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Book Expo America – Photo Essay & Musings

I just got home from my first ever BEA (Book Expo America) bookseller convention held at the Javits Center in New York City. It’s been nearly 10 years since I visited New York and, though I came very close to canceling the whole thing 3 weeks before, the experience ended up very much worth all the flights from my tiny corner of the world in the Southwest, the Dramamine (ha!) and the angst/worry/nerves/chewed fingernails.

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Javits Center, New York City

Highlights of my experience:

1. This summer my 4th novel will publish with Scholastic (THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIES) and I finally got to meet my talented and terrific editor for the first time. Scholastic also set me up with an ARC signing – we estimated at least 100 copies in 45 minutes. Whew! So much fun.

2. I was also able to meet my Harpercollins editor for the first time (FORBIDDEN, Nov ’14) and discuss edits for Book 2 in the trilogy as well as their forthcoming marketing/publicity plans. My editor called it a “robust” marketing plan – whoo hoo!!

I’ve been to ALA and IRA Conventions before, which are geared toward librarians and teachers, while BEA is put on by booksellers (although teachers, librarians, publishers, authors, and READERS, are there in wild abundance.)

I discovered that agents, foreign agents from around the world, movie people, as well as folks from outside publicity firms are also at BEA in strong numbers. I was able to meet and chat with Scholastic and Harpercollins sales and marketing folks manning their respective booths eager to talk about upcoming Fall titles.

BEA Diversity Panel

The WeNeedDiverseBooks Panel Members. I missed it but I heard it was FANTASTIC!!! Raves from everyone who attended.

BEA Diverse

As you can see from the standing room only crowd waiting for the Diversity Panel to begin.

My two days was so wild and crazy with appts, panels, classes (yes there are many of these, much more than I expected), lunches, and autographing sessions, I neglected to take a picture of the Autographing Area. Believe me, there were THOUSANDS of people there to snag ARCs and meet their favorite authors. I did notice that Adult and Young Adult authors were in higher abundance than Middle-Grade Authors. I had one of the few MG ARC signings and the line was crazy huge. I signed like a mad woman, (while trying to simultaneously chat with the terrific readers and booksellers and librarians – my publicist and editor unpacking and opening the books as fast as they could next to me) that I have NO pictures. Truly, I was there! Really! 🙂

BEA Children’s Book Breakfast: Carl Hiaasen, Mem Fox, Jason Segal , and Jeff Kinney (l to r)

Your Average Book-Lover Citizen was able to attend on the final day of Saturday since the BEA convention organizers added a Book Con day (also called Power Reader Day) to the schedule. The public was able to purchase tickets, grab ARCs as well as enjoy demonstrations, games, and panel events with their favorite authors.

Read a great recap of panels and events here: BEA Round-Up by Publisher’s Weekly

Pics From the Floor!

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I *am* partial to the purple flooring . . .

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Middle-Grade Books!

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More Books!

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Scholastic titles that have sold internationally.

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A Lego Bounty Hunter: couldn’t help myself.

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The aisles go as far as you can see in both directions.

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Audio Books!

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Publisher’s Weekly as well as Booklist, School Library Journal, Kirkus, and other reviewers were represented.

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I tried to snap displays of MG books for y’all.

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Barefoot Books

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Self-Explanatory. 🙂

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Ditto!

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Gorgeous weather enjoyed by all – except when it suddenly poured rain trying to get a taxi to the airport Saturday late afternoon. Some of my ARCs got wet in my bag. 🙁

 

Was anybody at BEA that I missed? Please share your experiences and thoughts in the comments.

June 27-28 I’m headed to the American Library Association Summer Conference – raise your hand if you’re going! Would love to meet more readers and writers.

Kimberley Griffiths Little’s newest MG novel will release July 29. THE TIME OF THE FIREFLIES has already received terrific reviews from Kirkus, PW, and School Library Journal said, “A perfect choice for lovers of ghost stories, historical fiction, or just a good yarn.” Stay tuned for her launch with giveaways right here on MUF. Find Kimberley on Facebook. and Twitter:@KimberleyGLittl

Teacher’s Guides, Mother/Daughter Book Club Guides, and book trailers “filmed on location” at her website.

June Releases

Summer is here!

 

That means: SCHOOL IS OUT! More time to read!!!!

