May 16, 2013

BEA Blitz: Little, Brown & Company



When I was at BEA last year, the first booth I went to (by chance) was the Hatchette Group, specifically the Little, Brown & Co. booth. It quickly became one of my favorite places. They had great signings, a ton of galley drops, and always someone waiting to talk books. I also met Faye, a publicist I had emailed with several times and have continued a relationship with. Faye is fantastic and agree to share some highlights of past BEA's and what you can expect this year.



1.) How many years have you attended BEA?

2013 will be my fourth BEA. Time flies! Back in 2010 I went as a spectator, and in 2011 and 2012 I was with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 

2.) How would you compare BEA to other book conferences/events?

Wow. Well, BEA is the biggest trade marketing conference in publishing, and we see a lot of booksellers, librarians, journalists and (of course!) book bloggers. That's a lot of combined enthusiasm for authors and books! The sheer volume of people gives the conference a great energy – librarian conferences are typically more focused (by geographical region, on educators, on school librarians). At BEA there's something for everyone, and we want attendees to learn and get excited about our upcoming books.

3.) Any suggestions for how bloggers/librarians should approach publishers at BEA? (I will admit I just stood around staring at booths until someone approached me because I was shy about it.)

No need to be shy—the best point of entry is to ask a question or comment on one of the books on display. "What are you most excited about this season?" is always a good one, or "I love Jessica Darling, can you tell me more about these new middle grade books?" We're here to talk! Honestly, the best part about BEA for me is getting to chat with other people who love books. If it's an especially busy time (say, during author signings) you can always come back when it quiets down. 

4.) How much planning goes into an event like this for you and your staff?

It's the biggest single event that we do, and because so many different people attend BEA, pretty much every person is all hands on deck. Marketing takes care of booth experience—layout of the booth, the furniture, swag, timed ARC giveaways, etc.—along with advertising and promotion. Publicity works on author events, like signings in the autographing area or in the booth, as well any off-site entertaining. We start planning as early as January—and maybe a bit before that!

5.) Are there any titles from Little, Brown or the Hachette Book Group you're excited
will be at BEA this year?

I'm always excited about books :) Holly Black's THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN is our big YA book this fall (eep, haven't finished it yet), but I'm really excited about A.S. King's REALITY BOY, which is about a boy who spent his early childhood on a reality TV show like Supernanny or Nanny 911. As you might guess, his already dysfunctional family just gets more dysfunctional. And in true A.S. King fashion, she makes you sad and angry and hopeful all at once. Another is ROOMIES by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando, told from the perspectives of two girls who are assigned to be each other's college roommates. They strike up a correspondence over the summer, and change each other's lives before they even meet! It's a brilliant book about friendship and growing up. 

11 comments:

  1. I've got a pile of Little, Brown books on my list -- THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN is most definitely topping the list. I can't imagine the excitement behind the scenes planning for BEA. The chance to talk books is so exciting!

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  2. I'm with Mary. I'm excited for so many Little, Brown books, Holly Black's book being at the top of my list. I will be in line for that book exhibiting a scary level of enthusiasm. WIN! I love Faye too, she's so nice and clearly enjoys working with bloggers as much as we enjoy working with her. Loving this feature Hannah!

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    1. LB was one of my favorite stops during BEA last year. They have such a huge selection. And Faye is utterly fantastic.

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  3. These books sound so great - adding to my to-read pile!!

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  4. Ugh. I want all 3 of them! I hope there are copies left when I get there! :D

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  5. I hadn't heard of Roomies before, I will have to check it out! Thanks Hannah and Faye for the wonderful post!

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  6. I hadn't heard from Roomies either, but the new Holly Black book is at the top of my list :)

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  7. I'm sure I'll be tempted to do my share of awkward standing around, but I'm going to do my best to fake boldness. :)

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  8. Even though this will be my fourth BEA, I'm still apprehensive about approaching the publishers. This makes me feel better. And even more excited for some of these great sounding books!

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  9. Faye sounds amazingly friendly! Tanks for the tip on how to approach a booth I've been wondering about that! T be honest The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is one of the ones I am most excited for! I LOVE Holly Black!

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