As most of you book lovers and twitter people know, May 29 to May 30 was BEA or Book Expo America. Although I only went for two days out of three days and came home really early on the second day, I had tons of fun, experienced things that (gasp!) I never thought would really happen, and learned a lot more tips to share with you future BEA go-ers! Yes guys, you are getting a detailed recap!
And just a quick note, I also have some different tips from my experience at BEA last year!
1. BOOKS. ALL THE BOOKS. BOOKS EVERYWHERE. Anyone interested in seeing what I got from BEA can check out my Instagram BEA haul.
2. I got to meet TONS of my blogger friends! And some insisted on pictures…
3. People actually knew me and my blog! Like, I can’t get over how incredible that is. There were these moments when I was in line and people told me, “hey, I read your blog!” or “Are you Kelly?” I’ll admit it, I still fangirl and grin like a foooool when I think about it. -runs off to be a fool by myself-
4. Having a “personal assistant!” Let me explain: Cee from The Novel Hermit couldn’t attend BEA (we better meet each other one year Cee, this MUST happen), so she was helping me stalk twitter, texting me galley drops we might be interested in, signings happening, etc. She also entertained me when I was on line waiting. Thank you Cee. <3 5. I accomplished my BEA '14 goal - MEETING SARAH J. MAAS AND GETTING HEIR OF FIRE. AHHHHHH.
6. This picture. Yes, it’s a total Simba moment.
1. I lost my schedule the first day, 10 minutes into BEA. I probably lost it when I picked up the publishers’ galley drop schedules. Losing my schedule that early was such an EPIC FAIL, especially since I bought only one copy, thinking I would never lose it. Boy, was I wrong. -facepalm- (Next year, I swear, I will write down my schedule in a secret code on my hand.) I had to make up my schedule then, but luckily, the galley drop and signing sheets helped me figure things out. I also met up with Jessica from Lovin’ Los Libros and Tabitha from Tabitha’s Book Blog who were nice enough to share their schedules with me! So guys, bring like three copies of your schedule when you’re coming to BEA. You don’t want to end up being like me.
2. Jon from Scott Reads It and I were stalking the Scholastic booth (the lovely people at the booth can attest to that). We were at least an hour early to the Sinner galley drop and The Iron Trial galley drop. During the wait for the The Iron Trial galley drop, Jon and I were reading. He was holding some books that he obtained while I was protecting my friend Octavia’s galley of I’ll Give You the Sun that we got for her since Octavia was away visiting another booth. It should be fairly obvious to other people passing by that the book was in my possession since it was right in front of me and I was looking down at it, touching the cover. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I saw a hand reach for the book and I quickly swat-like grabbed the book off the booth and glared at the lady reaching for it. It turns out that before the lady tried to snag Octavia’s book from under my hands, the same exact lady had reached for Jon’s books, trying to grab them out of his hands while he was holding them and reading them. She never learned when he grabbed them back from her. Yes, this really happened. Who knew?
3. This nice woman working at the Scholastic booth decided to drop the The Iron Trial ARCs early and I quickly got a copy since I was the first one in line. I then turned around to leave and before I took a single step forward, I saw people’s eyes get wide as they registered what was going on and a stampede happened right in front of my eyes. We had to scream THERE’S A LINEEEEE. GET IN THE LINEEE. I barely got out of there alive.
4. R.L. STINE WAS STANDING NEXT TO ME WHILE I WAS WAITING AT THE SCHOLASTIC BOOTH. AHHHHH. (Cee can attest to this happening because I texted her about this. I was also a huge Goosebumps fan when I was younger.) I didn’t want to interrupt his conversation with some other people because hello, that’s rude (okay, fine, I was also scared to talk to him because he is my childhood idol), but I didn’t expect to see him at all!
1. This year, Google Maps was WAY better in telling you which direction you have to walk to get to Javits. If you don’t know what I’m referring to, this post explains it all.
2. Bring three copies of your schedule. Why? Read the first bullet point in the above section.
3. Bring your own lanyard. Last year, BEA gave out free lanyard that we can tie around our neck for our badges. This year, no lanyard, just pins. I had to use last year’s lanyard (yes, I still have my badge from last year!) because I refuse to put a pin in my favorite sweater. Nope, not happening.
4. Use your badge holder! It can keep your business cards and even your luggage ticket. It can save you a lot of time and panic moments.
5. Bring a suitcase. Trust me. You need one. If Jon wasn’t sharing his with me (my parents refused to let me bring one for myself), my arms would be broken and I would have gotten a lot less books. Books are heavy and should be used for weight training when we’re not reading them.
6. Talk to publishers! Yes, some of them might be rude, but hint: they switch shifts. Just visit the same publisher later.
And that’s it! I hope I did a good job recapping all things BEA! Now to fall onto my bed and sleeeeep because boy, do I need it.
Looks like you had the most amazing time. I really dislike living in Australia when things like this happen. But I will get to BEA one year.
