A Book Lovers Dream: First time at BookExpo

We boarded the bus soaking wet. I was clingy tightly to my two bags full of books, catalogs, and other goodies, trying to protect them from the rain. We had just walked several blocks in the pouring rain, feet sore from roaming the Javits Center for hours. A memorable experience for my first-time visiting NYC. Nevertheless, it was a great day!

If you’re wondering why we were boarding a bus soaking wet with bags full of books, well, BookExpo. My colleague Sarah and I spent last Thursday attending the biggest book trade show in North America, a nice change in scenery from our typical Thursdays spent at Sage House. Neither of us had been to BookExpo before so we were both thrilled when we were given the opportunity to attend.

BookExpo was a book lovers dream.

Booths upon booths filled with stacks of books in every genre, many available for you to take and read. The best booths were inviting and modern, with couches and chairs for you to sit, talk, read, or even charge your phones like we did in a cool poetry booth.

We spent some time talking with other university presses and looking at their catalogs, and the types of books that they publish. We also met authors, sales people, and fellow marketers; we even ran into old high-school acquaintances. This event was a great place to meet people, and listen to other people in the industry. As fairly new members of the publishing world, Sarah and I found this experience invaluable.

There was an installation on a wall in one of the isles titled, “What book changed your life?” The wall was filled with hundreds of multicolored Post-It notes on which people had written the title of the book that had done just that to them. Seeing the sheer range of books reminded me just how powerful a book can be and how much influence it can have.

Sarah snagged a book in booth, but it came with a stipulation.

She had to do three things: read it, enjoy it, and share it.

At Cornell University Press we are changing the world one book at a time, so I will leave you with the same instructions that Sarah was given. Pick up a good book, then READ IT, ENJOY IT, and SHARE IT.

Need ideas on what to read next? Click here!

---

Brock Schnoke is a Marketing Assistant at Cornell University Press. His summer goals this year are to adventure more, take more photos, and read more books.