BookExpo 2017: Day 2 Recap

BookExpo (previously known is BookExpo America) is book industry trade show that will took place May 31, 2017 to June 2, 2017 at the Javits Center in New York City. This is an awesome event to network, to learn about upcoming titles and to immerse yourself in everything bookish. BookExpo is the leading book and author event for the North American publishing industry. I was fortunate enough to attend this year as an educator and blogger. I only attended the expo on June 1st and June 2nd. Check out my recap for Day 1 of BookExpo here.

Day 2 of BookExpo

Selina and I woke up around 7:30, got ready and went to Starbucks for a quick breakfast before gathering all of belongings to bring to Javits. We Ubered to the Javits and checked all of our bags since we plan to head to Penn Station from the Javits in the afternoon. This time we got to the Javits earlier than the previous day and had time to skim through the Show Daily for last minute galley giveaways. I was successful in securing a copy of There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins which was one of the priority books of the day. It was dropped right when the Exhibit Hall opened and I am so glad to be one of the lucky ones to get a copy.

I went to Macmillan to get a ticket for the 10:00 Dan Santat's  signing before heading to Penguin for the 9:30 Celeste Ng signing. Celeste was signing Little Fires Everywhere. Although she is lives locally to where I live, I wanted to meet her for the first time since I wasn't able to attend any of her events when her debut book came out. Her line was fairly long but the wait wasn't too bad. She is so nice too. I was able to chat with her for a bit while she signed my copy.

I went to Macmillan afterwards and stood in line to get a copy of After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again). I was chatting with a librarian behind me who traveled from Virginia for BookExpo. Her sister was also in the city but she was sightseeing. I found out she was planning to head to Boston after the BookExpo on the weekend to visit for a few days. Of course I had to ask what her plans were and gave some suggestions. I love how Macmillan entertained people waiting in line with those cartoon cutouts where you put your head in. We also got After the Fall tote bags too. They are fairly big and have a front pocket.

Afterwards, I went to the Autographing Area to get a copy of You'll Never Know, Dear by Hallie Ephron signed. I met Shelley Michael who wrote All Aboard. Unfortunately, I did not get a ticket for Jan Brett but that's okay since Jan Brett line was super long. The line for Jason Reynolds was too long and apparently Simon & Schuster cut the line fairly early for Long Way Down. Jason Reynolds is pretty amazing. I managed to meet him a couple times at past events. I did manage to stop by to get a copy of The South's Best Butts: Pitmaster Secrets for Southern Barbecue Perfection by Matt Moore. Matt couldn't make it to the signing because his daughter was born the previous day. Congrats to Matt!

I ended up taking a lunch break and went to retrieve my left overs from the previously day from my suitcase after I dropped off my books. I met up with Selina in the food court to relax, eat and to chat for a bit. I had a lot of free time since my next thing on my schedule wasn't until 1:30ish.

MarcyKate signing Shadow Weaver

I went to the Exhibit Hall after eating and just walked around until about 15 minutes before the Shadow Weaver signing at Sourcebooks. MarcyKate Connolly was signing galleys of her upcoming MG fantasy novel called Shadow Weaver. This title is my second priority book of the day. I have met MarcyKate several times and it was nice seeing her again. I wasn't able to meet Kerri Maniscalco in person at BEA because of her signing line being so short. I was hoping to see her on the floor between signings but no avail. I have a copy of her upcoming book, Hunting Prince Dracula, and I didn't want to take time away from those who want to get an ARC signed. Kerri will be attending the Boston Teen Author Festival in September so I will definitely have a chance to chat with her then.

I probably stood in line to see Anna-Marie McLemore for awhile. That line was fairly long but I wanted to say hi and also to obtain a copy of Wild Beauty. I was surprised Anna-Marie said I looked familiar and asked if we met up sometime in the past. We did meet for the first time last year at ALA Midwinter in Boston. Crazy how she vaguely remembered me. She is too sweet and I love how she signed galleys with a teal sharpie!

