for me was the huge numbers of people walking in off the streets and taking in the whole fair. While—perhaps selfishly—I was staffing a table to teach publishers about Combined Book Exhibit’s service, the whole of the fair was really consumer driven, and driven so well that I left with a positive outlook on book industry/consumer relations.

I met a lot of great people and learned a lot. But most importantly, I gained a great confidence. Go to http://www.nycip.org/bookfair/ to learn about the fair, or just www.nycip.org to learn more about the New York Center for Independent Publishing. Hopefully I’ll see you there next year (or sooner)!!

Talk About Crazy

2008-12-05T12:04:00.001-08:00

Imagine this: Receiving a book as a present.

Or this: Giving a book as a present.

You’ve got to be kidding me, right? Well, if the crazy people that Shelf Awareness quoted yesterday have their way, this nightmare might just become a reality. Furthermore, they want us to shop at bookstores instead of big box stores.

Talk about crazy…

Black Wednesday

2008-12-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

Publishers Lunch referred to today as “Black Wednesday,” with the bad news coming from Simon and Schuster, and more coming from Random House—this all coming on top of news we’ve been hearing lately about the likes of Barnes and Noble, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and just about every independent bookseller you can think of. And here we all said that publishing is a “recession-proof” industry. I guess not.

So is there any good news we can take away from this as an industry? Is there any silver lining to a cloud that’s hovering over our heads for too long? Has the passing along of creativity become a less lucrative means to support oneself? Has the bottom line dropped too low? These aren’t questions we can answer ourselves, but we can see evidence of answers.

We don’t know if we’ve reached the lowest point or if it’s still to come. The next page may have been written, but it still needs to be edited before we can market it to the masses. Maybe our silver lining is that our next chapter is unwritten. Hopefully the author will be kind, and he or she will write that black cloud out of our sequal.

Oops.

2008-11-19T12:19:00.000-08:00

I’m a bit embarrassed: I haven’t read any of the National Book Award nominees. At least it’s not a terrible position to be in. Tonight, when the pick the winners, I’ll know where to start.

What are you currently reading, and would you recommend it?

Lazy Two

2008-11-12T11:59:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, my grandfather pointed out that I haven’t blogged “in a month.” Not sure if that’s true, but I know I’ve been slacking, so I’m here to pick up the pace a bit!

Last week, I finished MY (not CBE’s, but MY) year of shows at New York Library Association. And let me tell you: what an awesome show. I almost couldn’t stay in the booth it was so crowded. Great feedback, great attendees, great books. In fact…

People were falling over themselves to check out the books we had on Barack Obama. Or should I say President-Elect Barack Obama! I won’t get too political with you here, but whether you supported him or not, it’s always exciting to be living through history, and last week, we lived through something truly historic. I usually keep my eye on the trade-book industry, but living through something for the history books is something that can’t be ignored (so naturally, I couldn’t ignore it here).

Back to the trade side of things, I recently read “The Hunger Games,” by Suzanne Collins, and I was absolutely blown away. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. I’m still trying to find my next project to tackle, so if you have any books to recommend, leave a comment.

Until then, Seth out!

Lazy

2008-10-31T10:56:00.001-07:00

Frankly, after the last three weeks, I’ve been really lazy. But, new habits die…eventually. And, today’s Halloween so there’s something to celebrate even if there’s not necessarily something to talk about.

The truth is there’s actually plenty to talk about, I’m just not the one to do the talking. The Sharjah World Book Fair is going on as we speak, and the Award Winners and Bestsellers Exhibit, organized by us at Combined Book Exhibit and The London Book Fair is a huge important international exhibit of huge important stature. Unfortunately, the boss—who’s at the show now—isn’t much for updates. So the real news is happening, we’ll just be behind the 8-ball in reporting it.

So then let’s talk about Halloween. I’m dressing up at Wall-E. What are YOU dressing up as?

Business As Usual

2008-10-21T13:30:00.001-07:00

We’re home from Frankfurt, and right back to business as usual after a terrible flight home. Even though I’m back in the office, my mind is still at the fair—and my body’s still on German time. But, as is the case with every fair, it does no good to keep my mind in the past when there’s so much happening both now and in the future to be looking forward to.

My plate is full: I’m back on the road in a few weeks heading up to New York Library association, which will wrap up my 2008 library season. My season will officially end in December with the New York Small Press Expo that I’m really looking forward to. But those are still weeks away. The here and now has a lot going on too that I’m really excited about. For example, tomorrow I’m going to a lunch hosted by the Young to Publishing Group, a division of the AAP. I have a meeting with some of their people after for a project I’m working on and very excited about. I’ll update you when I feel I’m at liberty to.

But for now, I feel like I have to go back to bed.

Guten...Bye?

2008-10-18T22:59:00.000-07:00

I don’t know if I ever learned to say “goodbye” in German so that will have to do. The word around town is that yesterday (Saturday) was essentially the last day of the fair, or at least for us in the English-language hall. The hall is officially open to the public and much of the exhibit staff in most booths have already started to pack their free totes and suitcases for the trek home—wherever home may be.

For us, we have one more day in the exhibit hall, set to open in about an hour and a half. Since the “business” has more or less concluded, we have a great opportunity to take in all that we’ve seen and accomplished over the fair. A fair like Frankfurt seems less of a business trip, and more of a pilgrimage. In fact almost everywhere we went, the introduction was some form of, “and this is Seth—it’s his first Frankfurt,” which was almost always followed by genuine interest of my impression of what I’ve seen so far. Frankfurt seems such a part of the lives of these publishing professionals—the people scheduling meetings, making sales, throwing or going to parties—that even though they have no say over who attends the fair itself, they worry about its future and care enough about its past that they do take a genuine interest in what a “Frankfurt virgin” thinks of the whole experience. I must tell you: this industry of ours is like a big family, and each year Frankfurt is like a 300 thousand family member reunion that I’d be happy to be a part of whenever I can.

So I’ll begin my true reflection as I’m packing books and panels, and taking one last lap around…well, around wherever my legs can carry me to, and quite frankly that’s not very far. But I know when I get on the plane tomorrow (finally!), I won’t feel like I’m leaving Frankfurt, Germany, but that I’m leaving The Frankfurt International Book Fair.

Raindrops on Roses

2008-10-17T23:15:00.000-07:00

Any given exhibitor or attendee has his or her favorite things about any given book fair: free books, author signings, about 200 million tote bags, seeing their friends, making friends, etc., etc. One of my favorite things to do while trying to take in a fair is planning ahead for my next fair. London, BEA, Beijing, even Comic Con, all give little or not so little hints of things to come. One cat out of the bag: ICPE is back for 2009 in Beijing! Another: I'm really REALLY REALLY can’t wait for NYCC (some cats don’t speak).

Another of my favorite things about a show, especially the scale of Frankfurt, is to not only meet new people, but to learn what they do, and what I can do to help them (in whatever limited capacity that might be). Yesterday over some wine in New Zealand(‘s booth), I talked with two people from a new children’s publishing company who, as just a hobby, decided to start a publisher. They figured they’re starting, and by Frankfurt 09 they’d be there with some new books. But, a bit of confidence from the New Zealand collective, and a push to make the most of the fair here and now, they’ve already published a small line with more in the future. “Kids” so to speak whose hobby brought them to Europe all the way from New Zealand. And then some wine with me, and we’re talking a shelf in Bologna, where New Zealand doesn’t attend themselves.

I’ve also begun to favor the buzz of the show. Everyone’s been asking what the buzz is for Frankfurt, saying that perhaps there isn’t one. But everyone I talk to is talking about “The Doctors.” “The Doctors,” we decided are the buzz of Frankfurt. “The Doctors” are two could-be models who by the way are both doctors publishing comic books based on medical information to teach children about disease. They call it MediKids. Next time you see someone that went to Frankfurt, ask them what they thought about “The Doctors,” and I’m sure you’ll get something.

