People to People Book Industry Delegation to Head to China

Former ABA President Russ Lawrence of Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton, Montana, will be leading a Book Industry Delegation to China this September in conjunction with the People to People Citizen Ambassador Programs. "I'm a firm believer in the value of such international cultural and business exchanges," Lawrence said. "I had the privilege of representing ABA at the International Booksellers Federation meeting in 2006, and learning how our business operates in different economic, regulatory, and cultural environments was extremely stimulating."

The People to People delegation will depart for China from Los Angeles on September 4 and return on the 14th. Professional and cultural programs will take place in Beijing and Xi'an.

"I worked with People to People to choose the most appropriate destination from among the places they work," said Lawrence. "China seemed like the destination where we could get the most value from a visit. Many of our books are produced there, they have a very 'wired' culture that may already be ahead of us in use of digital devices for reading, and they have a long, long, literary history with more authors appearing in print in the U.S. all the time. I thought it would be valuable to focus on issues of digitization, book distribution, and reading habits."

People to People will set up the trip's meetings based, in part, on the final composition of the delegation and their specific interests.

The cost of the trip is about $5,000 per person.

"It's difficult to ask someone to find that kind of money for travel abroad right now, so I understand it may be difficult to put together a delegation that's big enough to make the trip 'go,'" Lawrence noted. "For those who have an interest in China, and a connection to the book industry, however, it's legitimate business travel, and a great opportunity!"

Due to the extensive planning involved in coordinating the program, anyone interested in participating is asked to contact Lawrence or People to People representative Gina Schumacher (877-787-2000, ext. 7920) by Tuesday, February 17.