While most reports on the recent BookExpo America convention have painted a gloomy portrait of the book industry, Amazonia author James Marcus describes a decidedly more upbeat scene in his Los Angeles Times report. “. . . the mood on the convention floor was notably upbeat,” he says. “You could sense it in the animated bustle of the crowd. When Mark Twain kicked off the very first meeting of the American Booksellers Assn. in 1902, he addressed an audience of 60. This time around, more than 25,000 people registered for the convention, and they all appeared to be clogging the aisles, grabbing up promotional items — key chains, shortbread cookies, voodoo dolls, refrigerator magnets — and spreading good cheer.”