ABA Unveils BEA Programming: Registration Opens for “Meet the Editor” and “Publicists Speed Dating”

With the launch this week of the American Booksellers Association’s BookExpo America program page on BookWeb.org, registration for two exclusive bookseller-publisher networking opportunities for ABA member stores is now open:

• “Meet the Editor” will provide booksellers with the opportunity to experience the book editing process through an in-person visit with book editors at their offices. The structure of the editor meetings, to be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 27, will vary by publisher, but all are meant to provide a behind-the-scenes look at the philosophy and process of book editing.

  Registered booksellers will be randomly assigned to a publisher prior to BEA. Learn more and register now.

• “Publicists Speed Dating” offers stores the chance to meet one-on-one with publicists from a number of publishers for approximately 12 minutes each. These conversations, to be held on Friday, May 29, from 9:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., in the Javits Convention Center’s Galleria Hall, are an opportunity for booksellers to promote their stores, as well as to discover what publicists look for when planning author tours.

  This event is open to owners, general managers, and event managers from ABA member bookstores. Multiple booksellers from the same store will meet as a group, not individually, with publicists and will move from table to table. Space is limited; deadline to register is May 11. Learn more and register now.

Below are some additional highlights of ABA and BEA programming at this year’s trade show, which runs from Wednesday, May 27, through Friday, May 29, at New York’s Javits Convention Center. (For complete details, visit BookWeb.org and BookExpoAmerica.com.)

Tuesday, May 26

ABA programming at BEA begins on Tuesday evening at Hotel ABA, the Grand Hyatt New York, at 42nd Street and Grand Central Station. From 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., all BEA attendees are invited to the ABFE Art Auction to Benefit Free Speech in Children’s Books in the Grand Hyatt’s Manhattan Ballroom. More than 100 pieces of art from well-known children’s illustrators will be auctioned to benefit the American Booksellers for Free Expression, the Kids’ Right to Read Project, and Banned Books Week.

Tickets are $105 per person, but are free for members of the ABC Group at ABA, and $10 for other ABA member booksellers. Learn more and purchase tickets here. To join the ABC Group at ABA, contact ABC Group Manager Matthew Zoni.

From 9:30 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday, Penguin Random House invites ABA member booksellers for informal nightcaps in the Manhattan Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt.

Wednesday, May 27

In addition to the “Meet the Editor” program, Wednesday at BEA will feature the opening of both the ABA Member Lounge at the Javits Convention Center (Meeting Room 214 on the show floor) and the CIROBE overstock and remainder pavilion at 9:30 a.m.

The ABA Member Lounge will also be open on Thursday, May 28, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and on Friday, May 29, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the trade show floor. An exclusive place for ABA member booksellers, the lounge will host author meet-and-greets, signings, and a presentation of the newest crop of Indies Introduce authors. Booksellers will also be able to learn about ABA programs and services, relax and have a snack, and meet with fellow booksellers in the lounge.

The trade show floor will be open from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and the BEA Adult Editors’ Buzz will be from 4:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 28

 
From 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. will be BEA's Young Adult Editors’ Buzz.

ABA programming will feature the always-popular Celebration of Bookselling and Authors Awards Lunch, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the convention center’s Special Events Hall. The Celebration will feature the presentation of the 2015 Indies Choice Book Awards and the E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards, as well as the introduction of Indie Next List authors and award nominees. Reservations, which are limited to three booksellers per ABA store location, will open on or around March 23 and will close on May 15.

ABA will hold its Annual Membership Meeting from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. on Thursday at the Javits Convention Center. The Membership Meeting will be preceded by the association’s Town Hall meeting, from 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 pm.

The Annual Meeting will feature a report from the Board of Directors and executive staff on the association’s activities over the past year, as well as updates on new and ongoing initiatives. The Town Hall provides booksellers with the opportunity to express opinions and share ideas with the Board and staff in a less formal setting than the Membership Meeting.

To provide an opportunity for as many members as possible to speak during the Town Hall, a sign-up sheet will be displayed starting Wednesday morning, May 26, in the ABA Member Lounge on the main show floor.

The trade show floor will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Friday, May 29

In addition to “Speed Dating With Publicists” and an Indies Introduce Author Reception, Friday includes a wide range of programming for children’s booksellers. The day starts off with BEA Children’s Book & Author Breakfast, followed at 10:00 a.m. by the BEA Young Adult Editors’ Buzz – Authors Stage, and at 11:00 a.m. by the Middle Grade Editors’ Buzz. Then the Middle Grade Editors’ Buzz – Author Stage will be at 1:00 p.m.

From 12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., members of the ABC Group at ABA and friends of the Children’s Book Council are invited to the ABC/CBC Speed Dating Lunch With Children’s Authors, featuring more than a dozen children’s book authors who will pitch their new projects over lunch. Reservations and prepayment ($25 per person) are required. Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration closes on May 15. Booksellers will receive their author assignments via e-mail in May. Learn more and purchase tickets here.

From 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., all ABA member booksellers are invited to the Indies Introduce Author Reception in the ABA Member Lounge, where they can sip champagne and have books and ARCs signed by the authors of titles in the 2015 Summer/Fall Indies Introduce program.

To cap off the final day at BEA, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., members of the ABC Group at ABA and friends of the Children’s Book Council are invited to the ABC/CBC Tea With Children’s Book Authors & Illustrators. For this perennial favorite, booksellers will choose four of the participating authors and illustrators and will meet with three of them.

Reservations and prepayment ($20 per person) are required. Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration closes on May 15. Booksellers will receive their author assignments via e-mail in May. Learn more and purchase tickets here.

The trade show floor will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

For more on ABA programming at BEA, visit BookWeb.org.

To learn more about BEA’s education program and special events, to register, and to purchase tickets for the Book & Author Breakfasts, visit BookExpoAmerica.com.

To reserve a room at Hotel ABA, visit the Hyatt’s dedicated page for ABA members.