I was lucky enough to be able to attend BookExpo America this year! I had such an amazing time and met so many great people! This post will not do my trip justice, but I will share a bit about my experiences and show you some of my favourite pictures from the event!
Table of Contents
The Bloggers Conference
Javits Center
As I headed to the Book Bloggers Conference, I got my first glimpse of the Javits Center! It is seriously a cool building! And the inside of it is just as cool.
Me and Danny from Bewitched Bookworms
So I got in line to enter the main room for the conference, and I saw Danny from Bewitched Bookworms just across the line! So obviously I ran over and said hello. She is just as awesome in person! And we constantly saw each other throughout the conference, it was great!
My two favourite panels
Books showcased at the Blogger Con
Of all the panels at the Bloggers Conference, I feel like only two are worth mentioning. The first is the “Young Adult Editor Insights” panel. Editors from publishing companies like Scholastic and Disney-Hyperion talked about some of their upcoming books and why they rock! Plus, we got to pick up some AWESOME free books! I came away with Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2), These Broken Stars, Plague in the Mirror, and Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer.
Blogging Platforms Panel
And second was the Blogging Platforms panel with Rachel from Parajunkee, Stephanie Leary (a WordPress consultant), Evie from Bookish, and April from Good Books and Good Wine. This was one of my favourite panels because I love all things WordPress and it was fun to chat about it! Plus, Parajunkee mentioned the Ultimate Book Blogger Plugin, which was awesome!
I think the one downside to this panel was that the attendees were so split between people who are established bloggers, and people who knew NOTHING about blogging. Not to diss anyone, but I was kind of disappointed that non-bloggers were allowed into the conference. There were some people there who said they don’t blog but “wanted to start”. I don’t feel like this should have been a conference to go to to learn HOW to blog. I don’t think it was beneficial for either parties to have the people who know what they’re doing mixed with the newbies.
The people who had a good blogging foundation (like myself) wanted to dig deep into expert WordPress topics, discuss followers and pageviews, talk about reach and how best to grow your blog, etc. But the newbies had no idea what a “plugin” was or what “WordPress” was. I just feel like it was so disjointed and both parties suffered because we were all mixed together.
BEA – Recap
Day #1
BEA Day 1 Outfit
FINALLY it was time for BEA day #1! I was so excited and nervous, and although I kind of knew what to expect, I didn’t *exactly* know what to expect. Once I got to the center, I met up with Eileen from Singing and Reading in the Rain and we hung out the whole time! She is amazing and we had so much fun together!
Outside the exhibit hall
As soon as we walked in, we were overwhelmed by the pure AWESOMENESS of the exhibit hall! All the booths were incredible and it was just an epic and overwhelming site. We stopped by some publishers booths, chatted with people, handed out business cards, before making our way to the autographing area.
No Antigoddess for us!
We were hoping to get in line for Kendare Blake’s signing of Antigoddess, but because we didn’t make a beeline for it straight away (pretty distractions and all that), we didn’t manage to get a copy! But we met up with a new blogger named Heather and we took a fun “pity us” selfie, with her copy of Antigoddess in the background!
So instead, we got straight in line to snag a copy of Gretchen McNeil’s upcoming book, 3:59! Then we made a beeline for the Scholastic booth, where we got in line to get signed lithographs of the new Harry Potter cover art! We got to meet the new illustrator and see the cover reveal for book #2!
I don’t know about you guys, but I’m a huuuuge fan of the new artwork!
Gretchen McNeil signing 3:50
New Harry Potter Illustrator: Kazu Kibuishi
Harry Potter Lithograph signed by Kazu Kibuishi
Later that day, we got in line to get Crown of Midnight signed by Sarah J. Maas. We were in line for about an hour but it wasn’t so bad. At that point we were pretty exhausted so it was nice to chill out on the floor and be off our feet. We also met Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner while we were in line!
BEA Autographing Area
Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner, me, Eileen from Singing and Reading in the Rain
Sarah J. Maas signing Crown of Midnight
‘OMG we got Teardrop’ selfie
After this signing, we RAN LIKE HELL to the Random House booth, hoping to snag a copy of Teardrop. Amazingly, they still had copies left! So we got in line, and guess who we ran into? Katie from Katie’s Book Blog! Once we all got our copies of Teardrop, we took an “OMG we got Teardrop” selfie. Crazy faces were required.
Days #2 and #3
I’m grouping these next two days together because they weren’t as hectic and they kind of blur together for me LOL!
