BEA 2011: Last-Minute Reminders

Here’s a roundup of educational programming highlights, special events, and resources for booksellers at BookExpo America.

ABA’s Day of Education, sponsored by the Ingram Content Group, and the “Big Ideas at BEA” Conference begin on Monday, May 23, at NYC’s Jacob Javits Convention Center.

General Info

ABA Hotel
The Holiday Inn Midtown, at 440 West 57th Street (between 9th and 10th), provides easy access to BEA via shuttle bus, taxi, or subway. The hotel is on Shuttle Bus Route 2. Inbound buses from the hotel to the Javits Convention Center will run every 10 to 20 minutes, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., from Monday through Thursday. Buses will return from the convention center to the hotel from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.

The hotel will also be the site of evening receptions for ABA members on Sunday, May 22, hosted by Random House Publishing Group, and on Monday, May 23, hosted by 12 independent presses.

ABA Members-Only Lounge at BEA (Room 1E07/08)
The ABA Members-Only Lounge, Room 1E07/08 of the convention center, will be the place for booksellers to talk to ABA staff at the Ask ABA Bar, learn about products and services, check e-mail, have books autographed by favorite authors, recharge laptops, eat a snack, and relax in a comfy chair. This year’s lounge offers free WiFi and more seating.  Booksellers can also pick up the latest Day of Education schedule, and, while supplies last, a journal, courtesy of On Demand Books, maker of the Espresso Book Machine; the journal was printed on the Espresso Book Machine at McNally Jackson in NYC.

Lounge hours are:

• Monday, May 23: 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 24: 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Lounge closes at 3:00 p.m. for the ABA Town Hall and Annual Meeting)
• Wednesday, May 25: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Thursday, May 26: 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

To provide an opportunity for as many members as possible to speak during Tuesday’s ABA Town Hall Meeting, a sign-up sheet will be prominently displayed in the ABA lounge starting Monday morning, May 23. Booksellers will be called upon in the order in which they sign up.

Education Handouts
ABA Day of Education handouts are now available to all members via the Day of Education page on Bookweb.org. If a session has a handout, a link to the downloadable document is provided at the end of the session description . ABA is making the handouts available only via BookWeb.org. Free WiFi in the Members-Only Lounge this year makes it easy for booksellers to access the documents during the trade show.  

Autographing Schedules
In addition to the schedule of authors autographing in the ABA Members-Only Lounge, there will be more than 775 authors autographing in BEA’s Autographing Area or in booths on the trade show.

Sunday, May 22

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Introduction to Retail Bookselling Seminar
Sponsored by ABA and facilitated by The Bookstore Training Group of Paz & Associates at the Holiday Inn Midtown. Advance registration is required.

9:00 p.m. to Midnight: Random House Reception (Holiday’s Inn’s Skylight Lounge)
The Random House Publishing Group welcomes booksellers to New York with a hospitality suite from 9:00 p.m. to midnight in the Holiday’s Inn’s Skylight Lounge in the hotel lobby. Come mingle with authors, including Lisa See, Karen Slaughter, Robert Massie, John Burnham Schwartz, and more.

Monday, May 23

Take the shuttle to the Javits Convention Center, where you’ll pick up your show badge at the BEA registration desk marked “ABA Members.” Remember to stop by the ABA Members-Only Lounge (1E07/08) sometime during the day.

8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.: ABA’s Day of Education (Sponsored by the Ingram Content Group)
ABA’s Day of Education, which is open to all BEA badge holders, begins at 8:30 a.m. with an opening plenary featuring Christopher J. Zane, the president of Zane’s Cycles. A second plenary session, starting at 3:00 p.m. and featuring poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist Margaret Atwood, caps the day. Both plenary sessions are in Room 1E13/1E14.

ABA education sessions are in the Javits “E” Hall. The full schedule, session descriptions, and session handouts can be found on BookWeb.org.

