Skip to main content

Publishers, public meet at BookExpo

By WTOP Staff

HILLEL ITALIE
AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Publishers and the public met this weekend at BookExpo America, the annual industry convention, and seemed to speak in different languages.

If you were part of the book business, “Amazon” was a dirty word and “Hachette” an applause line as editors, booksellers, writers and agents pondered, fretted and but largely refused to discuss the well-publicized and sharply-worded standoff in negotiations between the online retailer and Hachette Book Group.

With terms for e-books sales reportedly at the heart of the conflict, Amazon.com has departed from its usual emphasis on customer service, slowing delivery on such older works as Tina Fey’s “Bossypants” and removing the pre-order button for such upcoming releases as J.K. Rowling’s latest detective novel, “The Silkworm.”

“Amazon … wants to control book selling, book buying, and even book publishing, and that is a national tragedy,” Hachette author James Patterson warned as he spoke before hundreds of independent booksellers. “If this is to be the new American way, then maybe it has to be changed.”

But if you were among some 10,000 readers who paid $30 apiece and crowded the aisles, conference rooms and banquet hall of the Jacob K. Javits Center, Amazon likely remained a favorite Internet destination and Hachette a name so unfamiliar that it needed to be repeated.

“We just pay attention to authors we read the most, books coming out, things like that,” said John Castaldi, a building manager from Garwood, N.J.

BookExpo began last Wednesday as a traditional publishing trade show and shared billing Saturday with the first-ever BookCon, organized by the producers of New York Comic Con and dedicated to the union of books and popular culture. As publishers looked on both hopefully and nervously, guests — many of them teenage girls wearing “The Fault In Our Stars” T-shirts — filled shopping bags with advanced editions of Lauren Owen’s “The Quick,” Charles Martin’s “A Life Intercepted” and Ryan Graudin’s “Walled City” among others.

With some attendees complaining of long waits and erratic organization, lines extended through basement-level hallways and food courts for such speakers as John Green, Veronica Roth and Amy Poehler. So many fans wanted the autograph of actor Cary Elwes, who has written “As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride,” that police were on hand if needed for crowd control.

Suzanne Wendolski, a bank employee from Johnstown, N.Y., was more interested in the chance to meet romance author Sylvia Day than in any industry controversy.

“There’s a lot of people who are battling Amazon,” she said.

Hachette and Amazon found it hard to avoid each other. Amazon officials attended a Hachette-sponsored author luncheon and Amazon and Hachette meeting rooms were in close proximity on the convention floor. Amazon even featured two Hachette titles in its list for recommended June releases, Megan Abbott’s “the Fever” and Tom Rob Smith’s “The Farm.” As of midday Sunday, neither could be pre-ordered from Amazon.

For the publishing world, Amazon’s fight with Hachette upends an otherwise stable moment for the industry. Independent booksellers appear to be opening more stores than closing them and growth in the e-book market has eased to a more manageable pace. E-sales are believed to be around 30 percent of overall sales, well below what Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy and others expected a few years ago.

“I was obviously over-impressed,” Reidy said during the convention.

The industry would be grateful if the convention helps any of the new books sell as well as some older releases. The hottest books of 2014 have so far been releases from other years, including Green’s “The Fault In Our Stars” and Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Goldfinch,” a Hachette publication from last fall still so in demand that those buying from Amazon have so far not encountered any problems.

Prospects for the next few months include Hillary Rodham Clinton’s “Hard Choices,” Rick Riordan’s “The Blood of Olympus” and Lena Dunham’s “Not That Kind of Girl,” for which the creator and star of HBO’s “Girls” reportedly received more than $3 million. Dunham, a breakfast speaker Saturday, cracked a few X-rated jokes and previewed her book of personal essays by reading the introduction and its forbidding opening sentence: “I’m 20 years old and I hate myself.”

But Dunham, now 28 and more successful than she ever imagined, summed up her message as “hopeful dispatches from the front lines” of having it all.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote