Book Expo America (BEA) starts today. It’s an amazing gathering of all book-related people and things. There are authors, publishers, agents, librarians, vendors, classes, events and so much more.
Networking w Midlife Women Authors
This year I have a particular interest in BEA. As I’m working on my next book, The Five Year Marriage, I want to get the big picture of what’s going on and who’s doing what in the industry. So much is going on that is different from when either one of my previous books came out. When Victorious Woman was first published, facebook was still new and twitter didn’t exist yet. When Victory by Design came out, e-books were in their infancy. Since then, the explosion of social media has impacted every aspect of our lives, and publishing is not different.
BEA is an exhausting few days. Just setting up my schedule beforehand takes several hours – and I would never go to BEA without knowing what who I want to meet and what classes I want to attend.
Plan ahead for comfort, energy and reflection
Once on the convention floor, the multi-sensory aspect is overwhelming. I dress business casual but wear running shoes because I walk miles and miles of to get from one class or booth to another. I usually pack a couple protein bars and almonds so I don’t have to stop to eat. And when I do take time to sit, I’m writing notes about ideas I’ve gotten or people I’ve met.
And then there are the books. Not as many as in the days before e-books, but still enough that I bring a suitcase. I check it in the lobby (because it isn’t allowed on the convention floor), carry a canvas bag that I fill and, once or twice throughout the day, I empty the contents of the bag into the suitcase. Before I leave the convention that day, I sort through and make sure I know what I want to do with everything I’m taking home.
Book Expo comes but once a year, and for those of us in the book business, it’s like Christmas!
