An Overview of ABA’s Programming at BookExpo

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As this year’s event gets closer, booksellers should review the schedule of ABA programming at BookExpo 2019. This year’s BookExpo industry trade show will take place May 29-31 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. The ABA Member Lounge, located in Booth 2962, in the UnBound section of the trade show floor, is the place to go to relax, refresh, and chat with ABA staff and board members as well as to pick up new titles in the galley room, attend discussion groups and talk POS systems with fellow booksellers, and meet with the IndieCommerce team.

BookExpo logoBooksellers must register by today, May 22, for the following American Booksellers Association event at BookExpo:

  • ABC/CBC Speed Dating Tea (Friday, May 31, 1:00-2:00 p.m., 1E07/08/09): ABC Group members and friends of the CBC who purchase tickets will enjoy a lively tea with a dozen children’s book authors as they pitch their new projects. Preregistration and prepayment are required; register here by Wednesday, May 22.

Here are additional ABA and/or BookExpo-led programs that booksellers may wish to attend (the dollar sign denotes a program for which there is an additional fee):

Wednesday, May 29

  • Meet the Editor (9:00-10:30 a.m. at publishers’ New York City offices) Registration closed: Meet the Editor gives booksellers the opportunity to experience the book editing process through in-person visits with New York book editors at their offices. Booksellers will go directly to their assigned publishing house at 9:00 a.m., where they will meet with editors for approximately 90 minutes. The structure of the editor meetings will vary by publisher but they are meant to give a behind-the-scenes look at the philosophy and process of book editing. Booksellers will be on their own to return to Javits following the publisher visits. 
  • BookExpo Adult Editors’ Buzz (1:45-3:00 p.m., 1E12/13/14): BookExpo’s Adult Editors’ Buzz 2019 shows off the books that readers and media will be buzzing about. Join this session to hear editors share their excitement and passion for six of the fall’s biggest potential breakout releases. Learn more about the Adult Editors’ Buzz.
  • Publicists Speed Dating (2:30-5:00 p.m., Main Stage) Registration closed: ABA member bookstore owners, managers, and event coordinators meet with publicists from several publishers among the participating companies. Representatives from the same store will rotate together to assigned publicists’ tables. During the timed “dates,” booksellers have the chance to promote their stores and discover what publicists look for when planning author tours. 
  • 2019 Children’s Book Art Silent Auction (5:00-7:30 p.m., South Concourse): The ABC Children’s Group and the Children’s Book Council (CBC) are partnering to produce the BookExpo favorite Children’s Book Art Silent Auction. The event will benefit American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) and Every Child a Reader. Purchase your tickets here or on-site ($); ABC Group members can e-mail Gen de Botton for a promotional code that will grant them free access.

