Where the Book Industry Meets

Publishers of all sizes find BookExpo America to be the perfect place for putting fall releases in the hands of retailers and booksellers around the country. BookExpo America features over 1200 Publishers - including all major U.S. houses, university presses, independent presses, international publishers and small presses. BookExpo offers something for all industry personnel. Conference sessions are designed to train all members of the publishing team: Publishers, Editors, Rights Directors, Sales Directors, and Publicists. Whether you’d like to generate interest in a new release, position an author within the industry, buy or sell rights, generate press, or simply discuss industry trends with colleagues, BookExpo America offers you the perfect opportunity. From author breakfasts and luncheons, to awards program and networking receptions, there is something special to look forward to each day at BookExpo America!

Plan your visit to BookExpo America 2006

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Feature

Wear Comfortable Shoes and a Big Smile

How to Effectively “Work” the Floor at BookExpo America

by Michelle Dunn

When I decided I wanted to attend the BookExpo America last year in New York, I heard it was huge, but didn’t really know what to expect. I did a lot of research, asked a lot of questions, and came up with a plan to fully utilize my time and make the trip and experience worthwhile.

Since I had never attended, I had to ask myself:

  • Why am I attending?
  • What do I hope to gain from attending?
  • Is it worth the money and time to attend?

    • I can now answer that last question with a resounding YES!

    As for the first question, I write business books, so the reason I was going to attend was to make contacts, network and try to find someone who would be interested in publishing business books that I write. One of the first things I did was check the BEA website to see which business presses would be there.

    I made a list of the business publishers and their booth numbers. (You can do this for any genre, romance, fiction etc.) I then went to each of those companies’ websites to see what types of books they have published in the past, who their authors are and to see if I would fit in there. This way, when I spoke to them at BookExpo, I would have some knowledge about the work they do. This was extremely helpful; staff members were much more receptive when I knew a bit about their companies.

    I then created my own press kits to hand out to these publishers at the expo. Things to include in your press kit are:

  • A cover letter which explains about your background, education and history
  • A press release about your book or book idea
  • An article that is an excerpt from your book or your book idea
  • A sell sheet
  • Your bio and a photo of yourself
  • A postcard of any book cover or book idea if you have that, though that is not necessary

    • If you do not have a published book, you should still have a press kit and include the same information about your proposed book or book idea. I purchased report covers and put everything in those to make them look professional. I then carried a backpack around the expo with these press kits to hand out to potential publishers.

    I also have had some books published, so I had large, bright postcards created with my book covers printed on them. I handed those out to anyone who would take one. This is like a huge business card, so include your website address and contact information. Since you are handing them out rather than mailing them, you can also utilize the back of the card with any reviews, blurbs, or tips that might hook someone into visiting your website. When I asked myself what am I hoping to gain by attending this expo, my answer was this: I want to find someone who will publish books I write. I was hoping to gain paying contracts or jobs. By targeting my genre and researching what they already publish and then creating a press kit to leave with them, I made a favorable impression. Remember, these people will see hundreds if not thousands of people during the expo, so you have to make yourself stand out. Make sure that every person you talk to or hand a press kit to gives you their business card in return. This is very important for your follow up.

    I attended BookExpo for only one day to save on expenses, and it was well worth the time and money to attend. I had two business publishing houses contact me and ask me to write books for them. This resulted in me hiring an agent, since I was not well-versed in author/publisher contracts and wanted to make sure I received a fair deal.

    When you have publisher contracts in front of you and are trying to find an agent, you will have much better luck, because you have done most of the work -- the agent only has to negotiate on your behalf to make his commission. You have already done the hard part, which is getting publishers interested in you and your book idea.

    Here, in more detail, are the steps I took before, during and after.

    What to do before the Expo:

  • Research the vendors who will be attending the BEA that publish books in your genre
  • Make a list of them and their booth #’s
  • Visit their websites so you can get a feel of how they work
  • Create press kits or postcards that have your contact information on them
  • Create and memorize your elevator speech, 1-2 sentences that explain who you are and what you do
  • Choose a briefcase or backpack to organize and carry your materials in

    What to do at the Expo:

  • Take a deep breath and try not to be intimidated by how large the expo floor is; it can be overwhelming
  • Remember to wear comfortable shoes, and to always smile
  • Find your genre’s section (in my case it was the business section) and plan your route
  • Take some postcards and press kits out of your bag and carry them -- you may also want someone to go with you to help you hand these out
  • Go up to the booths of the publishers you are interested in and browse their booth
  • Introduce yourself and give your elevator speech
  • If they seem interested keep asking questions, tell them what you can offer them and how they would benefit from working with you
  • Give them your press kit
  • Get their business card; make a note on the back of something that will help you remember them when you get home, such as very nice, likes to cook etc. anything that comes to mind.
  • Move on to the next booth.

    What to do after the expo:

  • Put all the business cards in one pile and just hold them for at least a week.
  • It takes these people some time to get back into the flow of things after the expo; you want to wait to contact them
  • While you are waiting to contact them, type up a letter to send to each one that says it was very nice to meet you them, asks how the expo worked out for them, and include your post card, business card etc.
  • Wait about a week and mail those letters
  • You can also send a similar message using email but wait a couple of weeks so yours is not lost in the mass of emails they will get directly following the expo.

    Follow up is VERY important. I made about 200 press kits and handed most of them out, I only had a few contacts made back to me, but it was worth the effort. I had one company call me six months later and my press kit had circulated throughout the company and the woman who called me about a book contract didn’t know who had left my press kit on her desk. So don’t expect instant response, it can take some time.

    * * * * *

    Michelle Dunn started M.A.D. Collection Agency in January 1998 and ran it successfully until December 2004, when she sold it.  Her first book, How to Make Money Collecting Money - Starting a Collection Agency, was published in 2002.  Michelle has been featured in Ladies Home Journal, PC World, Home Business Magazine, Home Business Journal, Entrepreneur, The Internet Web Source, Professional Collector, in the books Home Based Business for Dummies, Shameless Marketing for Brazen Hussies, From the Home-Front: The Simple Guide to Starting and Running a Home Based Business, and on National Public Radio and many newspapers nationwide. Most recently she has become Editorial Advisor for Eli Financial Debt Collection Compliance Alert Newsletter. Originally from Rhode Island, Michelle now resides in New Hampshire with her family.