BEA Part 4: NYC...This & That...

While I was looking through my BEA/NYC pictures I realized there were a few really cool places that I didn't get a chance to mention.

The first is Kinokuniyia - a Japanese book store that was honestly the highlight of my whole trip. I spent almost 3 hours in there. I can't understand or read a word of Japanese and I have never picked up a Manga in my life but this store is just made of awesome!

There are aisles and aisles of Manga, origami, books, art books, stationary, strange things that explain the Japanese fetish with bizarre game shows. I'm just going to post the pictures - have a look around this amazing store.

Every aisle in this picture is of Manga....stop drooling Manga fans.

I seriously love this artwork as you come up the escalator to the 2nd floor.

 There was a bit of an obsession with bad cat's apparently 

The art books are stunning. I wrote a few down to order. 

Random items for sale....very random.

Only the basement level has books written in Japanese. That was kind of cool too, trying to figure out the popular books in a different language and new cover. I will definitely be visiting again!

Now on to a book store you probably have heard of.......The Strand!

"New York City's legendary home of 18 Miles of new, used and rare books. Since 1927."  

BEA wrap-up Part 3: NYC - The FOOD

I ate so much food while in NYC. It's almost embarrassing! I think I would have gained 100 pounds if I didn't walk so much. I believe I walked close to 800 miles that week .... it felt like 1000. (just kidding! but I did walk a LOT)
Now that I'm looking through my photos I realized I didn't take any pictures of the buildings...I just plowed through the food...lol. You'll have to trust me that I have actually been to places I said.

Day 1

My BFF & NYC tour guide extraordinaire Sherry picked us up from the airport and we hit the ground running! Our meal that night was at Eataly. It is basically the Disney World of Italian food. All the food groups are separated into different sections with their own store, restaurant and fresh market. There are pasta, meat, seafood, vegetable, dessert and coffee sections.

We had a cheese, olive plate as an appetizer and in my first night of gluttony I forgot to take a picture - but there is a picture of the pretty empty plate!

Then on to the La Pizza La Pasta section! We had orecchiette pasta with sweet sausage, mushroom ravioli, lasagna & a sampler pizza with four different toppings. Eataly is overcrowded and a little overpriced but there is no doubt that it also has delicious food.

And of course we grabbed some desserts on the way out!



Day 2
The next morning we had breakfast at Sarabeth's Kitchen. EVERYONE recommends this place so I finally got to go and see what all the fuss was about. I had a potato waffle that taste like a potato latke in waffle form. Really good!

Then we met up with Sherry again for my favorite meal of the whole trip, Tea & Sympathy. Described as "a quintessential corner of England in the heart of Greenwich Village." We went last year and tried a few main dishes but this year we were there for the Afternoon Tea which includes finger sandwiches, assorted pastries and scones with strawberry jam & clotted cream, and of course a pot of tea. SO GOOD. So so so good!

And just because I needed just a bit more sugar, we stopped at Sockerbit after our afternoon tea. They sell Swedish candies....in bulk....a whole wall of candy to choose from.

Now the rest is just a blur so here are the pictures and locations. Suffice to say it was all delicious!

BEA 2011 Wrap Up! Part Two - The Books & Swag

Well let's all admit it right now. Yes, BEA is about networking and meeting bloggers/authors, finding out the next trend in the publishing industry but the truth is we go for the free books.

I didn't do an exact count but I got about 46 books on Tuesday and another 40-ish on Wednesday. I thought Thursday would be a light day since BEA closed early and I didn't have many signings scheduled but I ended up with another 30 or so books....so that's over 100.

I'll be hosting quite a few giveaways for books and swag over the next few weeks. Several of the books will be going into the Ultimate Reviewers Challenge Prize Pack in August. (an event for bloggers co-hosted with Lena from Addicted 2 Novels and Tiger from All Consuming Books)

Pictures!

Here are the boxes - 9 in all - ready at my house when I got back.

The books - there are a few stray and duplicates that didn't make it into the pile & a few I had already shipped off to blogger friends:

There are just waaaay too many for me to list them all but here are a few that I caught my attention.

Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Enthralled - Anthology edited by Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong (has and awesome story by Jeri Smith-Ready in it from her Shift series, <3 <3 <3)

The Future of Us byt Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Bloodlines by Rachelle Mead

Forever & The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Trail by Fire by Jennier Lynn Barnes (super happy about this one!)

Crusade by Nancy Holder, Debbie Viguie

How to rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

I could go on and on but my fingers are starting to hurt.......

