proximity effec

AProximity Effect

musings on the 2005 Book Expo America (BEA)

Kenn Amdahl

When a singer holds a microphone very close to his lips, the lower overtones become emphasized. The sound is richer. Because of this, the bass in every acapella group looks like he’s chewing on the microphone, while the soprano holds it at arm’s length to belt out the high notes. Every singer knows about this; it’s called the proximity effect. You play it like a secret instrument.

Book Expo America is a study in a similar kind of proximity effect. “Close” counts in more games than horseshoes, skunks and hand grenades. It counts in book deals too. That’s why nearly 30,000 book industry professionals swarm together annually. This year they convened at the Javits Center in New York.

From above, the main exhibition hall looked like a den of literary snakes writhing in a massive ball of metaphoric deal-making copulation, twisting through the aisles between 2,000 exhibitors, swarming to the pheromes emitted by free books autographed by best-selling authors. Amid that frenzy, even a homely snake has a shot at getting lucky. That is, even a bad book might sell, a clumsy author might pawn off foreign rights.

Obviously you want to plant yourself somewhere near Random House, Harper Collins and Simon and Schuster for the same reason a man would cruise for chicks with Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. They’ll wind up with Jennifer or Angelina, obviously, but there’s bound to be overflow. Coolness has its own proximity effect. But even if you are closer to the “wallflower pavilion,” where guys like me belong, you’re still in New York, you’re still at the BEA, you’re still likely to make some useful connections.

The first person I ran into, before I even had a nametag, was an agent who had negotiated German language rights to one of my books years ago. I’d been meaning to look her up at some point in the next year or so, but there she was. Turns out she had just been chatting with a Chinese agent and thought he could sell one of my books in China. She even showed me her little notebook, where she’d written down my name to remind her to call. We exchanged notes and moved on. If we had not bumped into each other, both of us were likely to forget. No proximity, no deal.

Then I met the owner of a distribution company from Seattle that used to carry my titles. They are Borders’ favorite distributor, I’d lost track of them. Ten minutes later we’d reestablished our relationship.

Then I met a guy who distributes TV programs to public stations around the country. He invited me to send a DVD of one or two episodes of “Off the Page,” my author-interview show. I agreed. With visions of becoming the next Big Bird, I moved on.

Then I met a guy who sells stock photography, which I don’t need. But it turns out he used to play guitar with Joanna Jett and the Blackhearts. No business transpired, but it was cool. Along those lines, I also met a world-class harmonica player who agreed to play on my next CD, if I ever get around to making one. Not a connection anyone might have predicted. You attend events like this with an open mind and let proximity do its magic. I’m sure that guy never dreamt he’d stumble into an opportunity like that.

As past president of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association, I had volunteered to help man the booth. We signed up late, so our booth was as far out of the way as it could be without smelling the dumpsters. We were located amid foreign publishers, across the aisle from the Sicilian Publishers Association. Their books were lovely, but most of their representatives looked tough and spoke no English. They just knew they needed to be there. Interestingly, they liked cigarettes. In fact, they smoked like one of my home wiring jobs. Smoking is technically completely illegal in the Javits Center, but not even the hardened New York security forces wanted to explain that to them. This created an entirely different kind of “proximity effect.” We were trying to sell books with Tony Soprano watching over our shoulders, in a cloud that was not completely metaphorical.

Because Colorado has the largest independent publishers association of any state, with over 400 members (New York has 18) we actually created some proximity effect for our neighbors. The head of Barnes and Noble’s North American Small Press Department came over to visit and brought some regional buyers with her. The lady who chooses books to excerpt for Reader’s Digest browsed our titles and took information on all of them. The owners of large printing companies in Canada, India and Korea all stopped by. The owner of Foreword Magazine made a point to weave through all the foreign publishers to say hello and look at our books.

I’m pretty sure they had all heard about Colorado, hotbed of books and literacy. It’s just a coincidence most of them showed up when the booth to our left was giving away free gelato.

Every author should attend the BEA at least once. It’s educational and inspirational, and the gelato is excellent. The next one’s in Washington DC, May 18-24. Information at www.bookexpoamerica.com

