A couple of weeks ago I shared with you my thoughts with you on “What I Learned at BEA“. This was a recap of my adventures last year as a first timer to the Book Expo in New York and what advice I would give those of you who are new to BEA. (I am paying it forward here as last year there were many posts about BEA and what to bring and not to bring and I devoured all their advice.
My roomy again will be the lovely Reagan of Miss Remmers Reviews and she also has created a couple good posts I encourage you to check out…. she is braver than me – she even did a VLOG. 😀
** If you have written a BEA post let me know and I will link you up here
If you have any BEA “utiful” questions – please post them here on the comments – if I do not know the answer myself I will do my best to find out for you. Oh – keep the questions BEA related…. I know nothing about the earths hemisphere or the volume pitch a killer whale can produce. 😛
It can not be too early to start talking about BEA.. certainly we are about 8 weeks out (or is it 7) and I am already counting down the days! 😀
Last year I did something that was new to me and I can not wait to share it with you! I too a flight from Minnesota to New York to attend BEA. Now if you are anything like me, a little introverted… but really want to experience BEA – I want to share with you how I did it, and what I learned so if you are planning to attend this year (and SSSQQQQUUUEEEEEEE for you if you are!) I am hopeful that my experience can help you plan for an exciting trip.
First off let me just say if you are at all considering doing BEA but not sure…. and what if… and….. STOP IT. Stop it now and go – RUN I TELL YOU, and get signed up. Seriously…. BEA is about one of the best things I ever did for myself and I will rave about it forever. 😀
So here is how it went down for me last year.
So… I was fairly new to blogging…. heard the low rumbles about something called BEA and as I watched on Twitter I learned that BEA stood for Book Expo America and it was a big huge book event in New York that many book bloggers were planning to attend. Honestly, I had never heard of such a thing before. An event that was all books…. major books…. oh and those people I have come to chat with frequently on-line… yeah, they would be there. I could actually meet them in person.
*gulp*
SO right there I am interested… but nervously so…. I have flown many places before with my family…. but never alone. This was so unlike me to decide to jump on a plane and go to New York – a place I had never been… never thought about going to…. and seriously here came the questions…
Who would I know?
Where would I stay?
How would I get places?
How expensive would this be?
Was I crazy? 😯
But I really really wanted to go…. so…. first off I connected with someone I felt safe with. I had never met Reagan from Miss Remmer’s reviews but we had chatted through comments on our blogs and on Twitter. I knew she was from Minnesota (SAFE!) and was a teacher (SAFE!). Through emails we both decided we were going to do this and do it together.
As we looked at prices we discovered that New York hotels were not cheep…. so we decided to look for roommates. But who? We went on Twitter…. we posted on our blogs…. and people responded…. within a few weeks we had roommates and they had all sent me their share of the hotel room which I had secured.
All women who I had never met…. but we emailed each other… I peaked at their blog posts…. found them to be just like me… and we had a plan.
So – here is my advice:
Read up on anything you can on BEA – I read the BEA website forwards and backwards…. a group of wonderful bloggers all got together and did a post a day about BEA and their experiences and advice and I literally took notes…
the best advice I picked up from them and used was:
1. Bring a large book bag to put your books in (seriously I can not emphasize this enough). You will get book bags there, but if you have a large comfy bag that you can toss in a little coin purse, a bottle of water or two and fruit or a granola bar you are set! Do not plan on carrying a desperate purse – many areas of the Javits are crowded and extra baggage will be something you will regret.
2. Dress comfy but nice…. you will be meeting authors and publishers and you are representing your blog. It’s a hobby, but at BEA it is also like your business….Oh and wear comfy shoes – you will walk A LOT.
3. There is food in the Javits Center but it is pricey… I ate the continental breakfast at our hotel and grabbed an extra piece of fruit/yogurt when I left… have a few snacky items to tie you over.
4. Friends told my New York was super expensive to eat there and I was worried but honestly, I found it not to be bad… very similar to Minnesota. Yes, I am sure you can find expensive places but even when we ate out at a couple nice places it was about 14 – $20 for a dinner, and on the low-end – we ate at an awesome Thai restaurant (what was it called Esme – Yum Yum?) it was about $12 and three courses that was DELICIOUS! I can not wait to eat there again.
