What Every Book Lover Needs to Know: Part I

Last week was the Book Expo America, BEA, in New York City. Publishers, agents, editors, bloggers, and authors flock to this annual trade show hoping to learn what's next, what's new, and what's dead in publishing. I arrived bright-eyed even after the red eye flight from California and made my way through the maze of vendor booths, meeting halls, demonstration labs, and private chambers. There was a lot to learn and I want to pass on as much information as I can. So this is Part I in a short blog series. Yes, I learned it's best to blog in a series. :)

 

Part I: What's Next for the Book Industry?

Sitting among The New York Times reviewers and editors from Random House, tyring not gawk or drool, I learned a great deal about what's ahead and what's unknown in publishing. As you can imagine, the E-book is making strides but publishers were quick to point out that the physical book isn't dead. At least not yet. The problem? Retailers and distribution.

BORDERS filed bankruptcy and are closing over 270 stores. They aren't paying their bills and stores in Australia for example aren't accepting any book shipments. Barnes & Noble is trying to sell out, and they just got an offer from Liberty Media Corp. Liberty Media Corp. properties include QVC, Sirius XM Radio, and Starz Entertainment. They are big players and admit they want to buy the chain for the Nook technology so they can compete with the Apple's iPad. Liberty Media would like to turn the B&N stores into something resembling Apple stores. Yikes!

There is some good news. Mid-size publishers are growing. Sourcebooks actually grew 20% in 2010. Amazon announced they are going into publishing and are working on several imprints. And with E-books on the rise, there were two million self published books in 2010. I heard many times..."This is the best time to be an author. The market is wide open."

So with all of this, where are book headed? Enhanced e-books with links to videos & photos? Maybe. Cross platform e-books that follow you from computer to T.V. to iPhone? Could be. Bookstores that offer more coffee and gifts and less books? Likely. Or what about consumers buying books in new locations like grocery stores and specialty shops. Probably. No one really knows for sure, but everyone is watching and jockeying for position.

With all the changes, it's important for book lovers to remember that this isn't the first big industry upheaval. In 1939 readers and industry professionals were in a dither. Paperbacks were going to ruin the industry, lead to chaos, and make us all terrible readers! ;)  

Check back next week for Part II: New Ways to Find Great Books.