Look out for these great new books releasing this month!

 

Dork Diaries 7: Tales from a Not-So-Glam TV Star

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Everyone’s been rooting for Nikki Maxwell and her crush, Brandon—and fans will finally learn if they had their first kiss in this seventh book of the New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series!

Nikki’s juggling a lot this month. A reality TV crew is following Nikki and her friends as they record their hit song together, plus there are voice lessons, dance practice, and little sister Brianna’s latest wacky hijinks. Nikki’s sure she can handle everything, but will all the excitement cause new problems for Nikki and Brandon, now that cameras are everywhere Nikki goes?

 

Survivors #5: The Endless Lake, by Erin Hunter

survivorFrom Erin Hunter, #1 nationally bestselling autor of the Warriors and Seekers series, comes book five in the New York Times bestselling Survivors series, which Kirkus Reviews praised as “wild and wonderful adventure” in a starred review. This action-packed novel will thrill fans of animal fantasy stories and readers who have been howling for more of Lucky and the dogs of the Wild Pack.

At the edge of a strange lake that seems to stretch on forever, Lucky and his Pack are about to discover even more new dangers. With the Fierce Dogs on their trail and the Storm of Dogs looming on the horizon, every dog will have to fight for survival—or be swept away.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

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Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library.

Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. And the stakes are very high.

In this cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and A Night in the Museum, Agatha Award winner Chris Grabenstein uses rib-tickling humor to create the perfect tale for his quirky characters. Old fans and new readers will become enthralled with the crafty twists and turns of this ultimate library experience.

The Odd Squad, King Karl (An Odd Squad Book), by Michael Fry

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Nick, Molly, and Karl have nowhere to turn but to each other in the latest Odd Squad adventure, and they’ll need every ounce of wit, resourcefulness, and help they can get in order to rise above their biggest challenge yet.

The Glass Sentence (The Mapmakers Trilogy), by S. E. Grove

sentence glassShe has only seen the world through maps. She had no idea they were so dangerous.

Boston, 1891. Sophia Tims comes from a family of explorers and cartologers who, for generations, have been traveling and mapping the New World—a world changed by the Great Disruption of 1799, when all the continents were flung into different time periods.  Eight years ago, her parents left her with her uncle Shadrack, the foremost cartologer in Boston, and went on an urgent mission. They never returned. Life with her brilliant, absent-minded, adored uncle has taught Sophia to take care of herself.

Then Shadrack is kidnapped. And Sophia, who has rarely been outside of Boston, is the only one who can search for him. Together with Theo, a refugee from the West, she travels over rough terrain and uncharted ocean, encounters pirates and traders, and relies on a combination of Shadrack’s maps, common sense, and her own slantwise powers of observation. But even as Sophia and Theo try to save Shadrack’s life, they are in danger of losing their own.

The Glass Sentence plunges readers into a time and place they will not want to leave, and introduces them to a heroine and hero they will take to their hearts. It is a remarkable debut.

Love by the Morning Star, by Laura L. Sullivan

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Upstairs, downstairs, and in which lady’s chamber?
On the brink of World War II, two girls are sent to the grand English country estate of Starkers. Hannah, the half-Jewish daughter of a disgraced distant relative, has been living an artistic bohemian life in a cabaret in pre-war Germany and now is supposed to be welcomed into the family. Anna, the social-climbing daughter of working-class British fascists, is supposed to be hired as a maid so that she can spy for the Nazis. But there’s a mix-up, and nice Hannah is sent to the kitchen as a maid while arrogant Anna is welcomed as a relative.
And then both girls fall for the same man, the handsome heir of the estate . . . or do they?
In this sparkling, saucy romance, nearly everything goes wrong for two girls who are sent to a grand English estate on the brink of World War II—until it goes so very, very right!

 

Spirit Animals: Book 4: Fire and Ice, by Shannon Hale 

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The adventure continues in this fourth book in the New York Times bestselling series.

Strange things are happening at the frozen edge of the world. Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan have crisscrossed Erdas in their quest to stop the ruthless Conquerors. Only the four of them, supported by the gifts of their legendary spirit animals, have the power to defeat an evil takeover.

 

Indie Spotlight: Fountainhead Bookstore, Hendersonville N.C.

