Editors & Titles for BEA 'Buzz Forums' Announced

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly version

This week, BookExpo America (BEA) announced the editors and title selections for two "Buzz Forums" at the 2009 trade show at New York City's Javits Convention Center. The traditional Editor & Bookseller Buzz Forum will be held on Thursday, May 28, and a new Young Adult Buzz Forum has been added to the lineup on Friday, May 29.

BEA noted that the selection process for the forums "has notably shifted to the book itself, and dialogue among members of the selection committee has centered on choosing books for presentation that will appeal to a wide range of readers."

This year's featured editors and title selections are:

BEA Editors' Buzz: Thursday May 28, 4:15 p.m.
  • Program Chair: John Freeman, American Editor, Granta
  • Deb Futter, Vice President, Editor-in-Chief, Grand Central Publishing, with Leila Meacham's Roses
  • Paul Elie, Editor, FSG, with Michael Sandel's Justice
  • Alexis Gargagliano, Editor, Scribner, with Alex Lemon's Happy
  • Harriet Popham Rigney, Executive Editor, Tor Books, with Brandon Sanderson's A Memory of Light
  • Ben Sevier, Senior Editor, Dutton, with Jonathan Tropper's This is Where I Leave You
  • Robert Weil, Executive Editor, W.W. Norton, with David Small's Stitches
BEA Young Adult Editors' Buzz: Friday, May 29, 2:30 p.m.
  • Program Chair: David Levithan, Editorial Director, Scholastic Press & Push
  • Arthur Levine, Vice President/Editorial Director, Arthur A. Levine Books, with Laini Taylor's Lips Touch
  • Ari Lewin, Senior Editor, Disney/Hyperion, with Sarwat Chadda's The Devil's Kiss
  • Krista Marino, Senior Editor, Delacorte Press for Young Readers, with James Dashner's The Maze Runner
  • Mark Siegel, Editorial Director, First Second Books, with Danica Novgorodoff's Refresh, Refresh
  • Liz Szabla, Editor-in-Chief, Feiwel & Friends, with Jill S. Alexander's The Sweetheart of Prosper County
  • Tara Weikum, Executive Editor, HarperCollins Children's Books, with Adriana Trigiani's Viola in Reel Life

BEA noted that the Buzz program now provides considerable promotional opportunities beyond the initial Forum presentation. All nominated books must have a fall release timeline (September - January), and submissions must have a digital packet, including jacket art, first chapter, imprint logo, author photo, and SMPR (social media press release), which will be available on BookExpoAmerica.com, under the tab "Books with Buzz." The sessions will also be recorded and posted as part of BEA's ongoing podcast coverage of the trade show's main events. All Buzz authors are requested to attend BEA and be available for a special panel on BEA's new Author Stages.

Advisory Board members responsible for making the final decisions regarding this year's Buzz Forums included Michael Cader, Publisher's Marketplace; Maria Campbell, Maria B. Campbell Associates; Carol Fitzgerald, Bookreporter.com; Tina Jordan, Association of American Publishers; and Talia Ross Sherer, Macmillan.