10 Things I Learned as a First Timer at BookCon

This past Sunday, I went to BookCon at the Javits Center in New York City for the first time. Overall, my reaction was WHY DIDN'T I GO BEFORE??? Because I'm close. It only took me about 45 minutes to get from my front door into the Javits Center. I stayed the entire day, saw and talked to some amazing authors, got some epic books and swag and left with a more positive impression that I possibly imagined. I've always been a fan of top ten lists, so here are the 10 things I learned and enjoyed during my experience there:

10. I Got to Share Something That I REALLY Love with my Mom
I saw a lot of mother-daughter pairs at BookCon and that was really touching. I went with my mom and I love going to book events with her. She gets to see me in a place where I really love everything going on and there are tons of books and authors. I get REALLY excited, like when I started squealing because I saw the Welcome to BookCon sign. Plus, she's super supportive of me going to college for an English major and then trying to work in some area of media or publishing, for which I'm super grateful. She was also great with going to tables to look for books and swag for me and waiting on super long lines, so thanks mom. I had a great time.

9. The Lines Could Actually Be Really Fun
Based on what I saw on Twitter in the days leading up to BookCon, I expected to wait in a ton of lines. But they could actually be fun. I only waited in two lines all day (I didn't do any of the author signings, though). I did the First in Line Penguin Random House Breakfast (See #8) and the line when I first came in to get on the show floor. I met a friend on line both times and I made new friends on the lines as well. It's always fun to fangirl over new books with awesome people.

8. The First in Line Penguin Breakfast
I could only stay at the breakfast for about five-ish minutes after I got there (after an hour and ten minutes in line) but it was worth it. I got an awesome tote bag, a signed copy of All the Bright Places for a friend and some cool arcs including Another Day by David Levithan.

7. I Got in Touch with My Inner Child
I loved the children's book characters they had walking around. It was almost like being at a bookish version of Disney World without the autograph books (only autographed books). My favorite was taking a picture with the Cat and the Hat.

6. This Conversation (aka Don't Awkwardly Walk Up to Erotic Fiction Booths)
Me: *sees a bunch of people so I go up and check it out but doesn't really register anything*
Lady at Booth: *scowls* You realize this is an erotic fiction table right?
Me: *realizing I look 14* Oh, I'm 20.
Lady at Booth: *blank expression* Oh, um...you look younger.
Me: I know. Well, have a nice day! *scurries off*
OOPS!!! But seriously, everyone at all of the booths were SUPER nice.

5. I Was Only in ONE Stampede
One of my biggest hesitations about attending BEA/BookCon in the past had been the crowds. I am not a chaotic crowd kind of person. There is absolutely nothing I enjoy about feeling stuck in a swarm of people or being unable to move out of a crowd when I've had enough. So naturally, I was a little worried. I am happy to report, however, that this only happened to me once during the entire day, which I guess wasn't SO, SO bad.

4. Free Books!!
I don't really think this one needs an explanation. As a massive "Thank You!" I'm going to try and review most, if not all of the books I got at BookCon in the coming weeks on my blog. :)

3. The One Panel I Went to Was SUPER Awesome
The only panel I made it to during the day was the Kick Off Your Summer with Kick Ass YA Reads from Jodi Picoult, Samantha van Leer, David Levithan, E. Lockhart, Jennifer Niven, Nicola Yoon and Med Wolitzer. It was amazing to see all of these authors talk about YA writing, writing from the POV of teens and more. I'm definitely glad I was able to make it!

2. What Brought Me to BookCon
So a few months ago, I actively said that I wouldn't be going to BookCon. I hadn't gone in the past and I was super nervous about the crowds. But then one of my favorite authors, Adi Alsaid, announced a fan art contest on his website with the prize being to have one fan sit at one of his signings and doodle on his coffee cup. And okay, I've always liked drawing and I've never done fan art, so I figured I would enter. I mean, I never had ANY expectation of winning. I thought there would be a ton of entries and whatnot, but I did and the experience was amazing. It was cool to have the "behind the scenes" view of a book signing. And doodling on a coffee cup was way cooler than I expected. The Sharpies blended really well on the plastic. And of course I'm super grateful to Adi and Harlequin Teen for the experience. Thanks, guys!

1. The Whole Day was Just One Big, Freaking Amazing Experience
I loved the whole day. Seriously. I am inserting my foot in my mouth about not wanting to go and I can't wait to go again in the future. Until then, though, I can't wait to read, review and attend more awesome book events.

BONUS: This picture I took with Emmy Laybourne at the Fierce Reads Spring Fling event at McNally Jackson Books later that night in SoHo. I still can't stop laughing and I NEVER expected to be dressed up as Waldo at any point during the weekend.