7 Easy Tips for Enjoying NYC, Book Expo America & the Book Blogger Con
Book Expo America and the Book Blogger Convention are going to be wonderful. It is going to be FABULOUS to see EVERYBODY and we will probably all explode from HAPPINESS by the time that the week is out. So now that I have stated the obvious, enough with the introductions, and on to being in the know.
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Guess who? I met both of these lovely bloggers at BEA in 2009.
Don’t be shy. You just think most people don’t know you or your blog, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that you are being modest and a bit paranoid. It’s okay. I thought the same exact thing! People whom I never thought knew boo about my blog gave me warm handshakes and hugs and knew my blog’s name even if they had no idea what I looked like or that my name was Nicole. And they were always thrilled to see me, or hid it very well if they weren’t! Between prior blog posts, tweeting and listening in on who was planning to be there I had an idea of whom I could expect to meet. It will be the same for you! Of course not everyone will know who you are, but we ignore pesky little facts like that, and welcome you anyway.
- Be someone else. You thought your name was Jane Public, but you will quickly become Jane from That Blog About
Nicole being someone else.
Books. While we know who you are (see #1), sometimes we don’t pay as much attention to what we should be calling you. Don’t worry, we love you anyway! It was very weird for me to introduce myself as Nicole from Linus’s Blanket but by the end of the week I was as comfortable with that as I am with my given name. We adapt! I suspect I will be answering to or offering my Twitter handle as a means of identifying myself as well this year, which will increase the hilarity as we all try to sort out our identities while meeting new people. Trish from Hey Lady Whatcha’ Readin’? came over and introduced herself to me after someone told her that I was Linus’s Blanket. Hilarious.
- Plan ahead. I was very guilty of not doing this last year. I’m from New York, so it was very easy for me to not think about anything before the actual start of the conference. I just showed up and wandered around. Thankfully I had Lenore from Presenting Lenore to take me in hand, tell me where to be and get me some autographs and all the hottest ARCs. If she makes it out this year, I definitely plan on having her in my arsenal of valuable resources. You can’t have her (insert *neener, neener, neener* here) but definitely make the BEA and Blogger Con websites your friend. Trust me, there will be way too much to see and do so you will want to study the schedules and maps ahead of time to make sure you are where you want to be. Same thing with people you want to meet, wine and dine. Make a plan. You can always throw it the window if something comes up, but at least start with one.
- Be comfortable. Everyone has said something about comfort, yet not one of us can say it enough. Wear your comfy shoes. Take this as a command from God or whatever deity or idol you swear by and worship. This is not the time to be cute! Invest in a pair of comfortable walking shoes. Know before hand that they are indeed comfortable. This is not the time to break in new shoes that you thought were comfortable in the store. Seriously, you are going to be on your feet for the better part of three days walking the lengths of a massive convention center. Have water to drink, have a snack, business cards and extra batteries for your camera.
- Splurge. There should be at least one night or one activity where you go all out an spend more than you normally would spend. Hopefully you will come here and visit me again, but if you think this might be your only chance for a while in the big city, make sure you do it up in whatever way that you can. If you usually do pizza, treat yourself to a great sandwich. I recently went to Katz’s Deli and their pastrami sandwiches, while pricey at 15 bucks, were pretty good and along with a side of tasty fries fed me and three friends. Jennifer from Book Club Girl had a terrific suggestion yesterday about scoring inexpensive Broadway tickets, and museums, galleries, fine dining and nightlife are abundant. Do it up!
- Don’t be afraid to leave Times Square and Midtown Manhattan. (see #5 and Katz’s Deli, which is in the East Village) They can be pretty great. But believe me it’s even greater outside of those boundaries.
- Ask questions of everybody(if you have them). New Yorkers are much friendlier and nosier than we are given credit for being. I have had people eavesdrop and interrupt me when I was giving directions. I guess we just really want to help.
For even more great tips check out Jacqueline’s post at SmallPressWorld.com.
Have fun! And drop me a line if you need suggestions or advice about where to go and what to do in the city. Especially what to eat! I’ll have a few posts like that in the future too so look out for them.
37 Responses to “7 Easy Tips for Enjoying NYC, Book Expo America & the Book Blogger Con”
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“Hi, I’m Michelle from My Books. My Life.” Did I do it right? I just officially decided to go for part of BEA this week and I’m so excited! Thanks for the tips. Love this blog tour.
Michelle´s last blog ..Teaser Tuesday
Great tips!!!! I can’t wait to see you again!
Oh, how I wish I were able to go this year! This sounds like it would be so much fun, but with our family vacation coming up I just couldn’t swing it. I am definitely scheduling this for 2011 though!
Jo-Jo´s last blog ..Review: My Antonia by Willa Cather
I love this post! #2 made me laugh because everyone was calling me Bermuda Onion last year – I threatened to change my name after BEA! #7 is spot on, too – I found everyone to be friendly and helpful last year. I can’t wait to see you again!
Kathy´s last blog ..Our Life in France – banking, money and numbers
Great post and awesome tips, Nicole! This sounds like such fun! I cannot go this year but I’m definitely going to plan for next year!
Carnegie Deli at 7th ave & 55th St. is a great NY spot too and was in “Annie Hall”!
~ Amy
Amy´s last blog ..Sunday Salon 1.31.10
That was so cool last year to be able to show YOU around a bit! I remember running into a couple authors and telling them where to get super special copies of HUSH HUSH, and I passed out zillions of copies of Beautiful Creatures.
