BEA: Day One

Thursday is supposed to be a ‘light’ day, as BEA doesn’t officially start until tomorrow. Still, there were plenty of panels to check out and people to meet. I arrived a bit late to the the book bloggers panel, but still enjoyed the second half of it. I was surprised at some of the more novice questions, showing that in fact many people still aren’t familiar with what book blogs are and are a bit mystified as to how to use them.

I did enjoy meeting the panelists in person–the very sharp Michael Cader of Publishers’ Lunch, bookseller-cum-blogger Robert Gray, and the very active M.J. Rose. Mad Max Perkins, who showed up incognito, ran off right after the panel–presumably to take off his sorcerer costume and vanish into nature.

I tried getting into the panel on the “elusive 18-34 year old reader,” which was moderated by Jessa Crispin, but couldn’t at all because it was held in a smallish room and there were no seats left by the time I got there.

Afterwards, I got to meet fellow bloggers Bud Parr (of Chekhov’s Mistress) Ed Champion (of Return of the Reluctant), and Sarah Weinman (of Confessions), and of course Mark. I did spot a few other people, but couldn’t work up the nerve to go up and say hi. (Despite all evidence to the contrary, I can be quite reserved.)