What I learned at BEA

I'm not going to do a recap of BEA, since I think that my videos from the past week will suffice. If you haven't had a chance to watch them, they are all listed below:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

Book Expo America was an absolutely insane experience. Like many other people, I got hardly any sleep. I woke up early, and went to bed late. I met some wonderful bloggers, authors, and publicists. I also witnessed some pretty crazy drama. But, in a nutshell, this is what I learned:

1. Publishing is ready to accept bloggers. At every event I went to during the week, bloggers were treated like royalty. Our questions were answered. We were thanked for generating buzz. Authors were incredibly grateful and kind.
2. Bloggers need to accept the responsibility we've been given with professionalism. The vast majority of the bloggers that I met last week were incredibly professional and kind. However, there were a few incidents that made me want to hide under a rug. As a group, bloggers make up an important part of the publishing puzzle. But, those that want to be successful need to forgo the nasty, biting comments and gossip. Whether you have 50 followers or 5,000 followers, you have an audience and a voice. I firmly believe that no one blogger is any better than another, and that only by working together can we influence publishing in a positive manner.
3. Authors are my rock stars. I met too many authors to name, but every single one was amazing. It was so great to see long signing lines for authors that may not be huge names, but that we are all excited about.
4. I <3 Bloggers. As I mentioned before, there were a few cringe-worthy moments at BEA and BBC. However, I met some really amazing bloggers. When I lost my phone in the Javits center on the first day, I had a whole team of people helping me out. People lent me cell phones, made sure I wasn't alone, and generally made what would have been a very stressful time much easier. I stayed with a group of other bloggers in a house in Brooklyn, and many nights were spent talking, and laughing. I really made some fantastic new friends.
5. I have so much to improve on my blog. I didn't just come home with a ton of books, but I've got a bunch of great ideas to make this blog better. And, if you just started following me this week, welcome! I'm happy to have you.

Did you go to BEA? If you did, leave a link to your wrap-up post in the comments and I'll stop by!

If you didn't go to BEA, don't be sad. I've got a ton of books and swag to share with you.