So I’m Going to BookCon…

On By TeacherofYAIn Daily Updates/Tags/Pingbacks


So, I’m leaving tomorrow on the biggest adventure of my life to date…

And I’m scared out of my mind.

I’ve been to very few places in my life: AZ (born and raised), Maine (my aunt lived there when I was little), California (the closest place to ever do anything), Las Vegas (when my mom got remarried on drugs by an Elvis Impersonator – they were divorced months later), and an Amish city that had a flea market in Illinois (I think? I just remembered we crossed a border and we were there…maybe it was Ohio…my geography isn’t good).

My point is….this is the biggest thing I’ve done on my own. Really. And I’m so nervous, because I’ll be doing it alone. 


(In Home Alone II, he was all alone in New York. I can understand, Macaulay Culkin. I know how you feel)

I’m tying to stay positive. I know I’ll be on the Greyhound with wifi, so I’ll be able to keep talking to y’all…I can read and play games, and there are lots of stops. It’s an 18 hour trip, so I’m hoping I’ll even sleep. 

And I hope I don’t end up sitting next to a weirdo that wants to tell me their life story. 😑


Then I’ll arrive in the heart of New York with my luggage, and hopefully since I’ll be close to the convention, grab my tickets. Then I’ll have to take a cab or Uber over to the hotel, which is in a neighboring city to keep costs down. My friend Katie is supposed to leave a key for me at the front desk when I arrive Fri morning. She’ll be at BEA. I’ll be alone still. 

No reason to worry at a perfectly normal small hotel…by myself…


When Katie gets done, I’ll probably surgically attach myself to her. 

I have such a tight budget so I’m packing snacks and all that I might need (Monster energy drinks need to fit in my suitcase), I haven’t started packing yet, so as soon as I’m done with this post, I have to make sure I bring everything I need. 


But I can’t pack too much, in case I want to bring stuff back. Do I take my books to sign, or just bookplates? How many totes will I need? WILL MY PORTABLE FLATIRON WORK AS WELL AS MY ONE AT HOME??? (I have to leave it for my mom, sigh).


Shoestring budget, far away from home, all alone in a city I have never been to….why would I possibly be worried? 


So as excited as I am to be going to this amazing convention and meeting my friends and authors and hopefully getting books and swag…I’m a little nervous. 

But….I AM GOING TO BOOKCON! It should be fabulous right? 

So why am I so scared, lol? 

I’ll keep you posted but for now, thanks for letting me rant. 


What are your plans?

136 thoughts on “So I’m Going to BookCon…”

  3. I’m so excited you get to go and you will be FINE. 🙂 make sure you take some water into the con with you, and hand sanitiser is always useful. As it’s a book con, you will probably come away with a ton of totes so don’t take too many with you! Most of all HAVE FUN! 🙂

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    1. Thanks for the tips and I hope it’s fun! I’m so nervous/excited that I’ve been barely on the internet, but I guess I’ll have tons of time to catch up on the ride there! I brought bookplates instead of books, even my ARCs, bc I want to have my hands free! 😉
      Wish me luck and up keep you posted…I hope you have an awesome weekend too! 😘

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  4. klkranesya

    So fun! Can’t wait to read about it! NYC is the best city in the world IMO. I dream of moving back daily. I’m sure you’ll have a great time!! If you’re not a vegetarian, may I suggest trying to get to Gray’s Papaya (don’t let the name fool you, it’s a hot dog joint). If you’re on a budget, it’s perfect and delicious and totally iconic. And it’s literary! William Gibson named an entire chapter in a novel after Gray’s and in issue #32 of The Avengers, Spider-man suggests the heroes “swing by” Gray’s Papaya. Have a great time!

