The Written Nerd

Young booksellers of Emerging Leaders, we're partying at BEA again! This time we're expanding our community to include the young publishers of the Young Publishing Group of the AAP. And we're expanding the day's activities to include a cool panel discussion that's of particular interest to our generation. The invitation is being "deployed" today by the fine folks at Reed/Book Expo, so you may see it in your inbox. But allow me to reiterate: The Panel: " How To Get A Job Like Ours (…in 63 Easy Steps)" Wednesday, May 27th 5:30 pm Marriott Hotel at Brooklyn Bridge Metrotech Room 333 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY Geoff Kloske, Vice President and Publisher of Riverhead Books Geoff Shandler, Editor-In-Chief of Little, Brown & Company Moderated by Ed Nawotka from Publishers Weekly The panelists convey their opinions about book publishing today, in an era of ongoing digitization and changing retail landscapes. Among the topics addressed: Are big aut...

If you have zero to do today, or you're one of those people who can listen to talk radio and work at the same time, here's a little something: BookExpoCast: "What’s Hot, What’s Good, What’s Next in Graphic Novels" This is a panel I sat on at BEA with others far more expert than I: Nick Smith, a librarian with the Pasadena Public Library, Atom Freeman, the extremely knowledgeable owner of Brave New World Comics in L.A. County, and Tom Flinn with comics/pop culture trade rag ICv2 . Milton Griepp of ICv2 was the moderator. Aside from hearing the slightly annoying (lispy/boyish) sound of my voice, you might learn a thing or two about what's been doing well in various comics markets, and what to look forward to. This was where I learned about the Starman Omnibus , which I read with pleasure this summer, and it cemented my desire to read Scott Pilgrim , which has become a teensy obsession. Happy Friday!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, and perhaps my last chance to blog for a little while, so allow me to lay some updates and anticipations on you. Brooklyn Bookstore I received my PowerUp! check for $15,000 in the mail sometime last week, so yesterday I visited my new friend Juan at a great local/national bank about 20 minutes away. As he and I had discussed previously, I opened a small business money market account with the prize money, which will also be the depository for other funds raised. And he gave me the paperwork to fill out for a great big (to me) small business loan application. I'm hoping to get that in by mid-June, at the same time as I'm looking for retail spaces. In the meantime, I've made some other great business friends: the Retail Committee of the fabulous Fort Greene Association . It turns out that the beautiful, developing neighborhood of Fort Greene wants a bookstore almost as bad as I want to create one, so I'll be working with t...

First things first: I want everyone to print out the top part of this post (down to the asterisks) and post it in your bookstore! (It might help to highlight the phrases "open bar" and "RSVP by May 21".) THE SECOND ANNUAL BEA EMERGING LEADERS PARTY! Who: Young Booksellers What: BEA Emerging Leaders Party Where: The Woods - 1533 N. La Brea Hollywood CA - 323.876.6612 phone / website: www.vintagebargroup.com When: Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 7:00pm - 9:00pm (open bar from 7:00pm - 8:00pm) RSVP: Space is limited, must RSVP no later than Wednesday, May 21st at www.bookexpoamerica.com/EmergingLeadersRSVP Enjoy cocktails and mix & mingle with authors for the young and hip: - Scott McCloud, author of Zot!: The Complete Black and White Collection: 1987-1991 (HarperCollins, July) - Cylin Busby , author of The Year We Disappeared: A Father - Daughter Memoir (Bloomsbury, August) - Curtis Sittenfeld, author of American Wife (Random House, September) - Diana Spechler, auth...

