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Book Expo America Wrap-up

After attending our first Book Expo America in Chicago earlier this month, our brains have been spinning trying to process it all.

BEA, the country’s largest book fair, represents every aspect of publishing—and then some! The floor was filled with the biggest publishers around, as well as self-published authors making bold investments in their futures. Booths abounded, seemingly for miles, with everything from printers and distributors to publicists and consultants. You could find something from every genre (even the Scientologists had a booth), for readers young and old alike, in print, digital and audio formats.

As newbies on the scene, we felt at times that there was almost too much to take in. Here were the highlights for KiCam:

* We met our amazing publicity team from PR by the Book. It was our first face-to-face meeting with the crew from Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tenn., and we couldn’t be more pleased to be partnered with this dynamic and delightful group.

* We made great connections at Publishers Weekly, Foreword Reviews, IngramSpark and the Independent Book Publishers Association.

* We got an inside look at how the gatekeeping process works in the book world. It’s challenging, but it’s not going to stop us!

* We got to see Kenny Loggins (!) and Sebastian Junger (!!).

* We were floored by the number of coloring books on the market for adults. Whoever came up with that idea must be sipping umbrella drinks on a private island right now.

* We brought home more tote bags and books than we realized we could carry.

* We grabbed as many catalogs as possible. What better market research, right?

BEA gave us at KiCam a chance to see how far we’ve come in a short time, while also challenging us to keep getting better, learning more and aiming higher.

One step and one great story at a time, we will change the world.