These are just a few of my favorite things. Of course, soon enough my most-favoritest part of the show is coming: When I sleep in my own bed at home!

Good Morning America!

2008-10-16T22:51:00.001-07:00

Presumably, no one will read this until Friday morning, but here in Germany, it’s already Friday morning. I didn’t have time to blog about day two yesterday, because I had to leave for an awesome dinner, very reminiscent of a dinner a yuppie might have had in the 80s. But I digress…

Day two of the show was pretty much just day one, but on Thursday instead of Wednesday. Traffic was similar, collected leads were similar, and meetings were just as frequent. It’s so exciting to wait and hear about the new deals being negotiated at the fair. Two people who came to the Combined Book Exhibit said that they had found books in the exhibit in past years that they bought the rights to, and therefore always make CBE a stop during the show. No matter how busy their schedules are, there’s always time to seek a new title from our collective. It’s a happy time.

I’ve met some great people here. Tomorrow, I’ll have more formal discussions with one such person, and if all goes as planned, I’ll be a busy man for a while, but it will be well worth your while. I’ll keep you posted.

The great food outings are ending soon, but the show’s still got a few great days left.

Day One in the Books

2008-10-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

So the first day of the biggest fair in the world is officially ending in about two minutes. I can't honestly describe how gigantic it is here, with all the halls being so huge and there being so many halls. The important thing however, isn't the size, but the quantity and quality of the traffic (and parties).

Traffic was pretty much steady for all 9 and a half hours (yeah...nine and a half). New books are being found around every corner, and though I don't personally know of any deals being made (yet), I'm sure there are many each hour, and certainly plenty to come in the coming days--and for those in the Combined Book Exhibit, the weeks and months.

As for the parties, the quality and quantity are both high. German beer, books and people? You should definately come to Frankfurt!

A Week Late

2008-10-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go?

I arrived here in Germany last Wednesday (after leaving Tuesday), and set up began on Thursday. Now, on Monday, we're actually ahead of schedule, which is practically unheard of. In fact, much of the hall is raving about getting on a bit early with their finishing up. New Zealand, The UK, and loads of publishers are all ahead of schedule. While the fair doesn't start tomorrow, maybe it could...

Not too much time has been spent outside the hall, but when there's time to spend, there's plenty to do--and eat! The food here is better than anywhere in the world, I'm nearly convinced. I'm glad I lost 20 pounds before I got here, though with all the pastries and pastas, its mostly returned.

The world of publishers is begining to arrive today. I'll keep you posted on anything I hear.

I Can’t Believe its Already Here!

2008-10-07T09:02:00.001-07:00

Everyone keeps saying, “I can’t believe its already time for Frankfurt.” Well it is, and I leave tonight. Be sure to check back here often, where I’ll be “mogging” often on my first experience at the Frankfurt International Book Fair.

In unrelated news, this past weekend, I caught “Tale of Two Cities” on Broadway. Check it out, and then get the book!

Love ILLA, Love Chicago, Love Mogging

2008-09-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

So here I am "mogging" from Andy's Jazz club, enjoying a rum and (diet) coke and reflecting on ILLA. Not only was the show--and the booth--crzy busy, but it was filled with librarians that really care about their patrons. I had a long conversation with one adult librian that explained to me why she doesn't buy graphic novels. Even though it was sad to hear that, she reasoned it very logically, and it all came down to how well she know her patrons, and knowing their patrons is what (in my opinion) really separates librians into their own vategory. Gotta love it!

While it is great to think about that kind of stuff, right now I'm really feeling these jazz rhthms, so I best be going

Illinois Librarians, and Nation-Wide Libraries

2008-09-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

The first day of ILLA--the Illinois Library Association--ended today. The ILLA librarians are great, very motivated to find new books, and very interested in a lot of titles. I had a great conversation about YA literature with one librarian, and another about picture books with a second. Everyone seems eager to find the best new book they can, which is awesome. What's also awesome is that these ILLA librarians seem of a new age: If there isn't one of the many long haired, chic-dressed male librarians walking by, there's undoubtedly a chic-dressed tattooed female librarian in eyesight. These librarians make me feel so much less cool, which really would hurt the psyche of a middle-school-aged me, but for now, I just sort of love it.

For those of us who are not yet librarians, CNN.com had a great article about "15 Jobs that pay $50, ooo--and Might be Hiring." Guess what was smack in the middle of the list....

Looks like that Library Science Degree is more valuable than anyone thought!

.Mogging Pre-ILLA

2008-09-23T05:46:00.000-07:00

Lance over at BEA calls blogging from his Blackberry "Mogging," which is presumably short for "mobile blogging," which is short for "mobile web logging." Mogging is much easier to say, and since this is my first ever mog-and likely not the last-i felt the need to explain that.

I'm currently at JFK waititng to board a plane to Chicago for Illinois Library. I'll keep you updated on any crazy exploits using this "mogging"

Just How Uncool am I?

2008-09-16T13:06:00.001-07:00

I just read Ilana Stranger-Ross’s “Soapbox” in the latest Publishers Weekly, in which she describes her history with Brooklyn, New York. Ilana, unlike Seth Dellon, actually has a relationship with Brooklyn, in that she lived there from birth through the age of 18, and her parents still live there. Ilana has a justified annoyance with the current hippest place on Earth, unlike Seth Dellon who just feels spite towards it. Allow Seth Dellon—that is to say, allow me—to explain.

Everyone I know that lives in Brooklyn is infinitely cooler than I am. My best friend growing up currently lives there, and throws better parties, goes to better bars and inherently has better stories than I do. Another friend of mine from college works at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, danced with Sir Ian McKellen and also goes to better bars than I do. It can’t be a coincidence that they both live in Brooklyn and do really cool things all the time (nor can it be a coincidence that they each broke a leg during the past year-and-a-half and got to complain (in a really cool manner) about what a pain it is to take the subway with only one working leg).

Brooklyn is like a Mecca of awesome, situated next to the former Mecca of awesome, Manhattan (which lost Mecca of awesome status when it got a little too mainstream). Brooklyn is currently so cool that everything about it is favored over anything Manhattan can offer: New York Cheesecake is the best Cheesecake, but the best of the best is Juniors in Brooklyn; Manhattan gets great concerts, but any true music fan knows that Music Hall Of Williamsburg is better than Irving Plaza; New York is Book Country used to be a great book festival until Brooklyn started hosting it’s own; and so on and so on.

In “Soapbox,” Ilana described her fear that people might only find her credible because her bio says she’s from Brooklyn. After all, it is the Mecca of awesome, so everything there must also be awesome, right? Maybe. But, while this might be true, it certainly doesn’t mean that anything not from there is not awesome. And that’s where my spite comes in. At ALA, I met a girl from Brooklyn that said she doesn’t like to travel because “I live in Brooklyn, why would I ever want to leave?” (She also claimed to not own a TV, which is a crime because knowing how awesome “Lost” is, I can only imagine how awesome it would be to watch it in Brooklyn). In retrospect is seems stupid to me that I didn’t say, “Because there’s lots of awesome stuff outside of Brooklyn to experience.”

Any flavor of the month takes pride in being that flavor of the month. But once the month is over, you might realize what a shame it was to not have tried something else. I’m Seth Dellon, and I’ve been to Brooklyn a lot, but the best bar I ever went to was in California, the best concert I ever went to was in Manhattan, and the best book fair I’ve been to was out of this country.*

*Juniors really is the best cheesecake though.

Ew, Gross! Politics!!

2008-09-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

I don’t know what it is with VPs and the want to censor. Al Gore’s wife Tipper and her PMRC, and now prospective candidate Sarah Palin, who, according to this article from the New York Times, tried to censor some books in the local Alaskan library, and then tried to fire the librarian when she refused. Please note that the information in this article does come from a third party, so for all we know, it might be misinformation.

