So I’m going to the BookExpo America (BEA) at  Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center in New York City. The event runs June 4th through the 7th. I’m attending on Wednesday June 6th, and I’ll be starting off the day with the Children’s Book & Author Breakfast hosted by Glee’s Chris Colfer.

I trying to plan what I want to accomplishing at this event. I’m going to keep my expectations in check and not shoot for the moon. Below is the list of things that I’ve come up with.

#1. Be early for breakfast. I paid $45 for a continental breakfast at an author event. I want to be there for every minute and try to meet as many people as possible. I’m also interested in the speakers. The breakfast is only an hour an half, and there are five speakers, Walter Dean Myers (National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature), Chris Colfer (The Land of Stories), John Green (The Fault In Our Stars), Lois Lowry (Son) and Kadir Nelson (I Have a Dream). I don’t know much about these speakers, but I plan on Googling them before the event.

#2. Meet a few publishers – Since I’m an author who would like to be published by an actual publisher, I hope to at least meet a few. (I’m setting the target at 3.) I’m not sure how much information I’ll share with them, but I’d love to get their information and maybe give them some background about myself.

#3. Meet a few agents – I don’t have an agent, but I’d like one. That said I’d like to talk to one or two and see if I can pitch to them.

#4. Enjoy myself – I’m going to BEA to learn and make connections, but it’s important to remember that this is my hobby. I have a career, and this is not it. I want to have some fun, laugh and smile!

#5. Walk the floor – I’ve never been to the Javitz Center before, and I think walking floor and seeing all the booths will be fun.

#6. Their is an author lunch titled “A Conversation with Neil Young” at noon. I’m not sure what this is about, but I’ll be there.

#7. Check out a class – There are two classes I’m interested in. They are “Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer in the Digital Age” and “The Journey of a Book – From Writer to Reader”. I’m not sure if I be attending either of these, but I added them to my agenda for now.

#8. Get a book signed – There are a lot of meet and greet/book signings on Wednesday. The two I’m most interested in are Michael Ian Black and  Mo Williams.

It looks like it’ll be a long and fun day. I’ll probably review and tweet my goals and agenda over the next couple of days. My main focus is going to be meeting new people and having fun. Any plans I make now can easily change the day of the event, and I kind of hope they do.