You have to love independent book shops!  Can you image the buyer at a chain bookstore  saying, “The main thing we look for is good writing”?  Those are the very words of  Valerie Welbourne,owner/manager of The Fountainhead Bookstore in Hendersonville, North Carolina (www.fountainheadbookstore.com).
MUF: Valerie, how did your shop get its name and get started, and what keeps you going? Fountainhead logo
Valerie:
The Fountainhead is a nod to Moby Dick, with the fountain coming out of his head . One of our logos has the spout coming out and if you look closely it says “books books books” over and over.  Our loyal customers keep us going.  They offer not only financial support, but moral support as well.  Nothing is better than bookstore customers!  They are such nice people.
MUF:Describe the atmosphere and layout of your store. What happens when, say, an eleven-year-old comes in looking for a good book?
Valerie: I think our atmosphere is fairly casual.  When an eleven-year-old comes in, I get very excited if they say they are looking for some ideas!  I will ask them some questions first about their preferences, and then pull out several choices I think they might enjoy.  Parents really appreciate this too, because it helps them avoid a “power struggle” with their kids over what to read.

MUF: As middle-grade authors, we’d love to know how you choose what books to carry in your shop?Fountainhead readers
Valerie: We consider many factors.  The main thing that we look for is good writing!  And we also take into account if the book matches our particular customer base.  And finally, we read lots of ARCs.  If someone on the staff loved it, it’s in!

MUF: Can you tell us a few titles, new or old, fiction or nonfiction that you are recommending to middle-graders right now?
Valerie: Middle Grade kids can run the gamut of ability levels and interests, so we take that into account when making recommendations.  If a child is on the younger end of the spectrum and indicates they like more realistic, situational fiction, I recommend anything by Donna Gephart.  If they are older and looking for a new and serious fantasy series, I would recommend the Chaos Walking trilogy.  The Inventor’s Secret is a new steampunk book out for kids that I found very intriguing.  Also, I’m reading the ARC for The League of fountainhead disappearanceSeven by Alan Gratz right now that I am really enjoying.  It is also steampunk.Fountainhead: Inventor's secret Here are a few more I really am a big fan of:  Snicker of Magic (lovely!), The Shakespeare Mysteries (page turners and I learn something), Disappearance at Hangman’s Bluff (coming out this August – great!), fountainhead snicker of magicShark Wars,  and What I Came to Tell You by Tommy Hays.  Actually, I could go on and on…I really am a Tween Fiction enthusiast.  In fact we are starting a Tween Book Club for adults this June at the request of adult customers.

MUF:You have some enticing children’s book camps coming up this summer, most all Fountainhead campof which sound like they’re right up the alley of middle-graders. Please tell our readers a bit about them. Valerie: Our book camps are great fun.  One of my favorites is the one based on Treasure Island.  We have sword fights, do popcorn reading (great language for reading aloud), write our own backstories for some of the characters, do illustrations, scavenger hunts, etc.  I think I have more fun than anyone there.

MUF: What have been some of your favorite events at Fountainhead Books? Have you had some visits from middle-grade authors?
Valerie: We just hosted a Tween Panel Extravaganza, Futainhead tween paneland it was so much fun.  We got amazing feedback from the attendees, which included kids, adults, librarians, and teachers.  Everyone said please do this again!  It helps that we had some incredible authors participating.  They were:  Deron Hicks, John Thompson, Alan Gratz, Donna Gephart, Tommy Hays, and Natalie Lloyd.  I’ve attached a photo of the event.

MUF:If a family visited Fountainhead Books from out of town, would there be family-friendly places nearby where they could get a meal or snack after shopping? And if they could stay awhile, are there other unique sights or family activities in Hendersonville that they shouldn’t miss?
Valerie: Here are some cool places to take kids when visiting Hendersonville, after of course a visit to The Fountainhead Bookstore. These are all within two blocks of the bookstore: * Kilwins ice cream – the best! * Dancing Bear Toys * Hands On Children’s Museum

Thanks, Valerie, for giving us a glimpse into your shop.  It’s always a pleasure to “meet” children’s book store people, because  you’re book readers and curators as well as sellers. Readers, have any of you visited Fountainhead Bookstore (yet)?

Sue Cowing is the author of the middle-grade puppet-and-boy novel You Will Call Me Drog (Carolrhoda 2011, Usborne UK 2012)