Also please note that we’re not turning this blog into a political propaganda machine for either side. But with the election at the forefront of news, and this being a book/library industry blog, this seems pertinent.

Just to prove that this isn’t a political propaganda blog, here are some puppies.

Until We Meet Again, China

2008-09-04T12:25:00.001-07:00

The Beijing Book Fair recently wrapped, but without any updates from our fearless leaders on the scene, and without them back in the office, we’ve had no updates. So, we must turn to our good friends at Bookexpo America who happen to be exhibiting within the American Collective Stand. I point you to Booklab, a blog by BEA’s Rüdiger Wischenbart, who was on hand. Enjoy!

Replacing that Annoying Paperclip

2008-09-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

Well, not really replacing it, because we’re not talking about Microsoft here. In fact, we’re talking about a big competitor of theirs. But anyway…

Chrome! What is Chrome? Chrome is a comic book that was created to explain Google’s new browser. You can read Chrome in its entirety here.

I can’t decide if I think that this is an example of a great step for comics, or an example of something all too mainstream pillaging subculture.

Punk—er Publishing’s NOT DEAD!!

2008-08-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

I just read this GalleyCat article, ripping apart this article from the Huffington Post. I’d really have more to say about it, but GalleyCat pretty much said everything I want to say. Be sure to read Huffington first, then GalleyCat’s response.

One thing: I have “Punk Marketing.” I hadn’t read it yet. But after reading the Huffington article, and disagreeing with almost everything it says, it’s nice to know I can remove it from my “books to read before I die” list.

Breaking the Mold

2008-08-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

I’ve barely begun it, but Chuck Klosterman’s new book—and first novel—is really impressing me. It’s not too often that a successful non-fiction writer—particularly an essay writer—can make such a great jump from non-fiction to fiction (at least in my opinion). At the moment, I’m unable to think of any authors whose non-fiction I loved, and whose fiction I loved as well. Paul Feig? I’m sorry to say, no. Although I suppose Chuck Palahniuk was fairly successful making the jump from journalist to novelist. I enjoyed “Stranger Than Fiction,” though, only read it after reading his fiction (which would actually prove stranger than the non-fiction, thus nullifying the title of his only non-fiction book).

Anyway, I’m getting a bit off topic. “Downtown Owl,” the Klosterman book in question, is filled with typical Klosterman type writing, only, as Chuck himself says, this time he had to make everything up. The book takes place in the small North Dakota town of Owl, population somewhere in the eight-hundreds, and stars a cast of high school students, teachers, and Owl townies. It’s told (so far) from the point of view of three characters, though all told in the third person omniscient which must surely be a departure for a non-fiction writer. But he’s pulling it off swimmingly (so far).

I believe the book comes out in September, so keep your eyes peeled.

Mad at Warner

2008-08-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, I didn’t have particularly high hopes for the film version of “Half Blood Prince”—like director, David Yates, said, the book features a lot of flashbacks, which don’t make for a good movie narrative*. But then I saw that glorious, glorious teaser, which turned me into a believer. Little did I know just what a tease it would be.

Before enjoying a long weekend, I was let in on the bad news: The movie, originally scheduled to enter theaters this November, is being moved to July 17, 2009. Many reasons were cited, including, according to one studio exec, “the recent Writers Guild of America strike had delayed production on some films, leaving a lighter lineup during 2009's busy summer season.” My favorite excuse came from a teacher friend of mine who said that the original release date corresponded with report cards: imagine the missed revenue from grounded children! I have to consider the fact that the movie is now being released the same weekend during which “The Dark Knight” was released one year earlier. Hoping to strike lightening twice?

Speaking of “The Dark Knight,” maybe Warner realized something recently that makes me a bit less mad at them. They do have a goldmine of material available to them. It’s called DC Comics. I read an interesting article, which you can read here. One point of interest: they’re not rushing to push product out the door. Can we expect a Warner release every year during what I’m going to officially dub (and copyright) “Dark Kweekend”? It’s already circled on my 2009 calendar.

*Movie, not book. HBP does a fantastic job of using the past to affect the future, and move the franchise along, but for a movie, I can see where he’s coming from.

News on Sharjah Catching On

2008-08-06T12:49:00.001-07:00

I don’t know how close you’ve been paying attention, or even how much I’ve mentioned it (although it was featured in the last CBE Newsletter), but we’re doing a really special exhibit at the Sharjah World Book Fair this year. I’d tell you more, but I’m tired, so I’ll let Publishers Weekly tell you what I would have. Check it out here.

What Did I Choose?

2008-08-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

Since I don’t have a Kindle, I had to settle for two books to bring with me on vacation, though I only intended to read one (that’s how I operate by the way: always bring a backup). On this trip, the backup was “Me of Little Faith,” by BEA performer and IHOP frequenter, Lewis Black. The main event however, was something I’ve been putting off.

That’s right kids, while relaxing on the beach, and the air conditioning after the beach, I read “Watchmen.” It seemed only right after not being able to comment on it during a previous entry. So, naturally, now I shall comment on it.

First off, I recommend reading it. It’s a fantastic multi-layered story, featuring complex characters and an all to familiar and eerie alternate reality. The heroes represented within its pages are great on their own right, but are also great commentary on the hero genre as a whole. It is a stunning piece of literature first, and graphic novel second.

Had “Watchmen” simply been a novel and not a graphic novel, there’s not doubt in my mind it would not be a movie. But, since it has the stature of “most celebrated graphic novel of all time,” and we live in the time we do, there’s no question that it was eventually going to be a movie. But should it?

I said before that I don’t think fans of the book will be happy with the movie. Now that I can count myself among those fans, I don’t envision myself being happy with the movie. I almost wish I hadn’t read it, so I could enjoy what looks to be a very stylistic and impressive movie. But where the term “graphic novel” often gives credence to style, “Watchmen” transcends this in its storytelling. Unfortunately, no amount of style and cool factor can make me believe that this piece of literature can be successfully transposed from the page to the screen. At least not in one single movie. My girlfriend says, “Trilogies are in these days.” If that’s the case, I say bring it on.

I’ll see the movie. And I’ll try hard to not compare it to the book. I might fail though. (One side note that I feel is important to mention: In the description of the story on the film’s official site, there’s no mention of Alan Moore anywhere).

Anyway, one film franchise whose fans have generally been satisfied is one of my favorites: (like I need to say it?) Harry Potter. The “Half Blood Prince” trailer debuted before I left for vacation. Watch it now—and be amazed!

Must...Have....Technology...On...Vacation...!!

2008-07-29T12:12:00.001-07:00

As my mind starts to completely enter vacation mode (t-minus 1.5 hours until vacation and I get to go to Florida!), I'm completely torn on what book to bring. I'll be on the beach, so ideally it won't be too big and "tan-line-causing,” and I don’t want to bring too many books and get charged $50, so it might have to be on the shorter side, and most likely a paperback. It shouldn’t be something that requires too much thought, because my brain might just barely be working since I won’t be. It’s a tough call. Not only do I need to find the one perfect book, but it must only be one perfect book.

My iPod’s full and charged though. That was easy. Remember back in January when I compared the Kindle to the iPod? Someone else has done it now, and it’s intriguing. Check it out here.

Enjoy my vacation everyone! I know I will!

Londoners Certainly Plan Ahead

2008-07-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

You may have heard this from some other source, but I got it straight from the horses mouth: The London Book Fair Facebook Group! That's right, social networking rules all of our lives now--internationally too! Looks like London is set to announce it's market focus for not only 2009 (which I believe was already made public) but also 2010 (which might also have been, and I just didn't know). Here's (some of) the word from Emma House, LBF Show Management:

"The London Book Fair and British Council are delighted to announce that India will be the Market Focus country in 2009, and South Africa in 2010. This follows from the huge success of the Arab World as Market Focus in 2008.