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    1. I’ll have to keep that in mind!! No vegetarian over here!!
      I AM on a major budget as I crowdfunded the ability to go, so money is extremely tight. But I’ll never forget Gray’s Papaya bc there was a movie with Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek and all he kept trying to do was to get her to try the hot dogs! 😂🤣

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    1. Thank you! I hardly slept last night and I’m so pumped and nervous…I think I’d just be happy going to NYC! It’s crazy! Couple things to do this morning and then Greyhound time! I’ll keep you all updated as much as possible and I think it’s so awesome that you guys care about me!! 😘

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  6. HAVE SO MUCH FUN! I’m wishing you all the fun times and luck ever! It will be an amazing experience you won’t forget and I can’t wait until you get back to hear how it is! Hopefully I’ll go next year! 😀

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    1. If you go next year, we should go together. Thank goodness for Katie texting me and letting me know the details: she saw this post and assured me that we can sync our itineraries, plus Justin, Fernanda, and Rae will be there. I’m just socially awkward so it’ll be a new experience! And one that I have a chance to meet my blogger buddies and twitter friends!
      Ahhh! Getting coffee now to wake up since I was nervous…I’ll keep ha posted!!

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  7. Ooh! I wish I was going with you! I know how you feel though. Travelling alone is nerve-wracking. But just think. At the end of 18 hours you’ll be in NYC! Eek! I’m soooooo excited for you! I know you’re going to have an awesome time, meet lots of book people, and get plkenty of swag (which I hope you post pics of so we can drool over them)! Seriously. You’ve got this.😊😗

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    1. I wish you were going too! I just want someone to hold my hand when I freak out, you know? 😂
      I will keep you all posted and I’ll try to get some good Stuff!!
      Thanks for your wonderful positive attitude! Makes me feel a LOT better.

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  9. Kourtni @ Kourtni Reads

    I’m so excited for you! I was hoping I’d get the chance to go this year but it didn’t work out, unfortunately. I’d be nervous too, but I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time! I can’t wait to hear all about it 😀

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    1. Thanks. I’m really excited but nervous too. I want to do it right. Luckily I have some friends that I think will help me find my way!
      I’m sorry you’re so far away…it feels like a country away for me! NYC is big and I’m a speck in comparison, lol! 😂

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  11. This is so exciting! I’m kinda jealous 😛

    You will be fine though, promise! Keep your wits about you, be smart, and you’ll be okay. I’ve travelled on my own a few times, and moved twice by myself (using buses and planes) across the country, and I always find it fun. You get to do what you want, and no one bugs you or annoys you when they’re bored.

    Can’t wait to hear all about it!

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    1. Well, you have given me some courage, so here’s hoping!
      I’ll be live-Tweeting as much as possible on my way so that the people who helped me get there know how much this means to me.
      Crossing my fingers and I know once I’m there I’ll have fun! 😉😘

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    1. I’ll try to make it my mantra!
      I wish you could go with me too…I’m hoping next year I can find someone a little sooner that can save up with me and make the trek: this was kind of a last min Hail Mary trip!

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  13. Girl, you’ll be totally fine! AND you’ll have the best time ever! I cannot wait to see pics of all the awesomeness! I hope you pick up tons of amazing ARCs and meet all your fav authors! You must tell us all about it!

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    1. Oh, I’m going to live-tweet the hell outta it! That way all the peeps that helped me can see the crazy journey I’ll be on lmao! I’ll be like, “Where am I?” And then I’ll be there and done in a blink. 😁😌😳

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    2. Sorry I took so long to respond!! I went and came back: I was kind of in Internet blackout bc the hotel was small and hard to surf the Internet…now that I’m home I’ll be catching ppl up and you know I’ll catch you up right away!!

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    4. Not yet: there’s so much so I want to do it right! It was a LONG trip so there’s a lot of details that need to be included, like the fact that I was ditched by my roommates multiple times and left alone for the majority of the Con – if it wasn’t for Fernanda and Justin, I would have been completely alone. Don’t want to forget that! 😂😞🤷‍♀️
      But yeah. I have a review and then I’ll be doing a BookCon summary. I promise I’ll let you know: I’ll be going through the scores finally today as I take my shelf apart to make room!

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    5. Yes, I was lucky to have some ppl I met there from Twitter stick by me.
      I’ve just been invited to go to ALA if I can get $75 together! My friend offered to drive me and have me stay with them. I would love to go with his group and see the diff in not getting ditched!

