BookExpo America is a massive event, bringing together “some 25,000 publishers, booksellers, authors and agents.” With a crowd like that, you’d suppose that an up-and-coming author looking for a book deal couldn’t help but strike pay dirt. You’d suppose wrong. “Getting the attention of the booksellers, who are besieged by the blitzkrieg campaigns of the large and medium-size publishers, is particularly difficult for small presses or self-published authors, who often must overcome negative perceptions.”