25 Comments on “Why BEA is the Happiest Place on Earth (If You Like Books)”

1. All of us spoke to a dinner of librarians, which was a lot of fun, because if there’s ever a group that you’d suspect wants to hear authors, it’d be librarians.

   Ah, so true.

   We also want to hear our purchasing budgets are going up, but who doesn’t?

2. Damn. You know, I’m not poor. I have a decent paying job. But the thought of FREE books, well, it makes me wriggle a bit.
   Books are better than money, for me. Unfortunately, my landlord and my wife tend not to agree with me.

3. Damn I so hate to be missing BEA this year. Of course every time I have gone I haven’t stayed in the host hotel so I missed out on the free books on my bed every night. Granted taking home 8-12 boxes of books home every year does make up for it.

4. I think a “din of librarians” might have been a better collective term.

5. Neville. Argggh. I’m envious of all my friends at BEA. Why do I have to work? //sad

6. Nah, it’s “a stack of librarians”

7. I hope you brought along an empty suitcase to take all those books back in. I’m jealous.

8. NO…NO….NO…. it’s a “gaggle” of librarians…

   There always trying to gag your laughter at finding the book you’ve been looking for for sooooooooo looooonnnnnggg.

9. I miss going to BEA — we just can’t afford it the last couple of years. We usually end up shipping back about 150-200lbs of stuff — some of it is catalogs from small presses we weren’t on the mailing list for, or book-themed posters and tchochkes to give to my sister-in-law the teacher as student gifts, but most of it is books, books, books. Books from the publishers, books from the autograph lines, mmmm.
   If you stay at the BEA “host” hotel, the Book Fairy leaves more books in your room each afternoon, and there is usually a publisher-hosted reception each evening with, you guessed it, more books.

10. Downside: Next year it’s in the Javitz Center, in as close to an urban desert as you can find in Manhattan. (The financial district on Sunday is a close second.)

    But hey, it’s back in DC in 2010 and Vegas, baby, in 2011!

11. Good grief. Do you read really, really fast, or do they just stack up?

12. Some I keep, some I give away to friends, etc.

13. Last night, John Scalzi gave a terrific speech to the librarians at the BEA. He was very funny, charming, and, without meaning to embarrass him, sincerely touching. Great job and congratulations.

14. John, if you need a new friend to give books away to, I volunteer.

15. Ah, yes, the “I’s gets free buks” taunting by the host. Another wonderful facet of the Whatever Online Community. I think that’s the sprinkles on the whipped-cream on the hot fudge on the sundae that is Whatever.

    :)

16. “BEA” means something different to the fan community, right? Because, when I see “BEA” I think “WebLogic Server” originally based on the J2EE spec.

    Yes, I could Google it, but I like cognitive dissonance.

17. The Book of Lies?

    There’s a new Brad Meltzer? Dammit, why wasn’t I told?

    Before now, I mean.

18. I really may try to have to hit this next year.

19. John,

    With my excess free time I find that I am able to take on a heavier reading load than I now inflict upon myself. And so I inform you that I can make a personal sacrifice and accept any tome you choose to send my way.

20. The Eight by Katherine neville is one of my favorite books. Glad she has a new one out.

21. We took home 40 books at BEA last year…from a one day visit. Have fun, Scalzi.

22. clvrmnky: BEA = Book Expo America

23. What Gennita said. Stupid work.

    And I know some folks who are getting the new Neville book this holidays!

24. “Dinner of librarians” fits well, followed by a “drinking of librarians”. However, since this video librarians at conferences may forever be known as “a march of librarians”.

    cybrgrl

25. Try to meet Bully, the little stuffed bull (of the blog ‘Comics Should Be Fun’), at the Norton booth.