Yet another Book Expo has come and gone and I’m here to tell you my experiences! This is my 3rd time attending BEA, and I feel like there are some differences from the first two.
As it was last year, Wednesday didn’t have much going on so I didn’t attend. It’s mostly geared towards ABA booksellers. But bright and early Thursday morning I arrived at the Javits Center.
One thing that was different was the fact that there weren’t a lot of huge arc drops right when the doors opened, which I have to admit was nice. It means I got to take my time and look around, and I always like talking to the publishing people running the booths because they know the most about the books!
A big difference was the autographing area. It was off on left side of the Javits Center while all the booths were on the right. That meant people waiting for autographing didn’t have to worry about getting in the way of booths and blocking aisles, a big safety risk from previous years.
I have to say I really enjoyed that because during my downtime I could just go sit on the end to wait, especially if my autographing was going to be starting and I didn’t feel like walking and a line was already forming. Plus, their volunteers in that section were super amazing! They were working tirelessly to hand out post-its for signings and directing people to the proper lines and keeping everything running smoothly.
As a librarian, I will admit I didn’t like the fact that a lot of publishers didn’t really give out schedules of when they were doing arc drops (I assume to deter from lines forming and other safety hazards), but it meant that if I really wanted a specific book (which there are a lot I want to read beforehand to figure out if they’d be good for a library collection or not!), I didn’t know when I could get it! So then I was torn between waiting around to see if I could find that out or going to a panel.
Also, I’m not a big fan of the “secret” drops where some people seemed to know what was going on and others didn’t so they’d lie about being in a line for a specific book. That’s just not cool. Also, the secret password drops because it was just a little dangerous!
I also wasn’t a big fan of ‘the if you like this, you’ll like that’ because it wasn’t always a good recommendation! I know that the publishers were trying to keep their book stock sort of even so they’d have enough for the rest of the days, but I gave wholly different requests and got the same book twice (which they didn’t want to take back!) as well as one that didn’t even have a synopsis that had to do with what I asked for. It was a nice idea, but it took a lot of time, and I think it flustered the workers too.
Overall, I had a great time at Book Expo, and I really think it’s a great convention to go to as a librarian professional. You get to interact with publishers to find out what upcoming titles might be great for a collection, find out about books you’ve never even encountered, and be around people that love the same things you do!
Some books of note:
Sisters of the Winter Wood (Adult) - I will admit I don’t read a lot of adult books but this one seemed right up my alley so it was an impulse grab. I always like to have a few go-to adult recs so I’m glad I grabbed it.
The Boneless Mercies (YA) - This one was definitely getting pushed a lot! I love the concept and I know some of the author’s other work, so we’ll see how it goes.
The Poplar Woods (MG) - The one I wanted but the only had mockups of! Hopefully the contact I gave my card to will send it along like they said.
The Wicked King (YA) - This was a hot title and after reading The Cruel Prince in a night, I definitely needed it. I’ve loved Holly Black since I was in high school, so I definitely was glad to get this one.
alexbracken: Hi guys! I’m so excited to share my signing schedule for @bookexpo and @thebookcon! And, surprise!! We’re doing a VERY limited run of #thedarkestlegacy ARCs! 🙌 To receive one, you must come to the @disneybooksbooth at 10 AM on Friday to grab a wristband. As always, I will try to sign books you bring from home, but it’s dependent on time—each signing window is only an hour and I need to be able to sign at least one copy for everyone. As you can see, though, I’m signing A LOT. If I can’t sign your books at one, swing by the next one. 🖤 My panel information is coming soon! #thedarkestminds #alexandrabracken
