I attended my first BEA last year. It was amazing. The weeks before though - those were nerve wracking. I'm a planner. And a researcher. If I don't know the answer, I Google the hell out of the question until satisfied. My pre-BEA weeks were filled with both planning and almost frantic Googling. If this year is anything like the last, you'll see hundreds of posts about planning for BEA and what to expect. They will all tell you the same basic things: wear comfortable shoes, look and act professional and always ask before taking anything. All sound advice. But for those of us that drive ourselves mad with seemingly random concerns, this will not be enough to placate. To aid like-minded crazies, I've pulled together the things that were of most concern to me pre-BEA as well as a couple of things I never thought to worry about.
What to Wear?
You'll hear everything from business attire to jeans and a t-shirt. Honestly, it so doesn't matter. I didn't notice anything anyone was wearing and I sincerely doubt most others did either. We're bloggers. Sure you'll want to make a good impression on the industry professionals you speak with, but this isn't a job interview. You'll be on your feet all day long, walking for miles and standing in lines for what seems like days. You need to be comfortable. Wear whatever that means to you. A nice skirt, a business suit or jeans and a tank top. You may want to leave the thigh-high hooker boots at home though. Javits convention floor is not completely flat and your feet will be crying even in sneakers. And nothing says comfort like limping in hooker boots.
How to Plan?
Obsess, obsess, obsess. No, I am not kidding. Stalk the BEA website. Make lists of all of the authors you want to see, their dates, times and locations. Make a list of all the publisher's booths you want to visit and their locations. Make yet another list of all the panels you want to see, their dates, times and locations. Make a list of the things you can't miss, the things you hope not to miss and the things you'll only do if you've got some time to kill. Keep these lists on your person at all times. And be willing to deviate from the plan when something surprisingly cool occurs. Understand that you will miss out on awesome things, no matter how well you plan. The only way I could have done everything I hoped to do would have been to clone myself. Twice. There really is that much awesome packed into Javits during BEA.
What to Bring?
A rolling suitcase. This is non-negotiable. There is a baggage check. It costs about $3 a day. You'll need to put your books in your suitcase about every 2 hours. I brought a duffle bag. I checked it. It was great, until it was time to carry 50 pounds of books on my shoulder at the end of each day. Wheels are worth every penny. And money. No one is policing it, but you really should through some money into the collection boxes in the autograph area. Food is expensive at Javits. The hot dog cart outside is not. And well, Starbucks prices are Starbucks prices. You know how that goes. Your cell phone. You will need to gather the phone numbers of those you want to meet up with beforehand. Text messaging will be you're lifeline as it's easy to wander Javits for days and not run into your friends. If you're phone has Twitter on it, all the better. And you'll want business cards. They don't have to be fancy, but it'll make life much easier when you need to give your contact info to publishers and other bloggers.
How to Act?
The basic answer: Just don't be a douche. Don't run to get to things first. Don't push people out of the way. Don't elbow people in crowds. Don't cut in lines. Don't complain, loudly, about how slow the lines are moving. Don't be rude to the authors. And for the love of god, don't act all entitled. This is exactly how bloggers get a bad rap and why we constantly have to defend ourselves. I love you guys and the whole book blogging community, but I truly fear for us all. I know that this year some (most?) bloggers are paying to attend BEA. That doesn't make the bad behavior more acceptable than when it was free last year. Every other person at BEA pays to attend (with the exception of press) and they manage to behave like adults. With all the bad blogger business stirred up in the past year, if you act poorly, odds are you will be called out by name. Bloggers are sick of being bashed and I have no doubt that if you are caught tripping a librarian to get the last ARC of something, your head will be on the internet's version of a pike. Fair warning.
For the majority that don't need that type of warning, here's what you need to realize: We love books. Every single one of us. That's why we're at BEA. Talk to everyone. You have a common love. It will be easy. These are your people. If you're terminally shy, fake it. If you don't, you'll be missing out.
And most importantly, Where's the Booze?
BEA was dry for me last year with the horrendous commuting. This year, I'm prepared with a hotel room and ready to indulge in my dual love of booze and books. Javits sells beer in its food court, but with all the walking, you may want to skip it. Last year, Penguin held a champagne toast to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the release of To Kill a Mockingbird. It's possible something along those lines may happen again. The Book Blogger Convention Reception, held Thursday after BEA will be sporting a bar this year, and I guarantee you'll see me there. There are many parties held at night after BEA. I have no real insider knowledge of them as I sadly had to ignore all the invites last year. But they are there. And this year, I will be in attendance.
The Rest:
Don't be offended if someone that should know who you are doesn't. I will tell you right now, I suck with names. Real names, blog names, twitter names, etc. I may totally know who you are, but I may never realize it until I get home and actually see your blog. It's the same for a lot of us. Since we don't know each other's faces well, there's a good chance this will happen at least once to every single one of us. If you do it to me, I'll still love you. Also, I'd suggest posting a recent, relatively accurate picture of yourself on both your blog and as your Twitter avatar for the month leading up to BEA. This will infinitely improve your chances of being recognized by your internet friends.
This is me. I am easily identified by searching for 3 key characteristics. I'm blond. I wear too much eye makeup for daytime events. And I'm always displaying far too much cleavage, no matter the occasion.
If you see me, come say hello. I'm serious. I want to hang out with you, even if I totally don't grasp who you are until the week after. I don't bite, even after the booze. If you want to make some solid plans to meet up, exchange phone numbers, make after BEA party plans, etc. email me at tantrumsandtequila@hotmail.com.
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