ABA and Select BEA Programming, BookExpo America 2015

Join the ABC Children’s Group and the American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) in supporting and protecting the free speech rights of young readers. More than 100 pieces of art from well-known children’s illustrators, including special pieces created in recognition of Judy Blume, this year’s honoree, will be auctioned to benefit the American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE), the Kids’ Right to Read Project, and Banned Books Week.

Tickets are free for bookseller members of the ABC Group at ABA; $10 for other ABA-member booksellers; $25 for students over 21 with valid ID; and $105 for all others.  

To join the ABC Group at ABA, email Matthew Zoni. For questions about ABFE membership, email [email protected].

All ABA member booksellers are invited to enjoy nightcaps, hosted by Penguin Random House, at Hotel ABA, the Grand Hyatt New York, 42nd Street at Grand Central Station.

Visit the ABA Member Lounge on the trade show floor for exclusive author meet and greets and signed galleys; a presentation of the newest crop of Indies Introduce first-time authors; to learn about ABA programs and services; to relax and have a snack; and to meet with fellow booksellers. The Member Lounge is also open on Thursday (5/28) from 9 am to 3 pm, and Friday (5/29) from 9 am to 5 pm.

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 9:30 am, where will meet with editors for approximately 90 minutes. 

The structure of the editor meetings will vary by publisher and 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. 

Pre-registration by May 15 is required. Booksellers will be randomly assigned and will receive their publisher information by email prior to BEA.

Participating Publishers
Bloomsbury
Disney Publishing Worldwide
Grove Atlantic
Hachette
HarperCollins
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Macmillan
Melville House
New Directions
Penguin Random House
Perseus/PGW
Scholastic
Seven Stories Press
Simon & Schuster
Sourcebooks
The New Press
W.W. Norton
Workman/Algonquin

Wait List only

Free to all BEA attendees. Must have your BEA badge to gain access.

Kick off BEA with Jonathan Franzen as he appears with Laura Miller to discuss his upcoming book, Purity. You’ll get an inside look behind Franzen’s writing and the important influences in his life. Purity is set to be released by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in September 2015.

Jonathan Franzen is the multiple award-winning and -nominated author of four novels – The Twenty-Seventh City (1988), Strong Motion (1992), The Corrections (2001), and Freedom (2010) – as well as a collection of essays, How to Be Alone (2002), and a memoir, The Discomfort Zone (2006). Laura Miller co-founded Salon.com in 1995 and is currently a staff writer at that publication. She is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal and many other publications.

The Buzz Panel presentation, which features book editors discussing the title selections below, will be supplemented with an author stage appearance by the selected authors.

• Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine by Damon Tweedy; Publisher: Picador; Publication Date: September 1, 2015
• City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg; Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; Publication Date: October 20, 2015
• Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh; Publisher: Penguin Press; Publication Date: August 18, 2015
• Home is Burning by Dan Marshall; Publisher: Flatiron Books; Publication Date: October 20, 2015
• In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware; Publisher: Scout Press; Publication Date: August 25, 2015
• The Three-Year Swim Club: The Untold Story of Maui's Ditch Kids and Their Quest for Olympic Glory by Julie Checkoway; Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Publication Date: October 27, 2015

Kunal Nayyar, Master of Ceremonies
Book Title to Come!
Atria Books
September 2015

Panelists

Lee Child
Make Me: A Jack Reacher Novel
Delacorte Press/A Division of Random House
September 8, 2015

Diana Nyad
Find A Way The Story of One Wild and Precious Life
Penguin Random House/ Alfred A. Knopf
October 20, 2015

Brandon Stanton
Humans of New York: Stories
St. Martin’s Press
October 2015

The Buzz Panel presentation, which features book editors discussing the title selections below, will be supplemented with an author stage appearance by the selected authors.

• Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt; Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin; Publication Date: September 1, 2015
• Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon; Publisher: Delacorte Press; Publication Date: September 1, 2015
• Nightfall by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski; Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers; Publication Date: October 13, 2015
• The Death And Life Of Zebulon Finch, Volume 1: At The Edge Of Empire by Daniel Kraus; Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Publication Date: October 25, 2015
• This Raging Light by Estelle Laure; Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers; Publication Date: January 5, 2016

The Celebration features 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 open on or around Monday, March 23, and close on Friday, May 15 or when capacity is reached. To register, please complete the registration form for each bookseller who would like to attend. Seating is limited; max of three (3) booksellers per store location. Seat assignments will be emailed prior to BEA. Questions regarding the luncheon should be addressed to Mark Nichols at [email protected]. NEW TIME–- Doors open at 11:45 am and program beings promptly at noon.

Add your name to the waitlist for Celebration of Bookselling and Author Awards Lunch.

Independent booksellers talk a lot about the power of the in-person experience. “Get out from behind the screen,” we say. “Come browse books with your eyes and hands, not your keyboard and mouse.” But how might online platforms and social media actually enhance the bookstore experience and help us build a sense of customer community? In this session, four independent booksellers will share their experiences with social media and blogging. Is it worthwhile — and if so, how do you find the time to do it? What are the pros and cons of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr? What else is out there — and does any of this make a difference when it comes to book sales? These social media marketing experts will discuss their successes (and flubs) and encourage conversation among attendees from other stores. Bring your questions!