clearwater publishing company publishes Kenn Amdahl books in Colorado. Clearwater Publishing Company publishes educational fun books. Books include There Are No Electrons Electronics <span class="style8">for Earthlings, Algebra Unplugged, Calculus for Cats, Joy Writing: Discover and Develop your Creative Voice, The Land of Debris and the Home of Alfredo. Clearwater also publishes The Barefoot Fisherman: a fishing book for kids by Paul Amdahl. and Economics for the Impatient by C.A. Turner. Our books are about science, math, creative writing algebra, calculus s, economics, fishing, kids, parenting, education. Curriculums like them, and so do home schoolers. Joy of Writing and The Joy of Writing are not our books, but Joy Writing is. Kenn Amdahl is president. He's a songwriter and author in Broomfield Colorado. Electronics, teaching electricity, teaching math, especially alebra and calculus and creative writing. SAT, LSAT, and other test takers may like these books. They are like books for dummies, algebra for dummies, algebra unplugged, math book. kenn amdahl jim loats calculus for dummies, creative writing for dummies, fishing for dummies, parenting for dummies . Or Algebra for Idiots, Calculus for Idiots, Creative Writing for Dummies. Memoir writing or memoir writers may find Joy Writing useful, although it is not The Joy of Writing or the Joy of Sex or the joy of writing sex or the Joy of Algebra for that matter. They are not chicken soup for the writers soul, or algebra for the writers soul, or calculus for the writers soul. They are not strictly speaking Christian or religious or spiritual, but those folks are welcome. Jesus would not disapprove of these books. Jesus might like them. The Rapture of Writing might be a good title. Self-publishers read our books, Dan Poynter is recommended. Top ten bestsellers not on the list. New York Times Bestsellers are loved here. DaVinci Code or Harry Potter fans welcome. Obviously I'm practicing my writing on this web area that you should not be able to see because I need to make thisalgebra unplugged, math book. kenn amdahl jim loatsclearwater publishing company publishes Kenn Amdahl books in Colorado. Clearwater Publishing Company publishes educational fun books. Books include There Are No Electrons Electronics <span class="style8">for Earthlings, Algebra Unplugged, Calculus for Cats, Joy Writing: Discover and Develop your Creative Voice, The Land of Debris and the Home of Alfredo. Clearwater also publishes The Barefoot Fisherman: a fishing book for kids by Paul Amdahl. and Economics for the Impatient by C.A. Turner. Our books are about science, math, creative writingg algebra, calculus s, economics, fishing, kids, parenting, education. Curriculums like them, and so do home schoolers. Joy of Writing and The Joy of Writing are not our books, but Joy Writing is. Kenn Amdahl is president. He's a songwriter and author in Broomfield Colorado. Electronics, teaching electricity, teaching math, especially alebra and calculus and creative writing. SAT, LSAT, and other test takers may like these books. They are like books for dummies, algebra for dummies, calculus for dummies, creative writing for dummies, fishing for dummies, parenting for dummies . Or Algebra for Idiots, Calculus for Idiots, Creative Writing for Dummies. Memoir writing or memoir writers may find Joy Writing useful, although it is not The Joy of Writing or the Joy of Sex or the Joy of Algebra for that matter. They are not chicken soup for the writers soul, or algebra for the writers soul, or calculus for the writers soul. They are not strictly speaking Christian or religious or spiritual, but those folks are welcome. Jesus would not disapprove of these books. Jesus might like them. The Rapture of Writing might be a good title. Self-publishers read our books, Dan Poynter is recommended. Top ten bestsellers not on the list. New York Times Bestsellers are loved here. DaVinci Code or Harry Potter fans welcome. Obviously I'm practicing my writing on this web area that you should not be able to see because I need to make this square bigger and have not learned how yet except to type in words, poetry, prose, language, steinbeck type stuff, No Child Left Behind, that's my motto. Naked books, with no girls gone wild, no bikini models no first amendment problems. Sorry, no Jill, no wagner. no amateur index ladies or lightspeed girls or coeds or women. Just books about electricity, like Tesla or Edison might write, books about Algebra like Aristotle might write. Calculus books like Garfield the cat might write. Cat stuff, feline stuff, study guide type raw material. Books for girls who like to read and boys who know how to. Teach yourself math, science, fishing, in clear water or clearwater economics creative writing and poetry. Sing a song. Release a CD Write a book and self publish it. Groups we like include Book Organizations of Colorado, Colorado Independent Publishers Association CIPA Colorado Authors League Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Pikes Peak Writers Aspen Writers Mountains and Plains Booksellers Independent Booksellers SPAN Small Press Association of North America Publishers Association of the WEst Colorado Library Association Last Note Singers Cottonwood the music group. Edward Ormondroyd and George Garrett gave blurbs to our books </span></div>
square bigger and have not learned how yet except to type in words, poetry, prose, language, steinbeck type stuff, No Child Left Behind, that's my motto. Naked books, with no girls gone wild, no bikini models no first amendment problems. no amateur index ladies or lightspeed girls or coeds or women. Just books about electricity, like Tesla or Edison might write, books about Algebra like Aristotle might write. Calculus books like Garfield the cat might write. Cat stuff, feline stuff, study guide type raw material. Books for girls who like to read and boys who know how to. Teach yourself math, science, fishing, in clear water or clearwater economics creative writing and poetry. Sing a song. Release a CD Write a book and self publish it. Groups we like include Book Organizations of Colorado, Colorado Independent Publishers Association CIPA Colorado Authors League Rocky Mountain Fiction Wri</span><span class="style11">ters Pikes Peak Writers Aspen Writers Mountains and Plains Booksellers Independent Booksellers SPAN Small Press Association of North America Publishers Association of the WEst Colorado Library Association Last Note Singers Cottonwood the music group. Jill Wagner is the actress in the Mercury Mariner TV commercial. Jill Wagner will become a big star and people will google her. That's Jill Wagner, mercuryvehicles.com, TV actress. She's in Vancouver filming a movie.Edward Ormondroyd and George Garrett gave blurbs to our books </span></div>

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