Day Three
We’re into the rhythm of the fair, and the facts are flying. At times, they’re careening, colliding and conflicting. A kind of elegant chaos (or is it rugged individuality) seems to be part of the culture. Take the example of the square head scarves worn by the Arab men. I’m curious about the variations in color and fold. When the opportunity presents itself, I ask. I’ve done this about a dozen times so far and have a dozen different answers–age, region, season, religious sect, family tree, fashion statement. The common thread is that each answer is given with passion and absolute certainty.
This same principle seems to apply to understanding the Arab market. With each expert, educator, distributor, sales rep, service provider and local comes a slight variation on the theme. It’s the wild, wild west, and within a single hour, my mindset can swing from you can get scalped if you don’t watch out to there’s gold in them there hills.
So this is what I know for sure. In the past 3 days, folks in our group have done rights deals on two book series, signed on with a distributor, reconnected with existing partners and forged new partnerships with one another.
Things are looking up.
Submitted by Charlene Gaynor
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