Books, books everywhere

I’m in book shock.

On Saturday, I visited Book Expo America, the largest book industry trade show in the U.S. This year, it took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, a mere 40 minutes (in light traffic) from my house.

It’s another world.

Booths and displays fill huge halls, hawking romances, thrillers, literary novels, how-to books, Bibles, children’s books, comics and Manga – you name it – along with book-related products. No members of the public allowed, since the event is aimed at booksellers and the media, although we authors can squeeze in if our publishers vouch for us.

Convention-goers clog the aisles, toting bags crammed with books and promotional items. Bestselling authors trip over each other on their way to autograph books for the attendees. Here’s the fabulous part: the books are free. Publishers actually give away books, with or without autographs.

In one aisle, a handsome man in a tuxedo proffers a tray piled with The Filthy Rich Handbook, and, in a British accent, politely bids me to take one. Around the corner, Ann Rice is signing her autobiography. Celebrity nonfiction authors abound: Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Alec Baldwin, keynote speaker Thomas Friedman. As for novelists, I ran into old friends Jina Bacarr (Spies, Lies & Naked Thighs) and T. Jefferson Parker (L.A. Outlaws). Heavy-hitters such as James Patterson and Robert Crais were there too.

The spacious Harlequin Enterprises booth promoted its many imprints, from Harlequin and Silhouette to Mira, HQN, Red Dress Ink, Luna, Steeple Hill and Kimani. I also made a point of visiting the Romance Writers of America booth, where staff members and volunteers joined president-elect Diane Pershing (One Tough Lawman) to promote the image of romance novels. At the nearby Mystery Writers of America booth, I joined another friend, Linda O. Johnston (Double Dog Dare, her latest pet-sitter mystery) for coffee.

It’s exciting and thrilling to walk – or, more often, stumble and squeeze – through those aisles. The biggest highlights are always personal: I spent an hour and half schmoozing with my agent, Laura Bradford.

Now, with all those books piled up to read, well…I gotta go. See you on the printed page!