NEW YORK—January 8, 2021—Publishers Weekly is pleased to announce the launch of the U.S. Book Show. The new book fair is set to serve the global bookselling and book publishing industry and will be held virtually for its year-one debut, May 25 – 27, 2021.
“Publishers Weekly brings the leadership, brand and marketing reach into the global industry that will set the stage for the success of the U.S. Book Show,” said Cevin Bryerman, executive v-p and publisher of Publishers Weekly. “The U.S. Book Show fills a void left in the U.S. book publishing industry. Publishers Weekly has the experience, 150 years of book industry expertise and dedication to excellence in producing this virtual book show.”
The virtual book fair will feature Book Buzz and Galleys-to-Grab author events aimed at librarians and booksellers; extensive professional development programming geared to booksellers, librarians, publishers and literary agents; and exhibitor booths available on a sliding scale meant to attract displays from a range of vendors, from small presses to midsize imprints, university presses, sideline producers, distributors, library data providers and the largest publishers. Self-published authors will be served under an adjacent virtual “pavilion” and include panel discussions and networking get-togethers. The PW Show Daily will anchor the fair, publishing news, listing panels and events, providing a venue for publishers to promote their forthcoming titles and generally tying all the fair events together.
“Having everyone under one ‘roof,’ so to speak, will go a long way toward unifying the industry around an annual U.S.-based event we have all come to rely on for networking, learning about the forthcoming big fall titles and one-to-one connection with booksellers and librarians,” said Jim Milliot, editorial director of Publishers Weekly.
Publishers Weekly plans to utilize a new, proprietary platform that allows for exhibitor visibility and presentations, meetings that can be held directly inside the platform and schedule synchronization with video conferencing software.
Admission for the U.S. Book Show will be reasonably priced on the low end, according to Bryerman, to encourage everyone in the industry to attend. The virtual show will be limited to five hours per day to allow time for virtual parties and additional networking.
To request more information, visit publishersweekly.com/bookshow
For media inquiries, contact Christi Cassidy, +1-917-217-4269, ccassidy@publishersweekly.com.
About Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly is the international news platform of the book publishing industry. Founded in 1872 and published weekly since then, the magazine boasts 1.23 million social media followers; publishes 10 e-newsletters, BookLife (a website and semimonthly supplement), Publishers Weekly en Español (in partnership with Lantia), two blogs, podcasts, a mobile edition, digital editions, and apps; and features a thriving website that reaches 14 million unique visitors annually. In conjunction with the Sharjah Book Fair, the magazine is also published in an Arabic edition.
In the last 10 years, Publishers Weekly has launched several events for the international publishing community, including New York Rights Fair, which was held in conjunction with BookExpo in New York; PubTechConnect, a series of high-level conversations about the convergence of technology and publishing, cosponsored by NYU School of Professional Studies Center for Publishing; and Global Kids Connect, an occasional conference held with BolognaFiere.
In 2020, in response to the pandemic restrictions on in-person events, Publishers Weekly launched Books on Tap, a sponsored networking event with authors; Library Lounge LIVE, a regular panel discussion on library topics; and the U.S. Selfies, an awards program for self-published authors, produced in conjunction with BookBrunch and based on the U.K. Selfies awards. PW Star Watch, an annual event to promote up-and-coming talent in the publishing industry, celebrated its sixth year with a virtual event in September 2020.