Yesterday I went to BEA, or Book Expo America. In the context of this blog, it could also be described as Book Breyerfest. So imagine Breyerfest--but with books.
Book Expo America is the largest annual book trade fair in the United States and in the past few years taken place in New York City.
I went with my boss, Michelle. This was our first time attending it. We opted to take the train in because neither of us wanted to drive in the city. Nor did we want to fly. NYC is only 3 hours away from Harrisburg so the train made sense. My sister marveled at why I was taking a suitcase if I was going to be in NYC for only a day. But how else could I carry books home? And trains allow you to have numerous bags--checked and carry on.
We arrived in NYC around 9:30 and walked to the Javis center.
The sky looked pretty ominous the whole day, but there was nothing ominous about the inside of the building.
Once you stepped inside, you entered book wonderland.
BEA is the precursor to BookCon. BEA is for industry professionals--like editors, agents, booksellers, and book media professionals. BookCon is for everyone previously mentioned and readers outside of the industry. We grabbed our badges, which had VIP since we're ABA members (American Bookseller Association). This gave us access to a special lounge with comfy seats and cool stuff like that.
There were posters promoting upcoming releases. This book sounds p-h-e-n-o-m-e-n-a-l.
Rick Riordan presents is such a cool imprint.
Yes to this one.
There were banners everywhere.
We arrived at the center early so we could check our luggage and meander around for a bit. We met up with a local friend and watched some of a panel about cross platform books.
After that we waited with others for the opening of the trade show.
Once the doors opened, everyone scattered. The publishers-like Penguin, Macmillan, and RandomHouse-had booths. Graphic novelist and Scholastic also had spots.
Everything was decorated and organized so nicely.
There was a wall devoted to books that shaped your life.
Close up.
Publisher booths were decorated with covers of upcoming or bestselling titles.
Another pretty wall.
Some publishers handed out sheets that told attendees the times and titles of books they'd be handing out. The bulk of the books handed out were advanced reader copies, or copies of books that are meant for promotion and aren't to be sold.
At the end of the day my suitcase was full. I made it to the train station just before it began to pour.
It'd been a spectacular day filled with networking and listening to editors buzz about their choice books in the upcoming year. I'd totally do this again.
This is my final loot! I have a lot of great books to jump into reading.
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