BY: ED V

After that, it was just good old-fashioned sweat and hauling. Many bottles of water and many blisters later, we had our loot, and another successful BEA under our belts. In a way, the manner in which things played out was beneficial for the long run in how we approach the BEA and other trade shows. Humbling experiences, I think, are almost more important then straight-up "RAH RAH! wins. They keep you grounded, and they keep you working hard. With the competition this year, we learned that in order to close more deals, we're going to need to start working our relationships with publishers much earlier. Whether that means attending other shows, buying more remainders, or simply calling and chatting up the relevant people throughout the year, we can't assume that just because we're the coolest bookstore on the planet that we're going to be able to walk away with a huge load of stuff. I think the same lesson can be applied to our stores: while we have a killer thing going, we can't take things for granted, whether its our customers whose patronage we depend on or our fellow employees who put a lot of themselves and their passions into our stores. It's all an important, vital cycle, and it's deserving of our respect and attention and anything we can do to keep it alive and going. In retrospect, this was probably the most meaningful BEA for me, but in the end, it wasn't a bad thing, it was a growing thing. Few things never change, and we always have to be ready to adapt our game to shift with the trends and preserve that which makes us awesome/special/[insert sappy adjective here].

Many thanks to my fellow attendees; it was an awesome time and I got to see a side of you I'm not usually privy to and I think I'm better off for it. I only hope that you can say the same. Also, many thanks to the Intergalactic Overlord for footing the bill - we didn't abuse our expense accounts...too much.

And now for some random pics. I didn't take to many this time since I was way too sweaty to handle a camera, but I did manage to get a few.

Here are four pics from a really cool sushi restaurant we went to. Throughout the entire place, a conveyor belt wove in and out of tables and along the bar, transporting sushi delights and other Japanese treats. There were no menus to order from, and you were charged based on the color and number of plates that you had stacked in front of you when you were done. This was probably my most fun dining experience the whole trip, because of the company and the excellent sushi. Oh, and the booze:

And here are some random pics from the last day. Of particular interest:

Aaron, who, after laying waste to his enemies, brandishes the head of one of our co-workers, NYC resident Eddie.

 Me, writhing in pain on the floor after everything was finished. Remember, this is the one day a year that I actually work. (Yes, ladies, that is actual sweat on me there. My own, no less. Sorry, I'm taken.)

 Old and New Testament Katie/y, Eddie and Sheila, surveying our haul from the kid's book section. Of particular interest is the expression on Katy's face. Go ahead. Zoom in on it. You know you want to.

And no pic set by me is complete without a Mac-related pic! This is one of the upper level of the cool new Apple store in Central Park.

Amateur chef, bibliophile, movie buff, and gnome warlock, Ed V's been a Tucson resident for just over ten years. Currently the manager of the Grant Road Bookmans, Ed spends most of his free time playing World of Warcraft and other PC games, reading, and shooing away his three overly affectionate cats. Even though he hates the desert, he loooooves Bookmans, and until Bob opens Bookmans: Ontario, he's committed to living in Tucson, spending the summers in a dark, heavily air conditioned room whining about the heat.