While in line to get Altered by Gennifer Albin, Eileen and I met Kellie Sheridan, author of Mortality (which I’m DYING to read!). We just started chatting and at first I didn’t realize who she was. Then I had kind of a freak out moment when I realized she’s KELLIE SHERIDAN and she had tweeted at me just a few weeks prior! So cool!
Suzanne Young & Cat Patrick
Later, we got in line for Cat Patrick’s signing, thinking she was signing The Originals (because I swear that’s what was listed!), but it turns out she and Suzanne Young were both signing their new book, Just Like Fate. So I ended up with two copies of the book because I had already gotten one earlier from a galley drop!
On the third day, Epic Reads made an appearance! They set up a “Spin to Win” thing in the HarperCollins booth, where you could spin the wheel and win whatever book you landed on! Unfortunately I won Crash by Nicole Williams. I say ‘unfortunately’ only because I’ve already read the book! So I walked around BEA holding it up shouting “Who wants this book?? Who wants it??” And finally I gave it to a lucky person!
Epic Reads ‘Spin to Win’
Epic Reads
Who wants Crash??
Other BEA Highlights
Meeting Parafantasy
Eileen, me, Ezmirelda from Parafantasy
Jessica Verdi Signing
Jessica Verdi signing copies of My Life After Now. She is SO sweet!!
Group Pics!
Eileen, Danny, me, Heather
And finally, we had a teary, heartfelt goodbye! Me, Eileen, Ezmirelda from Parafantasy, and Hannah from The Girl in a Cafe spent like 30 minutes saying goodbye outside the exhibit hall! It was fun, but also sad!
Seriously, Hannah is AMAAAAZING! Every moment she, Eileen, and I spent together was pure awesomeness!
BEA Overall: Pure Awesome, and Epic Exhaustion
BookExpo America was definitely the most amazing experience ever! I would go again in a heartbeat (hopefully I can go next year!). I met so many incredible bloggers, authors, publicists, and just readers. Plus, I picked up loads of great new books!
But it was also EXHAUSTING! We woke up early to get there early, then walked around for like 9 hours, plus carried books around all day… I was ready to sleep every day at 5pm. And by the last day, I was yawning all afternoon!
Plus, a couple disasters
There weren’t any disasters for me *at* BEA, but there were a couple in New York City!
First, by the end of the trip I was starting to feel a little sick! A bit of coughing, sniffling, all that.
And, my mom left my favourite “romantic getaway” tote bag in a taxi! 🙁 (I still love you, mom ♥)
Then, one night, I got stranded in New York City two miles from my hotel and was unable to catch a cab, so I had to walk for 40 minutes in shoes that are NOT meant to be walked in! My feet felt like they were bleeding by the time I made it back!
And finally, at the airport when we were getting ready to fly home, we got a note from the people at the airport saying that my bag (filled with BEA books) had burst open going down a chute and they had to put my things back inside and wrap my bag in plastic! Luckily everything made it back in one piece and no books or embarrassing articles of clothing were left behind.
Other than that…
Exhaustion and disasters aside, it was such an incredible couple of days!
Final Book Haul
Here are all the books I got from BookExpo America, minus the two I gave to my mom!
Titles & Goodreads Links:
- Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard (signed)
- Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young (signed)
- The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
- The Execution of Noa P. Singleton by Elizabeth L. Silver (signed)
- This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales (signed)
- Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles (signed)
- Fractured by Sarah Fine
- These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
- Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken
- Teardrop by Lauren Kate (signed)
- The Enchanter Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
- Plague in the Mirror by Deborah Noyes
- The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (signed)
- The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen
- Splintered by A.G. Howard (with Unhinged excerpt)
- Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender
- My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi (signed)
- How to Love by Kate Cotugno
- 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil (signed)
- Cherry Money Baby by John M. Cusick
- Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
- Altered by Gennifer Albin
- Left Drowning by Jessica Park (signed)
- Wait for You by J. Lynn (signed)
- The 100 by Kass Morgan
- The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle (signed)
- Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston
- Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (signed)
- Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts
- All the Truth That’s In Me by Julie Berry (signed)
- Entwined With You by Sylvia Day (signed)
- Tandem by Anna Jarzab (signed)
- The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech
- The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
- Enchanted by Alethea Kontis (signed)
- The Dollhouse Asylum by Mary Gray (signed)
- Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (signed)
Giveaway
I wound up with two ARCs of Just Like Fate, so now I’m giving one away!
About the Book
Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick & Suzanne Young
Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick, maybe dying. Like the rest of her family, Caroline’s been at Gram’s bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape–both her family and the reality of Gram’s failing health. So when Caroline’s best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram’s side, or go to the party and live her life.
