To BEA or Not to BEA

Blog by S. English

BEA is around the corner and yet I am still undecided as to whether or not I’ll attend this year. I’ve paid for my assistant and a colleague to go, but may not attend personally as I have in years past.


Part of the issue is money. New York City is expensive. Luckily I have a friend in the city who I can stay with, but then transportation is expensive, so there are budgetary issues.


Part of it is the cost of creating the materials to pass out at BEA. We create DVDs every year and have them distributed at the registration desks. Historically we’ve paid $500 for that distribution and the cost of making the DVDs are $500 so that’s been a really great deal. But, as of today I was told that the cost of distribution of our DVDs has not doubled, or even tripled, but it is five times more than what we’ve ever paid before. Five times. Not $500, but now it is $2500 and I’m told this only a month before BEA, long after I sent an email asking to secure the DVD distribution as I have done over the past 4 years.


I may go as I do each year to report for Reader’s Entertainment, but knowing that BEA is charging five time what it normally charges to a small business such as mine makes it a tough pill to swallow just to be there.  I guess time will tell whether I go or not.

BEA a huge success for COS!

It all started with 500 new COS DVDs that were gone in the first day. The year before COS gave out 300 DVDs and they were gone by the third day. 

"I have to admit I was a little shocked when they told me were ran out the first day." Says COS CEO Sheila English. "But the up side to that is that a lot of people stopped me during the convention when they saw I was with Circle of Seven Productions. So the word got out fast!"

COS has increased their presense this year at several conventions and for BEA, which is the biggest convention COS attends, we added a meeting room in additinon to the DVDs and sponsorship.  Next year the plan is to have the meeting room again, new DVDs and perhaps a booth for Reader's Entertainment Group.

CEO Sheila English w/ Dot Lin from Tor/Forge

AAP Reports GOOD NEWS in Publishing Sales at BEA

I can always use some good news. I read about how sales are down here and they're closing bookstores there, it gets a little discouraging. But, finally, we get some good news from the AAP and I wanted to share a little bit of that with you!

Book sales increased by 16.6% in March with is $458.2 million dollars and were up by 8% for the year!!!

Hardcover adult category, audio books and University Press hardcover books all saw a fairly significant increase.

All of this was reported by the Association of American Publishers this week.

I have to say that COS has seen an increase in the number of book videos we're doing and I wondered if that was a reflection of the overall health of the industry. And though I don't know that they are related, I'm hoping it does signify a better year for publishing overall.

Posted from BEA!