The London Book Fair Market Focus is an important opportunity for UK and international publishers to liaise with their foreign counterparts, seek out and capitalise on new business partnerships in countries with strong publishing industries. The biggest opportunity it presents is to enable local publishers to promote their companies to the international arena. Market Focus also helps international publishers better understand how different markets operate, and offers an opportunity to identify fresh and exciting new authors not yet published in English or other languages.

Both India and South Africa are big markets for English language books, yet both function quite differently and each presents its own set of challenges. Both countries use many different languages in commerce and literature, so understanding linguistic and cultural diversity is essential to understand both markets. Both India and South Africa host emerging and important book fairs."

You can read the entire statement by joining the London Book Fair group on Facebook, or probably any number of other news sources.

Is the Best Really the Best?

2008-07-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

Who saw “Dark Knight”? If you haven’t seen it yet, then you have no idea what you’re missing. No matter if you’ve seen every trailer and/or read every spoiler, Heath Ledger will absolutely blow you away. The story will take over your brain; the realism will put Batman, The Joker and others into a surreal place in your mind; and you’ll cheer and be terrified at the same time. The movie is brilliant, and it just happens to feature Batman.

Attached to “The Dark Knight” is the trailer for a movie called “Watchmen.” I’m assuming you know that “Watchmen” is based on the graphic novel by Allen Moore. Moore is widely considered a genius by his fans. I’ve mentioned him before. Truth be told, I haven’t read “Watchmen,” or many of his other books. I tried “Watchmen,” but it just wasn’t for me. Having said that, “Watchmen” is regarded as one of the greatest—if not the greatest—superhero stories ever written. Perhaps even the best graphic novel ever (I can’t comment on this because I’ve never read it).

“Watchmen” is being adapted for the big screen via the direction of Zack Snyder, who gained fame recently for adapting Frank Miller’s graphic novel “300.” In a recent article with Entertainment Weekly, Snyder discusses how proud he is to be working at the helm of such an important book. However, I think he gets a bit cocky. To quote the article: “‘The average movie audience has seen so many superhero movies,’ he says. ‘And some of this stuff is hard to take seriously. I mean, The Hulk? Come on.’” My problem with this outlook is that fans of “The Hulk” generally really liked the movie—believable or not. With “Watchmen,” the reach might be too far, the fans too loyal, and the love too much for the movie to be a success. One look at the trailer may excite some, but my impression is not the same I get from looking at the comic itself.

Allen Moore has never given his blessing for any of his work being turned into movies (rumor has it he tried to get DC to remove his name from “V for Vendetta” after the movie came out), and the general consensus from his biggest fans have ranged from “that’s awful” to “meh, but not as good as the book.” Like I said, I can’t comment on most of these, but I hope for Snyder’s sake that he considers his audience when adapting his source material.

For the record, Alan Moore did write “The Killing Joke,” a graphic novella about The Joker. It served as one of the inspirations for the character in “The Dark Knight,” though the movie is not a straight adaptation of the book. In my personal opinion, the character was definitely done justice.

COMBLOGGED HAS MOVED

2008-04-22T06:22:00.000-07:00

To continue reading Comblogged book Exhibit, please update your bookmarks and links to the following site:

www.combinedbook.com/blogs

See you there!!!

Biggest Update Ever!

2008-04-10T11:08:00.001-07:00

Hey guys,

This is NOT the official update for today, but it is the most important one to day.

Comblogged Book Exhibit is moving!!!!!

Since we at CBE have totally revamped our website, the blog has been added as an official part!

To continue reading Comblogged Book Exhibit, please go to the following (long and cumbersome) link:

http:www.combinedbook.com/combined-book-exhibit-blog_7_1.html

I know it's not as simple as the current URL, but it allows me to play more with the blog itself, so its worthwhile.

UPDATE YOUR BOOKMARKS AND LINKS!!!

Bring on the workload!

2008-04-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

Well, the last day of freedom is coming to a close as I type this, but that doesn't mean the fun has ended. Even though the work begins tomorrow for setting up the show, there's still so much to look forward to. Including, but not limited to:

All the friends coming in!

Hearing the results of the London Book Awards (which are also occurring as we speak--and we have a spy on the inside)!

Fancy dinners!

and

THE LONDON BOOK FAIR!

The LBF is one of the best--which you would certainly know if you've read the CBE Newsletter--and I suppose we can say that, as the work begins, the fun just continues.

Books? Yeah, I've seen some books...

2008-04-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

It's a bit past six on this side of the pond, and I'm exhausted. I spent the day in and out of museums, exhibitions and the wizarding world. That's right: My day began visiting Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station. I saw a bunch of people trying to push their trolly through the wall, but they didn't realize that you need to be a wizard to do that. I got impatient waiting my turn at the wall, so I just aparated out of there.

And where did I land? The British Library! My walk (I mean my aparation) from Kings Cross to the Library was quick, but not as quick as I thought it would be. I passed a gorgeous old building, which I assumed was the library, but turned out to just be a hotel under construction. The British Library is surprisingly modern considering how old the city and the books inhabiting the library are. Most of the books in the stacks are not accessible to those not registered for a reading room, but they did have an amazing exhibition room, with original manuscripts from Jane Austen, Bronte, Shakespeare, and loads more, in addition to an original Gutenburg Bible and lyric sheets from The Beatles. Unfortunately, with the aforementioned inability to explore the stacks, I was unable to explore the rare books on floor two, but even still I think you should add the British Library to your itinerary next time you're in London.

After the book building, I saw both the British Library and the Natural History Museum. Both awesome.

Unfortunately, my free time in London is coming closer and closer to its end, but that only brings us closer to the book fair. So when will I be seeing you here?

My Feet Hurt

2008-04-07T16:26:00.000-07:00

You'll be happy to know that I didn't get lost once today! Most likely because I spent most of the day on a guided tour. But I did not experience too much literary greatness--short of being where Jane Austen once lived. My day was filled with lovely history, but I don't want to bore you with that.

Tomorrow is going to be quite a literary day: I'm going to the British Library and seeing the most significant literary item to date, at King's Cross Station. You know what I'm talking about.

And if you don't, full report tomorrow.

Cheers!

Greetings From London

2008-04-06T13:40:00.001-07:00

I've had a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, long day, which started last night, or this morning, or whenever the hell I was last in New York, listening to someone playing an oboe in the hopes of being upgraded to "Upper Class" seating. It worked. Moral of the story: Fly Virgin Atlantic!!

When I arrived in London, I noticed that in the Underground station at Heathrow, there's a book vending machine. One more time: A. BOOK. Vending. Machine. It was called "Novel Idea," and I love everything about it. It should be noted however that I had no business being in the Underground station at London Heathrow, but I was lost.

Today was a long x however many day, but I accomplished a lot. Want to know where the parliament of England meets? I can show you a picture. Interested in Soho? I'll show-ho you why. Got a hankering for some creepy trees, located within the confines of what I have dubbed "Mr." Hyde Park? I can accommodate. I've walked a million miles today--because I kept getting lost--but I can now tell you the best way to get from Oxford Circus to Paddington (who knew I would ever know?!?!).

To cap off my day, since I am here for the BOOK fair after all, I decided to do something really literary and enjoy a pint at the Shakespeare's Head Pub. I learned a lot there.

Check back often, it only gets better from here....

The Wait Is (almost) Over

2008-04-04T13:16:00.001-07:00

Check back often in the next two weeks, because I'll be in London. I've never been before (to the Fair or the city), so if you've been, maybe it'll bring back some first-time memories, and if you haven't been, well--sucks to be you!

The CBE Newsletter went out today, and it has a complete LBF preview, with some great tips and some great info, so email me if you want it emailed to you.

In the meantime, I have to pack and fly, so I guess I'll just see you in the Olde Country.

Jolly good?

Cheers!

Two Much Excitement!

