Comments on: #BEA09

By: Zoe Winters

Zoe Winters — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 03:53:01 +0000

LMAO I can’t believe you called it “spaghetti on the wall marketing.”

I think I love you.

By: Rick Toone

Rick Toone — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:53:19 +0000

I spent 3 days at BEA and my body felt like it. Was it like shows of the past? Was it better? I think the real question: Is the publishing business doing what it needs to, to survive and not end up like Chrysler?

To this I say yes. So you can’t sign an egalley or predict the future of DRM or know if you should self publish. These are nothing more than a few growing pains all industry’s go through as we continually evolve.

There was a time when producers said “who wants to hear an actor talk”. Imagine if we had listened to that opinion. True, nothing is like a book in hand but given our lifestyle and habits of convenience, if the publishing world embraces the digital change going on it will survive a few bumps along the way.

More distribution to customers who want to consume media on their terms will be the key to success. In it’s early days radio just read the newspaper and early TV was a camera shooting Radio actors and….. Now is the time to meet the consumer on their terms and hope that the words not the medium is what they enjoy.

By: The Big Bad Book Blog » Blog Archive » It’s a Big, Bad Book World: This Week in Publishing

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:33:18 +0000

[...] America reveals an industry in transition at The Los Angeles Times with David L. Ulin - #BEA09 at The 26th Story with Debbie - Book Expo America: What to Read at Paper Cuts with Motoko [...]

By: BookExpo ‘09: A Whirlwind of Fun + Worry « Follow The Reader

BookExpo ‘09: A Whirlwind of Fun + Worry « Follow The Reader — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:29:00 +0000

[...] HarperStudio/26th Story: #BEA09 [...]

By: Haste yee back ;-)

Haste yee back ;-) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:40:30 +0000

I’m tired of it all… so, how much is this Expresso Book Machine? Ya know, few of us pool funds, buy one of these dittys and start floggin’ PODs every way ya can! Feasible?

Haste yee back

By: The Daily Square - Slash Your Tires Edition | Booksquare

The Daily Square - Slash Your Tires Edition | Booksquare — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:30:51 +0000

[...] #BEA09Debbie Stier hits on the five things she noticed at BEA. [...]

By: BEA 2009: A Bit of Deja Vu All Over Again | Booksquare

BEA 2009: A Bit of Deja Vu All Over Again | Booksquare — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:39:08 +0000

[...] buying ebooks at 3 in the morning (I think Alexie would find his mind changed)? In the comments to Debbie Stier’s BEA wrap-up, there is an interesting response to the HarperCollins decision to give away egalleys (I like [...]

By: Kristine

Kristine — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:05:40 +0000

Fewer gallies. Fewer parties.

Just sayin’.

By: Debbie Stier

Debbie Stier — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:40:43 +0000

Hi Sherry. Thank you…..and points well taken. I think there should be a middle ground. Maybe MANY less printed galleys than in the past — but NO printed galleys seems a little too extreme.

And your point about wanting a signed Gaiman reminds me that there will always be a place for a printed book, even as the digital versions gain traction.

By: Sherry

Sherry — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:42:31 +0000

Excellent BEA summary, Debbie, though you should have mentioned the 7×20 panel — your portion was fantastic!

Regarding e-galleys, a bookseller from San Diego spoke passionately about his feelings for them while we were waiting in line to see Dr. Ruth: “What good is a postcard with instructions on how to download the e-book when I’m looking for something to read on the plane ride home?” He also didn’t like that the format was incompatible with the Kindle.

I agree with your point about making a “real connection,” but the industry — and technology — may not be at the stage to supply only electronic information. If Neil Gaiman had been signing only e-galleys, I’d have been disappointed.