Julie Dao signing Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

The next and last thing I did for the day was to meet Julie Dao who wrote Forest of a Thousand Lanterns! That's my last priority for the day and every minute waiting was worth it! Marci, Ashley and I didn't have to wait too long. Julie is oh so nice! She remembered me on twitter and we chatted about the upcoming title and I mentioned about how Melody kept raving about the book.

Selina had one more signing while I retrieved my bags and reorganized my books in my luggage. I
met up with Selina and after she got her bags and we Ubered to Penn Station for our train that was departing around 4:40ish. We got there at 4:00 to give us time to get food and do a bathroom trip. Unfortunately, our train was delayed an hour or so so we chilled in the waiting room the whole entire time. I couldn't wait to arrive at South Station in Boston. I felt like the trip home took forever. Selina and I hugged and said our farewells before I took the silver line to the airport where by boyfriend picked me up to head home.

Overall, BookExpo and NYC was a memorable trip even though Selina and I were only there for about 50 hours. I thought it might be my last trip to BookExpo but I might end up going next year since it will be in NYC once again. Some of my favorite moments including new people in lines and chatting with them and having mini chats with Emma from Miss Print and Nicole from The Bookbandit Blog. I am glad I was able to see Emma and Nicole at least a couple times during BookExpo even though it was for a short time.

BookExpo 2017: Day 1 Recap

BookExpo (previously known is BookExpo America) is book industry trade show that will took place May 31, 2017 to June 2, 2017 at the Javits Center in New York City. This is an awesome event to network, to learn about upcoming titles and to immerse yourself in everything bookish. BookExpo is the leading book and author event for the North American publishing industry. I was fortunate enough to attend this year as an educator and blogger. I only attended the expo on June 1st and June 2nd.

Off to NYC

BookExpo went by so fast but I had so much fun meeting people and reuniting with friends. On Wednesday, May 31st, Selina and I met up at South Station and took the Amtrak to Penn Station. The trip felt fairly quick. After we arrived at Penn Station, we ended up Ubering to the Javits Center to pick up our badges and then headed to our Airbnb. I got to see the Warcross banner go up when I was wandering around the Javits for a bit which was pretty awesome.

I totally forgot how small NYC apartments are but it was doable for our needs for the next couple of nights. Our Airbnb host was super nice and her apartment was located in a good location of Hell's Kitchen. It was very convenient to get around the city. We ended up getting some Italian food at 44 Southwest Ristorante & Bar near by the apartment and I ended up picking up a milk tea at the Vivi Bubble Tea shop. Both of us were excited about the first day of BookExpo and unfortunately for me, I didn't really get much sleep.

Day 1 of BookExpo

Selina and I woke up around 7:15-7:30 and went to a diner down the street for some breakfast. We didn't get to the Javits until a bit after 9:00. I believe we were on the floor by 9:04 and it's nuts how most of the galley giveaways were gone in minutes. We unfortunately didn't get anything in the morning and we decided to focus on our signings for the AM. I ended up going to Macmillan to get a ticket for the Katherine Applegate Wishtree signing at 10:00. I love how Macmillan paired up with First Book to give a book per wish initiative. For every wish written on a paper leaf sticky, a book is donated to a child.

After that I went do a quick round of the show floor to familiar myself with my surroundings before heading to the Autographing Area for the Margarita Engle and Mike Curato signing. It was so nice to see Mike again and he let me page through his upcoming Little Elliot book, Little Elliot, Fall Friends, while he signed my copy of All the Way to Havana. Everyone also got a Little Elliot signed print.

I proceeded to HarperCollins for a drop of Hiddensee by Gregory Maguire. The novel sounds interesting and it's a retelling of the Nutcracker. Some how I found Marci from The Plot Bunny wandering around the exhibit hall and I met her friend Ashley from The Tattered Page. We ended up chatting for a bit before heading to Macmillan for a galley drop for Girls Made of Snow and Glass. Then we proceeded to Bloomsbury for a drop of The Unicorn Quest: The Whisper in the Stone. Afterwards, the three of us went to the Rules of Magic signing line to meet Alice Hoffman at Simon & Schuster. I was so excited to meet Alice and the Rules of Magic is one of my most anticipated books to get for Thursday. The novel is the prequel to Practical Magic.