So Jealous that you for getting The Iron Trial haha.
Angel @Angel Reads recently posted…Blog Tour Stop: Rev Girl by Leigh Hutton – Author Interview + Giveaway
I definitely had a fun time at BEA! (:
Who knows, maybe in the future you’ll get to come! :D
Kelly recently posted…Let’s Speculate: Not Everything Comes Easily
Great post! I’m glad I was able to meet you. :D I can’t believe that woman who tried to grab books out of your hands >_< WHO DOES THAT?!?!
Ashley recently posted…#scandal by Sarah Ockler
Thanks Ashley! :D
I’m glad I got to meet you too! (:
I KNOW. Who knew these things really will happen?!
Kelly recently posted…Let’s Speculate: Not Everything Comes Easily
One day, I would be able to visit BEA, even if I live from the other side of the earth hahaa :D
I’m glad that you had a great time, and I loved your book haul :D
Jules recently posted…Book Review: Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Yes, one day we will meet! :D!
Kelly recently posted…Let’s Speculate: Not Everything Comes Easily
One day I will hopefully be able to visit BEA. One day. . . . .
Ri @ HiveretCafe recently posted…[HAUL] May Book Haul!
Thanks for sharing your BEA experience. How awful that you lost your schedule, but luckily you had Cee to guide you together with some other sweet bloggers. It looks like you had a great time and I really wish I could have been there <3
Mel@thedailyprophecy recently posted…Monthly recap. May (+ vlog!)
holy crap that woman is unbelievable.. so rude. I can’t get over her just grabbing the books when it is obvious they’re yours. Seems like you had a ton of fun and yikes about the schedule problem.
great recap!
Juhina recently posted…MASSIVE CUMULATIVE BOOK HAUL!
Oh god, you’re so lucky to have attended BEA! I’m going to attend it one day, no matter who says what about geographical boundaries! I’m glad you had so much fun!
Maddy @ Symphony of Words recently posted…Blog Tour: Don’t Fall by Rachel Schieffelbein Review + Giveaway
Oh I am so jealous, not only for meeting the fellow bloggers and authors, mostly because of the event itself because it’s so far from me.
And HOF!!! I need this book asap!
MHAM
DRC EU/UK Giveaway
Ula @ Blog of Erised recently posted…Mental Health Awareness Month START
That sounds amazing! I was only able to get to BookCon this year, but one thing I did with my schedule was take pictures of it so I’d have it on hand because I’m less likely to lose my phone. That way if I needed to check something fast or if my schedule disappeared I’d still have a copy somewhere!
Kayla recently posted…Going Over by Beth Kephart
YAY! Love this recap :-) I am so happy you had fun! I wish I could have gone and met you–maybe another year. I love the pictures and Jon with HoF is just awesome. I’m glad you survived the stampede!
Kristen@My Friends Are Fiction recently posted…Stacking the Shelves
Wow… I cannot believe people actually grabbed books right out of your hands! That’s just so rude. My gosh! All and all though it sounds like you had a great time.
Carrie recently posted…The Probability of Violet & Luke, Jessica Sorensen
Boo, schedule being lost! I’d probably email myself a copy, but then with my luck I wouldn’t be able to access email. LOL! So glad Cee was around to alleviate the boredom and help keep you company. Ah, fangirl screaming with you seeing RL Stine! :D
Jess @ Literary, etc recently posted…Count the Cast: Megan Erickson’s Make It Count
Could I ask for advice about business cards? I really hope to start going to book conventions, and I have read a lot of blogs where bloggers have mentioned taking their business cards with them. I did not even think about doing that before! Is there a specific website you use to make them ?
Tiffany recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [12]
Definitely! (:
There are many websites to make business cards – many use Vistaprint like I did when I started blogging because the first 250 business cards you make with them are FREE (not counting shipping).
Now, I use moo.com for my business cards. I use the Luxe one and the cards are REALLY nice and high quality, but it is kind of expensive. If we ever do a trade or meet up, I can give you one to show you how they are!
I hope this helped! :D
Kelly recently posted…A BEA Recap, Things That REALLY Happened + Some More BEA Advice!
Awesome! Thank you so much for the information! I hope to finally be able to go to some book events, and it seems like it would be a great idea to have some cards!
Tiffany recently posted…Gypsy by Trisha Leigh Blog Tour + Review
LOL. I do my schedule on a spreadsheet, then take a picture of it on my phone, so I will not lose it. LOL. That’s something that you can do.
Grace Fonseca recently posted…Blog Tour: Branded by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki Book Review
Eeeh, that looks SO awesome, although I think I’d get seriously overwhelmed. x) But omg, Heir of fire! And I had no idea there The Iron Trials existed. 0.0 MARKING ON GOODREADS RIGHT NOW.
Cait @ Notebook Sisters recently posted…Hey look at you, book, being so diverse. I’d better rate you 5-stars.
