Gabrielle's 5 BEA Tips for 2014

BEA is so exciting! When I was invited to go by Hannah I could not stop thinking about it. All the books and people I might meet. I asked a ton if questions and tried to prepare myself. Well, I was pretty prepared but I was still a little overwhelmed.

This is my second year going and I am already freaking out a little bit. I know there are a lot of veterans to BEA but I thought I would give a little helpful advice to the newcomers. There are a lot of important things to prepare and I think they are all equally important so please don't take the order as such.

1.  Shoes and clothes - You want to be presentable. You are going to be meeting lots of professionals. I found that a lot of people wore jeans and nice tops. If you wouldn't wear it out to a casual dinner, don't wear it. No one wants to see undergarments or all your skin. This is something to be proud of and I think you should convey your seriousness about books and blogging by looking the part. Just don't be frumpy. Shoes are another huge thing I found were a life saver. I brought a couple pairs and was extremely thankful for my tennis shoes.  You will be doing a lot of walking and standing. Good support is key!

2. Snacks/water - I think I would have died if Hannah didn't tell me to do this. We went and bought a few things including water bottles to hold us through the day. There are venders inside and down in the small cafeteria. But I didn't want to spend the money or get out of line. Snack bars, goldfish, and water will be your stomachs saver. I wouldn't want to faint in the front line of a signing due to lack of food and water. You will get hungry! (Hannah here: I did not take my own advice and Gabrielle had to catch me on Thursday before I faceplanted on the Penguin booth carpet because I hadn’t eaten and was dehydrated. I literally stumbled and would’ve gone down if she hadn’t grabbed me.)

3. Bags - These are super important. What are you going to carry all the books and swag you get?  I would suggest a few decent size ones. You  don't want to break your back either. Something with wide straps will be better on your shoulders. And bring a suitcase that you can check in the luggage area to take them back to your hotel with. Also keep in mind how your traveling home. I DO NOT suggest packing them all if you’re riding a train. Trying to lug a suitcase full of books in a train terminal is ridiculous. Trust me, I know. Mailing books is also a good idea so make sure you get the times of the post offices around you.

4.  Layout - If you have never been the Javits Center it's kind of hard to get an idea of everything. But try your best to remember where everything is in accordance to what entry you will go in. Take the map with you. You can look at it while you’re sitting in line. There are a lot of booths so it's easy to get turned around. I just followed Hannah, lol. But I eventually got the hang of where everything was and knew what I was looking for.

5. Time management - This is also important if there is a lot you want to do. They have schedules of galley drops, sometimes, and for signings and the other events for each day. It was very helpful to have the itinerary Hannah made for us. It let me get what I wanted but also allowed me down time to just meander or even get in line for something else.

The biggest help for me was Hannah. Having someone who knows their way around and how to go about everything was essential in my not freaking out when I walked in, or in the planning stages. If you can find someone who can help you through this it would be a lot easier. Be polite! There are people who will not be very nice if you are trying to get something they want. Just relax and go with the flow. Obviously, if there is something you want don't walk uphill through molasses during winter, but you get the idea. I don't want to be the pic on twitter of flying elbows over a book. Doesn't look very professional to the venders. If you don't know something or want some help getting it together, there are a lot of people who have attended and would be willing to share their knowledge with you! Have fun, get excited, and train for a triathlon beforehand.