In my interview for this internship, I’d said that I wanted to be introduced to the publishing world, and Beaufort delivered in style. My first full week at work featured a visit to BookExpo America (BEA), the largest annual book trade fair in the United States (thanks, Wikipedia!).
From the stodgiest academic houses to the hippest imports from San Francisco, publishers of all shades and stripes set up booths at the Javits Convention Center to showcase their current lists and upcoming titles. As a rising sophomore, I was faintly reminded of the extracurricular bazaar that I attended last August at school: the sheer size of the event was overwhelming, and before I got acclimated, I mostly wandered the rows in a daze of wonderment and overstimulation. But where upperclassmen leapt on any soul unfortunate enough to make eye contact, the publishing personnel were constantly bustling, meeting with colleagues, running signings, and negotiating rights. Most importantly for this college kid, they also kept the free stuff free-flowing: mostly books and totes to haul them around in, as well as promotional pens, posters and mousepads. The offerings ranged from the kid-friendly (feather boas! tiny cupcakes!) to the more adult (martinis the color of a Sandals pool!).
After meandering around the fair for awhile, it was a relief to return to home base, the Beaufort booth. We set up the displays, and I got to sit in on meetings and talk to our lovely authors in person. Their passion for their work, and for their audiences, is truly inspiring. However, our conversations couldn’t run too long, as they had interviews and signings to attend and I had visitors to talk to. Putting on my shiniest “don’t hurt me, I’m only trying to help!” smile, and trying not to blurt out “I’m only the intern!” when asked a question, I directed conference-goers to the booth, where we ran out of books within hours.
Though news from the publishing world, especially to an outsider, can sometimes seem a little gray, to this wide-eyed newcomer there are more than a few things to be heartened by:
1. the trend in indie publishing to rescue lesser-known works by literary greats, giving them re-entry into the literary conversation,
2. the generous floor-space reserved for the e-book and audiobook companies, who are working to take an old form to unprecedentedly large reading audiences,
3. the number of passionate readers in attendance,
4. the number of hopefuls who continue to bring fresh talent to the field, and finally,
5. Flavor-flav sightings (no really, he even brought his oldest son.) When you see him partying with the publishing world, you can’t help but feel that everything is going to be okay.
– Sophia
ps. When coming up with the cute name for this intern’s blog installments, I came upon this, with the rationale that if there’s anything people love more than puns, it’s reading puns in a language that the writer is unfamiliar with. I truly hope that I don’t upset any Francophiles. Yours is a beautiful language.
Tags: BEA