Apple's BookExpo presence to be limited to meetings
updated 04:45 pm EDT, Wed May 18, 2011
No booth planned, spokesperson says
Apple's participation at BookExpo America has been overstated, a spokesperson explains. The event's website cites Apple as an "exhibitor," and the company was initially reported as having a large booth next to Scholastic's. In truth Apple will be meeting with publishers in a private room at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, the spokesperson clarifies.
Companies wanting to meet with Apple must contact BookExpo for a reservation, but as the gathering is scheduled for May 24th through the 26th, it may already be too late. The news does suggest however that Apple is only continuing business as usual with the iBookstore, or at best making important decisions behind the scenes. It was speculated that an Apple booth could be used to establish greater legitimacy in the e-book industry, since the company controls only 9 percent of the market so far.