The consequence of this one decision will split Caroline’s fate into two separate paths—and she’s about to live them both.
Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships, and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her longtime crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she’s ever wanted.
Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending…
Giveaway Rules
- Open internationally
- One winner
- The winner will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen
Did you attend BEA?
If you attended BEA and wrote a recap post, link me!! I’d love to check it out! 😀
That’s so awesome Ashley! You got The 5th wave too! Yaay. Still have to read that one myself, but I have a copy and I’m going to read it soon.
I didn’t go to BEA this year or any years before. It would cost me a lot of money to go (you know, plain, hotel etc,… I can’t swim all the way from belgium to new york unfortunately.) I really hope I can go next year, but I doubt it. Some day I will and it shall be epic!
Yeah I still need to read The 5th Wave too! Most people seem to really love it!
Can’t wait to hear (read) what you think of it. 🙂
That is so cool. It looks and sounds like you guys had a great time. happy you met up with fellow bloggers. That sucks about the mishaps though. I can’t believe your bag full of books busted open. lol. Thank goodness all the books made it.
Yeah I was freaking out during the entire airplane ride because I was so afraid that some of my books would get left behind. But luckily everything made it back in one piece!
YAY! Looks like you had an awesome time! It was so great meeting you in the SHP line! I wish we had taken a picture! I didn’t think to do that. WHY WHY WHY? In any case, next year I think I’ll do the blogger conference. Looks like a lot of fun and like there’s much to learn! Enjoy your haul!
OMG I wish we had taken a picture too, Brooke! It was so fun meeting you!! 🙂 Hopefully there are some cool panels during the Blogger Conference next year!
omg you got a signed copy of The 5th Wave??? *jealous* I loved that book! What a wonderful time you had – I really wish they had conventions like that over here!
I was there and I had an awesome time!!! Got lots of books and met a lot of people which is one of the things I love most about BEA; since everyone around is a book lover, it’s very easy to talk to them. I’m glad you had fun, even with the small disasters 🙂
I have so much to say yet I have no idea how to express myself so… I AM SO GLAD YOU HAD FUN AND ENJOY READING ALL THOSE PRETTIES! I hope I can go next year- all ready beginng my mum 😉
You already know how insanely jealous I am of your haul 😛 haha, ALL THE PRETTIES *__*
So glad you had a great time and was able to meet more fantastic bloggers too! 🙂 Cannot wait to see what you think of the all the books you got!
I love all the pictures! It seriously looks like the bestest time. I’m glad you enjoyed it so much. 🙂
Fantastic round up and thanks for including us in it!!
Sounds like you had a ton of fun, BEA sounds like a blast! Definitely something to add to the bucket list. 🙂 TONS of great reads!! The Dream Thieves and Altered are two of my most anticipated. Plus The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. Happy Reading!!
Looks like you had a blast and got a great haul!
I’m glad you enjoyed BEA! The whole event is pretty overwhelming and tiring, but I think, all in all, enjoyable. There’s a tremendously crazy amount of energy from being around book lovers that just ends up inspiring and re-energizing you about books and blogging and the like. Glad you enjoyed it!
GIRLFRIEND. That is seriously awesome! I’m so glad you got to go hangout in Bookish Heaven for a few days! It sounds like you got to meet so many cool peeps and bring home lots of yummies for the summer. Seriously, that’s like perfect timing. Hehe. PSST. You can always donate them to Muah when you finish. JUST KIDDING.
Anyway, it’s so cool seeing your pretty face with Eileen!! You guys are both so epic and so pretty! Dude, I wish I dressed as awesome as you guys. Okay. Seriously, not jealousy here. I’m so excited for your excited about it.
I’m sounding really cheesy. ANYWAY. I will get to BEA eventually….
<3333 Inky
Thanks for the giveaway and double thanks for making it international! That book haul is amazing, I’m still drooling! And thanks for the re cap, I’m loving all the posts about it, sounds so much fun.
I only went to the Power Reader Day but I definitely want to go as a blogger next year!
It’s definitely worth going as a blogger! Honestly, Saturday was the least interesting day. It was still fun, but Thursday in particular was AMAZING. There’s just so much more going on the other two days!!
I know! Haha Super Jelly I think I saw you Saturday in passing! But next year I will be a senior so it will be fine to miss the school days!! I am def registering as soon as it opens up and buying tickets as a blogger!
Oohh awesome! 😀 I wish we could have officially met! Maybe next year!
Yay, you went and had fun! That’s pretty awesome, Ashley. Thank you so much for the generous giveaway. 🙂
Look at all those books! It looks like you had SUCH a blast. I am really, really hoping I get to go to BEA someday!
