The exhibitors at BEA came in all forms. Here are some of the highlights:
The Ellora’s Cave booth was a definite “expect the unexpected” moment. They were the kings of swag, with coasters, tote bags, jar grippers, print editions of their anthologies, and very to-the-point door hangers.
They also had Ellora’s Cave 2014 calendars available. But to get them, you had to meet the calendar models.
Three of the models were there, and they signed calendars, took pictures, and answered my questions. I was burning with *ahem* curiosity and wanted to know more about what it was like to be a Caveman. Unlike other book cover models, the Ellora’s Cavemen represent Ellora’s Cave titles only, with one Caveman doing about six or seven shoots for their covers—in this year alone. They also have a presence at events like Book Expo America.
Next, we chatted with reps from New York supermarket mainstay Zabar’s, as they were interested in expanding their catering market… and sharing cinnamon and chocolate rugelach along the way.
Other fun exhibitor moments and books included:
- A cute cozy mystery series set in Bath, England from UK publisher Accent Press.
- A conversation about natural disasters with a rep from Hachette… where I also learned that lady blog Jezebel is coming out with an encyclopedia.
- Academic publishers can totally be cool, as the University of Chicago Press showed with some gorgeous new editions of the ancient Greek plays.
- The American Girl rep letting us indulge in our childhood as Priscilla and I remembered our favorite dolls. Mine is Samantha, forever and always.
Finally, I was mad about the BEA-themed Mad Libs that were provided by Penguin. Here are some in the bathroom:
In the next (and last) post, I’ll wrap up my thoughts on BEA and share some writing contests!
lettersfromthemezz.com 
3 Pingback