BookExpo-ing

As I mentioned last week, I spent this past Friday at the annual BookExpo which was held at the Javitz Center in New York City. While the economy is still kinda...um...not great right now, all of the major publishers were there, and most of the biggest companies had huge booths covering tons of space. There were some big companies that decided to forgo having floor displays, and instead opted to set up in meeting rooms, which might have been a sign of the times.

But, overall, the show was busy and people seemed to be excited about what was going on. Yes, there were likely great fears underneath all of the smiles and handshakes from publishers, but it was still a cool place to be, and the floor was pulsating with creativity.

That's the main thing that hit me right between the eyes. Some of the most creative people in the world, with some of the most creative products in the world, all in the same place. Pretty awesome. Now, granted, there were quite a few "suits" and higher-ups at the show (which always puts a damper on creativity) but the writers and artists and editors seemed right at home and in their element.

I attended the show for a couple of reasons. First, I work for an educational publisher, and it's always good to see what the Other Guy is working on and promoting. Second, as I've mentioned on the blog, I have a graphic novel that is currently being made.

And, yes, for longtime readers, the book is still on the publisher's schedule, and we have decided to move forward with it. (Yay!)

Anyway, I made a few nice connections at the show, and I got several very positive reactions to the book and the art samples that I brought along. But the real highlight came when, due to fortuitous circumstances, I was able to sit down and speak at length with a prominent comics publisher about my project, and about the comics industry in general.

That was worth the price of admission (and parking!), let me tell you.

I had a great talk, and while nothing immediate came from that conversation, I did make an excellent (excellent!!) industry contact as a direct result of the talk with the publisher.

So, long story short, things are moving along on my project. And they appear to be moving quickly. Like, two meetings yesterday, another one today, and a pretty important one early next week.

And that makes me happy, and I look forward to seeing where things go. Now, I am, above all else (and, some would say, to my detriment), a realist, and I tend to look at things in a somewhat negative light and I refuse to get excited over any and every bump in the road or happy circumstance that comes my way. I think I'm just being realistic, though.

So, while I'm pleased with the current direction of things with this project, I certainly have no delusions of grandeur. Quite the opposite, really.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on any new information, and in closing I wanted to mention the following. BookExpo is just an awesome event, with writers and artists signing books and Very Smart People giving talks on things they are very good at. For people wanting to be in this game of publishing, it's a must go each year.

Oh, and as I was walking out, I saw Neil Gaiman eating french fries. So, there's that, too.