96 Hours in NYC

Here’s a suggested itinerary for ABA members to get the most out of BookExpo America, ABA programming and special events, and NYC.

The first 24, plus a little more

Sunday, May 22, 2011

3:00 p.m.: Arrive at The Holiday Inn Midtown, and check-in with your discounted ABA-member rate. Stop by the ABA Welcome Desk for a copy of the education and autographing schedules and other bits of information. (No badges, however; those you can pick up at Javits.) After unpacking, mosey down to the hotel lobby, and reconnect with bookseller friends. Then, pick a cuisine and find a place to eat, walk on the High Line and marvel at the view, or just rest your feet for the days ahead.

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Any ABA bookseller – whether you’ve yet to open your store or are just looking to brush up on your skills – can come to the Holiday Inn early and attend an “Introduction to Retail Bookselling” workshop, sponsored by ABA and presented by The Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates, in Room Renaissance C.

9:00 p.m. to midnight: Return with ABA colleagues to the Holiday Inn to enjoy a post-dinner party in the Skylight Lounge in the lobby, hosted by Random House Publishing Group. You’ll be able to meet some of your favorite authors.

In addition, any ABA bookseller -- whether still to open the store or looking to brush up on her skills -- can come to the Holiday Inn early and attend an “Introduction to Retail Bookselling” workshop given by The Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Monday, May 23, 2011

7:30 a.m.: Arrive at the Javits Convention Center to begin the ABA Day of Education, sponsored by the Ingram Content Group. Pick up your show badge, if you haven’t already gotten one, at the BEA registration desk marked ABA Members and then come down to the E Hallway to the ABA Members-Only Lounge (1E07/08) to get your Day of Education journal while supplies last. (Thank you to the Espresso Book Machine folks, On Demand Books, for the “hot off the presses” journals.) The lounge is open until 5:00 p.m. today.

New this year: The Ask ABA Bar! (Our version of the you-know-what bar.) No sign-up, just walk-up, and meet your Member Relationship Manager (Kaitlin Pitcher or Elizabeth Nichols), a rotating cast of ABA staffers, and folks from LIBRIS and Asset MarketPlace.

8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.: In Javits Room 1E13/14 is the ABA Opening Plenary with Chris Zane, owner of the world-famous Zane’s Cycles and author of Reinventing the Wheel: The Science of Creating Lifetime Customers (BenBella Books). Chris has (literally) written the book on retail customer service.

10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.: Get educated! Choose your sessions, from “E-Books 201” to “Making Nonfiction Sexy” to “How to Create New Business Models Through Strategic Thinking,” to Bookseller Roundtables. All sessions are in the Javits E Hallway.

3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: At this year’s closing plenary, also in Room 1E13/14, the extraordinary Margaret Atwood talks about our rapidly changing industry. This is one not to be missed.

4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.: Attend the BEA Editors Buzz in Javits 1E13/14, and hear what’s new and exciting on the lists. This event is always packed, so be prepared!

9:00 p.m. to midnight: Dinner plans are yours to make, but come back to the Holiday Inn at 9:00 p.m. for another party. Under the stars on the Holiday Inn roof deck at a reception hosted by 12 independent presses, you’ll meet dozens of authors, including Cormac O’Brien, Dean Meyers, Kate Whouley, Emily St. John Mandel, and Masha Hamilton, to name just a very few.

The Second 24

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

8:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.: It’s over to the Special Events Hall for the Children’s Book & Author Breakfast. Of note for movie-lovers: Julianne Moore, author of Freckleface Strawberry: Best Friends Forever (Bloomsbury), will emcee.

9:00 a.m.: Trade show floor opens! Join the throngs and pick up as many galleys and autographs as possible. You never know which “conversation in the aisle” will be a life-changer. And lighten your book bag load with the BEA Mobile 2011 app, downloadable at beamobile.com. Find exhibitor lists, autographing schedules, interactive maps, special event information, and show updates.

