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Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware®

BookExpo (formerly known as BookExpo America, but still referred to as BEA) is the US's leading publishing industry event. Attended by publishers, agents, booksellers, retailers, librarians, and people and companies from all aspects of the book trade, it's an opportunity for industry professionals to network, do business, and learn about new trends, titles, and opportunities in the book world.

Although BEA doesn't happen until May 27 this year, it's not too soon for industry professionals to begin planning for attendance. It's also not too soon for authors to start receiving solicitations--by phone and by email--to buy expensive services and packages that supposedly will give their books visibility at the fair.

Here's what author and editor Jane Friedman has to say about paying to display at BEA. (Jane's website is an amazingly comprehensive and useful resource on all aspects of writing and publishing; you should definitely bookmark it.)

Aside from the Author Market [a designated area of the exhibit floor where self-published authors can buy display space], there are a handful of opportunities for authors to get visibility for their work at BEA. As far as I’m concerned—as someone who attended this show for 10 years, mainly as an editor with a traditional publishing house—it is not worth the investment. Here’s why.

The emphasis of the show is on traditional publishing, rights sales and pre-publication marketing, and does not favor indie title promotion. It is a New York industry event where traditional publishing insiders talk to other traditional publishing insiders. Yes, there are librarians and booksellers, but they’re rarely paying attention to the places where an indie book may be showcased or promoted.

Nobody is going to notice your book there. Your book is likely to be promoted with many other books, with no way of attracting attention even if someone did pause for a second within 50 feet of your book. Imagine setting a copy of your book down in the world’s largest book fair, and expecting someone to not only notice it, but be entranced by it so much they can ignore 10,000 other things happening at the same time.

If you—the author—are not present to advocate for it, your book doesn’t stand a chance. Services that offer to promote your book at BEA are rarely, if ever, hand-selling or promoting your book in a meaningful way. But they will be happy to cash your check and say that your book had a “presence” at BEA. If you want to satisfy your ego, go ahead. But it’s not going to lead to meaningful sales. (I challenge anyone in the comments to provide evidence that a self-published book gained traction at BEA because the author paid a fee to secure placement—and the author was not present.)

I'll add a fourth consideration: You will likely be hugely overcharged, especially by companies that sell book fair packages, or re-sell the exhibit services of others.

SOLICITATIONS YOU MAY ENCOUNTER


1. You may already have received an email from the Combined Book Exhibit's New Title Showcase. The CBE, an area of standing bookshelves outside the entrance to the BEA display floor, offers display packages for a few hundred dollars. For a few hundred more, you can buy an ad in its catalog; for many hundreds more, you can buy an autographing session.

Your book will be placed on a shelf with hundreds of others, in no particular order: there are no separate areas for genres, for instance. I've attended BEA many times, and the CBE is often completely deserted, with not a customer or a staff person in sight. I've never seen more than a handful of people browsing it at any one time. There is definitely no handselling involved.

A number of predatory marketing companies re-sell CBE services for enormous markups. The CBE is aware of this, and has posted a warning on its website (it's no coincidence that all the companies named in the warning appear on the scam list in the sidebar of this blog).

2. If you've chosen an assisted self-publishing company, you may be encouraged to buy presence in their BEA booth.

The Author Solutions imprints sell BEA as part of a package that includes several fairs and costs nearly $3,000. (What do you get for that? Basically, a spot on a shelf, higglety-pigglety in among an unknown number of other books by writers no one has heard of). Xulon Press sells BEA on its own, but with multiple options for spending big bucks, from shelf space only ($599) to a "Boutique High Top Table with 30 Books" ($1,999--do you get to take the table home?).

Outskirts Press re-sells CBE services--for over $150 more than you'd pay if you dealt with CBE directly.

3. Vanity publishers (yes, vanity publishers do attend and display at BEA and other fairs) may offer their authors the "opportunity" for BEA presence--at extra (possibly significantly extra) cost.