2008-04-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

Not only because I’m leaving for London in just two days, but because Bookexpo America is less than two months away. And not two days after my post referencing Paul Feig, I found out that the man himself will be there signing! (I’m hoping he’ll sign two things for me.)

Anyway, it’s two minutes past when I should have left work, so I must leave you with what I hope isn’t two much disappointment.

The Red Coats Are Being Invaded!!!

2008-04-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

I don't really have much time or exciting stuff to blog about, I just thought that was a funny title.

Three days til I leave for London!

Inside The Party, Out Of The Rain!

2008-04-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

I’m currently working on the April issue of the CBE Newsletter, which is all about the London Book Fair, and it hit me: it’s time for the frickin London Book Fair! Where does the time go?

A year ago, I was taking a lot of pride in the fact that, while I did wish I was going to London, I was perfectly happy to be going to the local state shows, rubbing elbows with librarians and others who “only care about a good read” as I put it. Now that I’m a few days away from my seven-hour flight, I’m not sure I don’t still feel that sentiment. Although, I’m confident that this feeling will disappear while I’m looking at Stonehenge in one of my free days before all the work starts for fair.

So alas, a year has gone by in the blink of an eye, and it’s five days until the spring publishing event. And I have an incredible amount to do beforehand!

Sexy or SEXY?

2008-03-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

On the flight home from Public Library on Saturday, I took a break from reading my book (currently, “Superstud” by Paul Feig), to listen to some music and mindlessly sift through the two magazines the airline provided in my seat pocket. The traditional “Sky Mall” is always a joy and a great place to find new things that one would probably only buy when completely bored on a long flight, and the American Airlines owned “Sky something or other” (not the actual name). The latter magazine featured an ad for the Sony Reader, with the tagline “Sexier Than a Librarian (Your Librarian My Vary).”

Now, this is not the first time I’ve seen this ad; it jumps at me each time I exit my Metro North train at Grand Central Station, where Sony Reader ads are particularly ubiquitous. But this is the first time I saw the ad at such an inopportune time: on a plane full of librarians. I ripped it out and put it in my pocket for prosperity’s sake. After all, how many times will such a perfect pairing of market segment and failed ad occur in my presence?

My seat neighbor, a librarian from Connecticut, didn’t seem to notice, even though I kept the page open as long as I felt appropriate to try and score a reaction—she was lost in conversation with her seat neighbor to the East. Right now, I can’t really justify why I tried to pry a reaction from someone who is certainly not the target audience for such a campaign, but at the time, I wanted nothing more than to get a reaction first hand from the demographic being compared to mechanical product. One Google search later, and the reaction was brought right to me.

Sony has responded to the negative words from the library community with this blog. Not only has the blog not curbed the fury, but the fury hasn’t curbed the campaign. I suppose this is one of those times when the foot goes further into the mouth, but doesn’t muffle the words.

Not that Sony has particularly much to worry about. Despite the backlash from one important segment of the publishing industry, PW is reporting that the list of another important segment of the publishing industry—the publishers—are grabbing the readers by the hundreds in an effort to save toner, time, money and for argument’s sake we’ll also throw the environment in there too.

Oh, The Public!

2008-03-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

Even though the show itself doesn't close 'til tomorrow around 2ish, the exhibit hall closed today, so that means that my time in this town is coming to a close. My first PLA was a blast, and I'm pretty excited for two years from now when everyone's recongregating in Portland.

Being with so many people--attendees and exhibitors alike--really gets the creative juices flowing. A few new projects are in their embryonic stages as of these past few days, and I'm really excited to get them started.

But, it'll take some time, because I'm off to London for about two weeks in a about a week. Let's hope the LBF is as creatively inspirational as PLA.

In the meantime, if you ever find yourself in Minneapolis, go to Manny's, get the hash browns, with your steak, and get the strawberries for dessert--and cover those in whipped cream and caramel...

Welcome to PLA!

2008-03-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

For two and a half hours tonight, we saw the grand opening of PLA, complete with hors d'evours like any other show. But unlike most shows, the crowd spent more time in the booths than with the food. Could the rumors of PLA being better than Midwinter be true?

Check back for confirmation (or evidence to prove otherwise....)!

What A Day!!

2008-03-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

After waking up at 3:30am in order to leave by ten to four to catch my flight to Minneapolis; and after the mostly empty plane ride, which essentially served as a slumber party for the who's who of library marketing; and after the grueling set up which has yet to come to its glorious completion (stop by the 1400 aisle to be blown away by CBE); and after one of the best meals I've ever had (and definitely the best whipped cream on Earth); and after the walk to try and negate the effects of the best whipped cream on Earth; and after visiting Target in its home city only to discover it's pretty much like any Target anywhere; and after going to Barnes and Noble and finally being able to find the book I've been unable to find in any store in New York: I'm going to sleep.

Will I see you tomorrow at the PLA grand opening extravaganza (featuring: I have no idea. Talk about a busy few weeks!)?? Stop by and say "yo" (all non "yo" salutations will be ignored).

Borders and Noble.

2008-03-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

Well?

Would you shop there?

Or I suppose I should ask:

Where else COULD you shop?

-Seth

Seth's Note: I know there are other places to go for great books. Lots of great places. In fact, list your favorite indie store. Mine's the Bruised Apple (close second: Strand).

Teens Flock To Meet Japanese Official

2008-03-19T10:25:00.001-07:00

Anyone with at least one working eye can notice the Manga overflow at Barnes and Noble. When I first started working at Barnes too many years ago (has it been too many years already?), we were touring our new base of employment prior to the store’s grand opening. And when we reached the Manga section, the group taking the tour split into two subgroups: people who weren’t too familiar with the format, and people who knew everything about it, including it’s origins, it’s most popular stories, and the size of it’s binding.

Yesterday, I got a haircut, and for the first time in my adult life, I had a conversation with the guy cutting my hair that was almost exclusively about cartoons (we agreed that “The Incredibles” is the best Pixar movie, but couldn’t decide if it was because of or in spite of all the ignored death scenes). Then, he brought up “all those Japanese cartoons. You know, the ones that like inspired the Matrix and stuff? Those were awesome.”

I’m not sure if the events of today were inspired by some sort of spy microphone in my barber’s buzzy thing, or just out of the knowledge that all around the world, there is an ever growing group of people that know everything there is to possibly know about Japanese cartoons (Anime and Manga depending on format). But today (or at least, posted today on my email’s porthole with the day’s news), Japan jumped on the loving Japanese cartoon bandwagon, by officially creating the post of Cartoon Ambassador. You can read the whole story here.

(I was thinking how great it would be if we had a Cartoon Ambassador in America, and how badly I would want to have a conversation with him or her. “Mr. Ambassador: It’s been brought to my attention that there are people who actually think that ‘The Batman’ is better than ‘Batman the Animated Series.’ What say the American government on this matter?” I love me).

Seth’s note: I would also like to publicly congratulate Oxford University Press on the hiring of a fantastic new marketing assistant: my girlfriend.

One More Than Seven Is Still Seven

2008-03-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

The official announcement came today that the final installment of Harry Potter (which I assume you know is called “and the Deathly Hollows”) will be made into not one, not three, but two movies. (I wonder how Daniel Radcliffe, who stars as Harry himself thinks about this. He famously said that he’s probably the only person on Earth that was not hoping for an eighth book (he’s wrong--I wasn’t either)).

Since I get most of my screen-related news from Ain’t It Cool News, I’ve read a lot of feedback from movie fans—mostly upset about the decision, combined with a strong disappointment with the choice of sticking with David Yates as the director for both of them (he directed “Order of the Phoenix,” and has begun work on “Half Blood Prince.” Disappointment comes from the movies’ fans enjoying a change of pace every movie or so. Yates will be the first director to take charge of more than one movie, since Chris Columbus directed both the franchise’s first two installments. This was a long parenthetical statement). I’m curious to hear more reaction from the book side of HP fandom. I can tell you that when I finished the book, my girlfriend and I agreed that it would make a terrible movie. I am confident however, that it will make two very good movies. I say good choice (but will leave opinions on the choice of director to screen people).

