WritingSpirit Resources

London Book Fair

April 14-16, 2008
April 20-22, 2009
April 19-21, 2010
Earl's Court, London, England

The London Book fair is the global publishing community's leading spring forum for booksellers, publishers, librarians and book production services worldwide. Ideally timed to provide you with a concentrated 3-day trading and educational platform offering access to the world's books, real business contacts and shared knowledge.

This three day conference includes:

• Seminar Programme - The 2008 seminar programme will hone in on three key areas: Digitisation, Children's Books & Publishing, and Film & TV. Each strand will have a programme of seminars that will be of interest to all sectors within the industry. There will also be a masterclass on How to Get Published. 

• Exhibition Hall - This year there are several dedicated exhibitor sections: Academic STM/ELT Publishing; Art, Architecture,and Design; Children's and Young Adult Publishing; General Publishing; Publishing Solutions; Remainder and Promotional; Travel Publishing and Maps; and Retailing Solutions.

• Author Programme - Each year a number of authors come to The London Book Fair and participate in events. Past authors have included Tariq Ali, Margaret Atwood, Paulo Coelho, George Szirtes and Joanna Trollope. Author events range from taking part in panel discussions, performing readings and talking about their work. You may even have the chance to have a drink with your favourite author!

• International Rights Center - The London Book Fair's International Rights Centre (IRC) is the leading location in the Spring for the trading of global literary, television and film rights. The IRC offers a focused 3-day trading period during a key buying time for the publishing industry. As the Centre is situated on the gallery level of Earls Court and partitioned off from the main show halls it provides a more private and comfortable meeting space with an appointment only entrance system.

• New Cookbook Zone - In conjunction with the world famous Gourmand World Cook Book Awards you can experience demonstrations and culinary delights courtesy of celebrity chefs from around the world, including renowned Lebanese chef Ramzi Choueiri, chefs from the Cordon Bleu Cooking School and Art Smith from the Oprah Winfrey Show.

London Book Fair

Book Expo America (BEA)

May 29-June 1, 2008
Los Angeles, CA

May 28-31, 2009
New York, NY

June 10-13, 2010
Las Vegas, NV

Book Expo America is an annual industry event for publishers, booksellers, librarians, rights professionals, authors, and anyone else involved in the buying and selling of books and related products (over 30,000 "industry professionals" usually attend). The four day bookfest includes:

• Conference & Educational Programs - With over 80 sessions, this complete educational program is designed to address topics of interest to all segments of the industry.  Most sessions are Free with event registration.

• Exhibition Halls/Pavilions - featuring more than 2000 exhibits. All major U.S. publishers have a presence along with hundreds of publishers of all sizes from the U.S. and from across the world. 

• Special Events and Networking Opportunities- There are a wide variety of special events taking place throughout the event.  These include author breakfasts, luncheons, receptions, special lounges and more.

• Autographing Program - The autographing program is a highlight of BookExpo America and features over 400 authors. 

• International Rights Center - If you are an agent, scout, publisher, packager or acquisition editor looking to buy or sell rights, this is the place to do the deal.

Book Expo America

Religious Booksellers Associations

Some of the following organizations put on yearly conventions that specifically promote the sales of spiritual books and gift items. While these organizations are primarily geared towards booksellers and other retailers, their web sites are rich sources of industry information and their annual conventions have events and networking opportunities that benefit authors.

Religious Booksellers Trade Exhibit (RBTE)

This year's Religious Booksellers Trade Exhibit will be held May 27-30, 2008, in St. Charles, Illinois. The RBTE is considered the global marketplace for Catholic, Episcopal and other liturgical book & gift stores.

There were over 70 religious book publishers listed as exhibitors for the 2005 RBTE.

Evangelical Christian Publishers Association

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international, not-for-profit, trade organization that supports quality and integrity in Christian publishing.

Of interest to authors:

Christian "Top 50" Best-Seller Lists

• Monthly General Best-Seller List (Top 50 Titles) based on actual sales in Christian retail stores in the United States and Canada. These monthly lists go back to January 2002. Use these lists to help zero in on the best marketing category and publisher for your book.

First Edition (Manuscript Service)

• For a fee of $79, your book proposal will be posted at First Edition for 6 months for publishers to review. Rather than accept unsolicited manuscripts, Zondervan and Zonderkidz have an editor assigned to regularly review all new book proposals at First Edition. Other publishers do this as well.

Gold Medallion Book Award Winners

• Every year Christian publishers produce thousands of outstanding books to encourage, equip and challenge the body of Christ. For more than a quarter of a century ECPA's Gold Medallion Book Award has served to recognize the highest quality in Christian books. From hundreds of entries, 100 books are chosen as finalists for the Gold Medallion and 20 books are recognized as Gold Medallion winners. The winners from 1978 to 2005 are listed on the site under "Awards."

Christian Booksellers Association (CBA)

The Christian Booksellers Association is the international trade association of Christian product suppliers and retailers, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, serves nearly 2,300 member retail stores and over 600 member publishers, record companies and other product suppliers. CBA has chapters worldwide. The Christian resources industry is a $4 billion business annually, up from $1 billion in 1980.

CBA Industry Conference 2008 - The CBA'a annual conference is being held this year from January 30-February 1, 2008, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Christian Best-Sellers Compiled by the CBA

Best-Seller Lists

The Christian Marketplace best-seller and category top-seller lists are compiled from actual sales in Christian stores. These lists are compiled by the Christian Booksellers Association. You can only get the current month's listings (book and product sales from two months earlier).

Top 50 Books

Books

• Biblical Studies
• Christian Living
• Church & Ministry
• Fiction
• General Interest
• Inspirational
• Theology

Bibles

• General Versions/Translations
• Specialty Bibles
• Study Bibles
• Young Adult/Children's Bibles

Kids

• Children's Books
• Young Adult Books

Music

Video

Association Of Catholic Booksellers

The Association of Catholic Booksellers of the United States and Canada is an association of independent booksellers who serve the Catholic Community. Its primary purpose is to assist members in the ministry and business of Catholic bookselling. Their annual meeting is held at the Religious Booksellers Trade Exhibit.