Blogging BookExpo America

Granta’s Marian Brown reports from the 2008 BookExpo America

Book Expo America 2008 is underway in Los Angeles, where the entire book industry gathers to meet, greet and find out what’s happening in the fall. The fair kicked off with one of the most popular panels, the Editor’s Buzz Panel, where six lucky editors pitched their hottest fall title. Sara Nelson, editor-in-chief of Publishers Weekly, moderated.

First up was Richard Nash from Counterpoint (formerly Soft Skull Press), on a novel called The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews, award-winning author of A Complicated Kindness. Nash compared this American road trip tale of three quirky characters trying to make sense of a chaotic life to the film Little Miss Sunshine.

Next was Megan Lynch from Riverhead launching Miles From Nowhere by debut novelist Nami Mun. ‘A sad, funny story’ of a Korean girl who runs away from her home in the Bronx, it took Lynch a full year to acquire the book after first hearing Mun (a Pushcart Prize winner) read in New York City.

Third was Harmony’s John Glussman with the only non-fiction offering of the morning. The Book of Animal Ignorance, a follow-up to last year’s hit The Book of General Ignorance by John Lloyd and John Mitchinson, which grew out of a BBC quiz show called QI. Despite the fact that QI is not known to Americans, The Book of General Ignorance became a strong bestseller here.

Sarah Knight from Henry Holt presented a debut novel by Kira Salak called The White Mary about a travel journalist who embarks on her ultimate journey, in one of the world’s most exotic and unknown lands. Salak has won a PEN award for her own journalism. Book Magazine dubbed her, ‘the gutsiest woman adventurer of our day.’

Regan Arthur from Little, Brown raved about The Heretic’s Daughter by first-time novelist Kathleen Kent. This ‘spellbinding’ story of family love and betrayal during the Salem witch trials also captures the day-to-day life of being a pioneer.

Laurie Chittendon from William Morrow presented The Lace Reader (originally self-published) by Brunonia Barry. After being taken up by independent bestsellers and receiving a starred review in Publishers Weekly, Morrow bought the rights to publish along with twenty-one other countries. Morrow has one of the most aggressive marketing campaigns ever seen.