BEA Day 0: Some Assembly Required

Roll down the window, put down the top
Crank up the Beach Boys baby
Don't let the music stop
We're gonna ride it till we just can't ride it no more

From the South Bay to the Valley
From the West Side to the East Side
Everybody's very happy
'Cause the sun is shining all the time
Looks like another perfect day
I love L.A.!

Welcome to Los Angeles, California, home of swimmin' pools, movie stars, and BookExpo America 2008, the trade book industry's annual big-ass trade show, party, and place to pick up roughly 500 pounds of free book galleys per attendee. Once a year they unbox Stephen King and James Patterson and wheel them out for this event, and everybody who's anybody in the book world attends with their eyes wide. None so more than a little stuffed bull, here for the fun and excitement of BEA. Also, for the giveaways.



Today is the aptly named "Day Before BEA Opens," or, as I like to call it, Day Zero, which is not the culmination of a DC Comics line-wide event but the day all the exhibitors arrive early to unbox and set up their booths. Since W. W. Norton, the publisher I help out at sometimes (I like to go into their offices and pile Norton books in shiny colorful stacks) is paying my expenses (including airline transportation via luxurious overhead compartment) and our stay in a fabulous fancy hotel, the gorgeous Kyoto Grand (where tonight's TV viewing actually included Planet of the Apes...in Japanese), I'm spending the day helping out all my pals at Norton to set up our booth. I did spend a couple hours this morning going out to see the "Homes of the Stars," as seen in the map I purchased from that guy on the street, and of course I was excited on stepping out into Los Angeles and Beverly Hills to spy Bing Crosby stepping out to pick up his morning newspaper, Katherine Hepburn mowing her front lawn, and Jack Benny and Rochester working on the Maxwell in his front driveway, but then I discovered my map to the Homes of the Stars was dated 1953. All that was on display on the tour was Brad Pitt washing his car and Angelina Jolie sunbathing, and nobody is interested in seeing either one of those things.



So I headed over to the LA Convention Center to help with set-up day at the Norton booth. It's more exciting that usual, because this year, we have a brand-new booth, replacing the prestigious but outdated old "Grey Lady" battleship booth Norton has had for the past few years. This one is bigger and airier, with lots of plush carpet, big poster display boards, lovely modern podiums, and plenty of storage space. In fact, there are so many cunningly-concealed closets, cupboards, and cabinets that the new booth is an ideal place to play hide-and-seek:



There are brand-new tables to set out, excellent for holding meetings, taking orders, or having lunch:



And crates to unpack and explore. I think this crate contains our book about bubblewrap:



Our good pals at Fantagraphics are here as well, so I kept a close watch on their boxes of books to make certain that no one takes them. Everybody wants Fantagraphics books!



As with all exhibition booths, some assembly is required:



...but friendly and enthusiastic union teamster workers are on hand to help us set everything up with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of colorful language...



...giving the whole booth the appearance of the bridge from Star Trek: The Next Generation.



Captain Picard will not be appearing at the Norton booth this weekend, more's the pity, but yours little stuffed truly'll be here all the show, so if you're at BEA, stop by W. W. Norton (booth #1320) and ask to see John, my big pal with the snazzy necktie, and he'll bring me out (if I'm hunkerin' down in one of the new cupboards) so you can shake my hoof. I'll be giving away free Dracula teeth while they last! (Garlic not included!) In the meantime, there's still lots of work to do to get the booth ready for y'all. But that's no reason for me to...



See you at the show!