Deadlines Approach for Exclusive ABA Events at BookExpo

Booksellers planning to attend BookExpo 2017, which kicks off on May 31 in New York City, should sign up now for three special events available only to American Booksellers Association bookstore members:

• Meet the Editor will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 31, at various publishing houses around the city, where booksellers will have the opportunity to experience the book editing process through in-person visits with editors. Preregistration for Meet the Editor is required by Friday, May 12.
   
• Publicists Speed Dating sessions, at which ABA member bookstore owners, managers, and event coordinators will meet one-on-one with five to six different publicists, will be held from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31, and from 9:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on Friday, June 2, at the convention center. Preregistration is required by Friday, May 12. Booksellers can sign up for the Day 1 session (Wednesday, May 31) and/or the Day 2 session (Friday, June 2). To help booksellers prepare for their visits, ABA will be offering a free webinar on creating a store media kit on Thursday, May 11.
   
• The ABC/CBC Speed Dating Lunch With Children’s Authors will be held from 12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. on Friday, June 2, at the Javits Convention Center. Tickets are $35 each; space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Booksellers will receive their table assignments via e-mail prior to BookExpo. Preregistration and prepayment are required by Monday, May 15.

ABA member booksellers can also sign up now for the Celebration of Bookselling lunch and buy tickets for the Silent Art Auction to Benefit ABFE and Every Child a Reader.

• The Celebration of Bookselling and Author Awards Lunch, featuring the presentation of the 2017 Indies Choice Book Awards and the E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards, will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31, in the Special Events Hall of the Javits Center. Reservations are free of charge and limited to a maximum of four booksellers per ABA member store location. Seat assignments will be e-mailed prior to BookExpo; following the lunch, a number of the Celebration’s participating authors will be signing in the ABA Member Lounge (Booth 721 on the trade show floor). 
   
• The Silent Art Auction to Benefit ABFE and Every Child a Reader, featuring the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards, will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31, in the Javits Convention Center’s South Corridor. Auction tickets for ABA member booksellers are priced at $11, a 90 percent discount off the regular price of $110; to receive the discount, booksellers must be logged in to BookWeb when ordering. ABA member booksellers are also invited to the ABC/CBC Reception for Children’s and Teen Choice Book Award finalists from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 2, in the ABA Member Lounge. 

In addition, the ABA Member Lounge, Booth 721 on the Javits Convention Center’s trade show floor, will offer a galley room, exclusive author meet-and-greets, information on ABA programs and services from affiliated business partners, and one-on-one meetings with IndieCommerce staff. More information about ABA’s programming at BookExpo can be found on BookWeb.org.

Booksellers can register for free badges to BookExpo by providing an ABA member ID number during the registration process. Booksellers who don’t know their ID number should send a request with their name, title, and store name to [email protected] or call (800) 637-0037, ext. 7536.

Thanks to financial support from Reed Exhibitions, ABA member booksellers can reserve rooms at The Row NYC Hotel at a rate of $200 per night, including all taxes and fees. At publication time, a limited number of rooms were still available. The Row NYC Hotel is located at 700 Eighth Avenue. To access Hotel ABA reservation information, booksellers will need a BookWeb username and password.