5. Our hotel was a few blocks off from Times Square (SSSSSQQQUUUEEEE!!!!) and about 6 blocks from the Javits Center. We walked everywhere and only used a cab a couple of times when it was dark to get back to our hotel. we booked our hotel this year in the same area.
6. ***DO NOT book a lot of things before you arrive. Yes it is New York… yes there is much to see and do…. but this advice was priceless. People asked me to book shows and events with them prior to BEA and I said no…. I am so glad I did. Every night we were invited to have dinner with authors, with fellow bloggers, one night there was a book blogger party… all of this I would have missed had I filled my evenings with shows. Instead, when I booked my stay, I booked it one day longer than BEA so that last day I could explore New York and do a show…. Esme from Chocolates and Croissants did this with me… we seen The King Tut Exhibit and went to Mama Mia…. it was awesome. 😀
5. Plan your book mailings wisely. Even though I had heard that at BEA you would be given books… I really had no idea. None. As soon as the doors opened that first day I was pushed with the crowd into the main area and into a table where a book was thrust into my hands. Seriously. I will never forget it… that book was I Am Number Four and I had never heard of it.
When my book bag became full I found Fed Ex on the main floor, boxed up the books and waited in line to mail the box to myself at home. That first standard size box cost me around $30. Later that day I discovered UPS downstairs which was a better set up. There they had long tables and you could grab a box and write your name all over it and leave it down there. Then you could make frequent trips to your box and fill it as the day went on. When that box was full I taped it up and waited in line to mail it to me… around $40. A bigger box, not bad but still… I could spend a lot at this rate.
Then I discovered the post office was about 8 blocks from the Javits Center. Now this is a commitment as I hauled three book bags to the post office – however when I boxed up that large box (and I put everything in it, books, t-shirts, pins, pens, swag of all kinds) it was $18 to send the box to me media mail. BINGO. This is the way to go. 😀 I also noticed some wise people brought to the center pull behind suitcases that they filled and then wheeled to their hotels or post office… not a bad idea either.
7. Absolutely invest in business cards. I bought a box of 500 through Vista Print last year… I probably still have about 200 left but I gave out a lot of them to fellow bloggers, publishers, etc… I paid around $19 for the cards and was very happy with them.
8. My final advice… you can sleep when you get home. 😛 Keep your ears open, be friendly, meet people and go to where the action is. I was tired…. but every night I had plans and that is part of the experience.
Me and two of my roomies: (R) Kim from Sophisticated Dorkiness, me, and Care from Care's On Line Book Club
I found book bloggers to be exactly who I felt they were by reading their blogs. I did not meet one person who did not seem genuine. We all chatted like we were old friends and I loved how we could recognize each other by our blogs…. I can not even put into words what an amazing experience this was. I knew right away I wanted to go again this year and any other year if possible…
I am attending again with Reagan (Miss Remmer’s Reviews). The only thing we are planning differently is that this year we are just doing us two in the room. Our hotel room was extremely small last year (I never seen anything like that)… New York values space and every building is TALL – not wide. Same goes for the rooms. Our beds last year to my surprise, were full size…close quarters for a room full of girls I had never met before. 🙂 And the shower/bathroom time was interesting to get us all in and out. It was good none of us spent a lot of time in the room. This year it costs us more, but worth the space.
If you are planning to go – please let me know, I would love to meet you in person! I will be taking my laptop and I will be on Twitter throughout the event (#bookjourney).
It’s not really anything new for me to say I am super excited to sit and chat with an author of a book I have adored, but this particular author is always going to hold a special place in my heart for the incredible experience I had with her. Sarah was the author who had the BEA Giveaway for the trip to New York in May, which I was beyond excited (and it still kind of takes my breath away to think of it) to win. *Squeee*
Sarah was a delight to meet in New York and spent time with her at Simon and Schuster, and also at the Book Blogger Reception. I am honored and delighted to have her here today, so with no further ado, please welcome Sarah Pekkanen.