You got some great books, Ashley! And it looks like you had a blast!
You look like you had tons of fun at BEA. I wish I was there.
Thanks for sharing! 😀
I loved reading this recap! It really does sound like a book lover’s dream to be able to attend BEA. Hopefully I can go some day!
How frustrating having to sit in a blogger’s panel and have non-bloggers attend. I think people wanting to start a blog, should have had a separate panel. At least, a few probably walked away with some good information.
Ah fangirling that you got Entwined With You signed by Sylvia Day! I’m still debating if I want to go up to Rom Con in Colorado at the end of the month and she’s my selling my point. I want to meet her SO bad. So glad you met her. I see you got a copy of Plague in the Mirror by Deborah Noyes-it looks like a great read.
Looks like you had a great time. I’ve never went myself, but I can tell it would be wonderful to.
I’m so jealous it looks like you had an amazing time! Last year we decided we would do a US trip around the BEA dates so I could go, then I got pregnant and was due a week after the expo so it was all off 🙁 If I can fathom flying to New York with a 12 month old and 3.5 year old then hoping perhaps it can be on the cards next year!!!
Good Lord, that’s a lot of books! Did you meet the airplane’s weight restrictions?
Glad you had fun! Sounds awesome!
How I love these pictures!!!! It was sos sooooo amazing finally meeting you Ashley and I’m so happy you had such an amazing time!
and I was just as excited as you were about Teardrop. (which I read btw already and loved it soooo much!)
Thanks so much for sharing photos! It’s so lovely to see bloggers hanging out together for real 🙂 And I am so happy you had such a great time, even with the small mishaps, it looks just amazing. I’m hoping to go next year – even if I have to take all my exams in August instead of late May beginning of June…
Maybe I’ll see you there Lexxie! I’m really hoping I’ll be able to go next year. 🙂
I hope we’ll both be there, and that we’ll be able to hang out a little as well!
AHHHHH SO JEALOUS!! I’m uber jealous of you and Eileen both that you got to meet each other! I seriously hope I can go next year!
That’s crazy that your bag-o-books burst open! Good thing you didn’t lose any, though. That’s something I never thought of…I’d have to fly there, do they charge you extra baggage for all your books on the trip home??? That’d be an expensive trip, but hopefully I can start saving like, NOW. *sigh*
Eileen and I had SO MUCH FUN together!!! I really hope you can make it next year! Then you, Eileen and I can all hang out together! Woohoo!!
I flew with Virgin America and they do charge a little bit ($25) if you take more than one bag. I’m not sure if other airlines do or not though. Some airlines allow you to take two bags. Just don’t go over the weight limit of 50lbs! Then they’ll hit you with like a $50 charge. Here’s what I did:
I packed 1 bag inside of the other on the way there (so that I didn’t get charged for 2 bags). Then, after BEA, I spread my books out between the two bags and even took like 5 in my carryon. That way I didn’t cause one bag to go totally overweight. My heaviest one ended up being 44lbs (just within the limit!).
I HIGHLY recommend that over mailing your books. Most people seem to ship their books home and honestly… it sounds horrible. The post office is WAY WORSE with losing packages than the airport is with losing bags. I’ve heard of people never getting their books, or of their boxes arriving damaged, etc. Plus you sometimes have to wait up to a week just for your books to arrive. If you pack them in your suitcase you get them immediately and they’re always close by! And a suitcase offers more damage protection than a box.
I know I’m totally stalking your posts right now, but oh wells 😀
I agree with flying your books over shipping them. I flew AA from NYC to San Fran, with all of my BEA books in my suitcase and carryon luggage. The security guys thought I was cray, and I made the machine go off, but we had a chuckle when I said, “You can never have enough reading material on a plane.” I wish I had bought an extra suitcase in NYC and paid the extra luggage charge, but I was afraid the tour I was going on wouldn’t let me have 2 cases (wasn’t a prob in the end!).
Next year (fingers crossed!) I’m hopefully going to be flying in and out of NYC, so I’ll leave a suitcase somewhere (safe) while I’m traveling so I don’t have to lug all my books around (I got dished out for having the heaviest case on tour) and fly with an airline that has a 2 suitcase included policy!!
And Ash – OMG that’s a picture of us! I love it. I loved BEA. I wish it were May again. I miss you and Eileen and everyone I met. Y’all are super amazeballs. Best. Time. Ever.
I would love to attend a Book Expo someday. It looks like you had a lot of fun, and you came back with so many books. Awesome!!