Here's my post about SterlingHouse, a vanity publisher that is now defunct but in its heyday charged its authors as much as $9,500 for BEA display of their books, signings, and other perks. (As Jane indicates above, being present to advocate for your book may make a difference--but $9,500 worth? Even if the author sold all 150 books included in the package, they wouldn't come close to making that money back.)

Here's one of the many BEA-related solicitations with which the late, unlamented PublishAmerica bombarded its authors:


4. Some unscrupulous literary agents sell slots in catalogs or portfolios that they claim to bring to BEA, supposedly to market to publishers.

Examples of this scheme that I've seen involve fees of anywhere from $150 to four figures (here's one that charges $300). If your agent is the kind of agent who exploits clients in this way, they are not the kind of agent who has contacts with publishers.

This sort of thing is far less common than it used to be, thank goodness (there are fewer literary agent scams in general, thanks to self-publishing and the many small presses that deal directly with authors), but it's still a ripoff. Don't do it.

5. The most aggressive solicitations--especially by phone--come from unscrupulous or scammy marketing companies.

Services run from the basic--a spot on a shelf in a not-always-very-professional-looking display area (you have to supply the book)--to basic with perks--mostly junk marketing, like press releases, a listing in the company's proprietary magazine, and a "post fair fulfillment report"--to elaborate packages that include an autographing session.

Prices I've seen range from $750 for shelf space only, to mid-four figures for signing packages. For instance, here's Stonewall Press's deluxe offering, which doesn't even include author presence. Note the effort to create faux urgency by pretending that space is limited.


Looking for a bargain? AuthorCentrix is a tad more economical--here are its 2019 BEA packages. The "standard" doesn't include a badge, which would add around $400 to the total.


BOOK FAIR RIPOFFS AREN'T LIMITED TO BEA

Multiple predatory marketing companies and PR services hawk book fair presence to authors. It's one of the most common marketing solicitations you'll receive. Why? Because it's insanely lucrative--for the predator.

The photo below is last year's BEA booth for publishing and marketing scammer URLink Print and Media.


More than 100 books can be counted in this photo. All the authors have paid to be there. URLink also sells ad space in a 50-page catalog, with most of the pages listing eight book per page. Writers have bought the banners shown in the photo, and others have paid to host signings. Still others have bought ads and features in URLink's fake magazine, Harbinger Post, which sits in piles on a table on the off chance someone picks one up.

The minimum cost for any of these "services" is several hundred dollars, with more elaborate packages running into the mid-four figures (see the examples above). From one book fair, a company like URLink can gross well over $100,000--a considerable profit, even taking into account the cost of booth rental, travel, and badges. Now multiply that by multiple book fairs attended per year.

The Miami Book Fair, which along with BEA is one of the fairs most frequently targeted by marketing scammers, appears to be aware of the exploitation, and provides a warning.

THE TAKEAWAY

My feeling about book fairs is the same as Jane Friedman's: book fairs are not the best place for authors to self-promote. If you do decide to attend, do it with the aim of learning and having fun--not getting "discovered"--and don't pay someone else to take you or your books there. At best, you'll get little return on your money. At worst, you'll be ripped off.

A British vicar got more than he expected from his first attempt at an online sermon when he leaned too close to a candle on a cross and his sweater caught fire.

Since we all are locked indoors for over a month now and cannot do anything about it, all we can do is stalk Instagram and Twitter profiles of Bollywood celebrities and chat with them when they are online. Right from Shah Rukh Khan to Shahid Kapoor, all of them have chatted with fans and now was the turn of Ileana D'Cruz. The one question that stood out was by a fan who asked the actress how to take care of his girlfriend during her period.

It was a tricky question but the actor's reply was in the form of a meme that rightly captured the many moods of a woman during this time. And the conversation didn't end here but proceeded a little further.

