BookExpo America discussion

Please feel free to ask questions or suggest threads.

This is my first group, so any help/ideas are welcome!

I noticed when registering for BEA there is a whole list of other options you can pick that you pay extra for, do you plan on doing any of those and if so which ones?

I didn't sign up for any extras...This will be my first time and as I've not found someone to go with yet...I am a bit overwhelmed.

I didn't go to the BBC last year because I honestly just have to keep my costs down and I had to catch the train before it started.

If you can afford it and you have the time, go for it!

If it isn't in your budget, there are a lot of awesome bloggers that will be posting recaps and telling you what is discussed at the BBC. It is also great for networking, but there are a lot of other options for networking too.

I didn't sign up for any of those extra things this year - Won't be in NYC in time for BEA Monday.

Oh good. I didn't want to be alone and be the only one not going to any extras. But I really want to keep the cost as low as possible.

Plus I don't know yet how much time I can get off work...or how much time I'll want to take as I also will need to allot for my honeymoon in the fall.

Hello! I just registered and happily saying that I am not going to any extras either xD I went to BBC the first year it was open for business and I just couldn't find anything new on the info they sent my way. But it was a good experience.

Amber I. (AwesomeSauce Book Club) wrote: "Oh good. I didn't want to be alone and be the only one not going to any extras. But I really want to keep the cost as low as possible."

Amber, this is my first time and I'm not going to any extra events including book blogger con. I'd rather spend my first time taking it all in. :)

There were a lot of people last year who brought a family member with them. I'm not sure how they registered though ;/

Melissa - Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf wrote: "Plus I don't know yet how much time I can get off work...or how much time I'll want to take as I also will need to allot for my honeymoon in the fall."

Early congratulations! :)

Hey all! I've been seeing a lot of posts of people saying that they've already booked their hotel rooms- I haven't done this yet (and am starting to freak out a bit haha) Does anyone suggest a hotel that's close to the convention? :)

There are a ton, just go check out the recommendations on BEA's travel tab at bookexpoamerica.com.... We're staying at Hampton Inn Time Square South, walking distance. Love it.

Thanks for the tip!

Will there be a list of what authors from like specific genres that will be at BEA? Is there a way to find out? I thought I remember last year a blog posting like "At BEA" and list the authors that were in attendance.

Mariya wrote: "Will there be a list of what authors from like specific genres that will be at BEA? Is there a way to find out? I thought I remember last year a blog posting like "At BEA" and list the authors that..."

I think closer to BEA they release info on which authors will be there signing and whatnot.

I believe they even had an app for it last year so you could track your itinerary on your iPod or cell phone.

What Hannah said... Mariya, go play on the BEA website!

I would definitely recommend going to BBC if you are going to BEA! BBC was great my first year, and improved a lot last year, so I bet it's going to be even better this year. Not only can you get great information, but it's also a valuable time to network. There are all sorts of bloggers there, so you don't have to worry about someone of your "niche" of blogging not being there or anything.

Erica wrote: "I would definitely recommend going to BBC if you are going to BEA! BBC was great my first year, and improved a lot last year, so I bet it's going to be even better this year. Not only can you get g..."

Thanks for your input! It is nice to see what bloggers think that went. I can't make it again. Eventually I will, but I just can't take the extra time off. Wish it was on a Tues/Wed evening.

Rex Robot Reviews wrote: "Erica wrote: "I would definitely recommend going to BBC if you are going to BEA! BBC was great my first year, and improved a lot last year, so I bet it's going to be even better this year. Not only..."

It's an all day thing - it went like 8 am til 5 pm so that's probably why its not a evening :)

Oh yeah, duh. Didn't even consider that. haha... Still wish it was one of those evenings so I didn't have to take another day off!

So we can bring family? I would think so, a lot of the bloggers are teens. How do I register them though?

Maybe ask Alex Bennett of electrifying reviews. I think he did that last yr? I don't remember who else did and I don't know how they signed up for it.

I haven't heard of Alex-I will ask around, thank you for the tip!

I think if you bring family you just have to register and purchase a pass for them, if they don't contribute to your blog. I could be totally wrong though! BEA has rules listed on their site (I think.)

Krystal wrote: "So we can bring family? I would think so, a lot of the bloggers are teens. How do I register them though?"

I may be wrong, but I think they are being stricter about an age restriction this year. when I registered, in big bold letters it said something along the lines of "No one under the age of 18 will be admitted. No Exceptions" and I also saw on the FAQ on the BBC site this: "We have been advised that parental supervision/chaperoning is not an option. Those under the age of 18 must be in the presence of an industry professional at all times." And in the past I am pretty sure it had always said parent chaperone was ok. But I don't know if they are enforcing it or not.

That really blows for the younger crowd!

That stinks! Everyone in my family is over 18 though, so that is still ok for me.

I think the general consensus is bring a rolling suitcase. It can be checked for $3 a day and you can make frequent trips to drop off your books. I didn't hear of any horror stories during this ... I believe they have someone there who "guards" the bags. Plus you can always get a lock for your suitcase.

