OK, kids—in my day job I work for a publishing company and do all kinds of publishy things. But I write this blog from the driver’s seat of an uber reader and book fan.

(I’m also a writer, which can complicate from whence my perspective is coming from—but I digress.)

Today however, my darlings, I am writing from my publisher hat as a behind-the-scenes look-see for you reader, book fans, of all the cool stuff that goes on at what I am attending this week, which is the Licensing Expo here in Las Vegas.

*yawn*

NO! No, no no it is soooo cool!

Truly, I mean I just picked up my badge yesterday and lo-and-behold there were life-size Lego (the toy not the waffle) people of Glinda and Elphaba, made entirely of (you guessed it) Legos. Even down to the broom in one hand and a pinky ring on the other of Elphaba’s hands. 

Bonkers!

Oh, and though that is a movie now (and theater production) it started out as a what?

A book!

Oh, good gravy and if you like Manga—the art and anime and merch at the Expo is exploding out of the banners and decked out mannequins and displays upon displays of backpacks and jewelry, special edition books with gilded edges and sparkly foiled covers.

If you read books to your kids, they want the lunch box and to dress up as that favorite character and get the paper plates and matching balloons and napkins for their next birthday party. 

This is the place where all of the happenings to make that happen goes down.

What exactly goes down? you may daringly ask.

Well, well asked I say!

Let me give you the DL. And make it as basic as possible.

The Licensing Expo is basically people (businesses) with different products or services looking to match with other people (businesses) to make something new and cool together.

With our powers combined…

We can take Fatima’s character from her book and Joe’s artists and film studio—and make a cartoon!!!

But Robin over here can print the images of the cartoon characters designed by Joe and created by Fatima onto shirts and backpacks. 

Oh no, Robin doesn’t make paper products!!

But Victor can!

Now we have the paper plates and such you need for your kid’s birthday party while wearing the clothes, watching the show as they happily eat, and you can read them the book again for the millionth time as they drift off into kid dreams after having the best birthday to date in their short time so far on earth.

The Licensing Expo is the place where Fatima and Joe and Robin and Victor all come together, meet and work out the business end of making your kid’s birthday party come to exist.

And good gracious, Disney has an entire floor to themselves making deals. 

Just Disney. 

The entire floor. 

Of the whole convention center. 

(…a few years ago, I can imagine that Frozen negotiations alone took up an entire floor of the convention center. LOL)

Toy manufacturers, movie studios, gaming companies—

Gaming! That is enormous at the Expo now!! 

Anyways, this is my first trip there and I am excited and looking forward to giving you a heads up on everything next week. Another little reader behind-the-scenes on how the cool stuff is created around your favorite books.

Wishing you an awesome week full of wondrous discoveries. 

And fantabulous reading!