Our PR by the Book team recently spent time in The Big Apple fully entrenched in the annual BEA conference (BookExpoAmerica.com), where we sit down with publishing houses, media outlets, agents and authors. This was my 13th BEA (I went to my first one in ’97 and have only missed 1 year). I now know to schedule all my meetings in advance in 30-minute increments and we also now reserve a table in the International Rights Center in order to have a place to meet.
I had 30 meetings scheduled for 3 days of BEA. It was productive, to say the least. I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite publishers and what they are up to:
Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (blackdogandleventhal.com) has an amazing book coming out in November called My Bookstore, which features indie bookstores from across the U.S. and their back-stories. This book would be God’s gift to a book publicist! How fun to create a nationwide event featuring the best stores in the business! Austin’s own BookPeople is, of course, featured. You can Like them on Facebook at facebook.com/mybookstorecommunity.
DK Publishing (dk.com) launched a fabulous series called the “Eyewitness Travel Family Guides” that feature the best locals in France, Italy, London, Paris, NYC, & Washington, D.C. Highlights of the books include Kids Corner for must-see kid-friendly spots and also tips for where parents can go to keep the kids entertain and catch a breather (and maybe a glass of vino, too!)
Harvard Common Press (harvardcommonpress.com) always produces the most beautiful cookbooks and foodie delights. Publisher Bruce Shaw was showcasing “Herbivoracious,” “Beer Cocktails” (which is one I personally can’t wait to dunk into!), and “Cake Balls”. I just adore HCP’s book covers and quality of their books. Even though I don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen, their books inspire me to be more active in my kitchen.
Quirk Books (quirkbooks.com) is another publisher with exciting lifestyle books, such as “Born This Way,” “Pure Vanilla,” and “Craft-a-Day” – all books with enticing covers and tons of fun hooks for a publicist!
I could continue on all day with this post, but, alas, I must start my follow up to all my glorious meetings last week. BEA is our most important and engaging event of the year, which is why I’m a regular. We look forward to it each year and gain so much from the face-to-face opportunities we have with publishers, agents and media from across the country. For PR by the Book, it’s an experience like no other!
About Marika Flatt
Marika launched PR by the Book, LLC in 2002, combining her love of the media, public relations, and books. Leading up to that, after garnering experience as the host of two cable television shows in San Antonio, reporting for her college newspaper, producing for her college TV station, and working with NBC-TV in Dallas, Marika spent seven years leading the publicists of an Austin-based book publicity firm.