Moderator
Mary Laura Philpott, Social Media Director at Parnassus Books, and editor/producer of the online lit mag MUSING

Speakers
Julie Wernersbach (BookPeople, Austin, TX)
Mike and Hilary Gustafson (Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI)
Heather Duncan (Tattered Cover, Denver, CO)

All ABA members are encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting, which 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 Annual Meeting is preceded by the Town Hall. 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 Annual Meeting.

To provide an opportunity for as many members as possible to speak during the Town Hall, a sign-up sheet will be displayed beginning Wednesday, May 27, in the ABA Member Lounge.

Nathan Lane, Master of Ceremonies
Naughty Mabel
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
October 6, 2015

Panelists

Oliver Jeffers
The Day the Crayons Came Home
Penguin Young Readers / Philomel
August 18, 2015

Rainbow Rowell
Carry On 
St. Martin’s Griffin
October 6, 2015

Fangirl (Special Edition)
St. Martin’s Griffin
May 12, 2015

James Patterson
Treasure Hunters: Secret of the Forbidden City
Little, Brown for Young Readers
September 14, 2015

House of Robots: Robots Go Wild
Little, Brown for Young Readers
December 7, 2015

Participating stores will meet one-on-one with publicists from a number of publishers for approximately 12 minutes each. These conversations are a chance for booksellers to promote their stores, as well as to discover what publicists look for when planning author tours. 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. (Update 4/30/15: This event is filled. Sign up here for the waitlist.)

Participating Publishers
Abrams
Bloomsbury
Candlewick
Chronicle Books
Consortium
Grove/Atlantic
HarperCollins
Macmillan
Penguin Random House
Perseus Books Group / PGW
Scholastic
Simon & Schuster
Sourcebooks
The New Press
Workman/Algonquin

Graphic novels have grown 13% over the past year – there’s a clear opportunity for growth in this market for independent bookstores. Looking back over the past decade and forward to the next decade, Mark Siegel, Editorial Director of First Second Books, premiere publisher of high-quality graphic novels, talks to booksellers about changes they’ve seen shelving, stocking, and selling graphic novels, and their vision for future opportunities with the medium that booksellers can easily execute and adapt in stores all over the country.

Moderator
Mark Siegel, Editorial Director, First Second Books

Speakers
To Come

The Buzz Panel presentation, which features book editors discussing the title selections below, will be supplemented with an author stage appearance by the selected authors.

• George by Alex Gino; Publisher: Scholastic Press; Publication Date: August 25, 2015
• Last in a Long Line of Rebels by Lisa Lewis Tyre; Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books; Publication Date: September 29, 2015
• The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon; Publisher: Greenwillow Books; Publication Date: September 29, 2015
• The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable FIB by Adam Shaughnessy; Algonquin Young Readers; Publication Date: September 8, 2015
• The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Publication Date: September 15, 2015

ABC Group Members and Friends of CBC are invited to enjoy a lively lunch with more than a dozen children’s book authors as they pitch their new projects. “Learning the list” has never been this much fun!

Pre-registration and pre-payment ($25) is required. Space is limited, and registration is first-come, first-served. Booksellers will receive their author assignments via email in May.

Authors
T. Neill Anderson
Jesse Andrews
Michael Buckley
Gitty Daneshvari
Jim and Jamie Dutcher
Jory John and Bob Shea
Ben Hatke
Daniel Kraus
Yann and Gwendal Le Bec
Liniers
Deb Lucke
Adam Manscbach and Alan Zweibel
Patrick Ness
Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri
Steven Savage
Adam Silvera
Linda Urban
Salina Yoon

Register for Speed Dating

After a full day of BEA programing, return to the ABA Indie Bookseller Lounge to relax and enjoy a special reception and signing that spotlights the 2015 Summer/ Fall Indies Introduce titles and authors. Indies Introduce highlights the relationship between booksellers and emerging authors. While booksellers are always looking for great new titles to showcase in their stores, authors in the early stages of their careers hope to find someone who will enjoy –– and sell –– their books. Indies Introduce is the perfect vehicle to highlight this vital bond. Champagne will be served.

ABC Group Members and Friends of CBC are invited to sit down and share an intimate and relaxing teatime with a beloved author or illustrator. This event is a perennial BEA favorite. Booksellers will choose four preferred authors and illustrators attending the event, and will meet with three. 

Pre-registration and pre-payment ($20) is required. Space is limited, and registration is first-come, first-served. Booksellers will receive their author assignments via email in May.

Authors and Illustrators
Leigh Bardugo
Sophie Blackall
Kevin Henkes
Emily Jenkins
Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
Marie Lu
Meg Medina
Don Tate
Scott Westerfeld

Register for Tea with Children's Authors and Illustrators