Sign Up to Meet With Publishers by Appointment

The new Publishers by Appointment programming initiative at Winter Institute 2020 in Baltimore will allow booksellers to sign up for 15-minute slots to meet with participating publishers of their choice. This new program will take place on Tuesday, January 21, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. 

Booksellers can sign up now to book an appointment with one of the 19 publishing companies that have signed up to take part. The current list of participating publishers is as follows:

• Abrams Books
• Akashic Books
• Arcadia Publishing 
• Beacon Press
• BOOM! Studios
• Europa Editions 
• Hachette Book Group
• HarperCollins
• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 
• Macmillan 
• Milkweed Editions 
• Rutgers University Press
• Scholastic 
• Simon & Schuster
• Sourcebooks 
• Sterling Publishing
• University of Toronto Press
• Wiley 
• Workman Publishing

Pamela Klinger-Horn at Excelsior Bay Books in Excelsior, Minnesota, told Bookselling This Week she loves nothing more than getting one-on-one time with the publishers.

“The individual meeting time lets the publishers get to know me, and for me to put a name with a face that I have usually been corresponding with by e-mail. The literary program I host through Excelsior Bay Books and Valley Bookseller, called Literature Lovers’ Night Out, has a unique format, and having some private time with the publishers really lets me sell the program, the Midwest, and the stores I represent,” said Klinger-Horn. “I can let the publishers know exactly how I plan to position the author and title, what the store does to promote and sell the tickets, and about post-event sales and continuing buzz. I can also hand them promotional fliers, store PR sell sheets, and a little treat from Minnesota to make me memorable.”

Klinger-Horn said this brief time of personal connection with a publisher goes far beyond what she can achieve through the Edelweiss events grids or e-mail solicitation.

“Having even 15 minutes of a publisher’s time makes the expense and time of a trade show worthwhile for me,” said Klinger-Horn. “I am usually sitting with my hands poised over the keyboard waiting for registration to begin. In terms of getting business done, making connections, and meeting interesting people, Publishers by Appointment is the way to go.”

Booksellers who register for Publishers by Appointment will be provided with a link to an online appointment calendar for 19 participating publishers. To set an appointment with a publisher using this form, select the publisher, then select from their available times on the following page. After setting each appointment, click “Make another appointment” to make other appointments with other publishers.

The 15th annual Winter Institute will take place at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor on January 21-24, 2020. See full Wi15 program details here.

Booksellers can contact ABA staff at [email protected] with any questions about Publishers by Appointment.