Tradeshows: Network Your Way to Success
Attending publishing tradeshows and book fairs is a great way to get a read on the industry and gain exposure. Librarians, booksellers, book lovers and others attend these annual events hoping to find the next literary star. Whether you attend as an exhibitor showcasing your work or an author creating contacts, participating in industry events can help you meet people who can bring further success to your title. Here are just a few tips to help you maximize your time at these high-traffic events.

• Learn the industry! If you're a new author, tradeshows and book fairs are your opportunity to learn more about the publishing process, the variety of publishing options available to authors and other titles in your category. When you attend, you'll have the opportunity to speak to representatives from companies large and small- take their literature and ask those questions. This is your chance to find out which publishing route is best for you.
• Network with future contacts. Book fairs and tradeshows are attended by a variety of people interested in publishing books, and the next person you meet could be a connection that leads you to an interview, an agent or other publicity opportunities. Be prepared when you are working the aisles- take lots of business cards and a few copies of your own book to show potential connections. Always remember to follow up after the event!
• Meet publishing industry buyers. Tradeshows are particularly important for authors looking to have books carried in local and national markets. Book buyers attend these events looking and listening for that next best-selling title to stock on their shelves. Ready your "elevator pitch" for your interactions with them and have a copy of your book on hand to entice buyers to stock your book.
• Connect with other authors. A notable portion of attendees of book fairs and tradeshows are authors from all genres and publishing backgrounds. If you have the opportunity to meet others in your field, listen up! Their experiences in writing and marketing can help guide you on your own publishing path, and yours could be a valuable lesson for them as well.

Attending BookExpo America?

Planning to attend BookExpo America (BEA) on the weekend of May 29th in New York? BEA is considered the premiere publishing event of the year, bringing together authors, publishers, booksellers, librarians, educators, and rights professionals from around the world.

If you plan to be there, stop by and visit our friends with CreateSpace, also a member of the Amazon group of companies, at booth #2859! Or, attend the seminar they are hosting on "Successful Self-Publishing and Distribution through CreateSpace" to be held Friday, May 29, at 10:30 am ET in Room E103 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Attendees of the seminar will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win a free Kindle2 from CreateSpace.
Register today!

Want to learn more about what BEA is all about? Visit  the BEA website at www.bookexpoamerica.com.

Be Heard: Vote for the Winner of the 2nd Annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

Congratulations to the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Finalists. Among several thousand qualified writers, three finalists have been selected in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest searching for the next popular novel, sponsored by Amazon.com, Inc. and Penguin Group (USA).  Find out more about the three finalists, read short excerpts of each manuscript, and see reviews from an expert panel including best-selling authors Sue Monk Kidd and Sue Grafton at www.amazon.com/abna.  Final voting closes on May 21st, so make sure to cast your vote for the Grand Prize winner. 
The three finalists are...

Ian Gibson, Victoria, British Columbia, for Stuff of Legends
The author, who works at a theatre in British Columbia, developed the characters in this novel from a comic strip he created in 2003. Stuff of Legends is a comic fantasy about heroism and celebrity, where a 15-year-old boy's fondest wish is granted and he is teamed with his idol, superhero Jordan the Red, to defeat villains, monsters and demonic armies.

James King, Wilton, CT, for Bill Warrington’s Last Chance
A corporate communication specialist for the past 20 years, the author earned his master's degree in Creative Writing in 2008 as a way to achieve his lifelong goal of writing fiction. In the novel, Bill Warrington is diagnosed with Alzheimer's and decides it's time to reestablish ties with his estranged children. After several attempts at a reunion fail, he decides the only way to get his feuding sons and daughter talking is to kidnap his 15-year-old granddaughter.

Brandi Lynn Ryder, Napa, CA, for In Malice, Quite Close
A Napa resident who grew up in the gold-mining town of Sonora, the author draws inspiration for her novel from her passions for Impressionist art and French culture. The novel opens in 1979 San Francisco, where an unlikely relationship forms between 15-year-old Karen, who longs to escape her abusive father, and wealthy art collector Tristan Mourault. Tristan gains Karen’s trust and she soon adopts a new identity as his daughter, sending the two on an extraordinary odyssey that spans 15 years and two coasts.