BookExpoCast

Kurt Hassler is the former Graphic Novel Buyer at Borders Group and is currently co-publisher of Yen Press. He was recently named the most powerful person in the American manga publishing industry in a survey by ICv2′s Retailers Guide to Anime/Manga. In this Upfront and Unscripted session, Hassler sits down with Calvin Reid, Sr. News Editor of Publishers Weekly, to talk about the exploding graphic novel market.

MJ Rose is an international bestselling author and writer of the new book The Reincarnationist. This book, which is Rose’s ninth novel, is also her first foray into historical fiction.

In this Upfront and Unscripted session, Carol Memmott, Book Critic and Publishing Reporter for USA Today, and Rose discuss The Reincarnationist, as well as what the future holds for this talented writer.

Laurell K Hamilton is a New York Times bestselling author of two series of books, including the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels. Through a joint venture with Dabel Brothers and Marvel Comics, the Anita Blake series has now been transformed into a series of comics.

In this Upfront and Unscripted session, Hamilton and Heidi Macdonald of Publishers Weekly and The Beat blog discuss her journey into this new genre.

Christopher Hitchens is an author, journalist and literary critic who has written for Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and The Nation. His new book is titled God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.

Jeffery L. Sheler, Contributing Editor of U.S. News & World Report, sits down with Hitchens to discuss this new book and how he believes that religion has been a contributor to many of the social and political issues in the world today.

Shalom Auslander is the author of Beware of God and the new book Foreskin’s Lament. In this memoir Auslander, who was raised as an Orthodox Jew, humorously questions God’s role and the religious beliefs he was brought up with.

In this Upfront and Unscripted session, Maud Newton, editor and blogger of maudnewton.com, speaks with Auslander about growing up in such a strict environment and how that has affected his adult life.

Nancy Pearl is a legendary librarian in the Seattle area. Now retired from the Seattle Public Library, Pearl speaks and writes about the books the rest of us should be reading. Her newest book is called Book Crush.

In this session, Pearl speaks with Bob Minzesheimer, Book Editor for USA Today, about the importance of reading and the best ways to fight through the clutter on the bookshelves to find the right books for you.

Ken Lombard is President of Starbucks Entertainment. Lombard, a longtime business partner of Earvin “Magic” Johnson, took the helm of Starbucks Entertainment in 2004 with plans to expand the coffee retailer’s presence in the book, movie, and music markets.

In this Upfront and Unscripted session, Chris Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of WIRED, and Lombard discuss the Starbucks business model and the company’s goals for their Entertainment Division.

Adam Bellow is Executive Editor and Co-Founder of Doubleday Broadway and Pamphleteer Press. Hannah Tinti is Editor of One Story magazine and author of the book Animal Crackers.

Bellow and Tinti are leading the movement to resurrect the pamphlet as a viable means to connect with the public. In this “Upfront and Unscripted” session, they discuss the history of pamphlets and how they are using traditional as well as modern techniques to again make pamphlets relevant.

Nancy Horan is a writer and journalist whose work has appeared in numerous publications. Her first novel, Loving Frank, tells the story of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s love affair with Mamah Borthwick Cheney, a married woman who, along with her husband, had commissioned Wright to design their family home.

Kristin Matthews, Book Producer for CBS The Early Show, and Horan discuss this relationship and how it shocked Chicago society and forever change their lives.

Terry Moore is the creator of the graphic novel series Strangers in Paradise. After authoring nineteen graphic novels, six pocketbooks, and over one hundred comic books in the series, Moore has decided to retire the Strangers in Paradise franchise. Charles Brownstein, Executive Director of the Comic Legal Defense Fund, and Moore reflect on the success of Strangers in Paradise and what lies ahead.

Chris Anderson is Editor-in-Chief of WIRED, author of The Long Tail, and co-founder of the new website BookTour.com. Along with Kevin Smokler, editor of Bookmark Now and creator of the Virtual Book Tour, and Adam Goldstein, author of several volumes of the Missing Manual computer book series, Anderson created this new service as the definitive online calendar of author appearances and signing events around the country. In this Upfront and Unscripted session, Anderson shares his vision for BookTour.com with AuthorBuzz creator MJ Rose.

George Jones is CEO of Borders Group, having been appointed in July of 2006. In this Upfront and Unscripted session, he sits down with Shelf Awareness publisher John Mutter. Jones explains Borders’ strategic plan for the future and why he believes that this plan is the right one to drive a long-term turnaround for this leading retailer.

David Michaelis is the author of N. C. WYETH: A Biography as well as the new book Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography. In this BEA 2007 Upfront and Unscripted session, documentary producer Mary Murphy and Michaelis discuss the life and work of Peanuts creator Charles Schulz. Michaelis touches on the success of Peanuts as a comic for children, as well as the deeper lessons Schulz hid beneath the surface of his art.

Jon Karp is publisher and editor-in-chief of TWELVE. This new imprint aims to release just twelve new books per year. Karp discusses this “quality over quantity” approach and previews the titles that will be released in the upcoming year. Carl Lennertz, VP of Independent Retailing for HarperCollins, hosts this discussion.