| TRADESHOWS
Tradeshows come in all sizes and in nearly every imaginable product, especially those that reach a wide market. There are boat shows, auto shows, home furnishing shows, gardening shows, fishing shows, food shows, candy shows, toy shows, electronics shows, gun shows, clothing shows, Star Trek shows, you name it, there is a tradeshow for it. In the US, there are also a myriad of regional and local book fairs, and authors should seek out information about these smaller fairs in their locales to enter their titles and to attend the shows themselves. In the world of books, there are tradeshows all over the world, and all over the United States and they span the year from Spring to late fall. The Big Daddy of Tradeshows in the United States is BOOK EXPO AMERICA which occurs at the end of May and flows into June every year. It is a four day show, often in New York, though this year it will be in Los Angeles. I first went in 2003 when it was held in Chicago. Since then Nightengale Press books have been represented by the Independent Book Publisher’s Association, when we did not put up our own booth, as we did in 2007 in New York. The experience of organizing a booth, the attending authors signings, the shipping issues, the booth maintenance, as well as having great fun with the people whose books we publish was exceptional. I only wish we could do this every year. As it is, Nightengale Press hopes to have a cooperative booth at Book Expo every other year as long as authors are ready to be a part of the process. Like many small and medium-sized publishers, the costs of attending all the book fairs globally are prohibitive. However, there are two great organizations that provide representation for small publisher’s titles in the global market: Foreword Magazine and the Independent Book Publishers Association. I am going to provide an overview of the larger tradeshows which I routinely offer to my authors as opportunities to get their books in front of the buyers. Does being in a tradeshow guarantee your book will be picked up for foreign rights, or suddenly become of interest to the trade bookstores nationwide. No, there are no guarantees. But it happens, and it happens often enough, that it is a good idea to take the chance and put your book into the fray. Interested buyers information is passed to the publisher on behalf of the titles on display, so should interest develop, the publisher knows and shares that with the authors. Attending book shows is the one best way to get in touch with the trends in the marketplace and to develop lasting relationships with all kinds of experts in the industry. Highly recommended. Great times. Hard work. That’s the world of the tradeshow. EACH YEAR Bologna Children's Book Fair USUALLY AT THE END OF MARCH INTO EARLY APRIL: The 45th Bologna Children's Book Fair will be held in March/April 2008 and is the world's leading event for children's publishing dedicated to the sale of rights and international co-productions of books and software. Every year 1,400 international exhibitors, including more than 1,200 from abroad, offer a comprehensive survey of children's publishing. The Exhibition Centre becomes the key meeting point for those initiating and forging links and negotiating commercial agreements, as well as a 'point of reference' for illustrators from around the world. If you can't personally attend, or need a place to a call home, ForeWord Magazine will be one of the only co-operative exhibits from the United States representing rights for independent publishers. London Book Fair USUALLY MID APRIL Regarded as the most important spring publishing event, the International Book Fair promises to see continued increases in visitor and exhibitor attendance. Just six months after Frankfurt, LIBF has positioned itself as one of the two shows around which publishers from Europe plan their international sales and rights business. Book Expo America BEA USUALLY LATE MAY INTO EARLY JUNE Book Expo is the largest and best attended of all the book tradeshows in the United States. Typically, this show rotates from New York City one year to another major city the next year. Chicago and Los Angeles are recent alternate venues. 35,000 attendees from all over the world come to the US for this fair. American Library Association Tradeshow USUALLY IN JUNE AFTER BEA If you want to reach the librairies, this is the tradeshow to attend. Often it is held in Chicago or Los Angeles, and librarians from public and academic realms flood this show looking for the latest titles to put on their shelves. With more than 10,000 public libraries in the US alone, this is a very large market. Beijing International Book Fair USUALLY IN SEPTEMBER In the last several years, few other markets have seen the increase in rights business that China has given to western publishers, and for the moment it shows no signs of slowing. As the quality of life improves in China, new opportunities arise. There is a surging consumer demand for books with a middle class numbering more than 100 million, and with 300 million mobile phone users. The Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) has as long-term target to become the best international book and copyright trading fair and one of the world's important international book fairs. In doing so, it has become an indispensable arena for the Asian book business. Don't be left out of the Chinese opportunity. These publishers are buying across a range of subject areas-from fiction for adults and children, through mind, body, spirit and lifestyles, to English language teaching materials and dictionaries. Also important are titles covering the latest developments in western technology, business practice and military history. Frankfurt Book Fair: USUALLY MID-October International rights shows such Frankfurt are an important link to the world market for your titles. There is a huge business opportunity in foreign rights sales and distribution beyond the shores of North America, and it's important to be involved. Many find the notion of international shows to be daunting, but as we've all come to learn, this is a global market. There is impact and economic success across the seas and beyond our borders. Nearly 7,000 publishers from around the world convene for five days each October to negotiate the sale of rights, arrange co-publishing deals and expand their distribution terms. Frankfurt is attended by 50% MORE publishers than is BookExpo America. Plus, Frankfurt is populated by many international houses and agents who skip the BEA altogether. Being part of the action in Frankfurt is important. But as you'd guess, many independent presses find sponsoring a booth at international trade shows to be cost-prohibitive. This does NOT mean, however, that you cannot be part of this important world opportunity. Your titles can be represented at ForeWord's Small Press Collective giving you access to these important markets at an affordable cost. Even if you are yourself ATTENDING the show, serious consideration should be given to having your titles represented on the show floor if you are not actually planning your own booth presence. Books that traditionally do well in Frankfurt are business, self-help, mind/body/spirit, health, children's/young adult and some fiction. If your company needs representation at this important rights venue, ForeWord Magazine will again be representing a contingent of independent presses interested in capitalizing on a connection with key industry rights contacts who will be in attendance.
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