london_writing (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} london_writing) wrote,@ 2005-03-14 19:49:00 |
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London Book Fair
I went to the London Book Fair yesterday.
I had no real business reasons for doing so, but I attended BookExpo America two years ago when it was in LA and found it to be incredibly interesting and informative. Surely it wouldn't hurt to check out the publishing trade show in my new backyard. And so I wouldn't feel like the world's biggest poseur, I signed up for the PEN/Daily Mail MasterClass in Historical Fiction. (I can’t help giggle at “PEN/Daily Mail” – only in Britain would an organization founded on respect for the power of the written word partner with a tabloid newspaper that has little to no respect for truth in writing – but that’s the subject for another journal entry.)
First, a caveat: I have very little news, gossip or other scuttlebutt from the Fair. I didn’t speak to anyone about the business, and perhaps I wasted a golden opportunity. However, I've been on the other side at trade shows. And I know that one doesn't tend to have much patience/sympathy for lookie-loos after a day spent shivering and/or sweating in a non-thermostat-controlled booth of flimsy plywood, trying to appear intelligent, upbeat and awake under dim florescent lighting with only stale sandwiches, burnt coffee and lots of candy to keep you going - all underscored by the constant din of the roaring crowd. Add to that wafts of cigarette smoke from all corners - while the booth areas in the middle of the conference center were smoke free, the aisles on the sides most definitely were not. It's sensory overload at its most hellish. So...I didn't approach any of the professionals actually doing work at the Fair.
And they all looked very busy. This was the first day of the Fair, and in my experience the first day is always the busiest, with the crowds tapering off even by mid-morning the second day. However, if first day crowds are anything to go by, then the Fair was doing good business. By lunch time, the bigger multinational publishers (Harper Collins, Time Warner, Simon & Shuster) all looked like they had been hit by a particularly nasty albeit localized tornado. Catalogs, binders, pamphlets randomly littered the small round tables where publisher representatives met with buyers, vendors or agents. And people came dressed to do business: brown and black skirt suits or wool trousers with fine-gauge sweaters for the women; natty three-piece suits for the European men or two-piece suits for the Americans. A few creative types were in jeans and designer t-shirts, but they were the minor species on the crowded walkways. I’ve seen Tube platforms at rush hour that had more room to move than the aisles at the Book Fair. So at least from the perspective of someone trying to get from booth C47 to H12 in a timely manner, publishing looks like it’s still strong and full of life. In fact, according to Publisher’s News, the Fair was sold out.
However, aside from witnessing the hustle and bustle, there wasn’t all that much for a interested observer to do. At BookExpo America (BEA), the publishers are eager to giveaway their catalogs. They are placed in easy-to-grab spots, piled high. At the London Book Fair (LBF), catalogs from major publishers were quite difficult to come by. They were kept at the reception desks or in the back, and brought out only on request or for a meetings. A few non-fiction publishers, such as BBC Books, did have catalogs available for the hoi polloi to pick up, but they were the exception (that I saw.) I can understand publishers not wanting to waste valuable, expensive catalogs on their non-target audience; after all, while I do buy a lot of books, I don’t have Books, Etc or W.H. Smith’s purchasing power. But I had been looking forward to seeing the upcoming offerings and to check out the latest market trends, so it was disappointing.
As catalogs were scarce, I didn’t expect to see free books – and I was right. While the booths were lined with shelves of samples of new and upcoming books, there were very few being slipped into briefcases and bags. (At BEA, getting run over by people pulling luggage trolleys or wheelie suitcases stuffed with books from all over was just part of the fun.)
LBF is also short on the glamour when compared to BEA. A popular feature of BEA is its Autograph Sessions, in which authors sign copies of their new or upcoming releases. I watched one line turn into a human snail shell as it curved around itself – it turned out the various circles were being formed to meet Paige Davis of Trading Spaces fame. And if your tastes ran more to literary celebrities, next to her was Martin Amis while Anna Maxted, Los Bros Hernandez (of Love and Rockets graphic novel fame) and Sherman Alexie signed just a few tables down. Although the Bookseller News LBF special edition for Sunday featured an ad for an in-booth signing by Jodie Marsh (think Pamela Anderson with a British accent and less clothes), otherwise appearances by authors or other celebrities were kept quiet.
