What galleys will librarians be looking for when the Midwinter show floor opens tomorrow night?

They may be on the lookout for titles have already received advance attention from the media, such as Walter Kirn’s Blood Will Out, (Norton/Liveright) which we wrote about yesterday, Emma Donoghue’s Frog Music, (Hachette/Grand Central — see our earlier story) and Jean Hanff Korelitz’s You Should Have Known, (Hachette/Grand Central) which, as we wrote earlier,  Entertainment Weekly calls “the thriller we’re obsessed with: a woman’s water-in-the face wakeup call from the author.”

To help you spot more of the galleys with buzz, we’ve culled Barbara Hoffert’s extensive LJ Midwinter 2014 Galley and Signing Guide for other titles and authors already being buzzed in the media and created the downloadable Midwinter Buzz Galleys (for those of you sitting out Midwinter, you may want to use it to hunt down egalleys).

What are fellow librarians looking forward to? We checked on the titles librarians are talking about on the Edelweiss community board and GalleyChat as well as those on the LibraryReads lists and added them in the spreadsheet.

One of the top titles on librarians’ lists is Rainbow Rowell’s Landline, coming in July from Macmillan. Librarians have adopted this author, making her YA title Fangirl the #1 pick for the inaugural LibraryReads list and are eager to get their hands on her latest, this one written for adults, but with crossover appeal. Copies will be available at the AAP Booktalk Breakfast on Monday and at her signing at the Macmillan booth, #622 on Sunday, 1/26, at 3:00 p.m.

Other titles with librarian buzz:

The Deepest Secret, Carla Buckley, (RH/Bantam, Booth #831)  — “much love” from librarians on Edelweiss. On GalleyChat it was described as, “A bit like Defending Jacob. How far a parent goes to protect a child.”

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin, (Workman/Algonquin, Booth #740) — on GalleyChat, librarian Robin Beerbower enthused,  “Is it too soon to say my 2014 fave book is STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY (Zevin)? LOVED it.”

This Dark Road to Mercy, (HarperCollins/Morrow, Booth #731) — a favorite author on GalleyChat since his 2012 debut, A Land More Kind Than Home, we were pleased to see his second book on the latest LibraryReads list. Robin Nesbitt, Columbus [OH] Metropolitan Library says Cash’s new book is “as good as his first,” which says a lot. He is speaking at the AAP BookTalk Breakfast on Monday and will be signing in the booth (#713) after. Expect a warm reception; librarians love him and he loves them back (and he’s nuts about his cat).

One special tip: Fans of Gone Girl, The Husband’s Secret and The Silent Wife must go to the Penguin booth #935 on  Sunday, 10 to 11 a.m., to meet Sarah Weinman. Her book, Troubled Daughters. Twisted Wives: Stories from the Trailblazers of Domestic Suspense celebrates the grandmothers of the current hot genre, writers who, as Weinman says,  “take a scalpel to contemporary society and slice away until its dark essence reveals itself.” Weinman’s intro alone should be assigned reading for readers advisors

In addition, several of the authors who have been featured in First Flights, the Penguin Debut Authors program will be signing (see full schedule here), including Magnus Flyte, City of Lost Dreams; Emily Croy Barker, The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Real Magic and M.D. Waters, Archetype.

LibraryReads:
Collaborative Discovery for Librarians & Patrons
Saturday, January 25; 11:30–12:30
PCC 114 Lecture Hall

Presenters: Melissa DeWild, Kent District Library (MI), Miriam Tuliao, New York Public Library, Stephanie Anderson, Darien Library (CT), and Kaite Stover, Kansas City Public Library.

FREE Advance Readers Copies, courtesy of the LibraryReads publishing partners

Excitement is building over who will win the ALA Youth Media Awards, to be announced in a few days at Midwinter. Librarians aren’t the only ones who will be watching their Twitter feeds. So will the thousands of kids around the country who have voted in various Mocks.

The kids at my old stomping ground, the Center for Children’s Literature Bank Street College of Education recently voted in their Mock Printz program, ably led by  Jennifer Brown, Director (look for their Mock Newbery winners in the next few days, unless the East Coast snow storm delays it).

While the Honor Book the kids chose has been on many best books lists and was a National Book Award finalist, their winner did not get recognized on the major lists we tracked (see our downloadable spreadsheet 2013 Best BooksChildrens and YA), proving once again that kids and critics often differ.

