The first sight of the Javits Center (I’m not gonna lie) made me a little scared. How in the world was I going to see everything they stuffed inside a building this huge in only three days?! I’m telling you right now, I didn’t do it. I missed things. I missed a lot of people, books, events, talks, conferences, and I don’t even know what else. For anyone who hasn’t gone but plans on attending, it’s impossible. DO NOT go there with the hope or the expectation of seeing it all. It won’t happen and you’ll only be disappointed. Plus, you’ll end up stressing yourself out. And that’s never fun.

Technically, BEA ran from Monday-Thursday, but the main exhibition hall wasn’t open on Monday. In fact, a lot of the displays were still in pieces. I know because Lani and I walked around almost tripping on piles of plywood and rolled up carpets. We used the time to get out badges before the lines got crazy long and also to learn the layout of the floor. One thing I will say for the organizers, the exhibition hall was very well labeled. I rarely had a hard time finding my way around! Having attended more than a few large scale conventions in other industries, I know that this level of organization isn’t easy. I applaud whoever was in charge of that exhibition hall. Fabulous job!

Before flying out to NYC, I went online and looked at the schedule of talks to be given during BEA. Unfortunately, I only attended one of them. The picture here is from the YA Editor’s Buzz Panel Tuesday morning and even though I got there right on time, the room was so packed I had to stand in the doorway. I take this as a very good sign for the future of YA literature! Interest is strong and only seems to be growing. I picked up all five of the books mentioned on the panel and they all look brilliant. Trying to figure out what to read first is a problem, but it’s a really great problem to have! 😀

One thing I found amusing every time I walked into the building was the ads. For example, the steps seemed to be brought to you by Cassandra Clare. The entire front entryway appeared to be sponsored by Dean Koontz (seriously–there were posters of his book on the doors, the floor, the walls, everywhere!). And I think a book trailer for one of James Patterson’s new books was practically on loop on the TVs. Honestly, it seemed like overkill for already established authors. Just a couple of signs that said, “Hey, don’t forget this author you already like has a new book coming out soon” probably would have been more than enough. I did like the steps, though. There was more to it than pictured here and I thought it ended up looking pretty cool.

As amazing as free books are, my favorite part of BEA was the people. Authors, publishers, blogger, book lovers, booksellers, and industry pros all gathering together in one place to celebrate their shared obsession is so much fun! I met authors like Shannon Hale (pictured here signing the new Princess Academy book), Diana Peterfreund, Rebecca Serle, Lauren Oliver, Yvonne Woon, Susane Colasanti, Maggie Stiefvater (who actually recognized me from a signing a YEAR AGO in Coral Gables O.O!), Ally Condie, Kody Keplinger, Elizabeth Miles, Elizabeth Eulberg, Dan Wells, Mike Mullin, Jenifer Armentrout, Jeri Smith-Ready, Angela Corbett, Myra McEntire, Jamie Manning, Tiffany Truitt, and so many more! There’s something incredibly inspiring about being around that many creative people in the same week. Inspiring and a little intimidating!  

That being said, free books were still pretty amazing. By the end of the day on Thursday, I’d collected sixty-six books. Sixty-six! And I was selective, taking only books I knew I’d actually read or that I planned on passing on to a family member. If I’d just let myself grab anything I saw, that number probably would have been in the three digit range. Because I promised I would, I added a list below the cut of the books I adopted during BEA. Overall, though, it was awesome. I definitely plan on attending next year. If everything in my plan goes right, I may be using the time to apartment hunt, too! Come hell or high water, I’m moving to that city in 2013!!

Tessa, Brenna, and Maggie signing their short story collection The Curiosities

Four of the Pendrell authors and their publisher