Hey everyone,
This is a special blog for a blog tour about tips about last year's Book Expo America (BEA).
Last year I was hearing from my blogger friends about how excited they were to be going to BEA. I felt really left out and on the Sunday before BEA I made the decision to go! Since I did not plan out any of it in advance, I jumped in feet first without knowing what the heck I was doing. I wish that I knew beforehand because my trip could have been even easier than it was. Although, I had an AMAZING time! I highly recommend to any bloggers, authors, or book lovers to go to BEA if they have the opportunity.
As I mentioned, I decided on that Sunday that I was going to fly from California to New York City to attend BEA. I was able to convince my boyfriend Adam, of So Adam, How's That Book?, to join me on an adventure to NYC! By Wednesday afternoon were in JFK airport making our way to Manhattan for the first time in our lives. I'm Thursday on the YouTube group FiveAwesomeYAFans and Monday, Devyn Burton (also of The Faerie Drink Review), had been planning to go to BEA for months with our fellow blogger Korianne, of Korianne Speaks. Devyn, Korianne, Adam, and I spent the entire trip together and it was amazing!
I've had so much fun reading all of the blogs with tips for BEA. I'm going to try my best not to give the same tips that the other bloggers have given.
Tips For Book Expo America
You're Not Married To Your Friends
It was the first time that all four of us had been to BEA and because of that we decided to stick together. As children, we're always taught to use the buddy system but we ended up using the group system. On the first day of BEA we mapped out which booths we all wanted to attend. It turned out that there wasn't as much overlap between the four of us as we expected. By the end of the day we had a nice amount of books and met a good number of authors. However, we were all secretly wishing that we could go off on our own and maybe just meet up for lunch. At the start of the second day Devyn announced to us that he was sorry but he was going to go off on his own. Instead of hurting our feelings we all went “Oh my god! I've been trying to figure out how to tell you the same thing.”
Because we split up, we were all able to get the books we really wanted. Plus, we would save a space for each other in the lines for the signings that we all wanted to attend.
Oh My Freebies!
As you probably know, BEA is the it place to get ARCs (Advanced Readers/Reviewers Copies) from fall's top books. I came back from BEA last year with about 50 ARCs and apparently it was a slow year. Now, the ARCs are not the only fun freebies you can get. A lot of the sellers will have a ton awesome promotional merchandise like bookmarks, posters, or pins. Scholastic gave out buttons with MockingJays for the Catching Fire promos and Little Brown gave the first few chapters of Witch and Wizard on a CD. These awesome freebies can be compiled and be made into great prize packs for your blog's readers.
Bags, Bags, Bags
Have you ever stood in lines for hours at a time carrying 20 books in your arms? Well, that's what the first day of BEA was like for me. A lot of the book sellers give away bags with their logo on them to help you out. I ended up with about 5 different bags and still use them weekly for my groceries. One of my blogger friends, Mitali from Alley of Books, went around and collected the mother load of bags! She had SO many bags that ranged from the cheap junky plastic bags to some nice ones that looked almost like a gym bag. Now the bags sure help with carrying the books around but still, when you have 20 books and you're in a line for more than 15 minutes, the books get REALLY heavy! At the end of the 1st day I noticed that there was a bag and coat check area. I can't remember how much they they charged to check your bag/coat but I decided that it was a reasonable enough price. On the 2nd day of BEA I dumped out the contents of my carry-on suitcase onto my bed and took the empty bag with me to the conference. Yes, it was awkward taking it on the subway. Yes, I looked like I was traveling to the airport. And yes, it saved my back and I was able to walk around with only one or two books at a time. They let you return to your bag as many times as you need, so through out the day I'd drop off the books to save my back. Plus, when the people at the booths see you with only two books, they're much more eager to fill up your empty arms with freebies!
Panels vs. Signings
Most of the panels at BEA are not targeted towards the bloggers but there may be a few that you might want to check out. It's always good to look through the booklet beforehand to map out what you're interested in seeing or attending. You probably wont be able to see everything you want so it's good to plan it out the night before. Last year I only made my way to one panel and I did not regret that decision. The panel I attended was hosted by YA author Robyn Schneider and it was about how the marketing on the internet and social networking can really help an author promote their books.
Hostel Takeover
If you're on a tight budget, like myself, you may want to look into staying at a hostel. Korianne and Devyn were recommended a great hostel in Manhattan. After I decided to go to BEA, we called the hostel beforehand and made sure that the four of us were in the same room, a four person room with two bunk beds. It was about $23 a night and we had a blast! Before BEA Devyn, Korianne, and I had never met in person but we knew each other well enough to trust that we weren't creepers. It was great because a few other people that were attending the conference were also at the hostel so we were able to hang out with other bookish people!
So when looking for a place to stay, check out the hostels. It's important to read reviews online and make sure that they have free wifi. You're a blogger! Adam and Korianne brought their laptops so the four of us would share them. Our hostel had free wifi in the lobby and we were able to give updates through out the duration of the conference. This year I am going to bring my netbook. If you're worried about someone stealing you're laptop, usually you can check your valuables in at the desk for the day (for a small fee, of course).
O Twitter! My Twitter!