Below, Jenny reports the winners and highlights of the discussions:

The Winner

Twerp by Mark Goldblatt (Random House BYR; Listening Library).

Highlights of the students’ book discussion:

“I had never read a book set in the 1960s. It was cool to see how someone who was my age back then was going through life.”

“I liked that it included phrases you’d expect a 12-year-old would say.”

“When he admits what he did, I liked how he wrote it. The whole book he was putting it off. He was having trouble admitting it because he felt really bad.”

“I liked how he would be talking about something and then get off-topic.”

“I liked that the characters were all really different from each other.”

“I liked that there was a real sense of hard reality.”

Honor Book

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal, (RH/Knopf; Listening Library)

This title came in closest with the next highest number of votes. Students commented,

“It was a mixture of a lot of genres. The mystery made me want to keep reading.”

“I like that it was told from the point of view of a ghost. I’ve never read a book like that.”

“All the characters had different personalities.”

“You can’t staple it with a genre, it has aspects of different ones.”

“It was really creative and smart.”

“I couldn’t put it down.”
“The point of view of the ghost made it special and different.”

“It was a fantasy, but the characters seemed real.”

It seems to always happen this way. Just as you begin to face the list of the things you put off until after the holidays, you suddenly realize that you haven’t put together your Midwinter schedule.

No worries; check the stories below for some tips on what to look for:

Midwinter ’14: Author Events

Midwinter ’14: Get Those Galleys

Midwinter ’14: LibraryReads Program

I hear a some of you grumbling (with a strong hint of envy) that you’re not going to Philly. Don’t let that get you down; do your own private walk through the aisles and avoid the crowds. Check out the authors featured on programs and in the booths (such as Penguin’s listing and the list of titles publishers will highlight during the “Spotlight on Adult Literature“). Look for egalleys of those books on Edelweiss or Netgalley (for the print inclined, email requests for copies to the library marketers; check our links on the right, under “Publisher Contacts”).

Whether you’re heading to Philly or not, you’ll get a great preview of the upcoming publishing season.

We’ve already urged you to sign up for the free AAP/LibraryReads programs (two names alone should entice you — Rainbow Rowell and Ransom Riggs). We hear there are still a few spots open, but hurry, seating is limited.

Also available —  save money by buying advance tickets for the United for Libraries’ Gala Author Tea on Mon., Jan 27. Speakers include Sue Monk Kidd, the author of the latest Oprah pick, The Invention of Wings, (Penguin/Viking; Penguin Audio; Thorndike), as well as Lisa Scottoline and Laura Lippman.

The other author programs (see ALA’s highlights) do not require advance reservations and include several big names, such as  National Book Award winner, James McBride, Silver Linings Playbook author Matthew Quick (his new book, The Good Luck of Right Now is coming from Harper on Feb. 11) and Brian Floca, author of one of the best picture books of the year, Locomotive. (S&S/Atheneum).

Friday night’s Grand Opening Reception in the exhibits hall has turned into a galley stampede (please, people, have sympathy for the library marketers. They’re tired from days of stacking galleys in their booths). The same is true for the “Spotlight on Adult Literature” on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m., when publishers feature special giveaways (a good opportunity to find out what titles the publishers hope libraries will give special attention).

You don’t have to suffer the crowds. Various publishers offer buzz sessions, opportunities to hear what the library marketers are excited about and to pick up galleys in a more relaxed setting. You could spend the entire conference in the Book Buzz Theater (we sincerely hope the listing for the first session on Saturday, at 3:30 a.m., is an error!).

NOTE: Please RSVP for the following, to help ensure they have enough galleys for the crowd.

HarperCollins Buzz — 

RSVP to librarylovefest@harpercollins.com

Saturday, January 25, 2014
10 – 11:15am
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Room 114 Lecture Hall

If you can’t attend, watch for an interactive version here on EarlyWord shortly after the show.

Random House Royal Book Brunch —

RSVP to library@randomhouse.com with “Royal Book Brunch” in the subject heading.

Sunday, January 26, 2014
10:30  – 11:30am
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Room 121B

To find specific publishers on the show floor, check the interactive floor plan.