The fan then wrote to the actress - "Help me to handle such situations all with my fiancé.... I don't want to hurt her in this times." (sic) D'Cruz replied - "Approach with caution. Be prepared to either be giving her an insane amount of cuddles or to not be anywhere near her vicinity. If she starts to growl, throw chocolate at her. And run away." (sic)

Have a look right here:

All the men, take notes, please!

On the work front, D'Cruz was last seen in Pagalpanti and now will be seen with Abhishek Bachchan in the drama, The Big Bull, that's out for release on October 25.

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Saif Ali Khan has given over three interviews amid this lockdown. In the first one, we saw a cameo by his munchkin Taimur Ali Khan, in the second one, he spilled the beans on his upcoming films, and in the third one, that's the latest, he spoke about how Taimur has reacted to the lockdown and also about his opinion on Kareena Kapoor Khan as an actor.

Speaking to India Today, he first talked about his toddler and opened up on his reaction to the lockdown. "He's just happy to have his parents around and that gives us a lot of positivity. We paint and spend time with each other as a family, and that's like I said, a silver lining in this lockdown," said Khan. Well, we may not be able to see Taimur's viral videos and pictures as often now but we're happy that Kareena has made her Instagram debut and is taking care of our needs and wants.

Speaking of Kareena, what does Saif have to say about her? Well, here it is- "As an actor, Kareena seems like she was born on the sets. She's extremely confident in her skin. From opting for a role like in Udta Punjab, alongside Alia Bhatt, then to go on to do a Veere Di Wedding where she's the main lead, then be Aamir Khan's lead (in Laal Singh Chadha), she will do what she wants to do. She is easy, she takes herself lightly, and I respect that. There needs to be a high level of comfort to pull that off."

Saif has some interesting line-up of films coming up that include Bunty Aur Babli 2, Bhoot Police, the Vikram Vedha remake, and a film with Ananya Panday.

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases, Mumbai Police, who are well known for their witty memes and inspirational posts make sure to educate and entertain the citizens. After taking inspiration from Bollywood films, the Mumbai police have now turned towards web series and their latest tweet is proof enough!

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

When asked to choose the safest city... #ShotsOfSafetyPlease #MumbaiFirst #SafetyFirst #aayamumbaipolice

A post shared by Mumbai Police (@mumbaipolice) onApr 28, 2020 at 3:44am PDT

Using a short clip from one of the popular web series, Mumbai Police proved why the city that never sleeps is the safest city in the world. Posing an indirect question to netizens as to which is the safest city across the globe, the clip from the web series gives a picture-perfect answer.

In the four seconds video clip, actors Sayani Gupta and Prateik Babbar can be seen sitting on a yacht and enjoying quiet time while sailing in the Arabian Sea amid the backdrop of the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Palace. It is during the conversation that the two can be seen talking about Mumbai (then Bombay).

While sharing the scene from the web series, Mumbai Police tweeted: When asked to choose the safest city. "I would choose Bombay over any other city in the world, any day," says Sayani. To which Prateik nods in agreement. Mumbai Police also came up with their own hashtags that read: #ShotsOfSafetyPlease #MumbaiFirst #SafetyFirst #aayamumbaipolice.

Since the time it was shared on Instagram with their 75,000 followers, the video has garnered over 60,000 views and counting. The video touched the hearts of thousands of Mumbaikars who heaped praises on the Mumbai Police for their selfless service to the city amid the COVID-19 crisis.

One user wrote, "We are proud of you all for the sacrifices you and your families are doing to enforce the lockdown," while another user said that Bombay is safest and coolest city in India. A third user commented, "Bombay over anyplace...anyone...anything. Home ! Another user lauded Mumbai Police for keeping the city safe at all times. The user said, Hands down Mumbai. Over any other city. Be it safety or be it night life, when Mumbai Police is here, why fear!

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A bored Sonakshi Sinha asked netizens to throw her some awkward questions. A fan asked her if she was single? The actor replied, "Double. Hehe (sic)!" The actor then shared a mirror selfie to make the puzzled fan understand her reply. The interactive session brightened up her day as well as that of the fans. Like father Shatrughan Sinha, Sona, too, knows how to entertain with witty one-liners. Have a question, will answer, she says.