Do you have a twitter? I do (check it out HERE)! I love twitter and find it to be a useful tool to keep in contact with my author and blogger friends. I've built up relationships over time with those 140 words. Now you're probably wondering how this relates to BEA... Well, Book Expo America has it's own twitter! Yes, it's true. You can go and follow them HERE to hear the latest news about BEA.
But the thing is, there are also other really cool organizations on twitter that can be useful for your trip to BEA. I follow Orbitz and they will give promo codes to their followers that give discounts off of plane flights! The other day I saw a promo that had flights for March-May (from select locations) at really, really cheap prices. They had a round trip flight listed from LA (LAX) to NYC (JFK) listed at $180! I haven't bought my ticket yet but I almost did when I saw that price. I've also heard that other notable travel sites have similar promotions available only on their twitters. If you didn't have a twitter account before, I bet that you are seriously thinking about getting one just to track the promos because in the end it may be the difference between going to BEA or not. Just make sure that you keep watching their feeds and you might just snag yourself a flight to New York City!
Clothes Case
At BEA I saw people wearing everything from jeans and tee-shirts to suits. There is no dress code for the general area and you are allowed to wear whatever you'd like. However if you want people to take you seriously, jeans and your school sweatshirt may not be the most professional look. If you're there to network and meet people, wearing a polished version of your street wear is my recommendation. If you plan to blend into the crowed, jeans are perfectly fine. Also, keep in mind that you'll be in those clothes for the entire day, so no matter what you decide to wear make sure that it's comfortable---the lines for signings can be minutes long or last for over an hour.
Bring a hanger and a portable iron (or steamer)! I had a pair of pants that looked terribly wrinkled after the trip to NYC. Luckily I brought a hanger and a portable steamer, so I was able to layout my clothes the night before and my pants looked wrinkle free for the conference.
The Early Bird Gets The Special Signings
In the list of signings you'll see some that mention there is a limited number of signings for the booth. With these signings, you'll have to get to the conference early to obtain a ticket. I was able to grab an ARC of Catching Fire on the 1st day of BEA but on the 2nd day Suzanne Collins was signing books. The group of us got to the event center early and it turned out that they ran out of tickets. We were not able to get our ARCs of Catching Fire signed. But we were able to grab tickets for some of the other ticketed signings. So, moral of the story is the early bird gets the special signings.
Events and Places to Check Out
2nd Annual Teen Author Carnival
Last year Devyn Burton, Korianne, and Mitali hosted the Teen Author Carnival at the Jefferson Marketplace Library. It was an AWESOME event and I had the wonderful opportunity to help out. I wasn't an official host because I jumped on the BEA train only days before so I hadn't helped prepare for the Teen Author Carnival until day of. It was a free event where about 40 authors showed up for a Q & A, meet & greet, and an autograph area. Since it was carnival themed, authors brought tons of candy and we gave away over a hundred and fifty books to the guests as prizes. As I said, the event was free so if you can't afford to attend BEA , you can always go to the Teen Author Carnival. It is a great way to meet some of your favorite YA authors and hang out with other bookish people. It is an RSVP only event because of limited space and last year there were at least a hundred guests!
I expect this year's Teen Author Carnival to be bigger and better than the last! For more information:
May 24, 2010
5:00 - 8:00 PM
Check out the website HERE or the twitter HERE, or e-mail us at:
TeenAuthorCarnival@gmail.com
Book Blogger Convention
Have you heard about the Book Blogger Con? I am so excited for it! It is going to be at the Jacob Javits Center along side BEA on the Friday after BEA. Originally it was going to be a separate event from BEA but now they are associated with BEA. It is a one day convention hosted by bloggers for bloggers to meet each other. They have tons of interesting panels planned and it sounds like it is going to be AWESOME. You can now just buy a ticket for the Book Blogger Con and it will also be your entrance fee to BEA. Pretty easy, huh? Anyways, check out their website because they are always updating with new cool information and you can see other BEA tips for this blog tour.
For more information go to:
http://bookbloggerconvention.com/
Strand Bookstore
18 miles of Books! YES, they say that if you line up all the books in Strand you'll have 18 miles of books. It is a book lover's paradise. So many books! No matter what sights you have planned to see, make sure you go to Strand.
Books of Wonder
Last year I was able to see Libba Bray preform with her band Tiger Beat at Books of Wonder. During BEA week there are a bunch of signings and events at Books of Wonder. Last year I missed Kristin Cashore's signing of Fire at BEA (which made me sad). Days later, I found out afterward that she did a second signing at Books of Wonder! If I only knew, I would have gone. So I am still missing a signature on my ARC of Fire. This year I'm going to cross check with Books of Wonder! (oh, and they have a cute cupcake cafe)
***
Overall BEA was an amazing event and I had so much fun. It was amazing to meet so many bloggers and authors. I'm still in contact with many of the people I met from last year's BEA. I was only in New York City for two weeks but I felt like it was much more than that. I have many fun and random stories that will last me a lifetime. And yes, the ARCs were amazing but honestly it was the relationships I made me want to go back again. BEA was like a high school reunion but 10 times better! I look forward to making the most out of this year's conference.
Thanks for reading and until I write again,
Genevieve