Thoughts?

Just Passing The Time

2008-03-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

I haven’t received any official updates from the Abu Dhabi fair, short of a quick email saying, “Good stuff happening here. Let you know later. Got to go to bed,” so at least we know there’s good stuff happening!

In the meantime, I found this cool study via the Associated Press about publishers “Going Green” by embracing technology and—hey, what an idea!—recycling!

As much as “Going Green” is a necessity, the new Batman movie and Legos (despite my letter to exhibitors at Toy Fair) are just as important. Observe.

Always Exploring New Markets

2008-03-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

As meetings of the mind occur everywhere around the world, new markets for books--specifically, English language--are created each day. Much like he did in December, CBE chief, Jon Malinowski, returns to the Middle East, this time attending the 18th annual Abu Dhabi Book Fair! Check out a story about it here, and I'll try and pass onto you anything I hear from him during the fair (he must have forgotten the password for this).

The countdown to the London Book Fair has begun, and I leave in less than a month. I have precious little free time in London before the work for the fair begins, so email any suggestions of fun (and free--thanks a lot US Dollar!) things to do!

Catching Up

2008-03-07T10:22:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite things about running comic series is that every so often, I get to catch up. There’s not a particularly convenient method for me to get monthlies, so by reading the trades, I get to catch up several issues at a time.

I’m more than two trades behind on Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead,” which has brought me nothing but joy as the world becomes less and less joyful. Once I’m caught up here, I’ll get to catch up and soon enough finish Brian K. Vaughan’s “Y The Last Man.”

No wonder TV shows on DVD are so popular with comic geeks.

Aparently, Someone Was Listening

2008-03-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

When I blew out the candles at my surprise birthday party on Saturday, I could have wished for a lot of things. If I had wished for posters (which I can't confirm or deny, because everyone knows you can't tell your wish), then the publishers of American Libraries certainly listened. Happy Birthday to me!!

An Open Letter To My Fellow Exhibitors

2008-02-22T06:24:00.001-08:00

Dear Exhibitors,

This week was the 2008 edition of the American International Toy Fair, a fair that—for a traditional book exhibitor at least—boasts possibilities beyond our wildest dreams. It was the one time in my short career where I got to tell my friends, “So I’ll probably get to see all the sweet new action figures. Yeah, you’re jealous, but it’s not really a big deal or anything.” But my reality would become incomplete. Sure, there were opportunities to check out the upcoming “Dark Knight” licensed Batmen, and I got to see some sweet table top air hockey units. My annual stuffed animal quote was more than filled, as was the same for board games. But what was up with all of the walls and doors and “by appointment only” signs, and the no exhibitors rule? Come on guys, you’re in the same boat as us: it’s a long day, and there aren’t too many chances to get out of the booth. Maybe I can see a new Lego or two?

Is it really a reality we want to live in, when the exhibitor badge carries with is a stigma—one that pits us against others with the same marker? It’s not one I want to live in, I can tell you that.

Perhaps this is just business as usual for the toy boys. I’d like a book please.

Sincerely,

Seth Dellon

Off To Play With The Wizard

2008-02-15T06:22:00.000-08:00

Today I'll be at the Javits Center in NYC setting up for the American International Toy Fair, which runs this Sunday through Wednesday. If you're planning on showing up, make sure you check out the Combined Book Exhibit at booth 3308.

In the meantime, The New York Comic Con, and our good friend Lance Fensterman, posted today on the official blog Medium At Large (formerly and affectionately known to Comblogged readers as "Blogexpo America" (its the official show blog for NYCC, BEA and the New York Anime Fest)), a really freaking sweet announcement. Check it out, then come back here and thank me for showing you.

Celebrating that 1%

2008-02-14T12:52:00.001-08:00

Today’s PW Daily said that bookstore sales were up 1.1% in 2007. They are quick to mention however that this is the fist time since 2005 that this has happened. Significant? They make no dance around it: 2005 was the last Harry Potter year before 07.

Uh oh.

Ok, stay calm. There’s no need to panic. Ummm…maybe there was also a lack of good coffee in 2006? Maybe it’s not Harry Potter related at all. Its just…we just…AHHHH!!!

In the past week, I’ve read three books, and my girlfriend read 6 (that’s a lie I’m sure. She’s probably read more, but we have different work schedules, so I don’t actually know). I can tell you that awaiting Harry Potter, I never read this much. I sat in anticipation. Silver lining maybe? Hey, I’m an optimist.

I stole the idea of reading 50 books in a year from Barry Lyga (after spending too much time on his website, post “Boy Toy” reading). I think its unlikely I’ll get to 50 considering I haven’t broken six yet for the year, and we’re past 6 weeks in. But, if I can do my part and try and reach a goal, maybe I can help bookstores approach that 1% that we’re celebrating.

Care to join me?

Updating My iPod

2008-02-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I upgraded to iPod video for several reasons: I’ve got some flights coming up, I’ve got a few train rides coming up, some long commutes, and I managed to score some decent money in a Super Bowl pool (no, I don’t want to discuss this worst-case-scenario-for-a-Jets-fan Super Bowl). The important thing is that now I have 80 gigs of free space, to fill however I please.

One of the beautiful things about MP3 technology is the ability to add to my MP3 collection by simply putting one of my (or, any number of my friends’) CDs into my computer and pressing the import button. This is good because—you probably remember us having this conversation—music needs a means to play. I can’t simply buy a CD and hear the music on it. This is impossible.

Well, since the advent of the ebook, and its accompanying portable ebook reader, I guess there had to be someone out there itching to make it as easy to put books on the device as it is to put music on my iPod. Enter the “first consumer book ripper,” a machine designed to take pictures of any book with a camera (not included), that can do up to 500 pages in an hour—if you’re willing to spend an hour turning a 500 page book, page by page.

People: I, for several reasons, understand the lure of ebooks, and even the usefulness of the Sony E-reader and/or the Kindle. But for the love of god…

BOOKS ARE PORTABLE!!! WE HAVE LIBRARIES THAT PROVIDE PEOPLE WITH BOOKS FOR FREE!!! WHAT AM I MISSING HERE THAT MAKES THIS $1600 PRODUCT NECESSARY??????

That is all (sorry about the yelling).

Getting Under The Cut-off

2008-02-12T06:24:00.000-08:00

It’s been almost a year since I finished Barry Lyga’s “Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl,” and my most superficial response was that I was amazed how much modern technology (text messages, Internet use, Instant Messages, etc.) has become so commonplace and yet such a big plot device in some books (“Fanboy…” being my first true experience with it).

This morning, I finished Barry Lyga’s latest book “Boy Toy,” which took me all of a few hours to get through. Back before Midwinter, I offhandedly said that this book would be a frontrunner for the Newbery, and my reasoning was “I haven’t read it, but I liked Lyga’s first book.” Now, having read it, I not only think it should have won, but I’m positive there’s no way it could have.

If you haven’t read the book (if you still plan to, I will be ruining it for you—just so you know), its about a boy named Josh Mendel who was molested by a teacher when he was 12, whose story came into light when he was 13 (after he (for all intensive purposes) tried to rape one of his friends), and is now 18 and looking at moving on with his life. The gravity of the situations described in this book is so heavy that if I could have put the book down, I might have walked away for a bit to catch a breath. There are graphic sex scenes, and horrible cases of manipulation; there are heart wrenching scenes of self-discovery, and thick, horrible senses of guilt that come off the page. I’m lucky enough to have absolutely no connection to molestation of any type, but this book (for a lack of a better term) touched me in such a way that I was horribly uncomfortable. Now, having finished it, I can’t imagine having not read it. It will stick with me for a long time. If I had to pick a new book that truly was important for children to read—that transcended “good” in the bookselling sense of the word, well, here you have it.