Thursday, May 30

  • Adult Book & Author Breakfast (8:00-9:30 a.m., Main Stage) Register with BookExpo ($): Television host and political commentator Rachel Maddow will host this highly anticipated event and she’ll be joined by some of the nation’s leading voices in adult literature, including Malcolm Gladwell (The Tipping PointOutliers), Karin Slaughter (The Last Widow), Ta-Nehisi Coates (The Water Dancer), and Marjorie Liu (Monstress) for an insightful and lively discussion of their works and the industry. Learn more and register for the Adult Book & Author Breakfast.
  • Marketing Meetup for Booksellers: Carrying Your Digital Marketing Campaigns Across Multiple Platforms (9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m., 1E16): Hear from three guest booksellers about how they manage their digital marketing campaigns and carry them out successfully across their newsletter, blog, social media platforms, and website, while at the same time maintaining their store brand and ensuring that all the pieces tie in together seamlessly.
  • Breakfast Authors Signing (10:00-11:00 a.m., ABA Member Lounge, Booth 2962): Visit the ABA Member Lounge to have books signed by the authors featured at the Thursday morning Adult Book & Author Breakfast.
  • BookExpo Young Adult Editors’ Buzz (10:00-10:50 a.m., 1E12/13/14): BookExpo’s Young Adult Editors’ Buzz 2019 shows off the books that readers and media will be buzzing about. Join this session to hear editors share their excitement and passion for five of the fall’s biggest potential breakout releases. Learn more about the Young Adult Editors’ Buzz.
  • ABA Booksellers Present Indies Introduce Authors (11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Downtown Stage): Booksellers have the opportunity to hear from authors of the Summer/Fall 2019 Indies Introduce debut picks. This event will feature the bookseller panelists who curated the diverse list of upcoming titles and many of the authors, who will each read a short passage from their debuts and answer a question posed by a panelist.
  • ABA Indies Choice Book Awards (1:15-2:00 p.m., Choice Stage) Formerly the Celebration of Bookselling Lunch, this year the Indies Choice Book Awards and the E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards will be presented in a new format on the trade show floor. Featured authors will be signing books exclusively for ABA members following the event.
  • ABA Town Hall and Annual Meeting (2:15-4:15 p.m., 1E12/13/14): The ABA Town Hall provides booksellers with the opportunity to express opinions and share ideas with the ABA Board and staff in an informal setting. To provide an opportunity for as many members as possible to speak during the Town Hall, a sign-up sheet will be displayed in the ABA Member Lounge. All ABA members are encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting, which directly follows the Town Hall. The Annual Meeting features reports 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 ABA Member Lounge will be closed during both the Town Hall and Annual Meeting, and will reopen at 4:15 p.m.
  • Audio Publishers Association (APA) Authors Tea (2:30-3:30 p.m., 1E07/08/09) Register with BookExpo ($): The annual APA Tea is one of the favorite events of BookExpo every year! The talents of narrators and authors combine to create great audiobooks. Come drink a cup of tea and hear about what leads to fabulous listening from Hamilton star and audiobook narrator Euan Morton and authors Laurie Halse Anderson, Phillipa Gregory, and Jerry Craft. Ticket required. Learn more about the Audio Publishers Association Authors Tea.
  • ABA Happy Hour Author Signings (4:30-6:00 p.m., ABA Member Lounge, Booth 2962): Meet an array of big-name authors, including select Indies Introduce authors and Indies Choice Book Award winners, in the ABA Member Lounge.
  • An Evening with United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor (6:15-7:15 p.m., Main Stage) Register now with BookExpo: Justice Sonia Sotomayor will discuss her life and the experiences that led her to write her new book for young readers, Just Ask: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You. Illustrated by celebrated artist Rafael López, Just Ask will be released in both English and Spanish editions by Penguin Young Readers on September 3, 2019. 

Friday, May 31

  • Children’s Book & Author Breakfast (8:00-9:30 a.m., Main Stage) Register with BookExpo ($): This year’s breakfast will be co-hosted by sisters Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush (Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life), daughters of former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush. Joining them will be Academy Award-winner Lupita Nyong’o (Marvel’s Black Panther12 Years a Slave) to discuss her debut children’s book, Sulwe; Tomi Adeyemi, author of bestselling young adult fantasy novel Children of Blood and Bone and her upcoming Children of Virtue and Vengeance; Eoin Colfer, author of the beloved Artemis Fowl series and the upcoming spin-off novel The Fowl Twins; and Da Chen, bestselling author of Brothers and Colours of the Mountain, who will preview his forthcoming work, Girl Under a Red MoonLearn more and register for the Children’s Book & Author Breakfast.
  • ABA Editors Speed Dating (9:45-11:45 a.m., 1E07/08/09) Registration closed: At Editors Speed Dating, booksellers will meet with groups of editors to talk about new and upcoming titles. Registered booksellers selected their top two genres, and ABA will try to make sure booksellers sit with editors who publish books in those categories, which included Adult Fiction, Mystery, Sci-fi/Fantasy, Romance, Narrative Nonfiction, History/Politics, Cooking, Poetry, Works in Translation, Art/Photography/Design, Graphic Novels, Children’s Fiction, and Children’s Nonfiction. Booksellers will rotate to six tables in total.
  • Breakfast Authors Signing (10:00-11:00 a.m., ABA Member Lounge, Booth 2962): Visit the ABA Member Lounge to have books signed by the authors featured at the Friday morning Children’s Book & Author Breakfast.
  • BookExpo Middle-Grade Editors’ Buzz (11:00-11:50 a.m., 1E12/13/14): BookExpo’s Middle Grade Editors’ Buzz 2019 shows off the books that readers and media will be buzzing about. Join this session to hear editors share their excitement and passion for five of the fall’s biggest potential breakout releases. Learn more about the Middle Grade Editors’ Buzz.

The full ABA program for BookExpo can be found on BookWeb.org.