Calling all Librarians... experienced authors ... experienced publishers....

[kinzel]

and anyone else with a clue about this stuff:


we just got off the phone with Stephe Pagel at Meisha Merlin, and we're informed that Meisha Merlin will be joining forces with Diamond Distribution.... at the annual ALA Conference... in Chicago in June. MM will have their full display booth, likely including art, for three days in the exhibit hall. Both Stephe, as Publisher, and Kevin, as Art Director, expect to be there.

Meisha Merlin has effectively zero experience at library convention and want to know what's the most useful or most effective thing they can have available to attendees, aside from, say, free books. They asked me, since I was a working librarian at several points in my checkered career. True... but I've never been to the ALA (sigh) and when I was acquiring I was usually acquiring material I already knew something about.

While MM may have a limited number of freebies... what they really want to do is have people stop by the Meisha Merlin booth and come away with what they need to make decisions to order books by Meisha Merlin's stable of writers .. including us.

One person has suggested pre-printed checklists -- book names followed by check-offs for age appropriateness, graphic sex, violence, etc... -- but that's an "I dunno" to me since what some people see as sweet-and-touching others see as rude or pornographic.

So, have any of you been to the ALA or similar events, and two, what do you think works? Pads with Meisha Merlin's basic info? Postcards of important books?

Please feel free to chime in, or to ask librarians you know...

Oh yeah, one more thing... we seem to be working on the just-in-time-delivery model once again. Crystal Soldier is scheduled to ship from the printers exactly one week before the time we expect to be arriving at Shevacon. Winter shipping, aaaiiieeee....

Comments

[jilltanith.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I've never gotten to go to ALA either.

:(

Sorry!

[jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com]

I've never been to the ALA, but I was at BEA last year, which I gather is somewhat similar. The most popular things from the publisher (aside from books) were bottle-openers with the publisher's web address and logo, magnifying glasses with the same, and condom-pops (although that wouldn't work for your publisher). They also gave away lots of folders with information about the publisher and a catalog of titles in print. Other publishers seemed to be doing a brisk business giving away tote bags (especially the heavy ones with squared bases, that could hold books flat), posters, and buttons that lit up/blinked.

Just about everyone gave away pens. And candy. People took them, but did not seem to care about them. It was more of a hoarding instinct.

But having scheduled booksignings at the booth definitely created a steady flow of interest. Also, if you're having someone doing book signings who has multiple books in a series available, signing book #1 the first day, book #2 the second day, etc. will get more interest than signing all the books on all the days.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

If you want, I can put you in touch with my agent-in-place in the NYPL. She's been to the ALA conventions/conferences whatever. Email me if.

[amyirene-40.livejournal.com]

You might want to stop by SFFNet and ask Laura Underwood - she's a librarian. And now that I think about it, she's also a Meisha Merlinite, so Stephe has probably already asked her the same question. So much for that idea.

ALA attractions

[(Anonymous)]

My duties don't include fiction purchases, but what I notice on my way to the automation vendors is:
* Posters are very popular, especially those with attractive graphics (think enlarged versions of book covers). Roll up a poster with copies of reviews from respected library publications (Library Journal, School Library Journal, Horn Book, etc.) inside. Secure with a rubber band. Leave one poster out for viewing. People pick these up by the dozens.
* Manga and graphic novel booths are attracting a lot more attention and librarians tend to stop and chat there as they try to become more knowledgeable about a new area of collection. If you can get a booth near one or two of them, you might collect some added attention from the lingerers.
* Book signings attract attention, especially if you can get a line going. Maybe you can call in some shills at high traffic hours.... ;)
* This might be a little more than you are ready to spend, but it is possible to "sponsor" a program at ALA. For sometimes a very small amount of money you can arrange to have yourself thanked publically and to put publicity material at the entrance to the venue. (My knowledge of this kind of arrangement comes from ALCTS, the technical services division of ALA; policy might differ somewhat on the Public Services side) This brings you to the attention of a large number of grateful librarians. You might contact YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association); they do a lot of programming at the conference. You can contact the YALSA offices by:

* calling 800-545-2433 ext 4390
* faxing 312-664-7459
* sending postal mail to YALSA, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611
* sending e-mail to YALSA@ala.org


Here's a note from the Jan 24 Publisher's Weekly about the Boston Midwinter Conference: "As in the past, publishers sold books at their booths for discounts ranging from 20% to 50%, but there were also a lot more freebies. 'Yes, there are more galleys,' observed Steve Geck, executive editor of Harper-Collin's Greenwillow Books. 'A lot of time the best use of your advertising dollars is bound galleys.' However the fastest moving item may well have been a poster for Jim Edgar's bestselling Bad Cat. Workman reportedly gave out 500 posters in two hours."

Publishers also often use some of their time at ALA to schmooze. If you have some free time, you might stop by the big jobbers (Yankee Book Peddler and Ingram Library Services come to mind) and introduce yourselves and ask about how to get onto their approval plan lists. Many smaller libraries lack the staff to do their own selection and rely on these plans for fiction purchases. They probably won't snap you up right off the bat, but name and face recognition can only help if your name comes up later.

Hope this helps.
Judy Ahronheim, University of Michigan Graduate Library