But it never could have won that elusive Newbery. Remember last year? Remember “scrotum?” Remember the backlash? I do. I wrote about it. This book never would have worked. This is past the cut-off. And that is doing a disservice.

The Perfect Book Ain’t So Super

2008-02-04T10:56:00.001-08:00

Apparently, the Boston Globe had begun taking pre-orders for a book commemorating the New England Patriots perfect season, which is of course the first nail in any coffin.

I know a while back I complained about all those baseball books, and the lack of football books, but this one book that I’m happy won’t be hitting the shelves.

Awesome!

2008-01-29T12:57:00.001-08:00

Someone needs to invent this but for books.

Kindle-ing Up Some New Ideas

2008-01-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

My friend and I have emailed back and forth a few times about the merits of the Kindle (see—just when you thought that those sickening Kindle-centered blogs were a thing of months’ past—here I come with a new one). Admittedly, I’ve been slacking on my research of this seemingly wondrous product, so learning that it supports newspapers and blogs in addition to its over 90 thousand books was a few points to the positive. Obviously, the Kindle is logical for the same reason that an iPod is—even more so because in my living room, books take up far more space the CDs or DVDs. I still have some general questions about it though, like if it requires a subscription so one can download more books, or does it require a wi-fi connection (essentially, how accurate is the “Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed” claim?). I’d love to hear further details from a seasoned user, but I the only user I know (by name, not personally), is Sarah Nelson, and she’s pretty torn up that she lost her's. I suppose if it can cause so much grief in its absence, it must bring a lot of joy in its presence. If you, or anyone you know is having a positive, negative or otherwise experience, please have them contact me immediately.

All of this Kindle talk—weighing of pros and cons and the like—has also allowed me to reevaluate some other important decisions in my life. Not the least of which is: to what iPod will I eventually upgrade? I was, up until this Kindle inspired reevaluation, most likely going to go with the 16 gig Touch, for its wi-fi, larger screen for movie viewing and general sexiness. I’ve since decided that this $400 investment is probably not worth just 16 gigs, so I’ll most likely end up with the 80 gig classic video—most likely because my friend said “If I got the touch, it would have been filled by now”—though $150 price difference helps.*

In other news, CNN seems to be upping their book coverage in a non-book way. While yesterday’s link to that article about book-to-screenplay adaptations appeared in their entertainment section (which seldom houses book stories), today’s link is in their Travel section under the title “Nine Bookstores Worth a Tourist stop.” It’s a pretty cool piece and makes me feel a bit of warmth that The Strand, a bookstore that really moved me the first time I was there, is one of them.

*Doesn’t it sound like I have any money to do any of this? This is all planning for the future of course, and is certainly not a hint about what to get me for my birthday in March**

**Of course, if you’re looking….

Book(ish) Links

2008-01-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

Found/was sent some fun stuff that I'd love to pass on:

With the writer's strike abound, and seemingly unending, CNN, still managed to compile this story, a fun piece about the task and pressure behind writing an adaptation from book (often bestseller) to big screen.

My friend and co-contributor from my new writing collective The 822 Writing Company sent me over this gem: A Painted Tribute to Stan Lee

Finally, this blog is way more on top of industry news than most that I've ever seen. It also seems to be a great resource for publishers on the up and up. Definately something to bookmark (as is The 822 Writing Company).

Losing That 2007 Identity

2008-01-16T11:59:00.000-08:00

Even though so many TV networks are still concentrating on 2007 with their “best of,” “worst of” and “most extreme moments of” lists, most of our publishing world has managed to let the past be the past, and look towards the future. Midwinter allowed us to grab some arcs, check out some new books, and crown perhaps the first set of winners in 2008.

Our good friends at Bookexpo America are also pretty far along in the planning stages for the 2008 version of the event, to take place in Los Angeles, CA—home to so many of our 2007 lists. The first major announcement from BEA came from show director Lance Fensterman’s blog, Medium at Large, announcing that none other than Daily Show alum and professional cynic Lewis Black would be headlining BEA’s annual Saturday night fundraiser. Count me among those saying “count me in!”

As exciting as this all is, it’s the yet undiscovered secrets of 2008 that are really intriguing to me: who else will join the Kindle/Sony Reader race? When will I find the book that I will put as the frontrunner for the next Newbery or Caldecott? What will I think of “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” on the silver screen? And most importantly, what books will you recommend I read?

Exciting? Yes. Thrilling? You betcha! Best year ever? Only time will tell...

Now that Midwinter’s Over, Is It Officially Late Winter?

2008-01-15T12:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I’m back from Midwinter, and like last year, beaming because of one of the big winners. But, you probably guessed that already (see blog December 19th).

I know I promised updates from the show, and then seriously lacked them. But, ‘tis the sign of a good show, no? Also, the sign of fun nights! I went to a Mexican restaurant featuring (I kid you not) grasshopper tacos. Fun nights!

By way of a short recap, Midwinter was all of the following: fun, busy, crowded, less busy, then busy, then not busy, then very busy, award-giving, award-winning, well written, particularly well illustrated, hot, cold, attentive, business-like, and relaxed. You can put that together however you’d like.

Exciting next steps for me include Combined Book Exhibit’s first-ever exhibit at the International Toy Fair. Long-time readers will remember my first Toy Fair experience at which I saw Santa Claus (THE Santa Claus, thank you very much).

But, between now and then, I can only revel in the fact that I agreed with at least one committee (admittedly, I would have had every award be a tie between Hugo and Harry).

Not related to books (yet—you never know where Jobs’ is headed), Apple’s new thin-as-paper laptop is awesome, and will probably sell 8 billion units, despite being almost $1800. Imagine how rich Forest Gump would be today.

Hugo's My Boy!!

2008-01-14T05:44:00.000-08:00

Just came from the award ceremony, and as expected, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" was a big winner. It took home the price for the Caldecot Medal, undoubtedly as the longest book to ever receive it (I'm yet to research this fact, but at over 500 pages, and a book I would deam a novel, I'm assuming I'm right).

Congrats to my boy Hugo and his story. More updates on the show in the coming days!

Consider ALA Midwinter Officially and Grandly Open

2008-01-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

Well, night one went off without a hitch. Even though the exhibit hall was only open for a couple hours, it was still a pretty grand opening, complete with basket giveaways and Philly Cheesesteaks! We're in a great location right near the big named publishers and, after the initial walkthrough by the attendees (and we all know that's what first nights are for) I think we can expect the show to get even better from here.

On a more personal note, as my second Midwinter, it seems less about work now, and more about seeing your friends again--which is fun.

Also on a personal note: lots of people have beards these days. Turns out I'm REALLY trendy.

Tis a Joyous, Joyous Day!!

2008-01-11T06:42:00.000-08:00

Even though we're still a few hours away from the official start of The 2008 American Library Association Midwinter Conference, there's still plenty to celebrate:

ALA Midwinter 2008 represents not one, but TWO major milestones for Combined Book Exhibit. Today, we celebrate the combined 127th birthday of CBE and our fearless leader Jon Malinowski!!!

While Jon didn't want me to publicly share his age (he's a shy one), I will tell you that Combined Book Exhibit turns 75 today (you can do the rest of the math yourself!)

Happy Birthday Jon, CBE, and soon, ALA Midwinter!!

Looks Like I'm More Trendy Than I Thought

2008-01-10T04:03:00.001-08:00

I know I promised updates from ALA Midwinter--but its 7 AM, and the exhibit hall hasn't even opened yet today for exhibitors. Not to mention the show itself isn't going to open until tomorrow night.

Anyway, as I said once before, waking up early helps my reading habits, and while in hotels completely unable to sleep in strange rooms, in strange buildings, in strange cities, I take comfort in a book. My current comfort comes in the form of "(Not That You Asked)," a fun collection of essays by Steve Almond.

