Portland here we come!

For anyone who’s planning on going to the Public Library Association conference this year, we’ll be there in full force at booth 2570. Here’s what you shouldn’t miss:

Author appearances by Nicholas D. Kristof (Half the Sky), Lisa Grunwald (The Irresistible Henry House), Karin Slaughter (Broken; TripTych), and Beth Kendrick (Second Time Around).

The Book Buzz with Nancy Pearl, Marcia Purcell, and the heads of other publishing houses’ library departments. Find out what all the big books for next season are at 10:30AM on Wednesday March 24!

Spotlight ARC Giveaways including Alexanader McCall-Smith’s Corduroy Mansions, Anna Quindlen’s Every Last One, Lisa Unger’s Fragile and a brand-new historical fiction title, By Fire, By Water. Check your PLA programs!

Hope to see everyone there!

Marci, Jen, David, and Erica

The Random House, Inc. Book Buzz @ ALA Annual

Sunday, July 12th

12:00pm – 1:00pm

McCormick Place West, Room W473

Join Marcia and Jen as they share the titles from our Fall 2009 season you won’t want to miss!  The hottest galleys will be yours and refreshments will be served!  If you can’t attend, send us an email at library@randomhouse.com and we’ll send you a copy of our handout.

Our bags are packed (almost) and our books have been shipped (fingers crossed). We have an exciting line-up of authors joining us for the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago.  Stop by Booth #1834 to see our latest releases, receive free galleys, hear about what we’re reading and what we’re excited about!  We can’t wait to see you there!

James Ellroy (Blood’s a Rover, Knopf)

Saturday July 11th – 10:30am to 11:30am
ALA Auditorium Speaker Series, followed by a free galley signing in the Random House Inc. booth, #1834.

Ben Greenman (Please Step Back, Melville House)

Saturday July 11th – 1:30pm to 2:00pm
LIVE! Stage Reading, Aisle 3200, followed by a signing in the Random House Inc. booth, #1834.

Michael Greenberg (Beg, Borrow, Steal, Other Press)

Saturday July 11th – 3:00pm to 4:00pm
Free galley signing in the Random House Inc. booth, #1834.

Nick Taylor (American-Made, Bantam)

Sunday July 12th – 8:00am to 10:30am
RUSA Literary Tastes Breakfast at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel’s Red Lacquer Room. Signing to follow on site.

Stephen G. Bloom (The Oxford Project, Welcome)

Sunday July 12th – 8:30am to 10:00am
YA Author Coffee Klatch at the Mariott Chicago. 10:00am – 12:00pm The Alex Awards at McCormick Place West, W-179 followed by a signing in the Random House booth, #1834

Carleen Brice (Children of the Waters, One World)

Sunday July 12th – 8:00am to 10:30am
ALTAFF Diversity in Literature at McCormick Place West W-476. Signing to follow on site.

Monday July 13th – 8:00pm – 10:00pm
Black Caucus Literary Awards and Reception at the Intercontinental Seville East Signing to follow on site.

Charlie Huston (My Dead Body, Del Rey)

Sunday July 12th – 10:30am to 12:00am
Things That Go Bump in the Stacks at McCormick Place West, W-190a. Free galley signing to follow on site.

Margot Berwin (Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire, Pantheon)

Sunday July 12th – 1:30pm to 3:30pm
ALTAFF First Author, First Book at Hyatt Regency Chicago – Columbus Hall E/F. Signing to follow on site.

Carlotta Walls Lanier (A Mighty Long Way, One World)

Monday July 13th – 10:30am to 12:00pm
ALTAFF: Reflecting on the Past at McCormick Place West, W-194a. Free galley signing to follow on site.

Gillian Flynn (Dark Places, Shaye Areheart)

Monday July 13th – 2:00pm – 4:00pm
ALTAFF Author Gala Tea at the Fairmont Hotel’s Gold Room. Signing to follow on site.

Tracy Kidder (Strength in What Remains, Random House)

Monday July 13th – 3:00pm – 4:00pm
ALA Auditorium Speaker Series Free galley signing to follow at the Random House, Inc. booth, #1834.

It’s not every Friday morning I find myself on the Playboy website.  I swear.  But with ALA coming upon us and James Ellroy the highly anticipated Auditorium Speaker (Saturday 10:30am), that is exactly where I just found myself.  Don’t miss this in-depth video as Ellroy tours the “places in LA that haunt him and to meet the ghosts who haunt him still.” 

And now, when I meet him next month a topic of conversation can be Playboy…or not.

-Erica

Marcia, Jen, and I had a wonderful time at BEA this year.  It was great to see so many of our librarian friends and attend all the programs sponsored for librarians only!  I tried to be vigilant in my photo taking.  Here are my snapshots and highlights!

-Erica

A road trip with fellow Library Marketers from HarperCollins and Macmillan + the librarians assembled for the 2009 MLA Conference + Laurie R. King = a fabulous trip for Erica!

Virginia, Talia, and I presented top picks from our respective Fall 2009 lists for the Publisher Round-Up and Book Buzz (if you would like a copy of my powerpoint leave a comment with your address and I’ll send it along). 

Laurie R. King participated in the Conference Co-Chair’s Favorite Authors program.  My synopsis and praise cannot even begin to compare with the MLA conference blog’s.  My favorite moment, though, was when the conference co-chair who had chosen Laurie to appear on this program was able to correctly answer a question regarding a character of Laurie’s, while Laurie had been unsure of the answer.  Laurie took it in stride and with humor and we all had a good laugh!

And look at who I ran into on the exhibit hall floor.  Robin Brenner, our very own Random House, Inc. Graphic Novel Catalog Contributor!  Robin shares all her best tips for beginning and cultivating your library’s graphic novel collection.

-Erica

Last weekend was filled with Julia Roberts, my long-time favorite actress.  I saw her new movie, Duplicity, with Clive Owen.  And I read Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire, a first novel being published by Pantheon in June.  Julia Roberts and Columbia Pictures have already optioned the film rights for Ms. Roberts to produce and star in.  Wow! 

While Duplicity was set in New York City, and Hothouse Flower also starts out in NYC’s Union Square, you are soon transported to the jungles of the Yukatan Peninsula with not one, but two steamy romances.  The plantology included with each chapter and throughout the book is also very informative and fascinating.  Who knew the mandrake could be so deadly?!  This is a well researched page-turner!

ALA Alert!  Margot Berwin, author of Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire is joining us at ALA Annual in Chicago on July 12th.  Don’t miss her on the FOLUSA First Author panel from 1:30pm – 3:00pm.

-Erica

With the wonderful news that attendance for this year’s Midwinter conference in Denver is on track, don’t miss what the Random House, Inc. booth #1220 has to offer!

Francine Mathews (aka Stephanie Barron) – A FLAW IN THE BLOOD

Abraham Verghese – CUTTING FOR STONE

Elizabeth Yarnell – GLORIOUS ONE-POT MEALS

Shana Abé – THE TREASURE KEEPER

Random House, Inc. Booth #1220 is your destination at Midwinter for Authors, Giveaways, and MORE! 

Safe Travels! – Erica