9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.: “Big Ideas at BEA” Conference

Noon - 5:00 p.m.: CIROBE Remainders Pavilion
Booksellers can get a jump on remainder buying at the CIROBE Remainders Pavilion, the only part of the Exhibit Hall open on Monday. The rest of the Exhibit Hall opens Tuesday, May 24.

4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.: BEA Editor’s Buzz (Room 1E13)

9:00 p.m. – Midnight: Indie Press Reception
Indie booksellers are invited to mingle with dozens of authors from 12 independent presses at a reception on the Holiday Inn’s rooftop pool event space. The reception is open to all ABA members with a BEA badge.

Tuesday, May 24

8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.: Children’s Book & Author Breakfast (Special Events Hall)
Presented in cooperation with the Children’s Booksellers and Publishers Committee (A cooperative committee of the ABC Children’s Group at ABA and the Children’s Book Council).

9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.: “Big Ideas at BEA” Conference

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Exhibit Hall Open
Don’t forget to stop by the ABFFE booth (#3589) on the trade show floor to find out how you can sell great products, including reading glasses, 3D bookmarks, incense, and jewelry. ABFFE receives a portion of all affiliate sales to independent bookstores.

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Preview Artwork from ABC Children’s Group Silent Auction and Reception (Javits Convention Center’s Crystal Palace)
All BEA registrants will be able to preview select pieces of artwork to be auctioned off at the Wednesday’s event. Tickets to the auction and reception and raffle tickets for a chance to win artwork will be on sale at the preview.

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.: Speed Dating With Children’s Authors (Rooms 1E09/1E10)
For booksellers and librarians only. Reservations are now closed.

Noon - 1:30 p.m.: Celebration of Bookselling Luncheon (Special Events Hall)
This year’s ABA Celebration of Bookselling Author Awards Luncheon will feature the presentation of the 2011 Indies Choice Book Awards, including the E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards. For ABA member booksellers only. Reservations are now closed.

2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. BEA Young Adult Editor’s Buzz (Room 1E15)

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: ABA Town Hall Meeting (Room 1E10)
The Town Hall Meeting is the place for members to bring industry concerns to the attention of the ABA Board and staff and to participate in member-wide discussions.

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.: ABA Annual Membership Meeting (Room 1E10)
For ABA members only, the Annual Meeting includes reports by ABA’s president and CEO on the year’s activities, voting on new initiatives, and a discussion of future plans.

Wednesday, May 25

8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.: Wednesday Book & Author Breakfast (Special Events Hall)

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.: “Big Ideas at BEA” Conference

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.: Exhibit Hall Open

10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.: IndieCommerce 201 (Room 1C03)
For experienced IndieCommerce users, this session will focus on optional Drupal modules, best practices for search and security, and a demonstration of successful strategies.

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: Book Banning 2011: A Report From the Front Lines of the Battle for Free Speech (Room 1E12)
Authors Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak, Twisted) and Robie Harris (It’s Perfectly Normal, It’s So Amazing!) will join Pat Scales, a defender of free speech in libraries for more than 30 years, for a discussion, to be moderated by Joan Bertin, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship. Open to all BEA attendees. Sponsors of the event are the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), the Association of American Publishers, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and PEN American Center.

2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.: Middle Grade Editor’s Buzz (Room 1E15)

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Tea With Children’s Authors (Room 1E12)
For booksellers and librarians only. Reservations are now closed.

5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.: ABC Children’s Group Silent Auction and Reception to Benefit the ABFFE Fund for Free Speech in Children’s Books (Rooms 1E09/10/11)
Open to all BEA attendees. Tickets will be sold during the Silent Auction preview in the Javits Center’s Crystal Palace and at the Reception on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets purchased onsite cost $79 for ABC Group members and $99 for all others. (Preview this year’s Silent Auction artwork.)

Thursday, May 26

8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.: Thursday Book & Author Breakfast (Special Events Hall)

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.: “Big Ideas at BEA” Conference

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Exhibit Hall Open

For complete details and to register for BEA, visit BookExpoAmerica.com. For more information on the Day of Education and other ABA programming, visit BookWeb.org.