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    6. Oh it’d be sooo amazing. If it was next month, I’m sure my mom wouldn’t have a prob, but with it being only a couple weeks away and her being laid off, she’s super paranoid about money. I don’t think I could crowdfund again this close to BookCon (apparently many ppl were expecting ARCs brought back for them when it was hard enough to get one). So I can be happy with what I got and I did meet some industry ppl and Twitter ppl, so that was good, too. 😊

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    7. I was asked to get ARCs for ppl! It’s like, what am I supposed to do, rip them out of their hands? Grab a stack of four??
      I tried more with swag but it’s very hard with the luggage restrictions: I was over 50 lbs on my checked bag on the bus (it was 71 lbs) so I had to pay an extra $40 on top of the extra $50 I was asked for the room by the roommate.

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      1. I think it’s pretty common for people to ask when they haven’t been to a big con like that themselves. The people that asked me weren’t trying to overstep, they just didn’t understand how difficult it is to obtain those ARCs at those event. I was lucky I had my mom and the hubz with me at YALLWEST that was just to get one of most of the ARCs I wanted, but I couldn’t get two.

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    8. I did score two posters of Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On that some ppl wanted and I was happy about that. I think I get it bc I was now invited to ALA but I am just going to see if Justin can grab me one ARC in particular: he’s got connections and it’s all Repeats there. If I went to ALA, I would get repeats for everyone!

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    9. Agreed! That cover is super delish!
      Yeah, it IS exhausting. It was fun. I prob can’t go to ALA with Justin despite the offer bc my mom just needs me right now…with her getting laid off and her being the breadwinner, I’m trying to help however I can. Spending $75 and leaving for another 5 days won’t help. Justin made the point that it’s the last big event of the summer…but the timing sucks.
      I got some great ARCs…there is one I really wish I could have gotten but it was at BEA only: Beasts Made of Night. I guess I can try on the bft hashtag?

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      1. It is lovely. That’s a bummer you won’t be able to go, but totally understandable. Plus you just got so many amazing ARCs anyway! That book does look gorgeous! We’ll have to try to win one somehow. 🙂

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    10. Yes, yes we will!
      So I told Justin I won’t have that money prob and he’s like, “too bad you’re going anyway,” lol. So I’ll try to make sure my mom doesn’t kill me…this trip would be to get what I didn’t and get stuff for giveaways as I didn’t get as much doubles as I would have liked to do a giveaway. I want to give back to those that helped me go, you know?

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  14. This made me smile! You’re going to have an absolutely incredible time. I’ve been to BookCon once, for its very first year, and it was a ton of fun. Don’t bring any totes (unless you want to be ultra safe, then bring just one) because you’ll get TONS of free ones. Wear comfy shoes and bring a bottle of water. Don’t be shy about going to chat with authors, even ones you haven’t heard of ! Everyone at BookCon is SO excited to be there, don’t be afraid to go chat with some fellow readers.

    New York is really intimidating at first, but a fun place to visit. As an ex New Yorker, I’d say you should walk as much as possible, avoid cabs (so expensive!), and take in the ridiculousness of the city. If you need any NYC tips, just give me a shout 🙂

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  18. Oh wow I’m so jealous! You’re gonna have soooo much fun. NYC is a really exciting (and loud) city, plus you’ll be going to BookCon?? I absolutely cannot wait to read your post about it (because you’d better share that adventure with those of us stuck at home lol). I’ve travelled a lot but never ever by myself and I really wish I was brave enough to do it. Best of luck!!

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    1. Oh I’m hardly brave! I’m on the bus right now and I’m scared shitless. But it’s the way I can go. So I’m doing it!
      I hope I have fun. But right now I want to punch the loud French lady in front of me. 😑

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      1. I’m so glad you had a good time! 🙂 Can’t wait to read about it when you do that post. I bet you must be exhausted from getting in late and all the fun you had while you were there.