The swag:

I really liked the Melissa Marr toe tags and poster for Graveminder. Very cool

Tons of bookmarks, a few tattoos & t-shirts, pins, lots of bags that I didn't bother putting in the picture.

And here's some Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare swag from the big cover reveal event. A t-shirt, Chapter Sampler and bookmark. I'll be doing a giveaway for this soon so check back.

Well I hope you enjoyed the look at my BEA haul. I know some people don't enjoy these posts because they think it's bragging while others love them and asked me to do them so I leave it up to you to..... 

BEA post Part one: the authors, signings, bloggers I met can be read HERE

Next up! FOOD. Good lawd! Did I eat a lot while I was in NYC!! It might not all fit in one post.

BEA 2011 Wrap Up! Part One

I feel like I'm suffering from post traumatic BEA stress disorder. I have lots to say but no energy to write about it. I'm also still slightly dazed from the whole experience. Before I forget it all here's the first in a series of wrap up posts.  When I started looking through my pics I realized most are blurry! They looked fine on the phone - so I apologize in advance.

(Publisher's booths: Barron's, Penguin, RWA, Harper Collins, HQN and ....a pig)

Book Expo America Is the largest publishing event in North America where authors, bloggers, librarians and others get together to discuss books and the future of the publishing industry. It's insanely chaotic and crazy but loads of fun. 

I went last year and was pretty overwhelmed, so it was nice to go again and know what I was doing (sort of) It helped take some pressure off and I could enjoy it a little more. Every morning my husband and I met up with Noa from Paperback Dolls to have our Starbucks and strategize. The most important thing for conquering BEA is to have a plan and team up with others. Tori from Book Faery was there a few days (she even brought homemade cinnamon biscuits one morning for breakfast!) and I think I spent about 90% of my time with her. Nothing slipped past us! My husband Kevin - ever the organizer - kept us all on schedule and between the four of us I think we got almost everything we wanted.

(Thank you Noa & Tori for all your help!!)

For the most part things were more organized this year. Booths were numbered - YAY! That was a big problem last year. If you can't find the booth then you miss a signing. It was easier to pick up your badge and tickets for the big author signings, the phone app was very helpful for scheduling - although a few bloggers had problems accessing it during the day.

(Top left - The Future of Us by Jay Asher, Carolyn Mackler line, Top right - me - waiting in the Melissa Marr line (ready to konk someone in the head with my big bag if they try to cut me off! lol)

Bottom left: autographing area, Bottom right: Clockwork Prince cover reveal)

My one gripe would be the YA author signings. For some reason BEA still hasn't grasped how insanely popular and rabid YA fans are. They have authors like Melissa Marr & Richelle Mead signing in booths & then don't want long lines blocking the pathways. Ummm - then put them in the autographing area instead of booths. The Richelle Mead line was a cluster f*ck of epic proportions. They handed out #'d tickets in advance so you could leave instead of blocking the area. They told us to come back 15 minutes before the signing to get in place. When we did that they decided to scrap the # system and it became a free for all with 100's of angry people. Not pretty. (I just want to note here that it wasn't Richelle's fault in any way and she was VERY nice - once things got moving it was all good.) Lessons were learned and Aly Condie's signing at Penguin was the best of the best. Super long line....but in her case they had people all along the line keeping the paths clear, tickets were handed out. What seemed like an hour wait lasted only 10 minutes!

Here are some author signing pics:

(Aly Condie, Richelle Mead, Rachel Vincent, Scott Westerfield, Jeri Smith-Ready, Melissa Marr)

I also got to meet Clay and Susan Griffith and get The Greyfriar (Vampire Empire, Book 1) signed. I loved that book. They also had a cover reveal for The Rift Walker (Vampire Empire, Book 2) - book two in the series in the Prometheus publishing booth. Gorgeous! Here's their post on the BEA experience.

The line for The Future of Us by Jay Asher, Carolyn Mackler was interesting. PW Daily had an advertisement for an "unnamed book" that would be handed out at the Penguin booth at 2pm Wednesday. I figured I would wander by & see if it was worth grabbing. Then I see a tweet from Jay saying that it was his book. I loved Thirteen Reasons Why so I ran (um - no - walked briskly - NO running - LOL) and got first in line. Woot! By the time I grabbed my book the line was over 140 people! Like I said - do not underestimate the YA peeps. Just sayin. (to see a pic of the line look in the "lines & more lines" photo above)

Bloggers!

I caught up with Kate from I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read. I met her last year and she is a good friend to have for those crazy ass Harlequin booth signings!

I had a mini Shift (Jeri Smith-Ready) Blog tour meet up! 

