It’s so cool that Book Expo 2009 is taking place, literally, in a crystal palace, otherwise known as Jacob Javits Center in New York City, alongside the Hudson River where only recently a pilot made these words famous:

“We’re gonna be in the Hudson.”

Indeed we are. Captain Sullenberger is at the Book Expo, so is Clarence Clemons and Steve Tyler and Tina Brown. I’m in there somewhere too — I’ll be part of the blogger book signing at the Firebrand booth, Sunday morning at 10 am. Please come down and say hi if you’re at the Expo.

I’ll be posting a full report this weekend, and here are just a few thoughts in advance:

• Dedi Felman (co-founder of Words Without Borders and former Simon and Schuster editor) and Richard Nash (former Soft Skull chief) are apparently launching some kind of new media publishing venture together. I missed their event so I don’t know the details, but I know this is a power-packed team.

• I see there’s a panel called “Book Format Fusion: Why Trade Paperbacks are the Format to Embrace”. Well, well, well. What a crazy idea. I wonder who practically held his breath till he turned blue saying the same thing a year and a half ago.

• I’m looking forward to the unveiling (advance copies only) of the next Katharine Weber novel, the follow-up to her Triangle. She’ll be signing at the Random House booth on Friday.

• Lev Grossman is appearing on Friday in a panel discussion blandly called “Discussion on the State of the Publishing Industry”, along with Steven Johnson, Tom Standage and Chris Anderson. Lev Grossman’s upcoming novel is apparently called “The Magicians” and is about a boy who is suddenly enrolled in a magical school. Come on, Lev. I don’t mean to get on your case because I know there’s a good writer inside you. But your last novel Codex wanted to be Da Vinci Code, and your new one is trying to be Harry Potter. Please tell me high school vampires aren’t next.

Anyway, if I run into any LitKicks readers at the conference I hope you’ll say hello. I’ll also be at a so-called “Tweetup” downtown on Friday night. And if you’re not at the Expo but want to join the discussion you can follow and comment on the events on twitter, or just follow me if you only want the choice bits.