Take a tour of the new and improved Ambassador International booth at the International Christian Retail Show! The show kicked off this morning and runs through Wednesday. Stop by booth 2010 and visit us if you are attending the show! If you’re not attending, be sure to enter our HUGE FREE giveaway! Our new division, Ink Swift, is giving away a free publishing package worth $995 and you can enter online at InkSwift.com.The winner will be selected at random here in St. Louis on Wednesday.
Publishers, authors and literary agents descended on Dallas last week for the first ever Christian Book Expo (CBE). But one group seemed to be missing: readers. The event was intended to be unlike other trade shows in that it was an event for the public. But reports from Publishers Weekly show that the public didn’t show up. Organizers had planned for 15,000 book fans when only about 10 percent of them actually attended. Some say it was the venue, some say it was the $29 ticket and others say it was poor timing while many were on spring break vacations. Here are some reactions from publishing execs, literary agents and other bloggers who attended the event:
Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson: I am not sure publishers are going to want to try this again next year. With the current economic realities we are all facing, we really can’t afford to try too many things that don’t promise an immediate payback. That doesn’t mean that Christian Book Expo is a bad idea.
Mary DeMuth, Writer: I ached for the folks who put the CBE together–so much sweat and toil to see so few come. It was hard for me to enjoy myself knowing that the event failed to live up to expectations.
Chip MacGregor, Literary Agent: I had a good time. Saw lots of great authors. Connected with publishers. Heard some fabulous presentations. But in terms of what it was supposed to be, the show was an unmitigated disaster. And not just your run-of-the-mill disaster, but a disaster of epic proportions. A Joaquin-Phoenix-On-David-Letterman type of disaster.
Holley Gerth, Author: I imagined writing this cool post for you about all the people I met, the stories I heard while I signed my book, and the amazing cheesecake I had. The only part that came true was the cheesecake. And it was good, my friends, very good. I felt like eating the whole thing after my signing on Saturday when only one person came to the booth. Yes, one. Uno.
Christian publishers in the US are likely feeling impacted by the recession, but think about what it would be like to be a Christian publisher in a country like China. The Global Publishers Alliance (GPA), assists Christian publishers in developing countries to become self-sustaining so they can produce Christian books and resources in their own languages using cultural contexts. For the next two years, much of the funding from GPA will go towards training authors, publishers and distributors of Christian materials in China.
You can be a part of this amazing initiative by participating in the 17th Annual GPA Invitational Golf Tournament scheduled for Tuesday, March 19, 2009 in Dallas. The event is held in conjunction with the Christian Book Expo and costs $300. For more information on how you can get in the game, visit ECPA.org.
RT @newerakara: Looking forward 2 signing my new book, "Are You Keeping a Secret?" at booth 2121 (Winepress) Tues 9am at #ICRS! See u there! http://twitter.com/christianpubtip2010/06/29
RT @AngeStar: First full-I mean FULL-day of #icrshow & great 1! Meetings books etc.Must go to popcorn cart &see Like Dandelion Dust trailer. http://twitter.com/christianpubtip2010/06/29