Several librarian favorites (e.g., Rainbow Rowell, Ransom Riggs, Wiley Cash) will appear at events sponsored by the Association of American Publishers (cosponsored this year by LibraryReads) at the upcoming Midwinter meeting. That may seem a long way off, but these limited-seating events fill up fast, so don’t put this off.

ALA Midwinter BookTalk Breakfast 2014 (AAP and LibraryReads)

Monday, January 27th from 8:30 – 10:00am
Philadelphia Convention Center, Room PCC-122 B

Official invitation here: ALA Midwinter Booktalk Breakfast 2014 Invitation

Space is limited. RSVP HERE with your interest in attending by Monday, January 13th. The AAP will send you a confirmation if they can accommodate your request. Author signings to follow the program.

Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Living With A Wild God, (Hachette/Twelve)

Alice LaPlante, author of Circle of Wives, (Atlantic Monthly Press)

Ransom Riggs, Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Children (Quirk)

Rainbow Rowell, author of Landline (Macmillan/St. Martin’s Griffin)

Wiley Cash, author of This Dark Road to Mercy (HarperCollins/Morrow)

ALA Midwinter 2014’s Best in Debut Authors (AAP and LibraryReads)

Saturday, January 25th from 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Philadelphia Convention Center
Room PCC-108B

Official invitation here: ALA Midwinter Debut Panel 2014 Invitation

Space is limited. RSVP HERE with your interest in attending by Monday, January 13th. AAP will send you a confirmation if they can accommodate your request. Author signings to follow the program.

Featuring:
Laurie Loewenstein, author of Unmentionables (Akashic)

Leah Eskin, author of Slices of Life: A Food Writer Cooks through Many a Conundrum (Perseus/Running Press)

M.D. Waters, author of Archetype (Dutton)

Rachel Cantor, author of A Highly Unlikely Scenario (Melville House)

And, while you’re at it, add this to your calendar (no requirement to sign up for this one, however):

AAP’S LIBRARY FAMILY FEUD

Sunday, January 26th from 3:00-4:00 pm
Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
Room Franklin 07

Watch the librarians face off against our fearless authors in a ferocious battle, Family Feud  style. For more, including names of competing authors and librarians, click here — ALA Midwinter 2014 Library Family Feud flyer

To view a video of the announcements, link here. A press release listing all the Youth Media Awards is available here.

Medal Winner

This is Not My Hat , Jon Klassen, (Candlewick)

Honor Books:

Creepy Carrots, Aaron Reynolds, Peter Brown, S&S Young Readers

Extra Yarn, Mac Barnett, Jon Klassen, Balzer & Bray

Green, Laura Vaccaro Seegerm, Macmillan/ Roaring Brook

One Cool Friend, Toni Buzzeo, David Small, Penguin/Dial

Sleep Like a Tiger, Mary Logue, Pamela Zagarenski, Houghton Mifflin Books for Young Readers

To view a video of the announcements, link here. A press release listing all the Youth Media Awards is available here.

Medal Winner

The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate, Patricia Castelao, HarperCollins

Honor Books:

Splendors and Glooms, Laura Amy Schlitz,  Candlewick Press

Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon,  Steve Sheinkin, Roaring Brook/Flash Point

Three Times Lucky, Sheila Turnage, Penguin/ Dial

To view a video of the announcements, link here. A press release listing all the Youth Media Awards is available here.

Medal Winner

In Darkness, Nick Lake, Macmillan/Bloomsbury; Brilliance Audio

Honor Books

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz, S&S Young Readers — also winner of the Belpre Award

Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein, Disney/Hyperion

Dodger, Terry Pratchett, HarperCollins

The White Bicycle, Beverley Brenna, Red Deer Press

If, like us, you are feeling panicky because the trip to Midwinter has become your default time to put your schedule together, breathe and calm down. From long experience, we’ve worked out a few easy steps that insure you won’t miss any major adult authors (children’s and YA librarians already have this down to a science):

1) Check out ALA’s rundown of author events. It’s pretty overwhelming, though, so start with the highlights. Don’t overlook the very last one — a Star Wars-themed party on Monday,  2:00-3:00 p.m  hosted by the author of the Origami Yoda series, Tom Angleberger, and the “Jedi Master of Origami,” Chris Alexander, in the Exhibit Hall (beginning at noon, vendors will have special offers and discounts).