I met Lindsi from Books, Sweets & Other Treats. We seemed to have a standing appointment at the Post Office each afternoon. LOL We were always there at the same time.

And I also got to meet Ana from The Book Smugglers who was at BEA all the way from England!

I got to meet longtime blogger/Twitter pals Jenny from Supernatural Snark and Pam from Midnyte Reader! I wish I got to see both of them more. It was more of a quick "OMG hi! So great to finally meet you - bye"

I'm sure I'm forgetting tons of things/people/authors but there you go!

I'll post about the books & swag next, then NYC and my obsession with the food! Words can't express how much I managed to eat that week.

BEA 2011 - tips and advice

Last year I went to to BEA for the first time and it was an overwhelming experience. Here are a few things I learned. Keep in mind that all advice is based on last years experience, things may be a little different this year.

The Basics:
*You do not need to bring any books or pay for books once you are there. They are all free. There are a few booths and publishers that offer networking opportunities and don't have books to hand out or have limits as to how many books you can take. A good rule of thumb is to ask first before you start grabbing.

*All signings are free, however, at the table signings a $1 donation is suggested - proceeds go to charity.

*If you are able to - pick up your badge/pass the day before at Javits. That way you don't have to wait in line Tuesday morning checking in - you can go right to the floor. (they were open until 5pm last year)

My Tips:
*You will hear this advice from everyone who has ever attended BEA and truer words were never spoken. WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES. You will be standing and walking a lot.

*Try to bring a bottle of water and some munchies like a granola bar or crackers. Food is very expensive at Javits and you'll be stuck in lines a lot so it's nice to have a quick snack.

*Don't be shy! I know I am but really we're all in the same boat so relax and have fun. Meet your fellow bloggers.

*Find other bloggers to team up with. There are often several coveted signings at the same time. Since human cloning has not been invented yet - having someone who can help you navigate is essential. If you can, exchange your text info before you go. It's difficult to hear on the phone there so texting works much better.

*If you are attending any of the author breakfasts eat breakfast BEFORE you go. They give you a muffin and maybe a bagel. One basket per table - no refills. You will be starving afterwards. Also it's first come seating so get in line early for the best seats.

*Business cards. I brought a ton last year but really 50 or so should do. Most of my cards went to other bloggers rather than networking with publishers. I'm sure everyone has a different experience with this so use your own judgement but don't go crazy worrying about it.

*Several authors were told by their publishers to network with bloggers more but weren't familiar with blogging so this is a good opportunity to introduce yourself and exchange info. You can set up guest posts or interviews after BEA

*Which leads me to....believe me - I understand how exciting it is to meet your favorite authors. BUT these are long lines with time limits for the signings. Now is not the time to take 100 pictures, discuss your WIP, plan interviews etc. You can have a really great conversation, get a quick picture and set up something for later fairly quickly and keep the line moving. By day 2 it starts getting really ugly in these lines - keep it moving!

*Bring a rolling luggage bag. Mine was a 21" carry on bag. They have an area downstairs to check it. They will give you a ticket and only you can get in the area to drop off or pick up your books. LIFESAVER! Those books get heavy.

*There will be lots of bags being handed out to carry your books. Try to find a larger, sturdy one rather than the smaller cloth ones. Again - those books get heavy! Harlequin had a fantastic bag last year and I'm bringing it with me this year.

* This is really difficult to do when free books are being flung at you from every angle but TRY to be discriminating in your choices. Keep in mind two things: you have to read all these books and you have to get them all home. I freaked out last year when I had over 80 books to read and NONE of them interested me. I was overwhelmed. It doesn't seem possible I know, but it can happen.

*Have a schedule. Prioritize. Be prepared to adjust your schedule. Some of the signings are timed so closely together that there is no way you will make them all. Between the long lines and scrambling to make it from one side of the building to the other you're going to miss a few things.

*Have lots of patience. There are big crowds, long lines and long days.

*Keep in mind the publishers of the books you want. Last year the schedule had booth numbers but not all booths were marked clearly. The publishers have huge signs so it helps you navigate a little easier.

*For the ticketed authors you have to get up early (6am last year) to pick up your tickets. Get there early. Loooong lines.

**My biggest tip is that if you have to ship your books home use the USPS. It's about 2 blocks away and open from 7am - 10pm. The supplies are cheap and you can send using media mail (cheapest) all the way to flat rate priority (most expensive).
(I got 80 books last year - used 4 large flat rate priority boxes and had my boxes at my doorstep when I got home for just over $40) I would probably go with the cheaper media mail this time.