On the professional front, Sonakshi Sinha was last seen in Dabangg 3, opposite Salman Khan. Saiee Manjrekar was also a part of this comedy film. Now, the actress will be next seen in Bhuj: The Pride of India.

Bhuj: The Pride of India stars Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, Sharad Kelkar, Ammy Virk and Pranitha Subhash. The film is directed by Abhishek Dudhaiya. In the film, Ajay will be seen playing Indian Air Force pilot Vijay Karnik, while Sonakshi will essay the character of Sunderben Jetha Madharparya, who is a social worker and a farmer women, who convinced 299 other women from Madhapur to help build a runway during the India-Pakistan war of 1971.

Speaking about her personal life, Sonakshi recently made headlines for dating Notebook actor Zaheer Iqbal. In a candid chat, Zaheer said, "Sonakshi and I laughed after reading the dating rumours. It was my first rumour so I didn't know how to react to it. People have seen all of us. Sonakshi and I chill together and someone must have seen that and might have started the rumour. Well, I'm sure that's how it started."

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Filmmaker-producer Farah Khan has been spending a lot of time at home with her husband and three kids - Anya, Diva and Czar - thanks to the coronavirus lockdown. In a recent video that has gone viral on the internet, we can see Farah's kids interviewing her, and it's quite fun!

Farah shared the video on Instagram and wrote, "Tables have turned. My lovely kids are interviewing me! And looks like they are quite embarrassed by answers. Here's a snippet of our #BachFUNMoment and all our masti!"

 

 

 

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A post shared by Farah Khan Kunder (@farahkhankunder) onMay 4, 2020 at 6:34am PDT

Farah Khan's children ask her about things like if she likes rap songs, to which she says that she likes the song 'Rail Gadi, Rail Gadi'. They also ask her if she liked puppies when she was growing up, and what is the answer to 37 multiplied by 12.

Several of Farah's fans found the video very cute and funny. One Instagram user commented, "soo cute god bless u all" while another said, "Love you Farah... don't tell anyone but you're my favourite" and yet another Insta user wrote, "This is a wonderful way to keep your children entertained. Being a teacher, I know how hard it is to teach online and be with my own kids trying to help them understand school work but nothing beats making time with your own kids and just doing something out of the ordinary..."

Well, seems like Farah Khan sure has got her kids' attention!

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Bigg Boss 13 contestant Sidharth Shukla recently engaged in a Q&A with fans on Twitter. One fan asked if he helped around the house during the lockdown. Shukla replied, "Well, my mom didn't like the way I did it [the chores] and thought it would be better if she did the needful, so I am exempted (sic)." The actor added that for a greater part of the day he was doing what he does best—sleeping.

Shukla has become one of the most popular names on social media ever since his participation in Bigg Boss 13. Right from singles to even judging reality shows, offers are pouring left, right, and center for the actor. Also, people have been talking about his chemistry and proximity with Shehnaaz Gill for almost a year now.

It seems once the lockdown is over, we might get to see the two of them more often. Time to wait and watch!

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Emmanuel Macron (right) and wife Brigitte Trogneux acknowledge the audience at an event in Paris in April. Pic/AFP

She's been called a Menopausal Barbie and France's First Grandmother, he's been passed off as gay as it's inconceivable for many how a straight 39-year-old Emmanuel Macron would be married to 64-year-old Brigitte Trogneux. In a different continent, another president is 24 years older than his wife Melania, but critics are yet to look past Donald Trump's mop of blonde-orange hair, and logic-defying views. Why?

