“Power Readers” to Participate in BookExpo America
Saturday, June 1st, 2013
For youngsters (as well as seasoned fans!) there will be a Star Wars Reads Day Celebration on BEA’s Uptown Stage featuring a trivia contest as well as signings by Star Wars authors and giveaways. Additionally, many other authors will be participating in BEA’s Author Autographing Program and will be appearing in publisher booths.
BookExpo America (BEA), the leading book industry event in North America which has long been a trade only gathering for industry professionals, will open its doors to the public on the last day of this year’s show. Convention officials note that they invited the public to attend the annual event in a limited capacity in 2012 and based on the success of this initial experiment decided to significantly expand their effort and outreach in 2013. The response has been enormous and organizers are expecting a substantial turnout for this year’s festivities. The members of the public who attend the show will be identified as Power Readers and, upon check in, will receive a Power Reader badge along with tips on how to navigate the book convention. Power Reader tickets to BEA are available for Saturday, June1st and cost $49.
OTHER READING FROM YOUNG PEOPLE’S PAVILION:
Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two bit.ly/176IaBy
— Boise Idaho News (@boisenews) May 25, 2013
BookExpo America
Organizers note that the first 1000 Power Readers to arrive at BEA will also receive a complimentary gift bag with an assortment of books compliments of Macmillan Publishers. The show floor at BEA includes publisher booths which offer previews of authors and book titles that have just been published as well as news of books that will be published in the near future. BEA offers all book lovers an opportunity to get a rare “behind-the-scenes” look at the book industry as well as a chance to meet authors and get a sense of what’s to come.
Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise centered on a film series created by George Lucas. The film series has spawned a media franchise outside the film series called the Expanded Universe including books, television series, computer and video games, and comic books. These supplements to the film trilogies have resulted in significant development of the series’ fictional universe. These media kept the franchise active in the interim between the film trilogies. The franchise portrays a galaxy that is described as far, far away in the distant past. It commonly portrays Jedi as a representation of good, in conflict with the Sith, their evil counterpart. Their weapon of choice, the lightsaber, is commonly recognized in popular culture. The fictional universe also contains many themes, especially influences of philosophy and religion.
The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year intervals. Sixteen years after the release of the trilogy’s final film, the first in a new prequel trilogy of films was released. The three prequel films were also released at three-year intervals, with the final film of the trilogy released on May 19, 2005. In October 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion and announced that it would produce three new films, with the first film, Star Wars Episode VII, planned for release in 2015. 20th Century Fox still retains the distribution rights to the first two Star Wars trilogies, owning permanent rights for the original film Episode IV: A New Hope, while holding the rights to Episodes I–III, V and VI until May 2020.
Reactions to the original trilogy were mostly positive, with the last film being considered the weakest, while the prequel trilogy received a more mixed reaction, with most of the praise being for the final movie, according to most review aggregator websites. All six of the main films in the series were also nominated for or won Academy Awards.
All of the main films have been box office successes, with the overall box office revenue generated by the Star Wars films (including the theatrical Star Wars: The Clone Wars) totalling $4.38 billion, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film series. The success has also led to multiple re-releases in theaters for the series.
Highlights at BookExpo America on Saturday, June 1st also include an Author Breakfast for 1000 people hosted by Chris Matthews and featuring author speakers Helen Fielding, John Lewis and Diana Gabaldon. Neil Gaiman will appear separately in a private room where he will speak to an audience of 500 people and give out pre-signed copies of two forthcoming books on a first come, first served basis. Wally Lamb and Elizabeth Gilbert will appear together to discuss “Creating the Ultimate Book Club Experience” which will be followed by a Wine & Cheese mixer. Noted musician Robbie Robertson will be appearing on one of BEA’s Author Stages and signing books in the Random House booth and humorist/comedian Jim Gaffigan will also be appearing on an Author Stage.
The inclusion of consumers at BEA represents a major shift for the convention that will define the show as it moves forward in the coming years. “We have a very appealing convention that will attract a big public because of the authors and talent that we showcase,” notes Steve Rosato, Show Manager for BookExpo America. “But beyond attracting consumers, the real shift in our direction has to do with providing value to our customers. This is a new paradigm. By introducing a public element to the show we are creating more opportunity for spreading word-of-mouth about books and authors as well as providing publishers with a chance to seed their market. Our outreach to the public represents more promotional opportunity for all authors and this benefits everyone.”
Among the changes which have accompanied BEA’s consumer awareness program include the BEA Live video initiative which will feature live streaming of all major author events; on site interviews with authors that will be uploaded to the BEA website and which will be available to publishers; and a series of mini documentaries called “In Your Space” which provide a behind-the-scenes look at authors in their home and workspace. For the first time, BEA has also announced several media partnerships with notable consumer publications and outlets including The New York Times, USA Today, The Huffington Post, Daily News, New York Magazine and NPR.
The BEA Live dedicated channel on the Livestream network will not only be available for viewing and will be made available to BEA’s media partners; dedicated industry trade sites including Publishers Weekly, Publishers Lunch, Shelf Awareness, The Book Reporter; as well as the global Reed book fairs which include London Book Fair, Salon du Livre, and the Tokyo Book Fair. Additionally, scores of bloggers will also be carrying the feed to their audiences.
For more information about BEA, please visit www.bookexpoamerica.com and connect with BEA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
BookExpo America
BookExpo America
BEA is a trade event for all publishing and book industry professionals but is open to consumers on the last day: Saturday, June 1, 2013.
