In another week, I’m heading to Orlando to attend my 15th CBA convention. Well, it used to be simply called the Christian Booksellers Association convention. Now it’s International Christian Retail Show.
This will be my first that I’m attending strictly as an author and not as an author relations guy.
I used to have to help coordinate schedules and travel plans and booksignings. The big event was an author dinner I’d put together. For fourteen years I worked on this every July.
It’s going to be nice going as only an author.
Having been a fulltime writer now for almost ten months, it feels like those days are years ago. I don’t miss the corporate grind. In fact, I don’t miss anything about the corporate life at all. Having picked up a part-time job as a server three months ago, I thought that maybe I’d miss my comfortable job that comfortably paid the bills every two weeks. But not once have I missed it. And that’s told me a lot.
It’s going to be nice to be one of the ten thousand authors that go to the show. But I’ll still have to see the Jesus junk and the taglines and the personalities and the marketing of faith that made my head swim. Selling beer makes sense to me–people make it for a reason, so they sell it and expect to make money from it. But selling faith–now that’s a whole other thing. Something I don’t understand.
I hope to take some good pictures and document my time at the show. It’ll be good to see some old faces and to not have to sprint the floor finding some big name some cheese and crackers on a plate (and no, I’m not exaggerating).
One day, if I’m fortunate, I’ll write my Seinfeld-esque take on the CBA industry. But I’m still a little too jaded around the edges to attempt it.
Travis—
I hope you’ll track me down at the Show. I’d really love to have a conversation about your perspective. And I’ll be happy to find you some cheese and crackers on a plate should you require some.
Hey Travis… I’m reviewing “Isolation” for CBA Retailers+Resources September issue. Do you have time to chat while we’re at ICRS about the book?
Thanks!
Lauren
Well, contact info is helpful isn’t it… lzaczek@cbaonline.org. Thanks!