Overall, LBF is an event dedicated to the work of publishing, very British in its low key approach. The floor was consistently hopping, and when I peeped into the seminar rooms they appeared full as well. Unfortunately, my MasterClass ran at the same time as several seminars of interest. I attempted to attend “Have We Got Publishing News For You,” billed as a look at market trends, which was scheduled to end an hour after my class – but when I arrived, breathless, it was already over. Oh well, better planning next year!
One other area, that was closed off to all but those with a special badge, was the international rights center. I got the impression that this was just as much a nerve center for the conference as the exhibitor floor. Certainly I could hear a variety of languages and accents at any given moment; while the exhibitions centered on the UK (with various country pavilions scattered around) the attendees were from all over.
While finished, newly published books were definitely the star of the show, exhibitors ranged from paper companies to marketing solutions to remainder consolidators. Google was presenting a standing room seminar as I walked by (on my way to the MasterClass, so I couldn’t stay) on how to use Google Print to increase your search results and therefore make sure your book was on the top of the referral page. Companies offering e-commerce and e-publishing solutions were also well represented, and in far greater numbers than I remember at BEA.
The costs of attending LBF are about on par with attending BEA. A three day pass is £20, or about $40 with today’s tourist rates. That’s a bargain compared to BEA – but not when you add in the cost of the official guide at another £20 (free with pass at the BEA I attended). The guide is worth it, however; it lists all the companies, address, and LBF attendee names. In addition, one has the opportunity to pick up free books at BEA, which helps amortize the costs. And food in London is never cheap: a sandwich and a bottled drink cost £5.40 or about $10. A side note if you do attend: don’t check your coat, or if you do, reacquire it before 6:00 p.m. The line was at least a half hour long.
Would I go again? If I had business there, absolutely. As a lookie-loo, there wasn’t that much there. Sure, I could have been more aggressive and started conversations, but perhaps almost of year of British living has rubbed off on my brash American self. However, it’s always a thrill to go to a venue that is dedicated only to books: to the publishing of them, the printing of them, the marketing of them. And ultimately the reading of them. For that, the experience was worth all of it and more.
I went to the London Book Fair yesterday.
First, a caveat: I have very little news, gossip or other scuttlebutt from the Fair. I didn’t speak to anyone about the business, and perhaps I wasted a golden opportunity. However, I've been on the other side at trade shows. And I know that one doesn't tend to have much patience/sympathy for lookie-loos after a day spent shivering and/or sweating in a non-thermostat-controlled booth of flimsy plywood, trying to appear intelligent, upbeat and awake under dim florescent lighting with only stale sandwiches, burnt coffee and lots of candy to keep you going - all underscored by the constant din of the roaring crowd. Add to that wafts of cigarette smoke from all corners - while the booth areas in the middle of the conference center were smoke free, the aisles on the sides most definitely were not. It's sensory overload at its most hellish. So...I didn't approach any of the professionals actually doing work at the Fair.
And they all looked very busy. This was the first day of the Fair, and in my experience the first day is always the busiest, with the crowds tapering off even by mid-morning the second day. However, if first day crowds are anything to go by, then the Fair was doing good business. By lunch time, the bigger multinational publishers (Harper Collins, Time Warner, Simon & Shuster) all looked like they had been hit by a particularly nasty albeit localized tornado. Catalogs, binders, pamphlets randomly littered the small round tables where publisher representatives met with buyers, vendors or agents. And people came dressed to do business: brown and black skirt suits or wool trousers with fine-gauge sweaters for the women; natty three-piece suits for the European men or two-piece suits for the Americans. A few creative types were in jeans and designer t-shirts, but they were the minor species on the crowded walkways. I’ve seen Tube platforms at rush hour that had more room to move than the aisles at the Book Fair. So at least from the perspective of someone trying to get from booth C47 to H12 in a timely manner, publishing looks like it’s still strong and full of life. In fact, according to Publisher’s News, the Fair was sold out.
