I know I’m jumping the gun a little bit on a Book Expo post, but it’s all I’ve been hearing about via my email. I always think of BEA as something that happens later, after spring has come, and with a foot of new snow in my yard, it’s hard to think of the trade show. But folks, it’s time to think about it.
This is the season when booksellers start checking their email in-boxes for news of breakfast speakers, publisher invitations and party announcements. The show is in New York City again, this year it’s just a tiny bit earlier than last year, starting May 29th. I may be late to the planning stage of my BEA.  Many booksellers have already reserved rooms and there are a lot of show hotels that are already booked. These are smart and savvy people, as reasonably priced hotel rooms are on of the real challenges of the spending any time in New York City.
It’s funny, but I often think I’ll skip a year of BEA. I feel this way because, well, it’s expensive to leave the store, get coverage for my shifts, board my dogs, fly down, pay for airport parking and stay in NYC for three nights. But as soon as I get one or two emails about the speakers and educational opportunities I start booking my trip.
I read in Bookselling this Week  that Jack Gantos and Lauren Myracle will be hosting the silent auction on May 29th. And it’s free to ABC member stores, which is great and a huge savings over the $99 ticket price. The breakfast speakers are Rick Riordan, Veronica Roth and Mary Pope Osborne with Octavia Spencer as the Master of Ceremonies. So, I will be spending part of my day organizing my trip and using the nifty Book Expo app to plan the most efficient trade show I can, which usually involves emailing all my bookseller friends to find out when we can have drinks, lunch or dinner, because honestly, it’s my friends who make BEA special for me.
How many of you are planning on attending? And what part of the show are you the most excited about?