Step Three - Day Two

Kissing Hands and Shaking Babies.

I’m kidding! There were no babies.

The exhibition area opened up on the second day. I had no idea what I was in for. I immediately went in towards the Harper Collins booth which was full past the brim with people. I was looking for the one person who contacted me from my inquiries through the BEA website. I didn’t find her until later that day, in the middle of a small crisis, but I made it a point to thank her directly for her help. I think it’s important to do that with anyone who is willing to do any little thing to help you.

So other than that I simply went around to every major booth and told my little 30 second bio. I’m a recent graduate student from Florida looking to get into the publishing business because I know this is where I want to be. So I’m just up here trying to network and get to know a little more about it. Would it be alright if I left you my card?

This would generally be followed up with some questions from the person like, what area are you looking to get into? Or advice such as, we have lots of internship possibilities available on our website and that may be the best option for you right now.

I plan to look into those, but as I need a way to sustain my life, I will only be able to take the paid ones.

I spoke to several companies, both big and small. Do I think my business cards will make it to the right people? No idea. But I know I got many thumbs up from people who truly thought this was the best strategy for me to go with at this stage as well as a few who wanted me to keep them updated on my search. The next strategy will consist of me contacting them all and establishing a real network. One company did ask me to send my resume their way as soon as I could so that they could send it to their HR department. So, I must have impressed someone.

Meanwhile, as I’m smoozing, I also have the great pleasure of collecting free swag along the way. I increased my library 2 fold, no exaggeration. At the end of day one, I had 25 pounds of books. I know this because I had to ship them back. I used three of those medium sized flat rate boxes. At one point in the middle of the day I was forced to check two of the bags, which were also being giving out, full of books because I simply couldn’t carry them anymore. I had no idea they gave these books out. I will next year, and I will be prepared.

After 16 months of graduate school with very few breaks between classes and very little money to buy the books I’m interested in, this was a dream come true. I was like a kid in a candy store; picking up any book that caught my eye. What made it even better though were the authors. There were authors of all different genres there ready to sign and give out their books to whoever wanted them. I soon found out that many of the people there were bloggers, so I suspect since many of these books were not released to the public yet, this is also how books get reviewed.

The best moment of day was Adam Gidwitz, a second grade teacher from NY who wants to teach the kids of today that fairy tales, the original ones, are not for sissies. I was in the Penguin booth waiting for the second book of a series that I have been dying to read and Adam was there taking books from a box. I assumed that he worked there and started chatting it up. Low and behold, he was the author of the book he was distributing, “A Tale Dark and Grimm”. It’s about Hansel and Gretel making their way through the original Grimm fairy tales. I was surprised and a bit embarrassed that I had mistaken him. Not that I knew him from anything, this is his first novel, but I had been getting good at reading people’s nametags throughout the day; but I was tired when I met Adam.

So I said to him, “Since you’re here… would you mind?” and I held out the book I had already swiped from the box when he wasn’t looking. He said sure. I had him sign it to my nephew, who may be a little young for the material, but he will grow.

Monkey see, monkey do.

All it took was one person to see him signing the book for me and a line formed. So he sat at the table where we were chatting and signed every one of the books in that box. In fact, he eventually grabbed some personal copies from his bag so that he could finish the line. I don’t feel guilty. He said that before today he hadn’t signed any of his books before so it was an interesting experience. He said he was honored. I would be too.

He spent a few more moments discussing my book with me before getting up and leaving and I waited for my final book before heading off to the post office. It was a good way to end the day I thought.