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    2. Oh I am! But I am trying to keep the momentum up because I lost some weight with all the running around and luggage carting. I saw pics of me there and I have gained so much weight! So I’m hoping this NY trip helps in more ways than one (besides the hope of more pubs that I talked to communicating with me, like RivetedLit/Simon & Schuster and Penguin).
      So it was good even though I feel like I was hit by a train. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to go over the “spoils of war!”

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  21. Yay, so excited for you… and you know what? You’re going to be totally fine on your own. Rather than worrying, enjoy the thrill of an adventure and meet and talk to people… it’ll leave a lasting memory… as for money? Don’t worry about that either… I once lived off 10c for 3 weeks away from family at 17 y/o and I survived.. had to get creative but I’ll never forget it.. fond memories… 🙂
    So… have a safe trip! Don’t let the worrying overshadow the enjoyment and explore the world! 🙂 Who knows, you might think why you haven’t done all those solo trips before 😉

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  22. This sounds like it will be so much fun!! And I’m sure you will be fine! I go about myself a lot. The most stressful part is, I think, making sure you catch your transportation, but once you’re on, no worries! So much easier to have someone else drive!

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  24. Oh I’m sure BookCon is going to be so so so amazing Stephanie. It’s great you’re managing to go and I think it’s so brave you’re travelling all that way on your own as well. It’ll all be worth it when you get there. I imagine you’ll have the best weekend of your life because that’s what YALC was for me last year! 😀
    And you’ll definitely have to update us on everything that happens there as well. ❤

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      2. I can’t wait to post but I have so much to do…my mom was in a car accident while I was gone so she’s using mine and I have to clean it out and it’s full of books…and then I have to help her list some stuff for sale. I am just wishing my emails get back under control like before! Then I can post again!

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    2. Well, we are showing the house at 6:30 tonight and then tomorrow I am reorganizing my bookshelves to make room for the scores. There were A LOT. I am seeing all these people’s stacks online and mine are pretty big. So I’ll have to cut down on what’s on my one shelf and store the rest in crates that are easy to get to or something…🤔

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    3. Well, it’s good that you have multiple bookshelves bc I have no idea what to do with my extras…I am thinking of buying some crates for storage for my non-immediate reads or the books I’ve read a long time. I have books coming out of everywhere! 😆

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    4. I have some already and they’re great. They stack well and make it to where the books don’t get damaged. I think I’d like a little area in my closet and I could just stack the older ones so I could still get to them if need be. I even made labels when I was bored at work that would separate my ARCs from my FCs lol!!

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    5. I have some good storage containers for under the bed…but they are impossible when filled with books. My tub is long instead of tall because my bed is relatively low to the ground, so I tried once and I decided to empty it bc it was just too hard to roll out and see what was in there. But if you have a good space and if you put books you don’t need a lot of access to in there, it will work well!

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      1. I have a few books I don’t need to access but that I don’t quite want to relegate to the attic so they’d work well going under my bed for now. I just need to try and sort out my bookshelves, at least a little. They get out of control very easily and very quickly. 🙂

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    6. That makes sense: I don’t have an attic but I have a basement and I hate putting stuff down there bc I HATE going down there!
      When I first got my shelf was when I was first getting books, and now that I get them regularly, I just have to remember that I don’t need everything as a physical copy: like I was getting books I loved and read before in trades and they are taking up space for books I haven’t read and need to be reminding me to read them. I think my probs would be solved if i had a system like most ppl of a couple pushed together to make like a three shelf system all in one: haven’t you seen those? Where people have multi shelves but they are the same so when they are next to each other they look like one big shelf?
      I’d like that a lot. 🤔💭 ❤️

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      1. I just can’t get into the attic easily so once something goes up there I won’t get it down again.
        Yeah I’ve seen photos like that. None of my bookshelves are the same size so that doesn’t work for mine but it does look quite cool. I’m going to have to start double stacking books on one shelf, so have some at the back and some at the front, just to fit them all in. 🙂

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    7. I’m going to have to do that, too!
      My friend Anya gave me THREE BOXES of MG and YA ARCs so I have them in the basement, I have some packages that still need opening, AND of course the books from the Con. I should donate more but I’m really at the ones I like (besides the boxes of ARCs that weren’t mine)…I took some to Schuler’s and came back with more! It’s never-ending!! 😆

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    8. I’ve gone back to the boxes and stacks around my bed system! 😂
      It’s a horrible system and if I wasn’t dealing with women’s issues I’d be putting stuff up on the bookcase now and taking others down. But I’m just so ick today.
      Plus I have to read Roar for my review. I better get on it!