Age does matter… for women
"We are still very ageist as a society, all over the world. While an older woman is called a cougar, there is no such term for an older man," says Shrishti Arya, producer of romance TV series Kehta Hai Dil Jee Le Zara (2014) in which Sangeeta Ghosh's Saanchi was seven years older than Ruslaan Mumtaz's Dhruv, and that formed the main conflict. Eventually, the couple not only married but also became happy parents. Of course, as per desi heroine pre-requisites, Saanchi, while refreshingly cheerful and mature, was painted in pure white strokes of a physically and morally beautiful beti, unmarried at 34 mainly due to familial responsibilities. Trogneux on the other hand, was married when she first met the 15-year-old Macron at the age of 40. Easier to blame her.

Ageism also comes from our conditioning, according to clinical psychologist and cognitive behaviour therapist Laura Vaz. In earlier times, it was pragmatic for the man to be older since he was the bread-winner, and the woman was second fiddle. She needed an older spouse to 'look up to'. That has changed with women demanding dignity for their roles as homemakers and fighting for equal rights at work… "but the cultural belief has stuck," she says.

The Graduate created a social revolution in cinema in the late 1960s

The cougar on celluloid
Popular culture doesn't make things easier. Starting from the ageing actress obsessed with a younger opportunistic man in Sunset Boulevard (1950) to the iconic seductress, Mrs Robinson, who lures the apparently hapless Ben in The Graduate (1967), to our own BA Pass (2012) with its poster featuring the much-married heroine sporting a bra and horrors, smoking, while a teenage boy lounges in her bed — the older woman is usually seen as a sexual predator. As clinical psychotherapist Alaokika Bharwani puts it, "If the man is over 10 years younger, it's assumed that it must be a sexual relationship. 'Companionship' is never taken into account, and it's sad because no one speaks of her desperation for an emotional connect." Vaz talks of how this narrow mindset leads to assumptions around the relationship. "That's how stories get created that something must be wrong with the man; maybe, he's looking for a mother figure, or perhaps she pays his bills," she says.

What does she want?
Bharwani gives a more realistic idea of what an older woman possibly seeks in her relationships. "A woman above 40 is mostly financially stable and doesn't 'need' a man to provide for her. She's perhaps been married, has children, and is emotionally mature. She mostly wants companionship to feel invigorated, which doesn't come her way from men her age. So, she enjoys the playfulness of a younger man," she says. As for the younger man, being with an older woman is often relieving since she is past the age of unreal romantic expectations, and doesn't want him to 'complete' her. He can be himself.

Alaokika Bharwani

But relationships are difficult to sustain especially if the age difference is between his 20s and her 30s. As Vaz points out from the cases she has dealt with, usually in a May-December relationship, it is the man who leaves and the woman ends up feeling hurt and used. Vaz adds that there could be an element of unpleasantness peculiar to this sort of relationship. "If the man isn't as financially stable, and she sort of takes care of him, the woman seldom has a problem but the man could feel emasculated," says Bharwani, adding that the biggest undoing for such couples is judgement.

Vaz cites the example of a couple where the woman was 64 years, while the man was 31. In therapy, she made it clear that they had to decide if they were in it for the long haul. "He was as old as her son, and people would look down on them, isolate them and yet not leave them in peace. I said this was what they were getting into. My sessions would help them get stronger, but they had to know that the dice would be stacked against them." Despite being in love, the couple broke up.

Meanwhile, since their coming out as a May-weds-December couple, the Macrons have faced criticism head-on; that he was elected as President is also a positive sign. Back home too, Vaz and Bharwani feel millennials are less judgemental and accepting of such relationships without going into debunked Freudian explanations. Both feel that we are becoming a more civilised society.

Here's to love and companionship for older women without the unfair labels. Or maybe create a male counterpart. Trump effect, anyone?

POPULAR CULTURE:

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday said someone must answer to the questions which are still unanswered in regards to the Sri Lanka Easter bombing last year.

"A year on we all share the pain of the families grieving lives lost, we stand with you and for you. We remember. So many questions still unanswered, but answer them someone must," Sangakkara tweeted as people across the world celebrated Easter on Sunday.