Sarah Pekkanen
Sarah, before we get to chatting – how do you take your coffee?
Sarah: With lots of cream and sugar – like a dessert!
You know I have been on cloud nine since I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and hang out with you a bit in New York during BEA. Could you please share with me a little bit about the idea behind the BEA contest you had?
Sarah: Absolutely! I came up with the idea because before my book came out, I learned how difficult it was for debut novels to get noticed. People aren’t reading so much anymore, I kept hearing. Then I began reading book blogs, and I realized how much bloggers are doing to support the publishing industry. They’re getting folks excited about books again. As more and more newspapers fold and authors lose the chance to have their books reviewed in print, bloggers are stepping into the breach, reviewing books, chatting them up, and generally keeping all of us authors afloat! My novel got such a warm welcome from book bloggers, who reviewed it and let me hold giveaways on their sites, that I wanted to say thank you in some small way.
I was planning on attending BEA/BCC and when Trish Collins of heylady.net told me the organizers of BBC were collecting prizes for a raffle, I came up with the idea of paying for one blogger’s trip to the convention. I mentioned it to my editor, and asked if I could bring the winner blogger along with another raffle winner to Atria Books for a tour, and she loved the idea. Trust me, publishers are just as appreciative of book bloggers as we authors are!
Sarah, what would you consider to be one of your all time favorite books and why?
Sarah: Oh, just one? So hard to pick! I’d have to say In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner. It’s funny, poignant, captivating… and it’s the kind of book I want to write.
Which of course brings me to your book, The Opposite Of Me. I really enjoyed the read and I seen Kathy (Bermuda Onion) really did as well. How did the idea of this book come to be and was it the original idea or was it tweaked along the way?
Sarah: Originally I had four sisters woven through my plot, but during the writing process, my original idea was reshaped and refined. I’d say the basic structure of my original idea remained intact, but during the rewriting process, lots of smaller changes popped up.
In The Opposite of Me we have two fraternal twins, Alex and Lindsey. When developing these characters, is there one you favored more over the other? Do these characters represent anyone – or pieces of anyone, in your life?
Sarah: I think I felt a bit more sympathy for Lindsey, because she feels like the underdog. Although there are bits and pieces of people I know in the characters – maybe a gesture or a funny line of dialogue – they are truly fictional.
Sarah, I too had a heart for Lindsey, you wrote her well. I told you that I had cried at the acknowledgment in the back of your book. I thought it was so touching. Would you share a little bit about how that was to write?
Sarah: The acknowledgments were surprisingly easy – I just wrote what was in my heart. Seeing a book published is a bit like having a baby born – you just feel so emotional and teary and happy, all at once. And thank you for those kind words!
So Sarah, I am just dying to know – what is coming out next? I know there is a book, I seen it pre published. What will this one be about?
Sarah: Skipping a Beat, my second book is the story of high school sweethearts named Michael and Julia who flee their small, poor hometown in West Virginia and move to Washington, D.C. Now in their mid-thirties, they’re living a rarified life in their multi-million dollar home. But then one day, Michael collapses in his office. For four minutes and eight seconds – until he is revived with a portable defibrillator – he is clinically dead. And when he wakes up, he’s a totally different man. My main character, Julia, has three weeks to decide if she wants to stay with her husband or leave him.
Ooh! That sounds wonderful! When can we expect to see this book on the shelves?
Sarah: It’s already up on amazon.com with a publication date of Feb. 22 – which seems so soon!
What is happening now in your life?
Sarah: I have a contract for another book which is due May 1, so as soon as I wrap up a few smaller projects, I’ll be diving into that manuscript. I’m really looking forward to immersing myself in a new plot.
Sarah, please share with me and my readers one little known fact about yourself. It’s kind of tradition around here.
Sarah: I was rejected as a contestant on Wheel of Fortune! It’s so unfair, because I’m actually really good at solving puzzles. Sometimes I can even do it with no letters showing. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why I was rejected?
Thank you Sarah so much for your time! I really enjoyed chatting with you and will be watching for your upcoming book!
Sarah: It was a pleasure, Sheila, and I hope to see you again soon! I’d love it if any readers would like to friend me on Facebook or visit my website at www.sarahpekkanen.com, where I hold giveaways every month for a new book.
