Los Angeles, CA—Most publishing professionals consider Book Expo of America the industry’s compass in trends and innovative thinking. This last weekend, the spirits of Magic Johnson, Ted Turner, Thomas Friedman, Michael Moore, and others drifted through the convention center’s halls, as the Zeitgeist of our times flashed glimpses of its elusive light.
Agents, writers, and editors roam through the aisles and rows of new books. As the publishing industry's annual showcase, it’s one of the world’s largest flea-markets of books and thought trends. The event focuses on business to business relations, not intended for general public.
Coolest of all people I met at the event was by far James Rollins, my favorite writer buddy. He told me about how he wrote the novel entitled “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” based on the latest movie.
As a journalist I meandered around hoping to shake hands with the Zeitgeist, peer into its eyes, and listen as it whispered secrets to me. Things didn’t turn out quite like that though.
Not following any plan, I first stumbled onto the guys at the Bowker booth. They told me that books sales have dropped, whereas in Europe, people buy more than twice the number of books compared to the USA.
Here in the USA, we might complain about the disappearing small corner bookstore and the rise of the corporate sellers. Don’t gripe too loud. You take a trip down to South America, you’ll discover that there’s a brisk pirated book industry where few respect copyright laws. So you can buy a DVD or a book for pocket change on the street, though selection is extremely limited. As a consequence you’ll find hardly a bookstore in Lima or Bogota. Stores can’t pay their expenses if the market goes underground.
That may explain partly why some countries remain in the third world. In South America, the main source of culture and ideas remains the Catholic Church, keeping a lid on truth and freedom with a dogma that includes “subdue the earth and multiply.” The old religions want us to ignore the dire issue of over-population and their lack of science in education, or secular education at all. The healthier the market for ideas and free expression, the stronger, more innovative goes the culture. Book Expo America thrives on new ideas.
A theme of innovation cropped up in Thomas Friedman’s hour long pitch for his new book, “Hot, Flat, and Crowded.” Friedman demands a Green revolution in the USA. He warns us about the exponential population growth rate and its ecological impact on our planet. Nothing in his speech was new or revolutionary. I can remember reading about all these issues in high school from books like “Future Shock” by Alvin Toffler.
What’s new about Friedman’s passionate voice in the wilderness is that it now echoes through the otherwise empty channels of mainstream media. Despite the Bush Administration’s attempts to completely squelch ecology, Al Gore brought it back front and center. We can applaud Friedman for hopping on this band wagon. Though, in many ways, I sense that Friedman has sipped too much of the right-wing Cool Aid.
In his speech, Friedman warned us against the USA’s dependence on foreign oil and its despot barons. Among such petroleum tyrants, Friedman only mentioned Chavez and Iran. He didn’t mention a whole host of monopolistic practices among oil corporations, not a word about the American automobile industry’s complete resistance to new technology. His approach to revolution would make Mickey Mouse look aggressive.
Friedman’s lack of depth and of full disclosure begs the question if he’s siding with the Neoconservatives in their love affair with dictators like the Saudi royalty. I suppose he has to muffle his tone in order to sell more books. But to make the Green revolution happen, we’ll need radical and immediate shake-up of the corrupt energy, defense, and transportation industries. His version of Revolution lacks leadership and any real critical view for change to occur. Without sharp teeth, at least in innovative, creative, critical thinking, his so-called revolution will gain the momentum of frozen yoghurt. I left Friedman’s speech wondering if he’s also joined in the search for WMD’s in Iraq…and now in Syria and Iran.
As a self-proclaimed trend-spotter, Book Expo of America’s choice of Thomas Friedman was a let-down, like casting Mayberry’s Barney Fife in the role of Rambo. The survival of the planet is at stake, hey, let’s call on Donald Duck.
Speaking of third world dictatorships, China, one of the world's fastest-growing populaters and polluters, was the subject of a five-hour seminar. About 750 officials from China and other Asian countries attended, the highest ever at BookExpo.
Virtually every major publisher, from Amazon, with its Kindle ebook, to Random House, announced environmental plans, mostly through the increased use of recycled paper and fiber from forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an international environmental organization.
Alas, Book Expo management has yet to walk their talk. The event and the program guides added up to more than 10 million pages, none on recycled paper.
Aside from saving the planet, increasing income remained at the top of publishers’ priority list. "I expect the usual jockeying for possession of `The Next Big Book,' since there are no clear candidates," says Steve Ross, publisher of the Collins division of HarperCollins.
I wanted to blurt out and tell him about my own new novel, “Mojave Winds,” as the obvious choice, but I succeeded in containing myself.
Celebrities always seem to hype up book sales by virtue of their profile. Alec Baldwin, promoted his new book on parenthood. Other speakers this weekend included media mogul Ted Turner, whose new book, entitled “Call Me Ted,” resonates as if he’ll have a beer with us in some gesture of American democracy and egalitarianism. He wants everyone to think of him as “Captain Planet,” a clever marketing position, considering how his boob-tube programs like CNN cower down to commercial sponsors when reporting tainted truth.
Strolling around aimlessly, I also met Federal Public Defender Steven Wax, author of “Kafka Comes to America.” I’ve had time to read only the first chapter. It’s enough to see that Wax’s office works harder than any lawyers to exposing the truth about prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. Wax delivers a harrowing story of the erosion of civil liberties after the September 11 terrorist attacks in a powerful account that reads like a thriller.
Steven Wax and I talked briefly about how so many Americans seem to remain apathetic even during a war waged on the whim of a rich kid who wants to prove he’s a better Texan than his father. Wax offered no answer to the enigma and offered less to say about how most of America’s popular fiction is based on escapism. Is it the publishing industry that nurtures a culture of lethargy? Or does the droopiness of the American mind demand what it deserves? In all fairness, I suppose my questions were a little loaded.
Novelist Michael Connelly hosted a fabulous cocktail party. I was honored to shake his hand. He explained how he found inspiration for his stories and characters, not so much from books but from the lively conversations with criminal lawyers and LAPD detectives. His soon to be released crime mystery entitled “The Brass Verdict” delivers a smooth read. His story telling skills inspire many novelists to raise the bar.
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