Printed Matter's LA Art Book Fair

[brettbloom]

http://laartbookfair.net/

[Oscar_Arriola]

Looking forward to the return of this fest! I went the past 3 years and it's always been a fun time. A great mix of genres, publishers, and related events. The one in 2017 had an amazing installation dedicated to California's "Teen Angels" lowrider/latinx culture magazine.

[brettbloom]

I had fun the one time I went on behalf of Temporary Services / Half Letter Press despite being incredibly ill for part of the time. I too am glad that it is happening again. We have not heard whether or not we will be there, but if we are, Marc will go on our behalf. It is really busy ... not as much as the NYABF ... which is nice. A ton of folks do come through and it has been good for us in terms of publication sales.

Oscar - did you make it to the independent book fair that happened then too? If so, how was it? Would love to hear more.

[marcfischer]

I love the LA Art Book Fair. The space has a great flow that makes it easy to see everything (even though there are still a ton of tables) and I like the way the zinesters co-mingle a bit more with the other participants. Also, the proximity to Little Tokyo is a dream for grabbing snacks and lots of carb and protein heavy sushi to survive the many hours of tabling.

[Oscar_Arriola]

Yes! Being near Little Tokyo and its handy Gold Line train station is super convenient. I think the attendance numbers almost equaled the NY Art Book Fair last time.

[marcfischer]

Who is attending and tabling this year?

Temporary Services / Half Letter Press recently got the word that we will be there.

[issuepress]

I'll be there for the first time in a number of years (2015?). Excited to go back!!

[acohick]

Hi All,

I finally managed to get accepted to the LAABF for 2019. I've never been to it before, or to any of the PM fairs, or even to Los Angeles. So I'm looking for tips, suggestions, etc.--particularly about where to stay and how to get around. And any recs for gluten free/dairy free food.

Thanks All! Looking forward to meeting folks in person finally!

Aaron Cohick
NewLights Press

[marcfischer]

It will be great to see you there, Aaron.

Geffen MoCA is across the street from Little Tokyo so you'll be able to find lots of gluten/dairy free food at the restaurants and delis close to the fair. I usually live off of the hoagie-like sushi rolls during the fair. They have also begun adding food trucks right outside the fair which should provide some more options. I'm sure there will be some kind of tacos. In Los Angeles, you should always be eating tacos.

Getting around can be annoying without a car (and while cars are cheaper to rent in Los Angeles than other places, it's pretty dumb to be paying to have a car sit in a lot all day while you are at the fair). There are limited buses and trains which can be good. The venue has better than usual access from public transit. I hate patronizing ride-share companies but in Los Angeles, you can use Lyft. The distances between where things are can be vast (think 15-20 miles) so if you are looking for places to stay, keep the location of the fair in mind.

Attendance will be very high. Probably 30,000 people throughout the weekend or more? Bring snacks, drink water, pack or ship enough stuff to keep your table stocked. Shipping a box of stuff via Fed Ex ground before the fair is always a good idea and Printed Matter's staff and volunteers are always great about having the box waiting at your table when you arrive.

Lots of people will want to pay with a credit card (probably a third of the attendees or more) so be sure you have a Square reader or some other way of taking credit card payments.

[brettbloom]

@marcfischer @Oscar_Arriola

What is the name of the art book fair that happens simultaneously with the PM LAABF?

[marcfischer]

@brettbloom

I'm having trouble remembering. This happened last year, but from the site it sounds like that was the first year it was organized:

https://cargocollective.com/IABF/LOS-ANGELES

It's timed to coincide with the LAABF again in 2019.

There was a different fair 2 years before I thought, and possibly another year before that which also happened at the same time. I thought that was called the Independent Art Book Fair too, but now I'm not sure.

[Simonlodijo]

Hi! We are coming all the way from Chile with Amistad (@editorialamistad) and we are really excited! Only been in NY Art Book Fair and we are eager to see how people react to our stuff (everything in Spanish and created by Latin American writers or artist), in comparison to NY.

Does anyone have recommendation of where to stay?