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Book Expo America 2009 was a BLAST! It is quite an amazing thing to go into an airplane-hangar-sized conference hall, and be surrounded by others from your own world of writing and publishing. I met countless authors and got a stack of books (including an advance copy of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, a signed copy of the Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, and loads more).

My book signing for The Farfield Curse started at 11:00 AM, and there was already a short line formed. Once the time hit, people began to come from everywhere, and the signing didn’t really stop! There were so many people, we actually ran out of books, so that by the time the signing was over I simply couldn’t sign any more because there were none left to hand out. Hopefully this is a good sign for how it will do in stores

I was interviewed for Borders Media by the one and only Pel from the Twilight Lexicon. It was a bit odd since it was my first film interview, and I had never been in a studio set up like it. There were five cameras, all set up at different angles, and they wired me up with a microphone and had lighting hanging all around. I also had to get film makeup put on — a first for me, and a bit itchy (it had to be explained to me that you actually have to wash it off afterward, ha ha). After BEA we headed over to Books Of Wonder, where I saw Tiger Beat play. Tiger Beat is a rock band entirely made of YA authors, with my editor Daniel Ehrenhaft on lead guitar and Libba Bray doing vocals. YES they were very good.

Even more exciting was the nearly-half-page article about me, TwilightGuy.com and my Twitter/Youtube stuff in Publishers Weekly. As with the opening of pre-orders and the signing of Brandon Dorman, publishers generally tell their authors nothing until after we’ve read about it in the papers: I learned via the article that Bran Hambric will have front-of-store placement at Borders bookstore and a 75,000 copy first printing! There are no extra zeroes in that number. It was easily 4 times what I was expecting!

Here are some photos from the event (special thanks to my friend Becka for taking them!)

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Posted in About Me, Bran Hambric, Photos, Videos
Tags: BEA, Book Expo America, Book Signing, Borders, Bran Hambric, Maureen Johnson, Publishers Weekly, Twilight Lexicon

Tomorrow morning, I’m flying out for Book Expo America in New York. I can’t even begin to say how excited I am for this. Those who have followed my writing journey know that this trip is nearly six years in the making, and even though the release date of the book will perhaps be an even bigger thing, this trip is the prologue to that day. Someone told me that my BEA appearance could be considered as my debut to the professional publishing world, a way of my publishers introducing me to the literary circles for the first time.

It was calmly explained to me that debut authors are not usually brought to BEA by their publishers, and that for my publishers to pay for my appearance there means quite a lot as to how much confidence they have in my success as a writer. The fact that I am even going to BEA overrules the many grueling years I expected I would have to go through as a debut author before I was even noticed. It’s one of those things I wish I could go back and tell my 14-year-old self would happen, back when I had just started on this book: tell myself that Bran Hambric would actually one day be a real book at Book Expo America six years later.

It feels funny now, because for years I’ve wondered what it would feel like before something like this, though I didn’t really imagine I would get to experience the feeling myself. So, for those of you who, like me, searched every author’s manual at the library for the answers about how it feels when you finally Get There, I’ll say it’s really like delicious anxiety: something you’re slightly afraid to do but you enjoy the sheer naive nervousness of at the same time. Should I bring my own signing pen? If I wear a suit will I be overdressed? Will anyone even show up at my BEA signing? What happens if I sign a book wrong? Is it bad if my autograph doesn’t look exactly the same every time? Any experienced author knows these answers. I do not, because this is my first time. But perhaps by this time next year, after I’ve signed a countless number of books at stores and events across the country, the same thing will happen then, and I’ll wish I could go back and tell me something grand and glorious now.

If you are an author or a bookseller or anyone who is planning to be at BEA, I would love to meet you. I will be hovering around the booths early Friday morning, and then at the Sourcebooks booth (#3977) at 11:00 AM. I will be attending a luncheon and other events throughout the day as well.

Those of you who can’t make the event: I will have lots of video and photos from the signing and the Expo. If there are a few free minutes one of the nights, I will try to broadcast a live BlogTV show from New York. I won’t have much internet access, but I will post on my Twitter if/before that happens. Wish me luck!

Can’t see it? Click here.

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Posted in Bran Hambric, Writing
Tags: BEA, Book Expo America

WHERE: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA

WHEN: FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009

My publishers have announced that they will be bringing me to Book Expo America this year, which is the largest annual book trade event in the US. It will be my first appearance as a writer, and my debut into the professional literary world. My publishers will be showcasing Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse in their booth (currently #3977) to countless booksellers, librarians, teachers and publishing insiders who will be attending. Excitement? MUCH.

For those of you who might be wary of approaching the Sourcebooks booth, I’m told there will be a collection of Advance Reader Copies of my book sitting out that are Completely Free Of Charge. Yes. Free books. For the taking. BEFORE 9/9/09.

I haven’t actually been told how many books will be available, so if you’re one of those people who happen to be in the book business, and absolutely, positively NEED a copy of Bran Hambric NOW or you’ll lament in sackcloth and ashes, then please come see us at your earliest possible convenience. I plan to wear a very large coat, which will end up with a bit more stuffing than when I came in, and multiple ARC’s having mysteriously disappeared from the Sourcebooks booth. Shhh. Don’t rat me out.

Since there will be ARC’s, which are basically paperback versions of my book, I will also have my very first book signing on Friday, May 29, at 11:00 AM! If you are at the event, or are interested in registering, I really hope you will stop by. Of course, I’ll have plenty of photos and YouTube videos from the event, too.

(For those who are wondering just how big this event is, check out this video). (ADDED: here’s a video:)

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Posted in Bran Hambric
Tags: Book Expo America, Bran Hambric