BEA 2012

by BEA first-timer Danielle Barthel

---

This year marked the first time that I was able to experience the awesomeness that is Book Expo America.  If you have never gone, let me tell you exactly what you’re missing.  Enormous lines for book signings by both well known and debut authors.  Manic book lovers trying to get the latest ARCs of some of the most highly anticipated books of the year.  Flying elbows, judgmental stares, huge bags of books getting swung into your shoulders.

It.  Is.  Fantastic.

I knew going in that it was going to be packed, but nothing can prepare you for the sheer masses that you will see at BEA.  There are so many people milling in and around booths that it is impossible to move without running into people.  Which meant that when I bumped a coworker of mine in passing, I didn’t think a thing of it until her client called my name and let us know what had just happened!  I’ll be honest…I was definitely in a book coma the day that I went.

This is just one example of the many stacks of books available.  You'd be in a book coma, too!  This happens to be our very own Altered, by Jennifer Rush, coming to you in January 2013:

Featured in the Little Brown booth

Another client, Dan Haring, had his book Oldsoul on show in the Pendrell Publishing booth:

Probably one of the coolest parts of attending BEA was knowing that several Nancy Coffey Literary clients would be doing signings!  I was lucky enough to attend Megan Powell’s signing for her upcoming debut, No Peace for the Damned, where she had a steady line of people waiting for her book for the whole hour!  She even had two of New York’s finest ask for her to sign their books.

On the other side of the Javits Center (a massive, behemoth of a building), Sarah Fine signed copies of her debut novel Sanctum.  She even spent time hand dying the incredible map from her book with tea bags before coming (to see teasers of it, visit Sarah's blog).  She was out of them within minutes!

Later in the afternoon, Veronica Roth had a joint signing with her other Dark Days Tour authors, Liz Norris, Bethany Griffin, and Aprilynne Pike.  The line for this signing stretched all the way across the Javits Center and around the corner.  They signed every book that was available, before having to turn to bookmarks!

After that, Dan Krokos signed his upcoming debut False Memory.  He had some hardcore fans waiting in line, and his book hasn’t even come out yet!

Kody Keplinger attended the Expo, too.  Her third novel, A Midsummer's Nightmare came out during the week of BEA, and she celebrated with her agent and Super Diaper Baby:

Between all the excitement of the books, the authors, the fans, and the weight of the bag brimming with ARCs I had managed to score, I was pretty exhausted at the end of the day.  But it was such a fascinating experience (and everyone says your first BEA is your best), and I can't wait to do it again.