I'll be walking the two blocks to the USPS. Their flat-rate shipping is a much better deal than the inhouse UPS and FedEx.

Megan wrote: "Another question (Sorry!) but what do you guys recommend for carrying books in? I know I'm not going to bring luggage and leave it in the luggage check (have heard too many horror stories about tha..."

I would recommend bringing two sturdy totebags.I usually ended up with one or two totebags by the end of the day, and then I walked to the post office and shipped them home media mail because it was a lot cheaper.

Tote bag will probably not be enough. I had a tote AND a suitcase, and had to go back to my suitcase at least twice to unload my tote. Bring a rolling suitcase and leave it in the luggage check at BEA. I had absolutely no problem doing this.

I wouldn't use the Fed Ex because it is expensive. Super cheap to ship books media mail from the USPS. I think my PIC Brittany shipped like 70 books for $30 bucks.

I didn't hear many horror stories about the luggage check, just the place where you can leave your books in boxes in the shipping department. And I liked the ladies that guarded the bags!

WOAH!

Megan wrote: "LOL

Maybe it was just one bad story and it spread like wildfire on the blogs. Silly me didn't think about getting a lock for my luggage either. (Can you tell I don't often travel/do cons like this..."

I think some people had boxes down at the UPS/FedEx area and I heard several people got a lot of stuff stolen there, but those boxes weren't watched and were in the open. Basically the honor system gone wrong.

Dude. Mariya is that an actual pic of the luggage area from BEA?

Haha. But I think it may be, I've been looking at a lot of BEA recap/tips posts and say this pic so maybe. I think it is. Haha!

That is what the luggage area looks like.

And Hannha, I know some people got things stolen down at UPS/FedEx area, but I've always found that I'm able to carry everything I take and I just mailed one box via media mail home each night.

It is confusing... But you did it right! And yes, keep that print out. You will need it.

The free passes are good for each day of BEA. NOT stupid questions!:)

Last year was my first year and first big book event. Amazzzing. It is a bit overwhelming, but you will love it:)

Amanda wrote: "THANK YOU! Seriously, I was kind of freaking out all day because the website doesn't have the most clear instructions on how to register and it is slightly overwhelming. I've never been to an event..."

I agree with you. I just registered yesterday and it wasn't quite clear the way it was laid out. I was ready to pay for my pass as well. Luckily, I found a good blog post that steered me in the right direction. From my understanding, as long as you have been consistently posting (at least 3/wk), you should be fine.

Rex Robot Reviews wrote: "Tote bag will probably not be enough. I had a tote AND a suitcase, and had to go back to my suitcase at least twice to unload my tote. Bring a rolling suitcase and leave it in the luggage check at ..."

Thanks so much for the info on pricing! I've been trying to figure out how best to get my books back. I nearly died carrying everything in tote bags at ALA, so I think shipping may be the way to go. Media mail sounds like an important phrase to remember!

This group is so helpful already. I was just about to go ahead and buy a ticket when I saw all of this free pass info. I doubt that I'll get a free pass, but it's totally worth a try!

And, yeah, they really could hardly have made that whole process more confusing if they tried!

If I get approved for a free pass, I'll definitely consider paying to go to BBC, since I thought I'd be spending that money anyway!

Christina (A Reader of Fictions) wrote: "If I get approved for a free pass, I'll definitely consider paying to go to BBC, since I thought I'd be spending that money anyway!"

Welcome to the group, Christina! Glad it helped:)

Hey Christina!

If you buy a pass to BBC, you get a free pass to BEA. It's a pretty cool perk.

How do you have to register to do that? When I went in, it was making me register for BEA and then offering BBC for additional money under concurrent events.

I would love to do both. Which way do you need to register to get that perk?

If you go in to register, don't click any of the top choices for day passes, just click BBC registration & hit submit, it'll kick you back to the same page & say you have to choose which day pass you want, but the prices will have been altered to $0... that's the way I did it to make sure I was only paying for BBC and not the $150 or whatever it is on top of that :) (I knew my blog wouldn't get approved for the free press pass, and I think even with the press pass you have to pay for BBC so it wasn't worth the stress of waiting the 2 weeks so I just registered that way) :)

So now I'm slightly confused...if we get the free pass, which I think I did, does that mean we only attend certain parts of BEA?

Krystal wrote: "So now I'm slightly confused...if we get the free pass, which I think I did, does that mean we only attend certain parts of BEA?"

You can go to the exhibit halls on Tuesday-Thursday. You have to pay extra for the book blogger conference and the breakfasts.

Thanks! Are the exhibit halls where the books/authors/publicists are sometimes? Do you know how long they are open till? Thank you!

Krystal wrote: "Thanks! Are the exhibit halls where the books/authors/publicists are sometimes? Do you know how long they are open till? Thank you!"

I have a thread here somewhere with the exhibit hall hours. I think they're usually open until 5pm. And yes, that's where the authors and publishers are :)

Thank you very much!

I have a question about shipping the books home: did you just walk to the USPS and they had the boxes and everything? Did the USPS stay open after BEA?