I stopped over at BEA yesterday to get my press pass and to check in on the set up. Trust me, it may not be pretty now, but by the time it opens on Thursday, it will be a booklover’s dream come true. The good thing about checking in early is no lines. When it officially opens it will look like an ant colony with people cued up all over the place for badges, passes and special ticketed events.
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There was a lot of crawling over boxes, crates, cords, wires, and bodies on the floor (yes, they were working). But the huge overhead signs were up screaming Harlequin, Random House, Hachette and more. And giant banners proclaiming all the new books coming out. A lot of them I never heard of, but then that’s the reason for BEA…to get the buzz going.
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One stand that was all finished belonged to authors Nancy Naigle and Tonya Kappes. It was filled with giveaways and lots of books that they plan on signing. This dynamic duo are queens of marketing. They told me they send out post cards to all the librarians and booksellers from last year inviting them to stop by for goodies and books. If they couldn’t make it, the writers offered them the option of emailing and Nancy and Tonya would send them the books. I expect to see lots of people at their booth.
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Bottom Line: I’m off to see the finished product. I’m taking a big empty bag because I plan to come home with lots of great things.
