Getting Ready for BEA part 2

Now that BEA is officially here, the excitement is starting to grow! I'm so excited to talk with everyone about books and to meet new and old friends! I'll be sharing my tips each week until the big event! 

In case you missed it, over the weekend the list of Galleys came out. Last week I talked about making this list. I find Excel sheets are great. Write a list of books you're interested in reading, the publisher, and if you have a contact with that publisher. This will help you in the long run when talking with publishers about their books.

While it's nice to grab ARCs from the booths, it's great to network and talk with publishers. Come up with a few sentences about yourself:

Hi I'm Jennifer Rummel, a YA Librarian, and I write the blog YA Book Nerd. What books should I be aware of that's coming out this year?

It's short, sweet, and to the point. They might not recognize my blog or my name, but I've stated that I'm both a librarian and a blogger. Yes, they can find out that information by looking at my name tag, but it's more personable and I come across as confident. Also, it starts up the conversation. If you have a contact for the publisher, see if she/he is around and talk with them. 

Try not to be shy; I know this part is SUPER hard. I'm really shy, but these are book people - they like talking about books. This one or two liner also works when chatting with people in line. Last year, I exchanged cards with tons of people in line, which I loved so I could find them online after I got home. Start keeping track of people you meet: publishers, bloggers, and librarians. Strike up a conversation with them after the Expo.

See you next week for more tips!

BEA: Getting My Face Out There

Today I'm at my 10 year college reunion and I can't believe it's been 10 years! That seems crazy to me. Monday I'll be at Book Blogger Con (for the first time) and Tuesday and Wednesday I'll be at BEA. I can't wait to see you all (or meet you) and talk about books!

However, I have two confessions to make:

1. I'm SHY. Really shy. Sometimes it's hard to walk up to people and start a conversation, especially if a person you think you know is already talking to someone else. Each year I go, I get better at interrupting and saying Hello, but it's still hard.

2. I do spend a lot of time looking at name tags, but sometimes I recognize people from the blog name or twitter handle and NOT by reading the name tag. Then usually, after I'm home and I'm reading about all the fun everyone had, I realize, THAT'S who that was. And I feel like a dork because I didn't realize it at that moment.


So - just in case this works, here I am

And I'm so looking to chatting with book people next week! It's my favorite time of year!