The Fed Ex rates at Javits are insanely high.

USPS is located on the corner of 8th Ave and West 33rd Street - you can't miss it. Warning: there are a lot of steps!

NYC TIPS:

*Bring cash - a lot of great restaurants only take cash. Plus you'll need it for taxi's, tips etc.

*Catch a cab in the direction you are headed - it's cheaper. Walk one block over if you need to.

-Avenues run North to South - even avenues run north, odd avenues run south.

-Streets run East to West - even streets run east, odd streets run west.

Here are the links to all my BEA posts from 2010. There are lots of pictures to give you an idea of what you are in for.

Part one - the books and swag
Part two - pictures, author breakfast
Part three  - authors and signings
Part four - NYC

Feel free to leave a question or email me at fwiw(dot)kea(at)gmail(dot)com if you have any questions.

BEA11 Post #1

This will be the first of many posts leading up to BookExpo America 2011. I went for the first time last year and I know I was confused and nervous about the whole thing. I found a few good tidbits of advice beforehand but I found most of it didn't really apply to bloggers and didn't answer the questions I wanted to know about.

*First and foremost. GO! Don't be nervous about not knowing anyone. I went with my husband last year but we were seperated almost the whole time. I met so many bloggers that I had chatted with on Twitter or that I recognized from reading their blogs. More than once I was in line talking to someone for over a half hour when we started to exchange buisness cards only to realize - "I know your blog!!" or "I talk to you on Twitter all the time!" I promise you will not be alone. You will meet tons of fellow bloggers from all over the world. We are all nervous and shy so don't let that intimidate you. If you can bring someone with you all the better but to be honest you probably won't see them much. If your aim is to get books and autographs, you will be too busy running around all day to worry about having someone to talk to.

*BEA is free for bloggers. Yes, free. We are considered Press. I know there was problems with registration and that's why. Most bloggers are looking at the 2011 registration pricing link on the BEA home page but you don't have to pay so that's why you are not listed. They shut down the registration for bloggers last week and were supposed to fix it - I will check and see how you are supposed to register now. I'm already registered and if you did also before they shut blogger registration down we were told that you are still registered and not to worry or sign up again when they fix the problem. (If anyone has updated registration information for bloggers feel free to put the information in the comments section)

**UPDATE 12/18!** There seems to be some cunfusion with this one so it MAY cost money this year to register for BEA. I'm trying to get a final answer and how to register and hope to have another post next week with better answers.

They did not charged me a fee when I registered a few weeks ago but they had problems registering bloggers and shut registration down for awhile. It's now back up but more confusing than ever. It appears you will register as "non-editorial media" at a fee of $149 for all three days.

*If you want to bring someone who is not a blogger they will have to register under Friends/Family (children over 12) It is $310.00 for the three day pass or $145.00 per day. No refunds if you have to cancel. You can pre-register or buy your ticket on site.

*One thing I know everyone was worried about last year is whether they should bring books or will you have to buy some of the books. Everything is FREE. I got over 80 books last year. They will be throwing free books at you. Seriously. Everything is free. Swag, books, signatures all free. You will have to wait in looooooong lines though.

*Since Christmas is just around the corner I would suggest asking for a rolling carry on bag for your books. They hand out bags but you will be dying carrying all those books around and then back to your hotel.

*This is a picture of the baggage area. It was $3 a day. It's a roped off area and you get a ticket that you have to show to get in to your bag. I heard two years ago they had a problem with people stealing books but apparently they fixed the issue last year and I didn't hear about anything like that happening. I bought a lock for my bag just in case.

*Something to keep in mind is how to get all those free books home. Trust me....they are not all going on the plane unless you want to pay a lot. BEA has UPS shipping in site but it is insanely expensive! My advice? Bring a roll of packing tape and a sharpie with you and go to the post office not too far from Javits Center. They are open late, supplies are cheap and they have everything you will need. I used Prority flat rate shipping. 80 books took up 4 large flat rate boxes at under $50 and they were all waiting at my door when I got home. You can use Media Mail and it will be even cheaper although it will take a little longer.

*My last tip for this post is - start endurance training. I'm not kidding. You have no idea how sore you will be after those three days. Have a massuese and chiropractor on stand by as soon as you get home. You will be standing, walking and lugging around more books than you can imagine! Your back & shoulders will thank you.

This is just the first post I'll be writing about BEA11. I wasn't going to write about it until closer to the event but there were a lot of panicked people on Twitter when the registration kicked in. Feel free to leave questions for me and I will address them in the next post.

See you there!!