Authors, readers and books come together
By Paige Parker
April 24, 2009 12:35 a.m.
In an age when publications are moving to digital devices such as Amazon’s Kindle and the e-Reader from Sony, and bookstores are suffering pangs of a waning economy, a festival that celebrates books may seem old- fashioned. Despite these changing times, the Los Angeles Times programmers behind this weekend’s Festival of Books remain optimistic.
“We think that the fact that it’s a giant free event in this economy may lead to some of the best attendance ever, which would thereby lend to bigger sales at the different exhibitor booths because if there’s more people, there’s more people shopping,” said Maret Orliss, the senior manager of Event Programming and Marketing at the Times Media Group.
This Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the Times will host its 14th annual Festival of Books.
In terms of the current faltering economy and advancing technology, the Times is taking only a few minor steps to incorporate such changes ““ there will be a panel called “Poof! Our Evaporating Economy,” a few booths featuring digital books and Twitter updates throughout ““ choosing to focus more on reaching out to greater audiences than to dwell on what the future could mean for the literature world.
One of the founding ideas behind the festival is Los Angeles’ large population of authors, writers and readers.
“The festival is really all about promoting literacy and culture within Los Angeles because there is a huge audience of readers here,” said Orliss, who has been programming manager for the past five years and oversees the committee that selects the authors who are on panels and stages and determines the panel groupings and topics.
Her committee’s work started this past fall when publishers knew which books would be coming out at the time of the festival. They then reviewed books and began sending out invitations and reviewing applications sent in by authors and publishers. By mid-February, panels and participating authors were put in place. Tickets are required for the panels but are free, and all stage events are open to the general public.
When deciding on authors to feature, the committee looks at a variety of things not limited to fame or those guests Orliss calls “no-brainers.”
“One of the things we’re really proud of is there’s a wide variety of authors there that are first-time novelists and young adult writers and poets,” she said. “Obviously, we want talented writers, but obviously, there’s many, many talented writers who aren’t necessarily as well known as others.”
The committees review each and every application carefully because with countless talented writers, it can be easy to overlook a lesser-known author that could offer needed variety to a panel or booth. This year, big names attending include Gore Vidal, Ray Bradbury, Tori Spelling, David Benioff and Marilynne Robinson.
When asked about the festival’s theme this year, Orliss said the theme every year is no theme.
“We take pride in that it’s very broad and offers something for everyone. And we work very hard to try and make sure both in the programming and the different exhibitors that … it runs the gamut of offering something to you. No matter what your tastes are.”
Though theme-less, that doesn’t mean the festival will be identical to previous years.
“We always try and look at what could we be doing that we haven’t done before. What’s new? What audiences aren’t we reaching? That we should be reaching more?” she said.
This year, the festival has gone about answering such questions by developing a new stage called the “Hoy Cultural Neighborhood,” hosted by the weekly Spanish language newspaper Hoy, which is produced by the L.A. Times. The neighborhood will consist of a cluster of booths dedicated to reaching the Latino community and will feature Latino entertainment and promote literacy and culture.
“While it’s obviously a book festival and literary festival with tons of authors, it’s also larger than that. It’s in some ways equal parts festival and books,” Orliss said. “It’s very much about books but also (about) celebrating literature, culture and entertainment here in Los Angeles.”
Also, the “Comix Strip” area, which was new last year, will appeal to comic book and graphic novel fans, a demographic growing in past years.
“(Comic books) stopped being only targeted at people who follow “˜Superman’ and “˜Batman,'” she said. “We have a selection of booths that reach that audience and also expose the broader reading audience to the genres that are becoming so popular and reaching beyond just a niche.”
There is also the Culinary Stage, which will feature chef authors and demonstrations such as celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis of the Food Network’s “Giada at Home.”
With a variety of authors and genres ““ including business and travel, religion, and flip books ““ Orliss and the rest of the L.A. Times Festival of Books committees are always looking for new ways to broaden their viewership. And, without dwelling on what went wrong in previous years, there is a constant goal to improve the festival’s overall success.
“We’re always looking at where could things run more smoothly on the consumer, exhibitor and author end of things. What more can we do?” Orliss said. “We’re always looking for ways to improve it. Nothing is ever done perfectly. We’re always looking to make things better.”
With hundreds of authors and constant panels, presentations and signings, it is likely that festivalgoers may become overwhelmed or discouraged when they miss a certain event they planned to attend. Orliss’ advice to attendees of the festival is not to stress ““ there are plenty of opportunities to be exposed to new writers and books.
“I would hope that people that came to the event left having become fan of an author they weren’t aware of before.”
She also encourages people to benefit fully from the opportunities there by asking booksellers and authors to recommend books.
“If (you) talk to the people working in the booth and say, “˜I want to but one book from you, which one should I buy and why?’ the bookseller will go nuts. That’s what a bookseller loves: to be able to just say, “˜Here’s a book that I love that you might not be aware of, and this is why it’s great.'”