2) Annoyingly, several noteworthy events are not included in the highlights:

Macmillan’s Talia Sherer and Sterling’s Chris Vaccari will “duke it out once again in the third episode of their award-winning Book Battle series,” on Sat., 1 to 2 p.m. in WSCC Rm 608 to 609,

The AAP’s Debut Author’s Panel on Sat., 3 to 4 pm, WSCC Rm 303, doesn’t have an audience cap, so there’s still room. (On the other hand, if you haven’t already signed up for Monday’s  AAP/LJ Breakfast, forget it. Not only is it sold out, there is also a waiting list. Check out the flyer anyway, all of those titles are worth getting to know, based on the advance buzz on GalleyChat).

The AAP’s “Library Family Feud” on Sunday from 3 to 4 , WSCC-TCC  Rm LL4 to 5, pits a “team of fabulous authors” against “Washington’s toughest librarians.” A note on the location: Finding rooms in convention centers drives us nuts and it seems the WSCC has added an extra wrinkle by ALSO having a separate building, called “The Conference Center”, which is indicated by “WSCC-TCC.” According to the map, it is across the street from the Convention Center, but accessible through the exhibits. Take note of the ominious warning on the map, “some of the room names are the same. For example WSCC-TCC 301 is not the same room as WSCC-Room 301.” Ugh. We’re packing bread crumbs.

3) The Grand Opening Reception in the exhibit hall on Friday from 5:30-7 p.m has evolved into the Big Galley Grab. If you don’t want to fight your way through the crowds, the buzz sessions are a great opportunity to nab ARC’s (some ask for RSVP’s, so if you haven’t, don’t be annoyed if there aren’t enough ARC’s available):

Saturday, Jan.  26, 10:30 to 11:45 am — HarperCollins Boom Buzz —  WSCC-TCC  Rm LL4 to 5 (see our note, above under Family Feud, about this location)

Sunday, Jan. 27, 3 to 4  pm — Penguin Book Buzz — WSCC, Rooms 608-609

Sunday, January 27, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm — Random House Book Buzz — Convention Center Annex, Room 303 Note on location: The word “Annex” worries us — this may be “The Conference Center,” which, as noted above, is a separate building, across from the Convention Center and accessible through the exhibits.

3) To help you decide what ARC’s to look for, LJ‘s indefatigable Barbara Hoffert offers her first-ever MidWinter Galley & Signing Guide (download here), which lists — Yikes! — over 250 titles. Publishers also offer other giveavways — Random Houses’ free poster, “What Will You Read After Gone Girl? should be a hit. In terms of ARC’s, here’s just a few we’ll be going after:

Andrea Camilleri’s The Dance of the Seagulls (Penguin, Feb. 26) — the latest in a series that drips with the Sicilian sun and deserves a wider audience in the U.S. (we’d like to see his character, Inspector Montalbano, become the Sicilian Commissario Guido Brunetti).

Therese Anne Fowler’s  Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald (Macmillan/St. Martin’s, March 26) — on several previews of the best books of 2013.

We’re already fans of Charles Dubow’s Indiscretion (Harper/Morrow, Feb. 5). Note: don’t even ask for an ARC of Neil Gaiman’s first novel for adults, Ocean at the End of the Lane (Harper/Morrow, June 18). It’s not available.

4) If you are looking for specific booths on the show floor, search the exhibitors here.

ALA Annual in Anaheim featured more adult authors and book buzz than any ALA in recent memory.

For those who weren’t able to attend, or those whose notes suddenly make no sense, we’ll be putting together the information as it becomes available online.

Here’s the first:

HarperCollins Fall Book Buzz

The HarperCollins Library Marketing team had a packed room for their presentation of titles from the fall list. You’ll particularly need to know about an embargoed title that is sure to make headlines in September, Listening In, by Ted Widmer, based on the tapes from JFK’s previously secret White House conversations.

The Great Nonfiction Read-Alike

From Historical True Crime to Sports Books That Will Make You Weep, this panel of readers advisory pros presented recent nonfiction that proves truth can be even more interesting than fiction; click here for the slides, with covers of the newer titles and here, for the full list, including older titles.

Penguin editor Amy Einhorn’s “unique ability to pinpoint the kinds of books that thousands of people want to read” is celebrated in a New York Observer profile.

Proof that her ability is unique — she was the only editor to spot the potential of Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, after it had already been rejected by 60 others. She’s had a few near-misses; she initially rejected The Postmistress, but later decided that it could work with some serious editing.

