Free Reads from BEA

Last year was the first year I registered to attend the BookExpo America (BEA) held here in New York City at the Jacob Javits Center. It was the first time I was able to attend all of the panels and events held there and I must say that some of the most exciting information poured out of the "Book Buzz" panels.

What Is Book Buzz?

For the uninitiated, the Book Buzz events are panels where you get to hear about the most exciting books that will be making their way to bookstores this year. One of my favorite Book Buzz books from last year from the YA Book Buzz panel was Skinny by Donna Conner. There are numerous Book Buzz panels because they are separated by genres and also by those delivering their favorites (ie. Librarians' Book Buzz).  For those who can attend BEA, once you get out of a Book Buzz panel you essentially make it your life's mission to gather up as many of the Buzz-ed about books from the Exhibition floor so you can sink your teeth into them right away! But Thursday, BEA released a special surprise so we don't have to wait until the end of the month for our teasers.

Download Book Buzz 2013 for FREE!

BEA announced the digital release of Book Buzz 2013 Thursday morning on their Facebook page. What does this mean? Well, right now YOU can download a book full of exclusive excerpts from over 25 of this years biggest books to come (for readers outside of the US, it includes 11 of the titles)! The book is available for the Kindle, the Nook, Apple devices, Sony and Kobo. Here is the link to get you started: FREE Book Buzz 2013. I downloaded mine to my nook this morning and I am already excited by some of the author names I recognize (Michael Pollan, Joe Hill, Sarah Dessen) and by the debut authors I have yet to discover!

Come To BEA

After you've read the excerpts and got yourself really excited for all of the new titles heading to your bookshelves, why not come on down to the biggest book party New York has to offer? If you are going to be in the New York area on June 1st, BEA opens its doors to the public with what they call the Power Reader ticket. Here's what BEA has to say about the offer:

With a Power Reader ticket to BEA 2013, available for only $49, you will…

• Discover new and upcoming books before they hit the stands
• See and meet the hottest authors
• Talk to publishers about favorite books
• Mix and mingle with other book lovers and share your passion for reading
• Get autographs and advanced reads of unique books (quantities limited)
• Get tons of giveaways from exhibitors
• Enjoy a day in New York City!

And if you can get a group of 3 or more to join you, BEA is offering a special discount for you if you register before May 17th:

Grab your book-loving friends and head over to BEA as Power Readers. The more friends you invite, the bigger the savings! Bring your book club or just make it a girls day out in New York City!
Receive the following discounts on your group of at least 3 or more: 10% OFF groups of 3 or more, 15% OFF groups of 5 or more, and 20% OFF groups of 10 or more.
Group discounts will expire on May 17. Don’t miss out on these great savings—Order your tickets today! To purchase your discounted group tickets, please contact Diana Press at dpress@reedexpo.com.

I highly recommend this event to all book lovers and, to my writer friends out there, I shouldn't have to tell you why you should be there: books are your business!

So, if you have the date available, and you can afford the admission, let me know when you'll be there. I plan to be there for the entire event providing my Rivera Runs Through It readers with all of the latest Buzz and news straight from the floor!

 Thanks for reading!

Do you have a favorite local book event you like to attend?

Do you enjoy reading the "buzzed about" books each year, or do you prefer making your own discoveries?

  For those who have been to BEA before, what tips to you having for maximizing one's enjoyment of the event?

Blogworld New York Early Bird Pricing Ends Tomorrow!

It goes without saying that I learned an incredible amount from last year's Blogworld event here in New York City. As the date of the event creeps ever nearer I dance with the question of what I can truly afford one year later. The first question is, can I even afford to go to Blogworld this year? However, as the first question enters my mind, a second quickly challenges, can I afford not to?

As an attendee last year, I was a sponge sucking up whatever knowledge I could from every panel I could get into. I was having a virtual identity crisis as I had just started this blog and wasn't entirely sure I was walking away from another. When I was asked questions like "What kind of blogger are you?" I was honestly stymied, not knowing which passion I wished to pursue or what Rivera Runs Through It was meant to be.


Things are different now. I could go to Blogworld not only to learn, but also to network. In fact, my brand new (FREE) business cards arrived from VistaPrint today. Is this a sign? Shall I go into the red, start skipping breakfast or grow my hair out again just to jump in the waters again?

As far as I see it, I have 24 hours to decide. The early bird pricing ends tomorrow.

I figured I would share this news with you too, just in case you wanted to take advantage of this great deal. According to the Blogworld people you can Save up to $400 off your BlogWorld registration with Early Bird pricing! Early Bird pricing ends on 3/22/12!

Here's a small sampling of what I learned from last year's event:

• 3 Quickie Lessons from My First Day at Blogworld Expo New York 2011 
• 3 More Lessons from BlogWorld Expo NY 
• Blogging With An Authentic Voice 
• The Birds and Bees of Your Blog Life 
• Your Book Proposal from a Publisher's Perspective

And when I unearth my notebook from the event, I'm sure there are even more posts that can be written and shared.

Here are the various passes available for this year's event:

Important Dates and Pass Prices:

Pass Type	Thru Mar 22	Thru May 15	After May 15
3-Day Blogger and Podcaster Pass	$197	$297	$397
Social Media Business Summit	$697	$897	$1,097
Expo Pass	$47	$57	$77
Virtual Ticket	$197	$247	$297
Virtual Ticket Add-On (add to 3 Day or SMBS passes only)	$47	$47	$97

Check out who is speaking at Blog World Expo in June!

So is it worth the money? Absolutely. Now if I can just FIND that money!

How do you make the decision of how much you will invest in your own education - is it based on how much you have, how much you'll learn, a balance of the two, or something else entirely?

Have you ever attended a blogging conference? What lessons did you learn?