ABA Member Lounge at BookExpo to Feature Galley Room, Author Autographings, Service Providers & More

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As always, the ABA Member Lounge at BookExpo will be the exclusive place for booksellers to relax, have a snack, and meet with their colleagues from across the country.

BookExpo bannerThis year’s lounge in Booth 721 on the Javits Convention Center’s trade show floor will offer a galley room and exclusive author meet-and-greets, information on ABA programs and services from affiliated business partners, and one-on-one meetings with IndieCommerce staff. For the first time, the ABA Member Lounge will also host a reception featuring finalists and winners of the Children’s Book Council Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards.

BookExpo takes place this year from Wednesday, May 31, to Friday, June 2, at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. During the show, the ABA Member Lounge will be open to booksellers with ABA member badges at the following times:

  • Wednesday, May 31, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, June 1, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (closed from 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. for the ABA Annual Membership Meeting and Town Hall)
  • Friday, June 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

A number of authors, award winners, and nominees will be autographing in the lounge exclusively for ABA members on Wednesday, May 31, from 2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., following the Celebration of Bookselling and Author Awards Lunch. Reservations for the lunch are now open; the full list of authors will be announced later this month.

Several authors from the BookExpo Author Breakfasts will come to the lounge to autograph for ABA members following the breakfasts. Authors from the Adult Authors Breakfast will be signing in the lounge on Thursday, June 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and authors from the Children’s Authors Breakfast will be signing in the lounge on Friday, June 2, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

A reception honoring this year’s Children’s and Teen Choice Book Award winners and finalists will be held in the ABA lounge on Friday, June 2, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participating authors include Mo Willems, Lisa Papp, Bob Raczka, Laura Gehl, Joyce Wan, Leigh Bardugo, Rachel Renée Russel, Nikki Russell, Don Tate, and MarcyKate Connelly. Refreshments will be served and limited quantities of the award winners’ books will be available in the lounge’s galley room.

ABA’s service providers and affiliated business partners that will have a presence in the lounge include the LIBRIS business insurance program and the W.G. Ellerkamp Paper Company, among others.

The IndieCommerce team will hold one-on-one sessions during lounge hours on all three days of BookExpo. Booksellers who are interested in setting up an appointment to meet with a member of the team can do so in early May via a form on BookWeb.org; walk-ins will also be welcome.

To receive free entry to the trade show, booksellers must provide an ABA member ID number when registering on the BookExpo website. For complete details about ABA programming at the show, visit BookWeb.org.