“I’ve never known any trouble that an hour’s reading didn’t assuage.”
Charles DeSecondat

As I sit here writing this, I am gazing at my press pass to BookExpo America, “the essential event for every book industry professional.” Publishers, authors, agents, book distributors, indie publishers, bloggers, sellers of international rights, suppliers of book-related products — you name it, they have all gathered at the Javits Center for a three-day book fest. Yours truly was able to attend as a member of the press because I blog about writing, books, and publishers via karinwritesdangerously.

What a thrill it was to wander around this palace of books today! It almost had a carnival atmosphere — brightly colored banners and booths, jazzy posters, books galore, an autograph center, giveaways, and people everywhere talking books, trading books, consuming books, breathing books. For bibliophiles it is a magical place.

Among the most mind-boggling aspects of the BEA is seeing all the smaller publishers with their wonderful displays of fascinating titles of dazzling diversity — from books on spirituality and health to art books and sports books.

And wandering around I was also struck by the global glamor of publishing: there were booths where you could catch a glimpse of books from around the world: Italy, Mexico, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, the UK and even Lebanon were represented. It reminded me that when we write we need to think bigger — our vision needs to encompass the foreign rights to our work. What an exciting prospect it is to think of my little knight-to-be riding out into the wider world. China! Russia! Japan! Australia! Someday soon, my gal is going global!

The BookExpo made me feel excited and energized about the future of books and our mission as authors. So let’s all write on!