BookExpo America - Who Attends Bookseller Expo America (BEA)?

BookExpo America--or, BEA as it is known by book publishing insiders--is an international publishing industry-only event. The attendees of the BookExpo America publishing conference are primarily:

Booksellers
Bookstore owners and other booksellers cruise the BEA publisher and other exhibit booths looking to learn what's new in books, in order to stock their bookstore shelves. Booksellers also attend bookselling and publishing seminars to learn book business strategies in the changing bookselling landscape.

Book publishers and book publishing staff
Book sales reps, in-house book publicists and marketing personnel generally "people" the BookExpo America publisher booths. The publishing staffs greet the booksellers and others and help steer them towards the books that suit their particular needs.

Foreign and domestic subsidiary book rights buyers and sellers
The subsidiary rights representatives of foreign and domestic publishers and producers take publisher meetings and review the new books at BEA looking to find book properties appropriate to their market. If interested, they will acquire the rights to reprint a book, translate a book or turn a book into a television show or movie.

Book-focused publicists and producers
Media representatives and book fair programmers take meetings and comb the BookExpo America exhibit aisles looking to find books to review and authors to feature in periodicals and broadcast programs.

Librarians and educators
BookExpo America also provides the chance for librarians and buyers for public library systems to see the upcoming Fall books.

Authors trying to market a book
Book publishers invite authors to BEA in order to showcase them at author signings or to have them press the flesh of booksellers from the publisher's booth. Big-name authors--whether Presidents or novelists--are big draws for booksellers. BookExpo America Author Breakfasts feature the biggest names, and are generally sold-out events.


When and where BookExpo America takes place

What is BookExpo America?