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.: Visit the ABA Members-Only Lounge and check the Author Autographing Schedule for today and tomorrow. Notables include Karl Marlantes (Matterhorn), Peter Brown (Children Make Terrible Pets), Mitali Perkins (Bamboo People), Tom Angleberger (The Strange Case of Origami Yoda), and Keith Graves (Chicken Big).

The lounge closes today at 3:00 p.m. to allow members to go to the Town Hall and Annual Meeting in Room 1E09/10. (Look for the Town Hall comment sign-up sheet in the lounge.)

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: When you get a moment, visit the Javits Crystal Pavilion on the first floor to preview all the great art being auctioned at this year’s ABC Children’s Group Silent Auction to Benefit the ABFFE Fund for Free Speech in Children’s Books, which will be held on Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 in Room 1E09/10/11). Better yet, preview the art right now and then buy your ticket at the pre-event rate.

10:30 to noon: No need to ever be alone at BEA – Speed Dating With Children’s Authors and Illustrators gives you a chance to chat with up-and-coming authors and illustrators as they make their way around the room. Space is limited, so to register, send an e-mail to 2011speeddate@cbcbooks.org with your name, store name, address and e-mail.

12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.: Eat, Mingle, and Admire, at the Celebration of Bookselling Author Awards Luncheon in the Special Events Hall. Six of the Indies Choice Book Award and E.B. White Read-Aloud Award winners will be in attendance and many of the ICBA honorees will be there as well. Every table will host an Indie Next List author, so reserve online before this event fills up, or sign up for the wait list at the door (limit two booksellers per store).

3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: The ABA Town Hall and Annual Meeting will take place in Room 1E09/1E10. ABA staff need and want your comments and suggestions to help guide our programs. So come! (Look for the Town Hall comment sign-up sheet in the ABA Members-only Lounge.)

It’s the end of the show day, but a NYC evening awaits. Time Out New York is a great resource to find out now what will be happening then. (And for daylight outings, Lonely Planet offers its best free tourist spots. In two parts, since there are so many!)

The Final 48

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Indie Next List Author Autographing continues in the ABA Members-only Lounge, which opens early today and closes at 5 p.m. Please, come and help eat all the members-only snacks so ABA staff isn’t forced to finish them! Don’t forget to stop by the Ask ABA Bar if you’ve any questions about ABA, your membership, our programs, BEA, or if you just want to say “hey.”

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: The trade show floor is open all day, so take it easy and enjoy.

10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.: Dreaming of Drupal modules? Interest is so high in IndieCommerce that ABA staff is holding an IndieCommerce 2.0 class for advanced users in Room 1C03.

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: We often take our freedoms for granted, including free speech, but it’s not a freedom to be assumed. The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression is co-sponsoring Book Banning 2011: A Report From the Frontlines of the Battle for Free Speech in Room 1E12. ABFFE will be in the Exhibit Hall this year, at Booth 3589.

3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: It’s Tea Time! What a lovely hour, talking and sipping with children’s authors in Room 1E12. Co-sponsored by the ABC Children’s Group at ABA and the Children’s Book Council. Reserve your ticket beforehand.

5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: You’ve seen the art preview, had your eye on something special, and now is your chance to place a bid at the ABC Children’s Group at ABA Silent Auction to Benefit the ABFFE Fund for Free Speech in Children’s Books. Reserve your ticket beforehand and enjoy a drink and snacks while watching the politely fierce bidding.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.: The trade show floor is traditionally lighter on the last day, so use the emptier aisles to visit all those vendors you meant to, talk to all the other booksellers you wanted to but didn’t, stop at the Ask ABA Bar in the Members-only Lounge, and enjoy a final hot-dog from the Sabrett’s outside!

3:00 p.m.: Trade show floor closes; ABA Members-only Lounge closes; we all fall down!

It's Over!

And if your book-talk lust still isn’t sated, keep reading Bookselling This Week for details on Winter Institute 7, being held in New Orleans in January 2012 .