More Spanish Books at BEA in Los Angeles -- Spanish Book Pavilion Continues to Grow

Heightened Spanish-book industry activity is expected at BookExpo America 2003 (BEA) as the convention prepares for its return to Los Angeles, a city with more than four million Hispanics and the largest concentration of Latinos in the U.S. BEA 2003 is scheduled for May 28 - June 1 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. BEA was last in Los Angeles in 1999.

"BookExpo America reflects what is going on in the book industry, and nowhere is that more evident than in the growth of our business in the Spanish arena," said Greg Topalian, vice president and show manager for BEA. "We are keeping pace with the interest in Spanish-language books and authors by further developing our Spanish Book Pavilion, and by linking specific Spanish and Latin American conference programs and marketing initiatives to our overall strategy. We want the Spanish book community to feel that they have a home at BEA."

BEA's Spanish Book Pavilion was launched to considerable success at the 2000 show in Chicago, and participation had doubled by the close of the 2002 event in New York City, which saw publisher participation grow to 160 participating companies. Fondo de Cultura Económica, one of Mexico's leading publishers, has tripled its presence at the 2003 event; Rayo/HarperCollins joins as a first-year exhibitor in the pavilion; and Random House Español has doubled the size of its booth for 2003.

Through various Spanish-conference and author-related activities planned at the convention, booksellers will be able to discover the latest in Spanish and Latin American book offerings, as well as learn strategies to build awareness of Spanish books in bookstores. Highlights of sessions include: Book & Author Salute featuring Spanish or Latin American authors; Marketing to Latino Media; Starting a Spanish-Language Section in Your Bookstore; Puros Cuentos: An Overview of Spanish-Language Literature for Children.

Also, as part of last week's declaration of 2003 as the Year of Publishing for Latinos, the Association of American Publishers (AAP), a BEA show sponsor, will feature AAP members' titles at a special showcase during the convention, complemented by artwork of the AAP's new Ajá Leyendo!/Get Caught Reading campaign featuring Jorge Ramos reading Vivir Para Contrarla by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and artwork of the popular animated character Dora the Explorer.