I'm told by Shelf Awareness that Redbery Books in Cable, Wisconsin, recently began using the tagline "Books: The Ultimate Stimulus Package." The phrase doesn't appear on their website, but kudos to these booksellers for thinking creatively about the IRS Economic Stimulus Payments . How better to utilize that random chunk of money (or, as my tax preparer speculated, advance on next year's refund) than by patronizing independent bookstores? I've been thinking a lot about the Stimulus Payments, too. Actually, with a little help from some very creative friends, I'm working on a little venture that offers my own alternative for using that cash in a way that has a real economic impact. The campaign should launch by early next week -- keep your eyes on this space for details. And while you're getting all anticipatory... it's totally time to look forward to BEA! Here are just two of my highlights for maximum butterflies-in-the-stomach expectation: Th...

You'll get the narrative rundown later, along with all the valuable things I learned and people I met, but everyone knows the pictures are the fun part, right? I feel the story of my BEA will be clear from these photos: i.e., I burned out early. Stressing out over the EL party on Wednesday, the LBC party on Thursday, and my panel on Saturday meant that I was not at my best for the rest of the festivities. But "oh, my foes, and oh my friends," as notorious party girl Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote -- it was worth it. Here's an overhead shot of the scene at Floyd, the Brooklyn bar chosen to hold a roomful of young booksellers from all over the country for the First Annual EL-BEA. My coworker Katie chats with EL Council Member Sylla on Floyd's comfy couches. From left to right, Amanda of Harvard Square, Tom of McNally Robinson AND A Public Space, and Megan of Harvard Square (who has the distinction of being the only OTHER person to have both an EL button and an LBC bu...

Holy Cow, it's BEA! Despite all my anticipation I still feel like the biggest industry event of the year has snuck up on me, and I'm still scrambling to prepare. For my own benefit as well as yours, please find below where I expect to be for the next three or four days. I'll try to blog daily about the experience, and if you're in town for the show, you'll know where to look for me. At the end you'll find a special extra bonus for Written Nerd readers... Wednesday, May 30: morning: at my house, frantically preparing for tonight's party and trying to get done everything else I'd usually do this week... 2:00 - 5:00 Brooklyn walking tours sponsored by BEA. I'm headed for Fort Greene -- it's the Brooklyn neighborhood I'm most fascinated by and know the least about, though I'd love to go on every one of these tours. 5:00-6:30 ABA Brooklyn author reception -- a chance to grab some snacks and meet up with Brooklyn authors as well as all ...

I can't wait until all my fellow booksellers converge on Brooklyn for BEA starting May 30! You may have noticed my major passions are books and Brooklyn, and I'm giddy with excitement as the two get lots of attention this season. Bookselling This Week has Brooklyn restaurant recommendations from local writer Pat Willard. I have a special soft spot for Convivium, which is where the ALP proposed, and 5th Avenue in Park Slope is becoming a real foodie's paradise -- in addition to Pat's choices, I'd also highly recommend Bogota for exciting Latin American food, and Biscuit for mouth-watering barbecue. But Smith Street is even closer to Hotel ABA , and you can't miss with the strip's array of restaurants. I love Bar Tabac for the sweet Gypsy jazz often being played by a live band, as well as for their juicy burgers, and have to add to Willard's list my favorite pan-Asian restaurant Faan -- the ALP and I love ordering a couple of sushi rolls, some Pad T...

Back in blogland again, after a great weekend of eating, drinking and dancing, like you oughta. Still recovering a bit, but I've managed to pull together a link or two. But not many, because I'm sleepy. Michelle of The Inkwell Bookstore in Falmouth, Mass, suggests that indie booksellers tend to be obsessed with bookcovers -- she sites her store's link to Book By Its Cover , a blog by a designer here in Brooklyn whose posts are mostly just pictures of beautiful book images. Beware -- it's strangely addicting... Thanks, Michelle! The discussion of Alan De Niro's Skinny Dipping in the Lake of the Dead at the Litblog Co-Op has spilled over into this week -- there's a lot going on in those stories, so you've got time to read more. Speaking of the LBC, I want to send a signed book and publicity poster for Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die! to contest winner Ed Vick, but I can't seem to get ahold of him by email. Anyone know him, tell him to email me with...