Sarah Pekkanen and I at the Book Blogger Convention
Be sure to sign up for a chance to win a signed copy of Sarah’s book – Opposite Of Me
This one is for all of the book lovers out there who did not make it to New York the end of May for the BEA (Book Expo America) or BBC (Book Blogger Convention). (This bag was handed out at the Book Blogger Convention and is filled with goodies from authors and publishers). Each attendee received this bag, and they had extras and the wonderful bloggers who put BBC together offered an extra bag for those who wanted one. I picked up an extra one for you!
Here is what is inside:
OOH!!! AHHHH!!!
This giveaway is open until Saturday June 11th. USA or Canada entrants only please (sorry, it just gets really expense to sent items beyond that). Please only sign up to win if you did not attend either BEA or BBC. To enter – leave me a comment here telling me if you were to attend this event, what would be something that would be one of the biggest draws for you (IE. authors, books, meeting other bloggers, site seeing…)
So here’s my story…. I won Sarah’s contest for the BEA Convention. At that point I had not read Sarah’s book but it was on my radar to be read. On my way to the airport I stopped at the Mother Ship (Barnes and Noble) to pick up her book. And this is the story…
Sheila
The Opposite Of Me is about two fraternal twin sisters, Lindsey and Alex. Lindsey has always been known as the smart one and at twenty-one holds down a coveted job at an advertising agency and is well on her way to promotion. Alex, is used to turning heads wherever she goes. A true beauty, she is prepping to walk down the aisle with the perfectly gorgeous man.
And then… suddenly everything changes. I can’t go into details but I can say I really enjoyed this book. The relationship between the sisters is a wonderful setting for this book. We as readers are following Lindsey through the book and we are really following what it is like to be the sister to Alex the beauty. There is a point early on in the book where Lindsey has a child hood memory of a stranger seeing the twin girls and commenting on Alex’s beauty and how sad it is that Lindsey did not have her sisters looks. This is a scar within Lindsey that stays with her long into adult hood.
For many reasons, the book spoke to me and I flew through the pages enjoying the well-developed characters and story line. I finished the final pages while sitting in Central Park in New York.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
So…. on to some other good stuff! I met Sarah Pekkanen at BEA in New York where she picked up me and Kathy (Bermuda Onion) for a tour of Simon and Schuster. The tour was so fantastic. We were escorted past security up into the editor’s office where we sat and heard about the publishing process. On the back shelf was a pile of papers that were to become books soon. Sarah’s next book was in that pile (lower left side) labeled as “Sarah Pekkanen – no name”. SQUEEE!
Books to be.... how fascinating!
We were each given a bag of books that was super exciting! They are being shipped but off the top of my head I remember there is a Jennifer Weiner book or two in the bag as well as about 6 others.
Then we walked through to peek at some of the offices and a wall that had all the book covers from every book they have published. For someone like me who loves book covers…. I wanted to touch them all! They were gorgeous! (did I mention I wanted to touch them?)
Look at all those gorgeous covers!
After the tour we went back to the Javits Center and Sarah joined us at the Book Blogger Reception. She also gave us signed copies of her book and enough for my roommates and – enough to do a give away for two signed copies! The giveaway will be announced soon, the books are being shipped to me with my other BEA stash and I want to have them in hand before I post the giveaway.
My final thoughts on the book is that Sarah Pekkanen is an author to keep an eye on. She has two more books coming up and I will be watching for them and will keep you informed as well!
For a New York glossary of coffee terms check here
377 pages
Cover Story: Its good – the two girls facing away from the cover is a good way to show they are the same yet different. You can not see their faces and it leads into the book well.
I purchased my copy of this book at Barnes and Noble
This is one of the highlights of the BEA week (and there were so many wonderful things to BEA that this comment is not to be taken lightly). The time with Adriana Trigiani on Wednesday May was….. magical.
Let me back up a bit and let you know how this all came to be.
