June, 2009
In This Issue...
Letter From The Editor...
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Letter From The Editor |
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Half Year Recap |
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First PubMatch Overhaul |
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Notes from PW |
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In The Next Issue |
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2009 Show Schedule and Past Reports |
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For more information about The Combined Book Exhibit or The Book Checkout , contact us at any time at: |
Dear Publisher
It’s officially summer which brings means summer hours, hopefully a little less rain for the Northeast, and a good time to reflect on the first half of the year, and look forward the second half. The first half of the year featured a nice collection of state and national library trade shows, and it served as an experiment to see how the economic climate would affect us. See below for what the results of the experiment were.
Also below, learn about the first major PubMatch.org update, and some information that our friends at Publishers Weekly wanted to share.
CombinedBook.com, The Book Checkout and PubMatch are always here for your benefit. And though it’s been severely put on the back burner, expect new posts to Comblogged Book Exhibit—and an overhaul to that—in the coming weeks.
Happy Summer, and Happy Reading!
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Seth Dellon
Editor
| Half Year Recap... |
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The time before heading off to this year’s American Library Association Annual Conference might be a busy time as far as preparation, but it also represents a good time to reflect on the year that 2009 has already been in the arena of library trade shows. After all, we’re about to start the cycle over again: a large, national American Library Association trade show (ALA Midwinter then, ALA Annual now), a slew of large and small state library shows (Texas, New Jersey, and the like then; New York, California and more now), and one large, national specialty library show (College and Research Libraries then, School Libraries now). In order to move forward as prepared as possible, it helps to learn from looking back.
So what have we learned through half of the year? The first thing we’ve learned is that—almost across the board in every industry—attendance is down: The Associated Press reported that The International Auto Show dropped over 50 thousand attendees this year; The National Restaurant Show dropped 24% according to Business Week; reporting from Tradeshow Week Magazine said that at The International Builders’ Show, “attendance took a steep dive.” So it probably comes as no surprise that American Library Association Midwinter was down about 3 thousand from last year.
Luckily, the second thing we’ve learned this year might be industry specific: across the board, though attendance might be down, the need for books and informed decisions hasn’t taken a hit much at all. At The Combined Book Exhibit, where we provide a venue for trade show attendees to see new books firsthand before acquisition, things don’t seem too down at all. Last year’s ALA Midwinter in Philadelphia might have had a larger attendance, but in leads collected on behalf of our clients, our numbers are only off by two: 470 in 2008, and 468 in 2009. In fact, with limited budgets, it’s safe to say that librarians take their time at these trade shows even more seriously, and take every opportunity to collect information that they can. Case in point: Michigan Reading Association’s attendance may have dropped 5 hundred since last year, but leads collected in 2009 totaled 4% higher.
Lesson number three isn’t specific to 2009, and it’s that old adage, “location, location, location.” This year’s ALA Midwinter attendance may have been down 3 thousand compared to 2008, but the population both in and around Denver (the location for this year’s show) doesn’t favorably compare to that of the Philadelphia area (and its proximity to New York and Washington, D.C) in 2008. Even within a state, this is an issue: Pennsylvania School Library had been held in Hershey, PA for the previous five years at least, but 2009 brought the move to State College and attendance fell 4 hundred from last year (though leads collected remained the same). The American Library Association is already reporting that registration at this point is for this year’s Annual Conference in Chicago is already almost 2 thousand more (you read that correctly) than it was last year in Anaheim. BookExpo America—though not necessarily a library industry trade show—reported a whopping 82% increase in library attendance this year in New York over last year in Los Angeles.
So the lessons have been taught, but what does it all mean? Perhaps the sweeping generalization made at the beginning of this article is unfounded. Maybe it’s not fair to say “across the board,” especially when considering location, and the fact that not all shows were down: Florida Library Association actually had an increase in attendance (from 501 last year to 609 this year). Perhaps things will turn around: if ALA Annual is already up from last year, BEA was up from last year, and Florida was up from last year, who’s to say anything else won’t be? One conclusion that does seem fair to draw however is that no matter the quantity at the show, the quality still shows up, and quality is always in search of more quality: the need to find good books and make informed decisions will never go away, and might even increase when the belts are tightened.
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| First PubMatch Overhaul... |
.jpg) PubMatch.org has been live for just over two months, and has had a few unofficial “coming out” parties at places like The London Book Fair and BookExpo America. The response has been overwhelming to say the least, and in order to keep the buzz high, PubMatch has had its first major overhaul. A few new features make PubMatch.org an even greater resource, such as:
News Feed:
Through our partnerships and agreements with the likes of Publishers Weekly, Publishing Perspectives, the Publishers Association of the UK, Bookexpo America, The London Book Fair and hopefully more coming, we’re able to provide up-to-date and accurate news that concerns the international publishing community!
Digital Rights:
They’re the next big thing in publishing, so now they have their own section on PubMatch! When adding a title to PubMatch, you can now indicate any digital rights available that you’re trying to sell!
What They’re Saying:
If you’re already a PubMatch member, share your PubMatch story or tell us why you like PubMatch. If you’re not a PubMatch member, maybe some success stories (which you can read right on the homepage) will convince you what a good tool it is.
For any questions regarding PubMatch, or to share your story, email info@pubmatch.org!
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| Notes From PW... |
.gif) Our good friends at Publishers Weekly would like you to know:
PW Children’s Announcement Issue is July 20th is fast approaching and we are currently taking reservations for this very important announcement issue. This issue contains the most complete listing of forthcoming children’s titles and it’s an important reference tool for book buyers, booksellers and librarians. PW reaches over 5,000 book buyers and 7,000 librarians. This issue has a shelf life of six months and it is the one of the most reads for book buyers and librarians for ordering books. Here are some of the key highlights from our recent survey on the announcement issues.
Special advertising rates for print and online for your publishing program have been created.
If you have any questions or wish to reserve your spot in this announcement issue, please contact Cevin Bryerman at CBryerman@reedbusiness.com.
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2009 CBE Shows and Past Reports (click links to learn more!)
*Visit www.newtitleshowcase.com for pricing and registration Below are rates for participating in all other shows
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