Publishers Weekly’s inaugural US Book Show has been renewed for a second year. Touted as a virtual stand-in for the cancelled Book Expo in New York, it was an interesting experience and I hope one that becomes a part of the norm moving forward. While I prefer the immersive experience of an in-person expo and await the time at which that becomes a safe possibility again, augmenting it with online shows or even an interactive online component in the future could be a great move.
In this often insular, slow-to-change business, when something comes along that greatly increases accessibility, it’s usually a good idea to jump on it. Aside from the obvious threat of COVID, in-person events can be difficult for those of us with mobility issues, social anxiety, financial challenges, immune conditions, or even just heavy demands on our time, like caring for family. This event seemed set up to allow for more unique circumstances.
Perhaps my favorite feature of the US Book Show (and the proper way to run this kind of event, in my opinion) is that the sessions were recorded and accessible on-demand and will continue to be available a full three months after the show. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been at Expo and gotten wrapped up in conversations that ultimately caused me to miss a panel, ARC drop, or keynote I’d wanted to attend. Instead, I was able to virtually peruse the exhibit hall without checking my watch, take phone calls without worrying about being a nuisance (or getting reception in the Javits), and generally not let the show itself become a source of stress.
As for desired improvements, much of that lies in the hands of the exhibitors themselves. I’d love to see more publishers and more types of publishers in attendance. And though one can hardly complain about the US Book Show being not the most international of online events, I would like to see more foreign territories represented (having one spotlight for Italy was pretty odd). And then there’s the matter of the exhibitors learning how to use the format in a user-friendly manner. Some publisher booths had informative videos, seasonal catalogs, links to events, and documents for download, while others had little useful info and nothing to click on other than an Edelweiss link.
All in all, though, I was impressed, and I’m glad they’re doing it again next year. I’ve already put it on my calendar, set to run several months after my first in-person conference post-COVID.