And don’t worry, I am SO going to be there!!
I am really looking forward to meeting you, Nicole! Thanks for these great tips. My husband and I are going to hopefully getting to New York a couple of days before the BEA, so we will definitely being exploring the city a bit! I can’t wait!!!!
Wendy´s last blog ..Social Justice Challenge: Water
Great resource!
Pam´s last blog ..Link lists made easy with the Week In Links plugin for WordPress
Thanks Nicole for your great tips. I think any advise a person can give to a first timer like myself is good tips. LOL and by the way I am Cindy from Cindy’s Love of Books LOL hope to see you around BEA.
Cindy (cindysloveofbooks)´s last blog ..On My Wishlist #4
Hello. My name is Dawn. I am Too Fond of Books.
Does that sound about right?!
Please post an addendum with links to the margarita place, we’ll knock the doors down.
See you in less than four months!!
Dawn – She is Too Fond of Books´s last blog ..Just like Eva Gabor, New York is where I’d rather be!
Yeah, I wanna know where the margarita place is too!
Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit)´s last blog ..Stacy Parker Aab Talks About Interning and Writing
Great tips indeed. I hope that Anna and I get to see more of you this time.
We’ll be there sightseeing a few days beforehand, so if you have some great tips about places to go…I’m all ears…
Also have you ever watched Man Vs. Food? He went a few places in Brooklyn and I was wondering if you knew where they were…I think it was called Buffalo Cantina, Brennan & Carr and L&B Spumoni Gardens.
Ok, I really need advice on cheap eats or Anna will have me eating at Chipotle the whole time!
Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit)´s last blog ..Stacy Parker Aab Talks About Interning and Writing
I’m getting used to introducing myself as @devourerofbooks from author events I’ve been to recently. It sounds strange, but I think I can do it. So backpacks are allowed? That’s good to know. I’m also a fan of equal weight distribution. I don’t even care if I look nerdy because I hike the backpack way up to get better support.
Jen – Devourer of Books´s last blog ..The Weight of Heaven – Book Review
I’m not going, unfortunately, but reading this post, I really want to! Maybe next year …
Jen and Nicole – Yes! Backbacks are allowed! In fact, that is the only thing that I brought with me to Utah (I travel light) and I took it with me all three days to the conference.
Natasha @ Maw Books´s last blog ..Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change by Michelle Cook
Sweet! Thanks Natasha for clearing that up!
I will look like a nerd with you! I am so into being comfortable it is ridiculous!
You all are making me crazy! The good news is that whenever I eventually get to go to BEA, I will be ready!
Sandy´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – Lake Eola #1
And we will be so ready for you to come Sandy!
Great tips. Thank you SO much.
Comfortable shoes…check. Now, what to wear WITH those comfortable shoes?!? Are jeans too casual? Is a suit too conservative? I need fashion advice.
Alison (Alison’s Book Marks)´s last blog ..Review: High Five (Stephanie Plum Series #5) by Janet Evanovich
I think slacks and a nice top are appropriate. Jeans were not too casual for me, I think you can definitely get away with nice jeans and appropriate t-shirt/blouse.
Dear Linus’s Blanket,
I can’t wait to meet you.
Love,
Bibliofreak
J.T. Oldfield´s last blog ..FreeVerse: Grecian Temples
That is basically how it will go. You’re good at this!
Hi Nicole, Great list! Love the part about going by your blog name, haha! I’d only planned on going to the book blogger conference up until now, but I may have to see if I can afford to add a couple days to the beginning of the trip and go to BEA too!
Jenny´s last blog ..Alice in Wonderland Challenge January 2010
Thanks Jenny! Even if you can only stay one extra day I think it will be really worthwhile and double the fun! I hope you can work it out.
I am loving all the tips and advice for BEA & Blogger Con. Last year I did a day trip & felt like I missed most of the event. This year I want to get a room & really experience it.
Kristin Callender´s last blog ..Book Blogger Con Here I Come!
Wow! I saw your post on BEA but couldn’t comment on it for some reason. For only attending one day, you made out like a bandit. You can get so much out of a day, but it’s really fun when you have more time to spend!
I want to echo what you said about people in NYC wanting to help. On my last visit, last weekend, people were friendlier than ever before.
Jeanne´s last blog ..Missed Connections
We are a friendly people.
Might I borrow your pink hair for our panel?
Or should we all come dressed in neon?
Pink wigs for everyone! Though I might have moved on by then. Blue is really calling to me lately.
Thanks for the excellent tips
Is that picture in #1 from your trip to DC? haha
Michelle´s last blog ..Kitty Keswick – Freaksville
Yes! That’s DC. A rare moment neither reading or talking about books.
Great tips! I’m looking forward to seeing you again. I won’t be at the Con though, just BEA.
Anna´s last blog ..And the winners are…
I know! I am so excited. It’s much like a big reunion.
Dear Nicole:
New here to your blog. Love it. Can I plug a great indie book I wrote called, “The Seven Deadly Work Sins.” Could not get a publisher cause I was not famous, but the book received the award of “Best Business Book of 2007″ by booksandauthors.net. It is about those creeps we work with in the corporate jungle. Love to hear from a reader. It has gotten some great reviews. Thanks to everyone and my sweet cat who stood by me during this frantic process.
Read. Heed. Succeed.