Booksellers Rave About Meet the Editor

The American Booksellers Association is bringing back, by popular demand, the Meet the Editor program at BookExpo 2018, which invites booksellers to experience the book editing process through in-person visits with editors at their New York City offices.

Here’s what some booksellers have said about the experience:

• “The opportunity to meet with editors in their space is invaluable. Just as they learn so much about their work by seeing their books in our stores, I learned so much about our work by understanding the genesis of their books and their efforts to support their authors and their authors’ work. And, of course, the conversations strengthen our partnership and help publishers see our stores as a critical component of their approach to ensuring readers discover their books.” —Jeff Deutsch, Seminary Co-op, Chicago, Illinois
• “Meet the Editor was the highlight of my BookExpo experience. It was such an emotional boost to meet the inspiring and talented people of The New Press. We shared a very insightful conversation that was both practical and philosophical about bookselling, publishing, and their particular mission. I thank ABA for putting this special program together that enables all of us — booksellers, editors, and publicists — to see how the pieces fit together, how we can support one another, and how working together benefits all of us.” —Susan Hans O’Connor, Penguin Bookshop, Sewickley, Pennsylvania
• “I come out of Meet the Editor meetings at BookExpo with a fresh perspective on both the publisher I’ve just met with and bookselling as a whole. These meetings only happen at BookExpo and are unlike anything else you will do all year.” —Andy Perham, Books Inc., with locations throughout northern California
• “The Meet the Editors event was a great learning opportunity for all! Through a series of conversational questions, booksellers and editors were able to talk about issues they both feel are important in the bookselling and publishing industries. Conversations like these benefit not just editors and booksellers, but also our businesses and our customers!” ­—Glenda Childs, Doylestown Bookshop, Doylestown, Pennsylvania
• “What a treat to be in the historic Flatiron Building! The editors at Macmillan started a conversation about books that none of us wanted to leave. They offered fascinating insights into the editorial and publishing processes, and they asked questions that really made us booksellers feel like a vital part of the industry. I’m looking forward to whatever house I visit next year!” —Aaron Curtis, Books & Books, with locations throughout south Florida

Booksellers can sign up now for the Meet the Editor program at BookExpo.

Participating booksellers will go directly to their assigned publishing house at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 30, to meet with editors for approximately 90 minutes. Booksellers will be randomly assigned and will receive their publisher information by e-mail prior to BookExpo.

To complement ABA’s Meet the Editor program, BookExpo is launching “Editor’s Hours,” which will enable exhibitors to offer informal chats among booksellers and editors in the exhibitor booths. This will be held on all days of the show; booksellers should watch for a master schedule to be provided by BookExpo.

Registration is also underway for ABA’s Celebration of Bookselling and Author Awards Lunch on May 30, as well as and Publicists Speed Dating sessions on Wednesday, May 30, and Friday, June 1. Learn more about ABA programming at BookExpo here.

BookExpo 2018 will be held from May 30 to June 1 in New York City. Booksellers can register for free badges to BookExpo by providing their ABA member ID number during the registration process.