The Big Bad Book Blog

Every year, publishers, authors, and other book industry folks gather at BookExpo America, or BEA. The largest publishing trade show in North America, BEA will feature 500+ authors, 1,500 exhibitors, hundreds of exciting upcoming titles, and a chance to get in on the latest and greatest in the book world.

This year, BEA will again be held at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York but has been reconfigured to a three-day, mid-week event, with the conference and special events held on Tuesday, May 25, 2010, and the show and conference taking place on May 26 and 27. Online registration is now open; check out BEA’s website for tons of information on the event.

If you can’t make it to BEA this year, then you might check the American Booksellers Association’s website to see if there is a regional trade show in your area. Most regional trade shows take place in the fall, so you have plenty of time to make your plans.

Self-published books and authors will finally have the spotlight at the first annual Self-Publishing Book Expo (SPBE) in New York City. Featuring an appearance by our very own Tanya Hall, the SPBE will be a great learning and networking opportunity if you live near New York City or have been thinking of taking a trip to the Big Apple.

Open to the public, the SPBE will offer authors a unique opportunity to exhibit and sell their books. Authors and attendees will also have a chance to get expert advice on a wide variety of topics from publishing experts and industry veterans, through a series of panels, lectures and discussions scheduled throughout the day. In addition to the general public, editors, publishers, literary agents, and members of the media are expected to attend the event, all looking for hidden gems and great stories that may otherwise be under their radar.

The SPBE will be held in New York City on Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers. To register, or for more information, visit www.selfpubbookexpo.com.

ALSO ON THE RADAR: Author 101 University is taking place in Las Vegas on October 30-31, 2009 at the Green Valley Ranch Resort, Spa and Casino.

We‘re excited to announce the Big Bad Story Contest, a new program that will give promising high school students in the Austin community a chance to become published authors. We’ll be inviting schools within the Austin city limits to submit their top essays and short stories composed by students in 9th–12th grades for consideration in the contest. Each school will identify two finalists, and from these finalists our editors will select several stories and essays to be published in an anthology of young voices, which will be made available in retail outlets.

The contest officially begins in January 2010, and submissions to the contest must be submitted to Greenleaf Book Group on or by March 29, 2010. Submissions must be less than 5,000 words.

The contest is designed to get young people writing creatively—and give the winners the first taste of being published (and a credit that could help them as they look toward college.) We’ll be donating a portion of the profit from sales of the anthology to a local non-profit organization, to be determined by the start of the contest. Interested schools and non-profits should contact Chris McRay at chris@greenleafbookgroup.com or 512.891.6100.

On Wednesday, August 26, our own Tanya Hall will be hosting a webinar for Write Well University and AuthorSmart called Introduction to Publishing Options—Which Approach is Right For You? Here’s a description of Tanya’s session from WriteWellU.com:

This class will cover the basic publishing options available to authors along with the pros and cons of each. We’ll discuss how different types of projects can benefit from different publishing strategies and which approaches are appropriate for certain types of authors/books. Between traditional publishing, POD publishing, eBooks, and hybrid models this class will help you cut through the confusion and make the best business decision to launch your book.

Registration is $10, which includes audio recordings and handouts. Click here to register for the class. You can find out more about Write Well U’s programs by visiting them on their website, Facebook, or Twitter.

At Greenleaf Book Group, Tanya divides her time between seeking out and working with authors to develop their publishing programs and handling a range of initiatives that don’t fall neatly into other departments, including Greenleaf Book Group’s foreign rights program. Prior to her current role, she led Greenleaf’s distribution department and worked directly with retailers and wholesalers to list and sell books. Before joining the publishing industry, Tanya worked as a television producer for various television shows and networks, including Extra! and E! Cable Networks.

We’re teaming up with independent bookselling superstars BookPeople this August for the first-ever Austin Publishing University, a seminar series for authors and aspiring authors on how to get your book published efficiently and profitably.

If you’re in the central Texas area, we’d love to have you join us on the first four Sundays in August at BookPeople (603 N. Lamar, Austin, Texas). Sessions cost $15 each or $45 for all four. Attendance is limited to 60 people per session. To reserve a seat call (512) 472-5050 or visit BookPeople.

It’s going to be a fun, educational event—one we hope will untangle some of the complexities of getting a book produced, distributed, and marketed, as well as answer any questions on the publishing industry attendees have, whether basic or advanced. Be sure to visit our Facebook page, and if you’re the Twittering type, you can tweet about Austin Publishing University with the hashtag #apu09.

Descriptions of the four sessions of APU after the jump.

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