Ten Reasons To Go To Book Expo Of America

Ten Reasons To Go To Book Expo of America

1. The People. These are your people, your tribe, your clan, your sparkly unicorns, WHATEVER you call them. They are yours and you get to spend three days bonding with them!

2. The Authors. There is an entire section of the Javitz dedicated to the Autographing Area. Sure, you have to get in line REALLY early and be herded around like cattle, but who cares? You get to meet some of your favorite authors, snap a picture and get a book signed. It’s like speed dating for book nerds.

3. The Books. Books, books, and more books. Every where you look, there are books! It’s like Heaven on earth. But it can be overwhelming too, so only take what you know you’ll read. This is easier said than done when someone is dangling a book under your nose and giving you the Puss ‘N Boots eyes. 

4. Tote Bags. These are actually harder to resist than the books. Trust me. I’ve seen people stampede for a big red bag that’s chocked full of—air.

5. The Location. For the past few years, BEA has been in New York City, the hub of publishing and one of the coolest places to visit. It really is the city that never sleeps and you never lack for something to do, see, or eat. 

6. The Parties. If you’re fortunate enough to snag an invite to one of the publisher’s parties, don’t blow it off. (You may not get another invite back if you do.) We’re all tired and we all want nothing more than to go back to our hotels and face plant the pile of books we’ve lugged around all day. The parties are a chance to network with other bloggers, publicists and editors. It’s also the publisher’s way of saying, “We appreciate you for all you do to help promote our authors and their books.”

7. The Technology. For all of you techies out there, BEA isn’t just about the book side of the business. There’s an entire day (Wednesday) devoted to behind the scenes stuff like social media outreach, online publishing and other topics that are like a foreign language to me spoken by people way smarter than I’ll ever be. 

8. The Lines. This is where the magic really happens. Where you get to meet and bond with other book lovers like yourself. A lot of the online friends I have are a result of the conversations I’ve had while waiting in line. This is where I work my book pushing magic as well. 

9. The Celebrities. Where else can you see an 80s Rock Idol (Billy Idol), a Hollywood legend (Angelica Houston) and a disgruntled feline in person all under the same roof? 

10. BookCon. This is not a reason to go to BEA. Ever. 

But these are.