However, aside from witnessing the hustle and bustle, there wasn’t all that much for a interested observer to do. At BookExpo America (BEA), the publishers are eager to giveaway their catalogs. They are placed in easy-to-grab spots, piled high. At the London Book Fair (LBF), catalogs from major publishers were quite difficult to come by. They were kept at the reception desks or in the back, and brought out only on request or for a meetings. A few non-fiction publishers, such as BBC Books, did have catalogs available for the hoi polloi to pick up, but they were the exception (that I saw.) I can understand publishers not wanting to waste valuable, expensive catalogs on their non-target audience; after all, while I do buy a lot of books, I don’t have Books, Etc or W.H. Smith’s purchasing power. But I had been looking forward to seeing the upcoming offerings and to check out the latest market trends, so it was disappointing.
As catalogs were scarce, I didn’t expect to see free books – and I was right. While the booths were lined with shelves of samples of new and upcoming books, there were very few being slipped into briefcases and bags. (At BEA, getting run over by people pulling luggage trolleys or wheelie suitcases stuffed with books from all over was just part of the fun.)
LBF is also short on the glamour when compared to BEA. A popular feature of BEA is its Autograph Sessions, in which authors sign copies of their new or upcoming releases. I watched one line turn into a human snail shell as it curved around itself – it turned out the various circles were being formed to meet Paige Davis of Trading Spaces fame. And if your tastes ran more to literary celebrities, next to her was Martin Amis while Anna Maxted, Los Bros Hernandez (of Love and Rockets graphic novel fame) and Sherman Alexie signed just a few tables down. Although the Bookseller News LBF special edition for Sunday featured an ad for an in-booth signing by Jodie Marsh (think Pamela Anderson with a British accent and less clothes), otherwise appearances by authors or other celebrities were kept quiet.
Overall, LBF is an event dedicated to the work of publishing, very British in its low key approach. The floor was consistently hopping, and when I peeped into the seminar rooms they appeared full as well. Unfortunately, my MasterClass ran at the same time as several seminars of interest. I attempted to attend “Have We Got Publishing News For You,” billed as a look at market trends, which was scheduled to end an hour after my class – but when I arrived, breathless, it was already over. Oh well, better planning next year!
One other area, that was closed off to all but those with a special badge, was the international rights center. I got the impression that this was just as much a nerve center for the conference as the exhibitor floor. Certainly I could hear a variety of languages and accents at any given moment; while the exhibitions centered on the UK (with various country pavilions scattered around) the attendees were from all over.
While finished, newly published books were definitely the star of the show, exhibitors ranged from paper companies to marketing solutions to remainder consolidators. Google was presenting a standing room seminar as I walked by (on my way to the MasterClass, so I couldn’t stay) on how to use Google Print to increase your search results and therefore make sure your book was on the top of the referral page. Companies offering e-commerce and e-publishing solutions were also well represented, and in far greater numbers than I remember at BEA.
The costs of attending LBF are about on par with attending BEA. A three day pass is £20, or about $40 with today’s tourist rates. That’s a bargain compared to BEA – but not when you add in the cost of the official guide at another £20 (free with pass at the BEA I attended). The guide is worth it, however; it lists all the companies, address, and LBF attendee names. In addition, one has the opportunity to pick up free books at BEA, which helps amortize the costs. And food in London is never cheap: a sandwich and a bottled drink cost £5.40 or about $10. A side note if you do attend: don’t check your coat, or if you do, reacquire it before 6:00 p.m. The line was at least a half hour long.
Would I go again? If I had business there, absolutely. As a lookie-loo, there wasn’t that much there. Sure, I could have been more aggressive and started conversations, but perhaps almost of year of British living has rubbed off on my brash American self. However, it’s always a thrill to go to a venue that is dedicated only to books: to the publishing of them, the printing of them, the marketing of them. And ultimately the reading of them. For that, the experience was worth all of it and more.
