Dateline BEA: News from elsewhere

So evidently, even though we were immersed in all things BEA, the biggest story seems to have passed us by till now. That being Oprah Winfrey’s book deal with Simon & Schuster for a weight-loss book. The advance payout? Evidently higher than what Bill Clinton got for MY LIFE, making Winfrey’s haul the biggest advance for a non-fiction book.

The NYT’s Motoko Rich was in attendance and filed this report about Kathleen McGowan’s reversal of fortune, as she went from self-publishing her book to a seven-figure advance (and requisite marketing buzz) for her debut novel, THE EXPECTED ONE.

USA Today’s Carol Memmott points out other buzzed-about galleys, as does the NY Post’s Keith Kelly, while the Washington Post comments on the so-called divide between “technorati” and “literati.” Or as the AP’s Hillel Italie put it, “BEA could be divided into three categories: those anxious for change, those who accept it and those who resist.”

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion‘s Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook’s Morin Oluwole, and bitly’s Tim Devane. Register now.