Einhorn’s big spring title is the debut, A Good American by Alex George (2/7/11; also Penguin Audio and Thorndike large print), which has been a hit among GalleyChat regulars.

If you are going to ALA Midwinter, there are several opportunities to meet the author and nab a copy of an ARC (click here for more information). UPDATE: It’s also available as an eARC on Edelweiss.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, one of our favorite ALA meetings, The Collection Management in Public Libraries Discussion Group did not make it on to the conference scheduler. Below is the info — hope to see you there!

Monday, January 10. 2010
1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
San Diego Convention Center, Room 24 A
2011 Collection Management in Public Libraries
Discussion Group

Issues for the Fresh New Decade
Lively discussion at Midwinter in San Diego! We will be discussing technology, budgets, and other practical issues for collection development in public libraries.

———————–

Fellow procrastinators; MidWinter begins two weeks from tomorrow.

We need to make this easy. Below are a few steps to take right now, followed by things you can do mañana.

1) Sign up for the following free events

Take a procrastinator’s advice and do it now; space is limited.

AAP Author Breakfast
Monday, January 10, 2010
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Hilton Bayfront Hotel, Sapphire A Ballroom, One Park Blvd.
Veterans of the AAP events will tell you that it almost doesn’t matter who the authors are; it’s always fun and discovering new authors is the best part (plus, you’ll get Advance Readers Copies). This one features SIX, including Jacqueline Winspear, whose  A Lesson in Secrets is coming from Harper in April. It’s free, but you have to RSVP to Becca Worthington at the AAP to reserve your spot.

Publisher Title Presentations
Get  jump on the Spring/Summer seasons and an inside look at what the library marketing reps are particularly excited about, as well as a chance to load up on major galleys. Two of the largest trade houses offer title presentations:

HarperCollins
Saturday, January 8, 2011
10:00 AM – 11:15 AM — Adult Titles
11:30 to 12:30 — Children’s Titles
San Diego Convention Center, Room 26 A/B
Please RSVP by emailing Bobby Brinson so there will be an adequate number of galleys, tote bags and goodies.

Random House, Inc.
Sunday, January 17th
Adult Titles: 11:15pm – 12:15pm
Convention Center, Room 31B
(RH is not asking for an RSVP this year)

2) Check ALA’s listing of special events. Put the ones you don’t want to miss on your schedule

Below are two that are not on ALA’s special events list:

RUSA Book and Media Awards
Sun, January 9th
5-6:30pm
Manchester Grand Hyatt, Manchester Ballrooms A&B
Celebrate the genres with the Reading List and other RUSA award announcements. Even better, enjoy cocktails with fellow RA librarians.

Gala Author Tea
Mon., Jan. 10
2-4 p.m.
Convention Center, Room 29 A-D
You’ve missed the cutoff for advance tickets, so you will want to get to the session early to try to nab an on-site ticket ($55).

3) Don’t forget to schedule meetups with friends

4) Mañana

Make a list of galleys not to miss. A prime time to pick them up is on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m., during the Spotlight on Adult Literature (more info. in ALA’s listing of special events).

Check out these special offers and signings from adult publishers:

HarperCollins, booth 2016

Macmillan, booth 2026

OverDrive, booth 1017 — check out their new eBook Apps and presentations like, “Best Practices to Maximize Download Circulation”

Penguin Group, booth 1917

Random House, booth 1816

Wiley, booth 1541 (Sam the Cooking Guy there on Monday at 2 p.m.; giving away copies while they last) and a 20th Anniversary Dummies celebration on Saturday (dessert reception at 4 p.m.)

See you there!

And, the decision is to not “co-locate.” Below is the official joint statement:

Many are aware that ALA has been talking with Reed Exhibitions (BookExpo America) about the possibility of co-locating the ALA Annual Conference and BookExpo America.  The American Library Association and BookExpo America are today jointly announcing that discussions regarding any co-location of the two events have been concluded.  Communication from exhibitors, attendees and association members indicated that each show is serving its constituency, and after extensive discussion, the ALA Executive Board determined that current arrangements work best at this time. Both ALA and BEA noted that the exploration had been a positive experience and that doors have been opened for other possible collaborative activities between ALA and the American Booksellers Association, the American Association of Publishers and Reed Exhibitions.