In February a contest was being held through TLC Book Tours. To be a part of it I was asked as well as many other bloggers to review the first two books in Adriana’s Valentine series – Very Valentine and Brava Valentine. Having read her before and enjoyed her first in Viola in Reel Life , a review I gushed about, I said yes. We were to read and review both books by a certain date and then be entered into a chance to have tea with Adriana while in New York for BEA.
I was one of 6 bloggers that won this chance to have tea with Adriana and I was (and still am) so excited!!!! Adriana (pronounced A-dree-on-uh Tree-johnny) was a blast. She picked us up at the Javits in a limo.
Yes. A limo.
Woo Hoo!!! 😀
We went to a wonderful place called Alice’s teacup where our group was escorted upstairs to a beautifully made table with a set of Adriana’s books wrapped in ribbon and with a card as our place setting. The tea was fantastic and we were introduced to three yummy flavors from a chocolate strawberry tea that was smooth and silky to one that had milk and honey that was creamy and delicious.
Over finger sandwiches and melt in your mouth scones ( I think we agreed the pumpkin was to die for!), as well as a variety of other treats, Adriana chatted with us about the upcoming books to movies (SQUEE!!!) and who is planned to play what role. So exciting!!!
We had so much fun with Adriana – she is down to earth, extremely funny and real. I enjoyed my time with her and the other book bloggers. I am excited to read more of her books and have been recommended many times to read her Big Stone Gap Series, which I plan to do this summer.
Whew! I am up and active, just took me a bit longer to put together what I wanted to this morning then I thought it would. That’s me eternal optimist….LOL 😀
This morning, with the help of Coffee Cup (x3), I attempted to put together a slide show of my New York pics. Yesterday afternoon I posted my BEA recap (check it if you haven’t – it was fun!), but I couldn’t put all my pictures in that post so here is the slide version.
Later I am posting the Tea with Adriana event so don’t miss that – I know my post wont do it justice, but I am going to try.
Have a super day – it is gorgeous here in central Minnesota. I rollerbladed 8 miles yesterday with me friend Wendy (I missed that while I was gone!) and hope to get in some biking later this afternoon.
Ok…. so it is not really on a stick. I just said that. In Minnesota our joke about our State Fair each year is that you can get just about anything on a stick. And it is true. You can even get a deep-fried candy bar – on a stick. I do not kid. And BEA dipped in chocolate would be wonderful… but I digress…
BEA was an event that will stay with me forever. My first time to New York. My first encounter with anything bookish that is so big and soooooo amazing. I will try to give it justice in this post and hopefully not leave out anything.
Sunday May 23
I arrived in New York in the morning with Reagan from Miss Remmers Reviews. We taxied to our hotel and were able to turn in our luggage but not check in yet. SO – we did what those in New York do….. we walked. We walked down to Time Square (just a few blocks from our hotel) and down to Central Park which was gorgeous! We walked into the park… and around within the park and upon stepping out of the park we promptly took a right turn instead of a left and walked 30 blocks out of our way. After catching our error – we turned around and walked the 30+ blocks back and then rewarded ourselves with a yummy lunch before finding our way back to the hotel.
Sunday evening Esme (Chocolates and Croissants) rolled into New York and we all went out to eat together and made our introductions.
Central Park
Monday May 24
We spend the morning and early afternoon checking out New York. Around 3 pm we head to Strand Book Store, home to 18 miles of books. We then stop for frozen Yogurt on our way to the Jefferson Library for the Teen Author Carnival – 30 authors and 3 different categories and panels. This was a lot of fun to listen to the authors and purchase books.
Frozen Yogurt StopAuthor panel Me and - do you know who this is? 😉Amy (My Friend Amy) me, and Natasha (Maw Books)
After the event, we stopped at Olive Garden on the way back to our hotel. Since my readers told me I could not go to chain restaurants while in New York we decided that we could cover it up by changing its name….. so we called it Evilo Dengar (Olive Garden in code).
After dinner we asked the hostess how to hail a cab. I asked if we were to stand out in front of it and she laughed and said only if I wanted to be ran over. She came outside with us and taught us how to wave down a cab. That was really funny. The cab driver told us that even though she told us to wave that was touristy and we were to hold our hand out straight as that is how the professionals do it. (Already we are learning so much!)