Sri Lanka celebrated a quiet Easter Sunday amid the coronavirus lockdown, while remembering the victims of the terror attacks that killed at least 270 people on the resurrection day last year. People largely stayed indoors and offered prayers from home with the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, leading an Easter mass from a TV studio because of the pandemic.

The attacks wounded over 500 and deepened communal tensions in Sri Lanka. The bombings, carried out by local Islamist extremists with suspected foreign ties, was claimed by the Islamic State. Police said that they have killed or arrested all suspects in various counter-terror operations carried out in the days after the mayhem.

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With the world coming to a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic, former and current sportspersons have been interacting on social media to keep fans engaged and former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has said that he would love to take up an offer to coach the Indian fast bowlers.

In an interview on social networking app Helo, Akhtar said that he has never stepped back from sharing his knowledge and he would be more than happy to do the same with Indian bowlers.

Asked if he was open to coach the Indian team if such an offer came, he said: "I will definitely. My job is to spread knowledge. What I have learned is (ilm) knowledge and I will spread it. I will produce more aggressive, fast and more talkative bowlers than the current ones who will tell-off the batsmen in a way that you will enjoy a lot."

Earlier, Akhtar had proposed a series between India and Pakistan to help raise funds to fight the pandemic. While former India skipper Kapil Dev was against the idea, Akhtar found the support of former captain Shahid Afridi.

"The entire world is fighting against coronavirus and we need unity in our region to defeat this common enemy. Such negative comments don't help at all. I don't see anything wrong with Shoaib Akhtar's suggestion for Pakistan and India to play cricket.

"Kapil's reaction has surprised me. I expected better from him and feel one should not talk like this in these crisis times. Sport is supposed to bring people together and build bridges. It is pretty disappointing," he said.

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According to Sri Reddy, at the promotional event of Sandakozhi 2, Vishal made fun of her, and Keerthy was seen laughing a lot.

During the Gaidar forum on "Russia and the World: Challenges of Integration", OECD Chief of Staff and G20 Sherpa Gabriela Ramos gave a presentation on the role of the G20 in solving the global economic and financial crisis, the most pressing challenges the Group faces today and OECD recommendations to address them, as well as Russian G20 Presidency’s role in moving forward the G20 agenda.”

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There's been a series of scary surveys this week about how much we need to save to fund our retirement so Claer Barrett, FT Money editor, has invited Moira O'Neill from Interactive Investor joins onto the podcast to talk us through the numbers. Next up, have you heard of a Susu? Emma Agyemang reveals details about the revival in this decades-old method of saving. And finally, the FT's Rich People's Problems columnist James Max joins us in the studio to discuss the cost of getting a new puppy.

 

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EXCLUSIVE BY DAVID COVERDALE: Organisers of the 2022 Commonwealth Games are set to face a grilling after it was confirmed that the archery and shooting will be held in India.

The 11-time Olympic Medalist appeared live on Good Day Philly to advertise his new show, What Would Ryan Lochte Do?, before his inability with words caused both anchors to fall over in laughter.

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DR MARTIN SCURR: Barbara Connor, from South-East London, has a condition called claudication, which causes her problems in her legs.

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Seborrhoeic dermatitis is a skin condition in which the scalp becomes red, itchy and flaky. It's very common - occurring in around one in 25 people. It can affect any area of oily skin.

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From achieving statement eyebrows to curing puffy eyes or turning to the dark side... Elsa McAlonan brings you the smart solutions to all of your beauty dilemmas.

The Holiday Guru is always on call to answer your questions. This week's topics also include visiting Carcassonne in France and tips on sharing a cabin with a snorer on a cruise.

Singapore's unofficial 'Instagram Queen' showed fans the $235 rose oil she uses on her skin and her most prized possession, a diamond encrusted crocodile skin handbag worth $330,883.

There is no racing at present but there is still plenty to discuss and Sportsmail columnist Peter Scudamore is on hand to answer some important questions.