Sharing: an Empire State of mind

Linda Sappenfield — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:24:00 GMT

I don't have a photo of Dr. Ruth on my phone. But the gentleman behind me in the Sue Grafton autograph line at Book Expo America (New York City, last week) does. He'd spotted her in the cavernous Javits Center exhibit hall, asked if she could spare a minute, and--voila! (See my celeb photos on the library's Facebook page.)

Before we could share other sightings (Elizabeth Gilbert, Diana Gabaldon, Nathaniel Philbrick, Mo Willems, Julianne Moore, Amy Tan, Susan Mallery, Sylvia Day, Lemony Snicket, Tim Conway, David Baldacci, Paul Harding, Jonathan Lethem, Bill Bryson, (even Grumpy Cat), and dozens of other notables made appearances) Ms. Grafton breezed in ahead of schedule. Assessing the enormity of her queue, she checked in at her booth before embarking on a whirlwind tour of the line to greet all, especially those who'd be standing for the foreseeable future. She charmed all present and equipped us with enviable volumes (W is for Wasted won't be out until September.)

Why would publishers distribute freebies that the recipient now doesn't have to purchase and even risk major spoiler potential?

Libraries aren't the sales-killers you might imagine. When librarians render enthusiasm for forthcoming books, and when libraries offer access that builds interest in an author, title, or series--everybody profits. And we respect our readers too much to divulge what we shouldn't. (But it's OK to hint that Amy Tan's The Valley of Amazement--due out in November--is worth the wait.)

When I sent my daughter a photo of an epic queue threading around the ground floor, up the escalator, and onto the show floor, she responded, "So, is it pretty much like a Con except with fewer people dressed as Jedis?"

Probably. But BEA attendees likely demonstrate more consideration than most, and the rumors are more frequently substantiated--Diana Gabaldon's contract for an Outlander TV series, Brad Pitt's production of the TV drama based on Jason Mott's The Returned. I bagged an autographed advance copy of The Returned, published by Harlequin, due out in September, and expected to generate major buzz.

And speaking of consideration: choosing Ann Romney's autograph line meant missing out on Helen Fielding's session. But Ann arrived 25 minutes early and instantly settled in to chat with readers and sign pamphlets. Thanks to her solicitude, some of us could meet and photograph both authors--and be doubly impressed.

Book giveaways (limited quantities, first come-first served) I was especially gratified to snag include Jessica Stilling's Betwixt and Between (said to be "The Lovely Bones meets Peter Pan"), Elizabeth Kelly's The Last Summer of the Camperdown, Elinor Lipman's I Can't Complain, Lee Smith's Guests on Earth and poet Billy Collins' latest, Aimless Love. But then those copies of Elizabeth Gilbert's The Signature of All Things, Bill Bryson's One Summer: America, 1927, and A. Scott Berg's Wilson are calling to me, as well.

Next time, I'll post more details about upcoming library prize and giveaway opportunities for exciting BEA books and swag (because librarians always share).

We may even overthink that whole fairness thing. Late Thursday afternoon, the young librarian just ahead of me sighed exhaustedly, revealing that she had one more "duty" line before calling it a day. She'd promised a co-worker a particular autographed Romance book.

I had that very book in my bag and believed it to be replaceable the next day. So I offered it to her. She brightened for a moment, asked, "Are you sure!?" and began to reach for it. Then her Sense of Obligation kicked in, and she shook her head mournfully. "I just couldn't," she confessed. "I've got to earn it."

Don't say we didn't warn you

Linda Sappenfield — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:32:00 GMT

Library patrons who are placing holds on popular, checked-out titles tend to comment, "I'll bet this comes in either when I don't have time to read it, or when all my other requests do." And we both laugh, recognizing this to be prophecy, pure and simple.

When my reserved copy of Diana Gabaldon's seventh Voyager title (An Echo in the Bone) materialized on the Holds shelf, the timing couldn't have been worse: Thanksgiving houseguests due in a few days, pies to be baked, meals to be planned and shopped for, house to be tidied, another hefty book to be read for December discussion. Add to this the weekly forty hours working at the library, which, I have to say, really cuts into my free time. Can you relate?

Why not pass on this copy and re-reserve it for later? For one thing, it would just arrive the week before Christmas and the next round of visitors and pies, but the real reason is that Gabaldon's Voyager series is most enjoyable when viewed as a challenge. 832 pages? Bring it on. Complex plot featuring the convoluted genealogy of a Scottish clan, some of whom time-shift back and forth in a 300-year time span? Yes, thanks!

Before Voyager, time travel was on my "don't bother" list, along with impossibly hunky romance protagonists and their impossibly spunky love interests. Still, I picked up Dragonfly in Amber years ago when the Scottish clan element and raves of Gabaldon enthusiasts aroused my curiosity. Now I'm a convert. Yes, Jamie Fraser is amazingly handsome and endearing. He and Claire, the love of his life, achieve more clever and resourceful deeds than is humanly possible, but I'm OK with that. Observing historical events (in Echo, the Battle of Saratoga) as experienced by Frasers is oh-so-entertaining. Gabaldon's inclusion of medical lore and pioneer craft details is adept; at times, the text almost reads like a mashup of adventure, romance, and the Foxfire books--in a good way.

So, if Claire can brew her own penicillin on a windowsill and captivate men with hair that hasn't been washed in weeks, I could work in an 800-page novel in an overscheduled week. I did and don't regret it; sleep is overrated. But, speaking of decisions, I am not stocking my guest room with any Gabaldon books. I pick up nice hardback copies of popular fiction at the library book sale and stash them away for houseguests. Anyone who starts a novel and hasn't finished by departure time may keep it. Should my visitors get their hands on an installment of Voyager, they'll never come downstairs.

Reader's Exchange : Diana Gabaldon

Sharing: an Empire State of mind

Don't say we didn't warn you