Reagan hails a cab
Tuesday May 25
Up early we went to the Javits Center to sit in on a discussion on the Value Of A Book and panel. Afterward we had seen on Twitter that the Class of 2010 Debut authors were going to be at the Javits Center in the lounge. Reagan, Esme, and I went to see what that was about and I am so glad we did. We were the only ones to show up so we had these authors all to ourselves. They gave us t shirts and swag and we talked to them for over an hour. It was a blast!
Me and the class of 2010Signed Book!!!
After this, Esme decided to go explore and Reagan and I decided to go read in Central Park. We went back to our hotel and changed, grabbed our books and off we went. It was a beautiful day and I finished The Opposite Of Me while in the park.
Me, Reagan, Esme
Me reading in the parkReagan reading in Central Park
From there we went back to the hotel, cleaned up and started our walk to the Class of 2010 Author Event. This was a blast! It was many of the same authors we had met this morning, and more. After they shared about their books, we had a chance to buy books and have them signed.
After the signing, we met some other Bloggers and a group of 12 of us went out to dinner. (How super cool is that?) It was so much fun to get to meet a few of the people who’s blogs I read as well as a few that were new to me but I will be sure to check out!
Wednesday May 26
Up at 5 am to go the Javits for the tickets for author signings. Reagan and I went to this, for me mainly just to experience this early excitement. We did well and the line was still short when we got there. (Our hotel was 5 blocks from the Javits so it was within walking distance and the weather was perfect).
Early bird gets the ticket...
After that craziness I grabbed a cup of coffee and hung out in the lounge and waited for the doors to the event floor to open. When they did – seriously look out. I think I was drove by a heard of people to a booth where they slapped a book in my hand and I had to fight my way out of the crowd. (Note to self….next year, stand back until the crowd clears).
It’s hard to explain what this was like – other than to say it is a book lovers paradise. Publishing Houses and authors galore, I tossed my agenda to the wayside and decided just to experience BEA. I met with the Publishers that send me books, talked about upcoming releases, made new connections and picked up books along the way. I mailed one box home before 2 pm when I was to meet with Author, Adriana Trigiani.
I sam not going to go into a lot about the authors tea that I enjoyed with 5 other fabulous bloggers as that is my Wednesday post (stay tuned tomorrow for that one!). I will however let you know it was FABULOUS… and let you have one teaser photo:
Adriana and I
After the tea we went back to the Javits where I walked around tired and happy until Reagan was ready to walk back to our hotel. We quickly changed and were off to the Book Blogger Get Together sponsored by Harper Collins – and it was amazing!!!
Alison (Alison's Book Marks) and I
**Note: I am not giving you all the pics I have – there are too many, I am just giving samples here and plan to do a slideshow yet this week of all my pics.
After this fun meet up I went to dinner with Reagan, Heather (Age 30+ a Lifetime Of Books), and Barbara from Reading Group Choices. We had a blast chatting and chatting and what I thought would be an early night, was not…. and I had a blast.
Thursday, May 27
Reagan had left at 4 am to catch her plane back to Minneapolis as she had a wedding she was in. Late night on Wednesday so did not push myself to get up super early. We got to the convention center around 9 am. Again we separated and off I went to see all the booths I did not the day before. A second box of books was building downstairs in the UPS center with my name on it.
At 2 pm I met Sarah Pekkanen (woo hoo!) when she picked up Kathy (Bermuda Onion) and I for a tour of Simon and Schuster Publishing. This was a great experience and I am not going to go into great details as this is my Thursday post along with the review of Sarah;s book, Opposite Of Me. However, I will share a sneak peek picture:
Books to be printed (Sarah's next book is on this wall - lower left corner!)
After the tour we went back to the Center for the Book Blogger Reception from 4 – 6 pm. This was also a lot of fun, more bloggers to meet and the exchanging of business cards was happening left and right. There were also many authors in this reception and I had a wonderful time mingling with them as well. At the end of this event my roomies and I had an invite to dinner with a couple authors and publishers. I also met my two new roomies at this event – Care from Care’s OnLine Book Club and Kim from Sophisticated Dorkiness. They were so much fun!