The Warcross line was super long but so worth it! The Penguin Random House are was swamped with people but I know Warcross is on a lot of people's TBR list. Disney was having a drop of The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding by Alexandra Bracken which is MG novel. Marci, Ashley and I were able to get a copy. I had a quick lunch afterwards before heading toward HarperCollins for a drop of They Both Die at the End. It was interesting that the drop was during the same time as Adam Silvera's signing of the very same title. Since I've seen Adam so many times before and he will be at the Boston Teen Author Festival in Cambridge, MA in the fall, I didn't need to be in the signing line. I heard the signing was quite lengthy and some people couldn't meet Adam.

After the drop, I went to the Autographing Area to meet Rossella Rago and to get a finished copy of Cooking with Nonna. I cannot wait to try these fantastic Italian recipes at home. One of the adult fiction novels on my list was The Twelve-Mile Straight. I couldn't wait to meet Eleanor Henderson and she was super nice. I was excited that she recognized me from Twitter. Next on the list is Ringer by Lauren Oliver. I am looking forward to reading this sequel in the Replica series. Also, It's nice to see Lauren again. I had my ARC personalized to Elizabeth and Lauren told me how her sister got named after Elizabeth Bennet and how she got named after a neighbor. Lauren is always a pleasure to chat with.

I stopped by Sourcebooks for a drop of The List by Patricia Forde and totally forgot that Tamara Ireland Stone was signing Click'd at Disney. I had to meet Tamara since I loved Every Last Word and I definitely wanted to tell her how much I liked the book. I succeeded and was able to see her at 2:50. I can't believe I almost missed the chance to meet Tamara! 

Bloomsbury had a drop of Reign the Earth at 3:00 so when I was waiting in line for the Meg Kassel signing, I was able to get a copy. Entangled Teen had a booth for the first time at BookExpo and I was excited that Meg Kassel was going to be signing copies of Black Bird of the Gallows. This book has been on my TBR list for quite sometime and I wasn't sure if it was ever going to be published since it was dropped from Egmont when Egmont closed. I am so happy Entangled Teen picked it up! Meg is such a sweetheart too. She was definitely enthusiastic to be at BookExpo and I don't blame her :).

My last thing of the day was the pick up a cocktail and a finished copy of The Wildcrafted Cocktail. I have to say that the drink was delicious and very smooth. Cheers to the end of the first day of BookExpo!

I went to get my bag and met up with Selina. We caught an Uber back to the apartment and then we took a nap for an hour or so before we headed out for dinner. Selina and I met up with Josh, one of the MISTI-Con staff members who also happens to be Selina's friend. We ended up eating at Southern Hospitality BBQ for some pulled pork sandwiches. Selina wanted some Pink Berry so she got some froyo afterwards. Let's say we spent a good amount of time talking about the MISTI-Con that occurred last month and we came up with some ideas for MISTI-Con 2019. I can't wait for the next MISTI-Con!

After a long day, we got some sleep for the next day, which happens to be our last day in NYC. We had to make sure all our bags were pretty much packed before hitting the hay.

BookExpo 2017: Where to Find Me

BookExpo is around the corner and I still keep calling it BEA. Maybe it's because it's been BEA for many years and it's easier to say. For those who plan to be in New York during the last week of May going into the first week of June, I hope I can meet you somewhere at the Javits Center or somewhere in New York City for a bite to eat or for a coffee break. Below you can find a outline of some of the places I may be at during the week. I'm only planning to stay in the city from Wednesday, May 31 to Friday, June 2. Due to my previous trip in May, MISTI-Con, I can't stay in the city too long.

Check out some of my BookExpo tips from a previous BEA.

