A star turn for publishing

Trace the buzz for any sleeper literary novel or unlikely bestseller and, chances are, you can pinpoint its origins at BookExpo America, the biggest book industry event in North America.

During this year’s four-day event, which ended Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the hunt was on for the next “The Lovely Bones,” the debut novel and publishing sensation by Long Beach writer Alice Sebold, who was a breakout star at last year’s BookExpo in New York.

In Los Angeles, the gathering drew more than 25,000 booksellers, librarians, publishers and others who traded the latest industry news (John Grisham’s next novel, about a high school football team in Texas, is due in September) and gathered up the giveaways. (Only supremely disciplined book lovers kept walking past the stacks of free books cluttering the aisles.)

Part of the fun was to pluck a jewel from the 20,000 titles being unveiled -- sometimes via pre-publication galleys, long before the public hears of the book. Smitten booksellers can be counted on to talk up a book or “sell it by hand.”

It’s hard to single out one book as the runaway hit. After Thursday night’s “Buzz Forum,” bookseller Carolyn Statler said she was dazzled by “just about everything” mentioned by a panel of leading publishers and editors.

Pressed to name one, Statler, co-owner of Three Sisters Books and Gifts in Shelbyville, Ind., settled on “Easter Island” (Dial Press), the just-published debut novel by Jennifer Vanderbes, 27. Based on what she heard, Statler said the book, which weaves together the narratives of two adventurous women, is reminiscent of Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Hours.”

“I’m going to hand-sell that one,” Statler said, meaning that when customers ask for recommendations, she’ll suggest the Vanderbes book.

Other spotlighted books included “The Cruelest Miles” (W.W. Norton) by Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury, the nonfiction story of a heroic sled-dog team in 1925 Alaska; and “The Kite Runner” (Riverhead Books), the first novel by Afghanistan native Khaled Hosseini, which chronicles the lives of two boys who grew up together in Kabul.

Audience members carried from the forum tote bags filled with copies of the anointed books. Some convention-goers pulled along wheeled suitcases to fill with giveaways, including Harry Potter caps and “The Lord of the Rings” tote bags.

At the crowded Scholastic Inc. booth, hopefuls asked a question to which they already knew the answer, but just in case: “Any galleys?” (No advance copies were available of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” which comes out June 21.)

In the shadow of the hype, small presses vied for attention -- one marketing director walked the aisles in a sandwich board promoting the book “A Short Course in Kindness.”

Mystery writer Mike Lester sat in a director’s chair in the booth sponsored by his publisher, Uglytown, with copies of his first book, “An Occasional Dream,” stacked in front of him.

Occasionally, someone wandered by, perhaps drawn by the striking cover image in shades of smog and blood red. A few picked up his book, flipped through it and put it down wordlessly. In 45 minutes, Lester had signed about 15 books. “I’m just happy to have my book out -- long line or not, it doesn’t bother me,” said the Irvine resident, 33. One middle-aged man in blue jeans grabbed the book and asked Lester to sign it. “Crime fiction with an attitude -- that’s my genre,” his new fan said.

Throughout the event, the Hollywood influence was unmistakable, with panels such as “From Books to Blockbusters,” which drew an overflow crowd of about 500. Speakers included Tom Rothman, chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, who emphasized the strong ties between the publishing and film industries.

Rothman predicted that next year’s Academy Award nominations for best picture would include four movie adaptations of books: Laura Hillenbrand’s “Seabiscuit,” Patrick O’Brian’s “Master and Commander” (which will be released by Rothman’s company), Charles Frazier’s “Cold Mountain” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Return of the King.”

At book-signing events, popular booths featured celebrities such as pop singer Chaka Khan, whose memoir “Chaka!” will be published in October, and singer-songwriter Graham Nash, who autographed “Off the Record: Songwriters on Songwriting,” a collection of famous pop lyrics and other material he compiled with a music industry group called Manuscript Originals.

“In today’s climate,” he said, grinning, “you have to push your art as far as you can.”

Nash, who wore a T-shirt and sport coat, signed more than 400 books but had to stop because he ran out of copies. The biggest draw among the 650 or so authors who showed up, including Toni Morrison and Oliver North? That would be Ellen DeGeneres, who drew more than 1,300 at a benefit performance. Her book of comic essays, “The Funny Thing Is ...,” will be published this fall by Simon & Schuster.