Scott Ginsberg wears a nametag all day, every day—though usually not this big. I met up with him during a Friday morning panel on building up a fan base, where we got great advice from authors like Lee Child, Debbie Macomber, and Adriana Trigani, and afterwards Scott and I talked about some of our favorite blogs, like 43 Folders and Presentation Zen. Of course, Scott has his own blog, and this morning he looks back on his experiences and offers tips for a successful BookExpo America weekend.
It’s straightforward advice, but you’ve never heard it from a guy in a giant nametag before, you have to admit. “Talk to everybody,” runs one nugget. “Even your non-buyers and customers. Even the food service people. Even the janitors. Even the information booth guy. Even the conference planners. Especially the conference planners. Because you never know.” And you never do; if BEA 2008 featured a panel on “stand-out promotional techniques,” it wouldn’t surprise us to see Scott up on a dais. Although I’m pretty sure he can’t sit in that thing.