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

I will be taking the Amtrak from South Station located in Boston late morning to arrive at Penn Station in NYC mid-afternoon. My friend Selina and I will be checking into out Airbnb before venturing the city. Most likely we will pick up our badges that day but we don't mind picking them early Thursday morning. This year the floor is not open until Thursday.

I am not sure what we have planned but most likely a place to eat and maybe I can see if she wants to visit places like Books of Wonder, The Strand or maybe even stopping by the Jefferson Market Library for BlogBound Con.

Thursday, June 1, 2017  

Selina and I plan to wake up early this day but we'll see how things go. I am hoping that I can meet Katherine Applegate this year since I was not able to meet her in 2015. Her upcoming novel, Wishtree, is definitely on my TBR list. Obtaining All the Way to Havana by Margarita Engle and Mike Curato is a must! Not only have I heard great things about the book but I love anything Mike Curato writes or illustrates! I would love to meet Alice Hoffman when she signs the prequel to Practical Magic called The Rules of Magic. The Twelve-Mile Straight by Eleanor Henderson sounds like a fantastic novel and I would love to meet the author. Amy Tan will be signing Where The Past Begins samplers at the end of the day and I definitely want to meet her. I have been reading her books since 2001 and she's one of the authors that I want to meet in my lifetime. Meg Kassel will be signing her book Black Bird of the Gallows. The book has been on my TBR for awhile and I would love to meet Meg! The last thing on my list is to hopefully obtain a copy of

So the above are musts but there are a couple other things you might find me doing during the day depending on timing. I would love to obtain a galley of Hiddensee by Gregory Maguire, Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust and seeing Adam Silvera again when he is signing They Both Die at the End. I've met Lauren Oliver a couple of times and she's super nice. She is signing Ringer, which is the next book in the Replica series. Of course it would be nice to meet Rossella Rago who wrote the cookbook, Cooking with Nonna. There are also a few other cookbooks being highlighted on Thursday afternoon which I would love to chat with publicists about.

Friday, June 2, 2017

At the start of the day at 9:30, Celeste Ng will be signing Little Fires Everywhere. I have a feeling the line will be long for this one but it doesn't hurt to try to see if I can meet Celeste. Marie Lu will be signing Warcross around 11:00 and I have a feeling that the line will be super long but I will try my chances in trying to meet her. Jan Brett is signing The Mermaid and hopefully I will be lucky in the morning to obtain a ticket for this signing. I MUST obtain MarcyKate Connolly's upcoming novel, Shadow Weaver! I will have to make sure that I make this a priority and I plan to line up very early to make sure I get to say hi to MarcyKate again. Kerri Maniscalco is someone who I have been dying to meet ever since I heard about Stalking Jack the Ripper. Although I was lucky to get sent a copy of Hunting Prince Dracula, I would love to finally meet the lovely Kerri. I am excited that she will be visiting the Boston area in the fall for the Boston Teen Author Festival. To end the day, I would love to see if I can score a copy of Julie Dao's debut novel, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns and to meet Julie. There is much buzz about this novel so we'll see how crazy it gets for the signing. The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert during a galley drop! This novel has been hyped a lot online and the synopsis sounds fantastic. I probably won't be able to get Hazelwood because I need to leave the Javits by 3:45.

Some of the other things I would like to do but aren't musts include meeting Kamilla Benko who wrote The Whisper in the Stone. The middle grade novel sounds like a fantastic read. Amanda Foody who wrote Daughter of the Burning City would be awesome to meet but I know Harlequin does the multi-author signings and it requires at least a 1.5 hour line up before meeting authors. Anna-Marie McLemore will be signing her upcoming book, Wild Beauty, which sounds fabulous!

Selina and I are leaving NYC around 4:45ish from Penn Station. This day will be a long one since we will be waking up early in the morning for BookExpo and we will be leaving the Javits early enough to head to Penn Station in order to get some food before departing to Boston. Estimated arrival time at South Station is a little bit after 9:00.

Are you going to BookExpo? If so, what are you excited for? Are there certain authors you hope to meet and titles you want to check out? Follow me on social media via the has tag #NicoleAtBookExpo.