Me, Sarah Pekkanen, and Heather (30+ A Lifetime of Books)
Friday, May 28
The Book Blogger Convention was today and this was so cool. They had a wonderful breakfast set up for us and there was a bit of social time before the convention started.
Pre Convention breakfast
The convention itself was informative and fun. I wrote a lot of notes and appreciated hearing the different panel speakers share topic discussions such as social justice, marketing, Bloggers and Authors, Integrity and Ethics, and more. This was a great wrap up to the week.
That evening we were invited to join a group of 22 bloggers for dinner and we had excellent food and company!
My yummy dinnerKim, me, and Carrie (The Roomies)Amy, Nicole, Kim, and CarrieFriday night dinner with Bloggers
I can’t describe what this entire event was like. It was bigger and better than I had imagined. The Book Bloggers are an incredible group of people and I enjoyed my time with each of them.
Saturday, May 29
When I booked my trip to New York I had agreed to stay one day extra to do a show with Esme (Chocolates and Croissants). I wish I had a picture of the two of us but I do not. We went to lunch with Carrie and Kim in the late morning before they left. We then went and saw the King Tut exhibit which was really interesting.
After a nap (me) and shopping (Esme) we went out to eat at a wonderful restaurant called Yum Yum. It was Thai food and it was… well… yum yum. Then we went to the show Mama Mia which was a perfect ending to an amazing week.
King Tut ExhibitMama Mia - highly recommended!
Thank you to everyone I met during this time in New York. I had so much fun and will probably be floating around my home town for the next several weeks. (Maybe months) 😀
If you would have told me a year ago (heck, 8 months ago!) that I would be blogging and carrying on book related discussions with fellow book lovers on a daily basis, I would have thought you were a few fries short of a Happy Meal. If you would have added I would also sign up to attend an event in New York (where I have never been before) and room with 4 other girls (whom I have never met) I would have had some concern over your mental well-being.
Yet here I am – blogging daily…. and yes, with a huge deep breath, I am going to New York to attend BEA (Book Expo of America).
Pause for a cart wheel break…..
I wanted to write this post for a few reasons. One, it’s not often I get to do on-line cart wheels. Two, I really wanted to thank all the wonderful bloggers who took the time to write posts on what to expend at BEA (they have been most beneficial to me!) Here are some of the things I have taken away from those posts (check out the BEA Blog Tour here) that I would not have thought about going in to this:
Bring your own water and snacks for the expo. The food is pricey and this will cover me while I am exploring all the amazing things around me.
Comfy comfy shoes are VERY important! Also to dress neatly, I am representing my blog.
I appreciated learning about “must see” places, bringing business cards, ask before taking, don’t over book myself, and more! I read all the posts and I took notes. Thank you.
So what questions am I left with?
Mainly the BEA site itself. What should I be pre-signing up for now? Is there any thing that I am going to do a head smack when I get there because I didn’t pre register for something? What badge do I register under?
That’s about it – and oh, have you met my roommates?
Ok…. so I am so new to all of this. I am now signed up to go BEA and so excited! This will be my first time attending and my heart is spilling over with excitement! To think a year ago I knew nothing of this world…. this is like my utopia! 🙂
The Book Blogger Convention is actually the day after BEA, on Friday May 28th. The Book Blogger convention is a one day event intended to provide support, instruction, and social time for people who blog about books.
I would absolutely love to do this – but I need a roomy. I am going to BEA with Reagan (Miss Remmer’s Reviews) and she has to return to Minnesota on Thursday. I don’t want to stay alone so I am currently planning on returning to Minnesota with her, unless someone needs a roommate for Thursday and Friday night – and in that case I will see what the cost is to add a couple more days on to my plane ticket.
In the event that I have a blogging buddy out there who is also considering doing this and is in the same boat as me, or you are planning on attending but wouldn’t mind splitting room cost, please email me at journeythroughbooks@gmail.com.
Either way, if I go or not – I still think this is a wonderfully exciting event that I am happy to help promote. 🙂 Be sure to go to the Book Blogger Convention Blog for all the details!
Book Journey 