I had been a BookExpo attendee for decades, so I have tried to be a keen observer of trends in evolving events for publishers, booksellers, and, later on, librarians. When the pandemic hit, there was a feeling that it might all be done for good, but Publishers Weekly came through with a substitute conference called the U.S. Book Show—first as a virtual event, then as an in-person conference. In covering it the past couple of years, I have made a number of predictions about where things might be headed. Sadly, much of that was wrong, but my attempts call to mind a quote from Yogi Berra: “It’s hard making predictions, especially about the future.”
I had been a BookExpo attendee for decades, so I have tried to be a keen observer of trends in evolving events for publishers, booksellers, and, later on, librarians. When the pandemic hit, there was a feeling that it might all be done for good, but Publishers Weekly came through with a substitute conference called the U.S. Book Show—first as a virtual event, then as an in-person conference. In covering it the past couple of years, I have made a number of predictions about where things might be headed. Sadly, much of that was wrong, but my attempts call to mind a quote from Yogi Berra: “It’s hard making predictions, especially about the future.” Read More
