Yesterday Ron and I made our way through as many parts of the convention floor as we could manage. (Having been in the grips of a particularly vicious hangover, I didn't always keep up with Ron, but I did somehow emerge with three bags full of ARCs, catalogs and other giveaways.)
So what's going on at BEA? The Literary Saloon posed the question the other day, and I'll take a stab at answering it. Publishers are out there previewing their upcoming titles, working up some buzz. There's also a brisk trade in foreign rights going on, but by and large is does feel like one vast promotion. (And I do stress "vast" - I doubt I made my way down half the rows of stalls yesterday.)
The big houses - Random House, S&S, and the like - are clustered near the front and center in the most desirable real estate. Their booths are huge and sophisticated, glittering with wares. As Michael Cader of Publishers Lunch mentioned to me, when we bumped into one another, a key component of survival is self control. (He was carrying two books, I was already up to three bags and in not inconsiderable pain.)
As you move outward from the center, you encounter the smaller presses, the university presses, and by the time you hit the perimeter you find the small self-publishers, working furiously to do anything possible to drum up interest (including wearing Viking costumes and gorilla suits).
The biggest impression I left with is there are a lot of goddamn books out there. Brilliant, trenchant thoughts, I know. But as a writer myself with a book on tap, it brings home ever so clearly the struggle even the bigger houses have with getting titles noticed, being heard above the noise. Row and row I met articulate, passionate publicists eager to make the world aware of the worthy titles they've thrown themselves behind. I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that working in the book business is a truly terrifying way to make a living.
The Elegant Variation isn't a blog about the book business, per se. It's meant to survey the current literary landscape, and I suppose that the business is certainly a component of that. But I'm happy to leave insider business news to others, and focus on the books themselves. BEA is a reminder - perhaps necessary for me, if uncomfortable - about the enormous commercial forces that drive this game.
At any rate, there were numerous highlights. What book lover could resist reviewing the catalogs of FSG, Houghton Mifflin, and a host of others, and making ARC requests? I've even begun the process with Knopf of trying to secure an interview with John Banville. There are literally dozens of titles I've picked up, many of which you'll hear about in the weeks ahead. I spent a great deal of time with the kind folks from Other Press whose literary offerings look particularly interesting, and whose author Arnon Grunberg you can expect to hear a lot about from me.
I stopped in last night at W.W. Norton's launch party for Rich Cohen's upcoming Machers and Rockers, the story of Leonard Chess and the Jewish role in the Blues explosion. It's a funny, heartfelt read so far.
More to come a bit later, including photos of Amy Tan and the McSweeney's booth ....
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