MediaWeek (Vol 6, No 22) BookExpo Week

What a story - a surprise at every page!  You'll laugh and cry - sometimes at the same time!
A panel on ethics in book reviewing.  Was it ever thus?  (Time Magazine)

It was a topic that, because of one obvious reason, provoked lots of spirited debate, As of now, book reviewers have no set of guiding principles. Sure, publications and individual writers have vague ideas about what’s okay, but the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) has not adopted a set of ethical guidelines. Yet. After conducting a survey of members of the industry—the data from which will be available in the fall—and holding events like the BEA panel, the NBCC will issue its ethical best practices.
In the mean time, there’s lots to debate.
“It’s kind of the wild west these days,” said moderator Marcela Valdes, who serves on the NBCC board of directors. As print book reviews are trimmed and amateur, online review sites prosper, the lack of clarity about what’s acceptable for a legit book review has become clearer than ever.

Boris Kachka on Sad Literary Women (Vulture)

“You didn’t think that All Joy and No Fun was going to be the comic relief of this panel, did you?” asked the panel’s final presenter, Ecco Press editorial director Lee Boudreaux, introducing the relatively upbeat survey of American parenthood by New York’s own contributing editor Jennifer Senior (based on her 2010 cover story). Boudreaux noted that, title notwithstanding, there's lots of complex discussion about the nature of happiness, and two chapters on the ineffable joy of parenting. “So I’m saying what everybody else is saying,” Boudreaux beamed. “My book is not depressing.”

An article Jeff could have written five years ago - (may be he did). Excepting the Facebook reference (WSJ)

BookExpo is also a crucial social venue for people in the book industry, and a focal point for discussion of industry issues. This year there will be panel sessions on such topics as "Facebook FB +5.27% 2.0: Advanced Strategies for Book Sales," plus author events, including one Saturday called "Creating the Ultimate Book Club Experience" that will feature Elizabeth Gilbert and Wally Lamb.
Some have reason for optimism. Publisher net revenue for fiction and nonfiction titles grew 7% to $15 billion in 2012 compared with 2011, according to BookStats, a recent study by two book-industry groups.
However, publisher net revenue from bricks-and-mortar bookstores declined 7% to $7.5 billion in 2012, according to the same study. E-book sales are growing, and in 2012 represented 20% of publisher revenue

3M continues to shake up the library market for eBooks and announced their new Publisher Portal at BookExpo (Businesswire):

3M Cloud Library will debut its new online publisher portal at Book Expo America 2013 (BEA) to be held May 30 - June 1 at the Javits Center in New York City. BEA attendees will be among the first to experience the portal, which allows publishers to receive daily data updates on their eBook content sales.

The project is an outcome of a variety of successful pilot programs 3M Cloud Library has coordinated with several key publishers and libraries that have expressed the need for a more immediate picture into the library eBook market. Publishers will now be granted immediate access to the online portal when they work with 3M Cloud Library. Publishers will only be able to view data on their eBook content - no private or personal data will be shared.
"We know publishers can find great value in the metrics generated through libraries," said Matt Tempelis, global business manager, 3M Cloud Library. "Sharing data with publishing partners not only strengthens relationships, but it also shows the importance of selling eBooks to the library market."
Attendees are encouraged to visit 3M Cloud Library at booth DZ2163 for a demonstration of the online publisher portal. For more information about the 3M Cloud Library eLending system, visit 3M.com/Cloud.

Malcolm Galdwell was mean to the New York Public library.  Surely with funding obliterated for libraries across the country there are better targets. (NY Observer)

Every time I turn around, there’s some new extravagant renovation going on in the main building. Why? In my mind, the New York Public Library should be focused on keeping small libraries open, on its branches all over the city,” Mr. Gladwell reportedly said at a BookExpo America in New York forum. He then let lose the ultimate dis, adding that “luxury condos would look wonderful there. Go back into the business of reaching people who do not have access to books. And that is not on the corner of 42nd and Fifth.”

PW reports on an up beat show:

Megan Sullivan, from Boston’s Harvard Bookstore, said she thought many publishers “have a bigger presence than last year” and that the booths were, overall, bigger. Though some still miss the old weekend schedule—Dave Mallman of Wisconsin’s Books & Co. said he misses the ability to meet with publishers during the week and then attend the show on Saturday and Sunday—it was not an overwhelming complaint.

The weekend, this year, brought more questions about Consumer Day, which is entering its second year. Booksellers, as well as those working at the houses, said they were eager to see how many consumers would actually show up on Saturday, and what kind of consumers they would be. Questions about who the mysterious “Power Readers” are persisted; some wondered aloud if more would-be authors would come to the show on Saturday, eager to pitch ideas to publishers as opposed to pick up books to read.