BEA News and Book Buzz Titles Released

You are going to start reading a lot about BEA here on the blog because it will be in Chicago in May. Not only am I attending, but I am also deep into the planning of a pre-BEA panel for ARRT. Details are almost ready to go public on that one, but just a heads up, if you want to talk audiobook RA with some of the best in the business-- including the woman who narrated The Fault in Our Stars [!]-- leave Monday, May 9th from 10am to noon open in your schedule.

If you are coming in from out of town, maybe you should come in a day earlier.  Our event is steps from the train and anyone who can get there is welcome-- you do not need to be an ARRT member. We have a Steering Committee meeting tomorrow when the final details will be hammered out so that we can get our graphics person working on our marketing materials. So I am not kidding when I say details are coming soon.


As exciting as this teaser is, there is more big BEA news for everyone who works with leisure readers at all age levels.

Today was the announcement by the three committees of booksellers, librarians and other industry professionals who were tasked with choosing the authors and books that will be the focus of this year's three BookExpo America editors' buzz panels, which will be supplemented with an Author Stage appearance for the chosen authors. 

As Publisher Weekly noted this morning: 

"Nine previous buzz titles selected over the past two years have appeared on New York Times bestseller lists."

These are books you need to know about right now no matter whether or not you are coming to BEA yourself. So stop what you are doing and pay attention. The selected titles are:

Adult editors' buzz panel:

• Another Day in the Death of America by Gary Younge (Nation Books)
• Darktown by Thomas Mullen (37 INK)
• History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund (Grove Atlantic)
• Little Deaths by Emma Flint (Hachette)
• The Mothers by Brit Bennett (Riverhead)
• The Nix by Nathan Hill (Knopf)

YA editors' buzz panel:

• Caraval by Stephanie Garber (Flatiron Books)
• Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (JIMMY Patterson)
• Rani Patel in Full Effect by Sonia Patel (Cinco Puntos Press)
• Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer (Dutton Books for Young Readers)
• Thieving Weasels by Billy Taylor (Dial Books for Young Readers)

Middle Grade editors' buzz panel:

• Frazzled by Booki Vivat (HarperCollins Children's Books)
• Gertie's Leap to Greatness by Kate Beasley (FSG Books for Young Readers)
• The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes by Wade Albert White (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
• The Lost Property Office by James R. Hannibal (S&S Books for Young Readers)

Place your pre-orders for all of these titles ASAP and look for more info about these buzz worthy titles very soon.