BEA 2014: Friday Highlights
BEA 2014: Friday Highlights
Emertainment Monthly continued our coverage of Book Expo America (BEA) 2014 as the final press, professionals, and publishers day came to a close. More celebrity guests, phenomenal advance book copies and previews, and another day of illuminating panels made Friday an even better day than Thursday, and here’s why.
1. Cindy Ratzlaff, Advanced Facebook Marketing Panel
Anyone starting out in the publishing industry, other online ventures, or looking to build your platform, Cindy Ratzlaff is the person for you. Her panel was incredibly enlightening, thoroughly enjoyable, and a great experience to anyone looking to know more about marketing and publicty.
Tips ranged from different paid marketing strategies for as low as $10 per day, to one-a-day Facebook posts, to how to stay on top of reaching the largest and most defined audience possible. For anyone who missed out on this panel, or wants to know more, be sure to check out here Facebook page here and visit the entire slideshow available at www.slideshare.com/cindyratzlaff
Related: BEA 2014: Advanced Facebook Marketing by Cindy Ratzlaff
2. More Celebrity Guests!
Today’s all-star guests included none other than big-shots like Jason Segel, Stan Lee, Rick Riordan, Holly Black, and Emerson alumnus Seth Grahame-Smith. Rick Riordan, the parent of an Emerson student, signed copies of his book The Mark of Athena; Seth Grahame-Smith signed copies of his book-turned-blockbuster Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter; Holly Black signed copies of her newest Young Adult fantasy novel, The Darkest Part of the Forest; and Stan Lee signed preview copies of his forthcoming book published by Disney Publishing Worldwide, Zodiac.
3. Worst Social Media Marketing Tips Panel
Social media aficionados Bill Barnes, John Scalzi, Maureen Johnson, and Ron Hogan all took the stage at BEA 2014 in room 1E02/03 and gave a packed room what amounted to be a hysterical hour. Done entirely in satire, the panel gave “advice”to everyone in the room as to how best navigate and employ social media (which are things you should actually not do).
Anyone worried about (and rightfully so) the diversity in the lineup of BEA would have found this panel absolutely refreshing. In one segment, John Scalzi (at least, we’re 90% sure it was Mr. Scalzi) took the role of “Straight White Male”who interjects into any and all conversations and spaces in social media. By fabricating ridiculous excuses using physics, Scalzi in this satirical persona attempted to argue that “Straight White Male”was comprised of all minorities, just as the color white is comprised of all the other colors. What was once a conversation about what not to do in social media quickly became something much more societally relevant and it was fantastic.
Related: BEA 2014: The Worst Social Media Marketing Tips
4. Women’s Media Group, “Girls Books, Boy Books, Gender Hooks: Packaging, Positioning, and Reviewing in the Fiction Marketplace” Panel
As a part of their fortieth anniversary, the Women’s Media Group hosted a panel on the gender bias present in all facets of the publishing industry. The panel included the Editors in Chief of the New York Times Book Review and Grand Central Publishing, and the bestselling author, Jennifer Weiner of Fly Away Home fame. The panel discussed not only the bias present when male readers pass over “women’s fiction,” but also the feminine stereotypes that the industry perpetuates in the marketing techniques it employs. It was great to hear the varied opinions on gender equality and feminism from publishing professionals who are a part of integral aspects of the business.
Related: BEA 2014: “Girls Books, Boy Books, Gender Hooks” Panel
5. The Women’s National Book Association, “A Conversation on Digital Strategies for Tapping the YA Market” Panel
The NYC Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association hosted a discussion of the different strategies authors and marketers were using for YA in the digital sphere. The panel’s topics ranged from the rise of BookTubers as fantastic advocates for YA fiction, to the importance of an author’s authenticity when trying to connect with fans and other authors. Panel members included Arthur A. Levine Books’ Arthur A. Levine and Cheryl Klein, who both worked on Scholastic’s Harry Potter series.
Related: BEA 2014: Digital Strategies for the YA Market
6. The Panel Floor
Again, today showed a great turnout in both panels and showcases by publishers. One of the booths we took the time to specifically look at was the Wiley booth, responsible for a variety of publishing from college textbooks to the popular For Dummies series. Their books cover a variety of topics from certifications, to leadership, to professional development. It’s a must see for anyone interested in getting in more information and experience in a leadership and management capacity.
Check out their books here.
Saturday, May 31st is BookCon, the BEA open to and made for the public! Check back tomorrow for Emertainment’s final pieces of coverage for BEA.