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  25. Yaaaaaaay!! Congratulations 😀 So cool that you get to visit a new city and attend Book Con 🙂 Travelling alone can be so scary but also so very fun and exciting. I hadn’t been on many planes before my trip to Ireland but I managed to fly alone (to and from Ireland and also to Scotland from Ireland and back). It was such a rewarding and freeing experience. Sometimes going alone can be the best thing. You really get to learn about yourself 🙂 Hope you enjoy your trip and your time in NY!! I’m sure it’ll be an amazing experience ❤

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  26. Anna @MyBookishDream

    It’s so amazing that you’re going there! I’m sure that it will be amazing (even if it seems scary right now). Super jealous of everyone going to all these different conventions, meanwhile I’m in Europe in a non-English speaking country…Anyway, I’m sure that you will have an amazing time! 😀
    Also I sincerely hope that your hotel won’t turn out to be like the one from The Shining. Though there was literary no one there aside from one family, so I’m pretty sure it will be alright. Good luck? 😂
    People who sit next to you when there is a lot of free space are the worst. I really hate when that happens, probably because I’m shy and awkward and don’t feel like sharing my whole life story with some stranger. :/

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    1. Luckily I have been on this bus for 18 hours and no one has dared to try. Makes riding the bus a lot easier.
      Next leg of my journey after this? Try to get to the center to pick up my tickets for tomorrow and then try to get to the hotel! 😅

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  27. Aww yay, I am so happy for you!! You’ll have such a great time, I am sure! Truly, New York isn’t so scary- I think it seems more intimidating than it actually is. Plus, afterward, you are going to feel so damn proud of yourself- making that trip by yourself is a really awesome thing! I hope you have an absolutely wonderful time!!!

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  28. Hey, Steph! It’s Drew, I am taking a short break from Twitter, and I forgot to tell everyone lol. I am wishing you the BEST travel, and wish I could be that weirdo next to you! Please email me! My email is the same from Paypal. You are AWSOME and once again hope you email me!
    Drew

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    1. Sorry! Just got home and now I’m going through my mail! I have 1100 emails to go through and that’s what happens when I don’t check it and it builds up. I’ll def be contacting you…but why a break? That’s how we talked!!

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      4. If it’s in my mail, it’s going to take me awhile to get to it, but I’ll try! It’s so hard to message other ways until the emails are gone but I’m getting closer!!

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  29. Christy Luis

    It’s going to be awesome, no worries!! Well, I mean, obv. there are worries, but you can handle them all. YOU’RE IN NY!!! Woo hoo! Have fun! Can’t wait to see the pics 😀 ❤

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    1. I did have an amazing time! I’m sore from head to toe and today is all “catch up” on email and missed calls and work, but I’ll be posting pics and books and I’m so glad you want to see! ☺️☺️😘❤️

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  32. I’m so late to this but you are SO lucky to have been able to go to BookCon! I hope you had tons of fun and that you’ll do a recap post of it all for us – like, so I can live the event through you since I’ll probably never be able to go ahah. Can’t wait to heart about it all! 😀

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    1. Oh I’ll def do a recap post…prob post an overdue review while I draft the whole thing, and then put it up there since so many people helped make it happen for me!
      Better late than never, right? ☺️😘

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  35. This is great! I hope it was the best time ever and you got some great books out of it. I was able to go to ALAN this past year and, as a fellow teacher, I know how awesome it can be to be in these environments surrounded by fellow-geeks. Hope to see a post of your spoils soon!!

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