Sunday, May 29, 2011

BEA 2011

Here are a few of the takeaways I got out of this year's BEA (Book Expo America):

★ Carry three full flasks with you into all meeting rooms -- you never know when an emergency will arise.

★ How a book works in the imagination is far more important than how it feels in the hand.

★ You haven't had a good time dancing unless you've wet your pants.

★ Bookselling today: the wisdom of age, the energy and fearlessness of youth.

★ Ignore prophets, heed practitioners.

★ If you lose your voice, don't worry -- most people aren't listening anyway.

★ Avoid foreign journalists.

★ Only talk technology with a stranger after they've told you what books they love. By name.

★ Savor the moment, it will not keep.

★ If publishers don't stand for something, why are they in the business?

★ Paper is a glorious substance. Plastic is not.

★ Don't criticize others if you can't empathize with them first.

★ This abundance of good books won't overwhelm us if the curators do their job.

★ Jonah lived inside a whale, not the other way around.

★ Everyone is beautiful but Tyra Banks is more beautiful still.

★ Publishers can't manufacture genuine buzz but they can exploit it.

★ Go app yourself.

★ If you love books you're my ally even if we disagree.

★ The savants opining about the future of the book -- remember that their balls are brass, not crystal.

★ It's all about sex. Isn't everything?

★ Information wants to be free but people need to get paid.

★ Don't ask me how my show is going if I'm standing here talking to you.

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