Book Expo America is different than the Book Expo in Sweden, and I’m not just talking about the size of it all. For most of the days, the Book Expo is a trade fair: the visitors are booksellers and publishers and librarians and agents and book bloggers. Only on Saturday is it open to the general, reading public, in the Book Con. In Sweden, it’s the other way around: only the first day is dedicated to trade people, the rest and the majority of the days being focused on the reading public.
Now, the size. For the last thirteen or something years the Book Expo America, BEA, has been in New York. This if the first time in a long time that they’d ventured out of Manhattan. This has meant a somewhat smaller size, which seems ludicrous for me. Smaller! That is not the word I would use to describe my experience of it. Apparently there’s also a lot more room. Well, it certainly proves that all things are relative.
In fact, the size of it all forced me to press myself against a wall when I first got there, awed and slightly nervous. “I’m surrounded by booklovers”, I repeated to myself several times, and after that I found my way to Sourcebooks booth, which was beautiful and full of books and booklovers, and the world was all right again.
My adventures began straight away, when Heather, Senior Publicity Manager, grabbed me to record a few seconds of a video. “I want you to just say adjectives about your book, such as heart-warming or fun and so on. We’ll edit it afterwards, so just keep talking.”
I stared at her. I am Swedish, for God’s sake! That’s like… bragging. Since it’s a marketing/PR-sort of thing, I might stretch to actually calling it: “Sort of nice” or “partially fun” or “some people have said that they liked it” – but that’s not just adjectives. “I’m just gonna have a cigarette before”, I said and fled in panic.
While smoking, I mentally went through what other people had said about my book, and tentively tried it out aloud, whispering: “Beautiful? Charming? Book-ish?”
It did not come out in a very convincing manner, but after saying it ten, fiften times to myself, it sounded somewhat better.
In the actual recording, I managed a few adjectives before staring blankly at poor Heather, who stage whispered: “Beautiful! Fun!” etc. to me. She’s going to have do a lot of editing, I can tell you that.
My next BEA experience was signing books at Sourcebooks booth, and people actually came! There was a line! I did not have time to see it, since I was busy writing things in books.
And oh! Speaking of adventures, after that I attended ABA (American Booksellers Association, an association for independent bookshops) who held a Bookseller Celebration Luncheon. I think I was invited because my book had been a #1 Indie Next Pick during the year. It took me a while to find the place where it was supposed to be, but in that I was not alone. The invitation said only the Skyline Ballroom, but I think that room had been divided into smaller rooms, so that when I and a few other participants looked inside it turned out to be the temporary office of Amazon.
“Well, I’m not having lunch with them“, said one of the independent booksellers.
The lunch itself was great fun, but let’s go straight to the amazing stuff: Richard Russo, very deservedly, was awarded the Indie Champion Award. So I was in the same room as Richard Russo.
Richard Russo is one of those authors that I read when I want to be reminded about the beauty of stories and language and people. I try not to read him when I’m writing, because I am also reminded of the undeniable fact that I’ll never be as good. But that’s okay. Because that means I can spend time with his character without having to think of them myself: all the responsibility and hard work falls only on him, while I can relax back into my own, simpler books.
I did not talk to him. I thought about the idea, but in the end I decided I didn’t want to bother him. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: sometime it’s such a struggle being Swedish.
But then agian, I have been in the same room as Richard Russo.
I think that’s the perfect way to end this blog post.
