BEA has secured a room block at the Park Central Hotel just north of Times Square for bookseller members of the American Booksellers Association attending next year’s BEA, at rates starting at $179 a room.
Book Fairs
Announcements: BEA to Focus on Spain, and More
Spain and Spanish publishing will be the focus of BEA’s Global Market Forum program in 2010. Programs will include a day of educational sessions, and BEA is “seeking cooperation with numerous literary and cultural institutions in New York City to provide programming which extends beyond the convention center and will be open to the public.” They say they are in discussions with the 92nd St. Y, the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, and others. The Ministry of Culture of Spain, the Federation of Spanish Publishers and the Spanish Trade Commission are partners in the Spanish exhibition. Separately, […]
Briefs: High Demand for Nook; Harlequin Launches Digital-Only Carina Press; IDPF Moves Conference to BEA
Barnes & Noble spokesperson Mary Ellen Keating tells the WSJ that “demand for the nook in our stores and online has surpassed our expectations.” While the first wave of pre-orders will ship to customers on November 30, those who purchase the units now are being told their orders will ship on December 11. Keating says “we are working hard to meet demand for the holidays.” Harlequin announced the launch of Carina Press, a digital-only publishing house that will sell directly to consumers and “operate independently of their traditional publishing businesses.” Angela James is joining the new operation as executive editor. […]
Fewer English-Speakers, But the World Still Gathers In Frankfurt
At the official opening press conference for the Frankfurt Book Fair today, show director Juergen Boos noted that “the economic crisis has also left its mark on the Book Fair: particularly our colleagues from the English- speaking world have reduced exhibition space due to economic developments. Eastern European exhibitors are also not present in the same numbers as last year.” But overall exhibition space is down just 2 percent this year, and Boos told the Fair’s own Publishing Perspectives more bluntly, “If you’re talking about an economic crisis, then you have to talk about an economic crisis hitting American and […]
More Mistakes as Frankfurt "Forgets" to Tell Chinese Delegation that Dissidents Would Get the Podium
It’s hard to tell if the Frankfurt Book Fair is practicing extremely subtle diplomacy in a difficult situation or simply bungling the reconciliation of China as guest of honor with the presence of Chinese dissidents. On Friday Fair director Juergen Boos “announced” in his second letter of apology on the Fair’s web site that dissidents Dai Qing and Bei Ling would indeed “come to Frankfurt and will participate in the symposium.” When the two were given the podium at the beginning of the symposium on Saturday, the official Chinese delegation walked out. In a third posted letter of apology, Boos […]
Frankfurt Addresses China Symposium Controversy
Frankfurt Book Fair director Juergen Boos has posted two letters on the fair’s web site regarding the handling of this weekend’s pre-Fair two-day academic symposium, China and the World – Perceptions and Realities. He writes in the newest posting, “I very much regret and am personally angered by the fact that it has come to this in the run-up to the event – to unnecessary mistakes and compromises in the organization and communication of the symposium on our part. This has also led to misunderstandings and agitation in the public debate.” Boos adds, “I assure you that the Frankfurt Book […]