Another thing I've said once before is that I hate baseball. However, despite my lack of interest in the sport itself, I enjoy reading about it. Well, that's not exactly true. I suppose I enjoy reading what other people think about it. For that matter, I like reading what other people think about all sorts of sports that I have no interest in (case in point: Chuck Klosterman and basketball).

So, why does all of this make me trendy? Well, as a non-baseball fan, I have no idea who many of the players are, particularly from the time period during which I was not yet alive (I'll call that the era between 1900 and the mid 80's). However, as a football fan, this is prime sports talk radio time for me, and yesterday on "Mike and Mike" they had some guy who was recently inducted into the hall of fame, and his name was Something "Goose" Something.

Seriously though, why does this make me trendy? I could have sworn that Almond mentioned this guy a few pages ago, but I was having a hard time finding it, when the idea struck me: ebooks. Remember those 15 trend I linked to a few days ago? How electronic publishing was all the rage (for the most part)? Well, if I only had the ebook of "(Not That You Asked)" I'd have had a much easier time finding this insane coincidence of me reading about this guy the same time he was inducted into the hall of fame.

I gave up looking though, so I could write this.

Midwinter Excitement

2008-01-08T12:08:00.001-08:00

Well folks, I’ll be heading down to Philly tomorrow for Midwinter preparation, so check here for all updates from the show itself, and certainly, I’ll share my opinions on the children’s literature award winners (provided I have any) as soon as I can.

See you in Philly!

Please Don't Hate Me Because I'm Trendy

2008-01-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

I suppose its not ironic that it seems my company subscription to Publishers Weekly has run out, and I looked online to find that several of PW’s “15 Trends To Watch” in 2008 (presumably about publishing) are very much about electronic formats. Perhaps I’ll refer to my misfortunate timing of my now lack of the physical magazine as me being a real trendsetter, and being quite ahead of the times. It’s no surprise that I’m awesome.

What also should come as no surprise—if you’ve been following this blog, that is—is that the one trend that I’m most excited for has nothing specific to do with e-publishing, and is all about the literature. To quote Number Three:

This will be the Year of the Author….Look for a self-publishing effort by a major author; it’s been too long—eight years—since Stephen King’s Riding the Bullet project.

In my opinion, this self-publishing effort is a long time coming (although it seems its technically only been 8 years). Radiohead (who made their new album available on their website and allowed fans to donate whatever they wanted for it), Madonna (who’s details I don’t know), and others in the music biz have already (sort of) taken steps to do the musical equivalent of this, and the time is right for publishing to do the same (especially if the other 8 billion trends about e-publishing really do come to fruition).

My independent soul that I mention so often is salivating over the idea of authors being authors and writing for their audience without the red tape of business. Realistically it might never happen, but to have just a few, who are in the position to do so, go ahead and do things on their own terms, it’s a step in the right direction. And who knows, it just might become the trendy thing to do.

Happy New Year To Everyone…

2008-01-04T11:38:00.000-08:00

Except Chuck Norris.

I’m not normally one to attach a celebrity—particularly a D-lister—but I simply just can’t not be mad at Mr. Norris (not to be confused with Mrs. Norris, Filch’s cat) for suing Penguin.

I have not read “The Truth About Chuck Norris,” but I am familiar with chucknorrisfacts.com (a website close to my heart because a few of my college friends introduced it to me back in the good old days, and because one of the pictures of Norris makes him look exactly like my old suitemate Vincent), so I can only superficially assume they have similar content. The reason why I don’t wish Norris a Happy New Year is because NORRIS ENDORSES THE WEBSITE—right there, on the front page, they have “Chuck’s Favorite: Picked by the Man Himself”—but he’s suing Penguin?

I have no doubt that the suit is money based, most likely because he’s not getting any likeness rights payment or money from sales, but in fairness to Penguin, Chuck Norris has become a parody of himself (as can be seen in commercials by Mountain Dew, Honda, and by presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee), and frankly should be grateful for anything that deems him “The World’s Greatest Human.”

Now that I got my anger out of the way, Happy New Year to everyone, and see you at Midwinter!

P.S. “Walker, Texas Ranger” sucked.

Oh No!

2007-12-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

Seriously, I'm back! Jon's back too, and I'm pretty excited about that stuff he blogged about below (and I'm jealous about his nighttime safaris). Anyway....

I'm currently in California expanding my writing career (sort of). I've only been here a day and I'm leaving in a few hours. I'm so close to San Francisco, yet so far. Oh well--one day, San Francisco, I will ride your BART and trolleys and enjoy your ricey treat. But until that day comes, you win round one!

So, updates: ALA Midwinter is coming up soon, which means crowning new children's book award winners. Front runners in my mind? The Invention of Hugo Cabret (though I don't know if it should win the Newbery or Caldecot: has a book ever won both?), The Arrival (picture books with no words really must showcase some great art as The Arrival does), Boy Toy (I haven't read it, but I loved Goth Girl and Fanboy, so why not?), ummm...my brain is shot right now. What do you think are front runners?

Anyway, back in NY tomorrow, so check back for something more coherent (or much less coherent depending on how airplane napping goes).

Sunday in Sharjah

2007-12-08T23:40:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday and the beginning of the work week for people in the Arab world. Friday and Saturday here is like our Saturday and Sunday.

The public has arrived and we're seeing thousands of students, but only girls. I think tomorrow is the boy's day. The evening hours (4:30 pm - 10:30 pm) is packed with families. They even provide shopping carts for people who are buying dozens of books.

The thirst for books here is unbelievable. Everyone from the earliest ages to the elderly treat books like gold. I spoke with several of the bookshops here that sell U.S. and U.K. books and they tell me that this is one of the best selling fairs in the entire Arab region...and I can believe it. Over the ten day show, they will sell in excess of $100,000 of books.

The population here (Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Dubai) is growing as such a rapid pace, that the need for books in huge. The market is still defining itself here, but those who are now in it will definitely reap the benefits in the future. There are several translation programs here funded by the government, and Sharjah has developed a translation certificate program to train more translators for the growing market.

I'm off to Abu Dhabi this afternoon which will be my fourth Emirate that I have visited this week. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE and one of fastest growing areas for business...as is Dubai.

More later...

Sharjah Book Fair Opens

2007-12-06T03:05:00.000-08:00

We put the final touches on the exhibit and waited for the opening. The Governor of Sharjah, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, always opens the fair. Dignataries, press, and the TV were all there waiting for his arrival. We were lucky enough to wait in the VIP room (for about a half an hour), and when word of the his arrival was near, everyone walked outside to greet.

Traffic was stopped, and the dozen or so cars drove up to the entrance. As his door opened, it was like Brittany Spears had arrive. Camera flashing, TV cameras and the press were all manuevering to get the best position. He made his way down the line shaking every one's hand making sure no one was missed, including yours truly.

Once inside, he cut the opening ribbon and made his way through each of the four halls stopping at some booths to talk with the publishers or bookshop. When he made it to our booth, he stopped and spoke with us for about ten minutes which seemed like an eternity because camera's were flashing, TV cameras were trying to get the best position and there must have been 100 people standing around just watching. I have to say I was in awe of the whole situation.

Later that afternoon, our group (BEA, LBF, Ingram and Garnders) was invited to have a personal conference with his Highness. We waited for about two hours in a room until he was finished with a meeting with the Arab Publishers. Once inside, there were chairs in a "u" shape where Sharjah officials were seated. We sat down next to him (TV cameras going all the time) and he spoke to us about wanting to do more translation into other languages. The Governor himself has written over 20 books. This meeting lasted about 15 minutes, and we all went outside where tables were set up to have dinner with about 100 other people.

Thursday we see the public coming in with the evening hours (till 10:30 pm) expected to be the busiest. We are told that Friday and Saturday (their weekend) to be the busiest of all.

It's about 4 pm now on and we have to get back for the next session (4:30 - 10:30pm). Need to finish my tea first..