I wish I had gotten to see you there! BEA was awesome this year, with the exception of BookCon. BookCon was just… too much. Those are awesome tips though!
Kiersten recently posted…City of Heavenly Fire Book Launch! + GIVEAWAY!
LOLLLLL. I was happy to help! I was all sorts of antsy the first day. I WANTED YOU TO GET ALLLLL THE BOOOOOKS. (I kind of wish I did more. :P) I’m pretty excited about your haul.
YEESSS. PROTECT ALL THE BOOOOKS. (I can’t believe that woman did that. I’m not surprised, but damn. That’s fucking rude. I hope you memorized that lady’s face. ;D) I’m glad you survived throughout everything! :D
Cee recently posted…MONTHLY RECAP | May 2014
Sounds like you had a FANTASTIC time, Kelly! Thanks for sharing those tips – I hope to be able to attend next year. :)
Ebony recently posted…The Tea Party Blog Tag
Hi! I don’t know if this is going to sound weird, but I think I kind of met you at BEA? We were in the Heir of Fire line together — your pic of Sarah J. Maas = me in the purple shirt. I saw your badge and was totally going to be one of the people who mentioned reading & loving your blog (I link to it when I can for my bookish rounds recaps), but I think I got caught up in the conversation with Jon and forgot. Also Heir of Fire enthusiasm lol. Anyway, I’m glad we kinda sorta met? Ha, and also wowwwww. Can’t believe someone tried to steal your book. And Jon’s. I know a few people who tried to take books ahead of time despite the lines for the galley drops, but not someone so intense that she’d steal someone else’s book. Also yes. Your lanyard. You were one of the first people I’d seen with one and I was like: such a smart idea! Another time then. I kept wondering whether I’d accidentally knock my business cards out of my badge with the pin the way it was. Anyway, I’m glad you had fun!
Christina @ Christina Reads YA recently posted…Review: Guy in Real Life – Steve Brezenoff
Hi Christina! :D
Yes, I definitely remember you! I saw your badge and was thinking hey, her blog sounds familiar, but then I didn’t want to ask because I’m the master of being awkward. :P
Aww, thank you! And YES, Jon is the master at making people talk and forget things.
I’m glad we sorta met too! Next time, we should definitely talk! :D
Apparently one of my friends told me that in one of the past years, someone bit someone else’s hand for a book?! Madness! I definitely need to bring mace and a fly swatter next year.
Ha ha, I was like I am NOT putting that pin through my favorite sweater. No no NOOOOO. Even with the lanyard, I dropped my business cards out of my badge holder twice when I was leaning down – once on the subway (awkwardd!) and once when I was sitting down waiting on Sarah Maas’ line with you guys.
Kelly recently posted…Let’s Speculate: Not Everything Comes Easily
That lady knew exactly what she was doing, trying to snatch books from you guys!
BEA sounds so scary!!!! Omg! A Stampede!
Kelly!! I’m sad we didn’t get more time to chat and hang out! At least I met you briefly! Next year!! Also I was in that heir of fire line too! So crazy long but worth it! And, be glad you didn’t go on sat bc it was madness and sooo many people. We dubbed book con side the dark side and also left early.
Wendy @ Book Scents recently posted…BEA Is Coming!!!
Very sad that I didn’t get to meet you. VERY SAD. Maybe next time?? I finally brought a suitcase to BEA this year and it saved me. Three dollars to store your suitcase? SO WORTH IT! So jealous of everyone you met. TT^TT
alice-jane recently posted…Book Expo America 2014: BookCon & BEA
Looks like you had an awesome time at BEA! I never attended but after seeing the progress this year, I’m definitely going the next!
Ellie M. recently posted…Mental Health Awareness Month: Intro Post
Some people have some real nerve. I’m glad you were able to get all the books back that she attempted to take. Also, great tips! I hope to attend BEA in the future.
Meredith recently posted…Black Chalk Review
That sounds so crazy!!! Almost as hectic as ComicCon but I’m sure it’s all worth it for so many great books!
Aneli Navarro recently posted…kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirk:
kirk-:
kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirk:
what does rofl stand…
Dang that woman who was trying to get yours (err Octavia’s) and Jon’s book are crazy! Also, I’ll def. keep in mind to bring extra copies of my schedule when I go to BEA probably in the next couple of years haha. And wow, some publishers are rude? I’m kind of intimidated to talk to them now… They’re just probably dizzy from all the stampede haha.
Leigh @ Little Book Star recently posted…Review: 17 First Kisses by Rachael Allen
Looks like you had a pretty great time!
Sheila (Book Journey) recently posted…Wednesday Evening At The Book Expo in New York – Harper Collins
Man, I so wish I could have gone :((( I don’t think I’ll be able to go next year, either, but when it comes to Chicago I should be able to afford it!
Jessi @ Novel Heartbeat recently posted…Life of a Blogger: Quirks