HarperCollins Canada and Penguin Canada have joined Random House Canada in announcing that they will not exhibit at this year’s Book Expo Canada trade show. Simon & Schuster Canada is the only one of the country’s four largest publishers that has said it will participate, though president Kevin Hanson indicates their involvement will be modest. The Globe and Mail writes: “Are booksellers in Vancouver or Edmonton or Halifax going to commit to coming to Toronto knowing that three former anchor tenants won’t be there? And will other small or medium-sized publishers bow out now that the lure of the big guys […]
Book Fairs
Previewing Canada's Second Book Fair
Reed Exhibitions is to present its vision to publishers today for a consumer-focused book show to be held in Toronto, likely on a weekend in early October “at an indoor venue on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds,” the Globe and Mail reports. They add, “The fair is Reed’s response to what has long been a major criticism of BookExpo and its predecessor – that they haven’t been inclusive enough, restricting their buzz to exhibitors and publishers to the exclusion of the public and thereby failing to drive sales.” It also comes as BEC–their Canadian trade show–continues to lose support, most […]
BEA Offers Some Free Attendance to ABA Members; ABA Drops Off-Site Meetings
As we previewed in our BEA piece last month, the convention has been working with the American Booksellers Association (ABA) to help “ease the economic challenges facing booksellers who wish to attend the 2009 trade show” and get more bookseller engagement at the main convention facility. (As we’ve noted in a variety of annual commentaries, the ABA has been pulling away from the center of the action.) Today they announced that BEA will “offer limited free convention attendance to ABA bookstore members.” The ABA’s coo Oren Teicher explains that “member stores will be receiving free passes to the show based […]
Show Director Acknowledges BEA at a "Crossroads"
In a blog post, BEA show director Lance Fensterman writes, “BEA is at a cross roads, this point is not lost on me or the BEA team, but at the crossroads I see opportunity and I believe we are aggressively working through a process to evolve the show and serve our customers and our industry ever better.” He adds, ” the current climate has accelerated our action and our customers’ desire for action.” That action includes creating “an executive steering committee to advise us on the most top level issues.” Fensterman says they are examining a number of “big issues,” […]
Miami Book Fair's 25th Anniversary
The 25th Miami Book Fair International begins on November 9 and organizers “expect some of the world’s most acclaimed writers to attend, including Salman Rushdie, Nathan Englander and Joyce Carol Oates, as well as some locally based talent.” Co-founder and bookseller Mitchell Kaplan tells the AP, “I think there is still room for lots of growth. I think Miami will continue to grow and diversify as a literary community.”AP
Frankfurt Stats
According to organizers of the Frankfurt Book Fair, every day at the show as busier than last year (though indeed the opening day, Wednesday, was the quietest of all). For the first three trade-only days they show visitors of: 10/15: 46,108 (+ 1.76 % to 2007)10/16: 58,772 (+ 2,4 %)10/17: 53,146 (+ 3,1%) And for the final two days, when the German public can attend: 10/18: 78.218 (+ 8.1%, and a new record total) 10/19: 62.868 (+ 11%)