Today is Consumer Day. Introduced in 2012, Consumer Day is expanding its footprint this year. The day allows a limited number of people from the general public into the trade show to receive free books, meet authors, and attend other publisher-sponsored events. This year BEA hopes as many as 2,000 people, dubbed Power Readers, will attend Consumer Day for an entrance fee of $49. BEA reported that, by early May, more than 700 people had signed up. Below is a snapshot of some giveaways and events various publishers have planned for the day. (Click here for a full list of Consumer Day events and exhibitor giveaways.)
Chronicle Books (booth 739): In addition to limited-edition tote bags, tie-ins will be given for the following books: Prospect Park by David P. Colley and Elizabeth Keegin Colley (flower seeds), The Filmmaker Says by Jamie Thompson Stern (popcorn), From Russia with Doubt by Adam Lerner (magnets), and Southern Makers by Jennifer Causey (candy). Galley giveaways include Colleen Gleason’s The Clockwork Scarab and Ellis Weiner’s The Templeton Twins Make a Scene.
Da Capo Press (1402) has galleys for a number of titles, including The Turk Who Loved Apples by Matt Gross, The Shadow King by Jo Marchant, Poseur by Marc Spitz, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven by Corey Taylor.
Grand Central Press (1929) will be giving away several books and galleys, as well as hosting various signings. Among others, author Jeffery Deaver will sign The Kill Room at 10 a.m., and Jami Attenberg will sign The Middlesteins at 11 a.m. The publisher is also hosting a morning scavenger hunt where the prizes are advance reading copies of Nicholas’s Sparks’s forthcoming novel, The Longest Ride. (Only five ARCs will be given away through the scavenger hunt.)
HarperCollins (2038) is offering Power Readers the chance to sign up for advance looks at upcoming HarperCollins titles. The publisher is hoping to get feedback from Power Readers about the books—which will cross various genres and subject matters, and be written by both established and new authors—before pub date. HC also offers various giveaways, including Amy Tan’s The Valley of Amazement, Robyn Schneider’s The Beginning of Everything, and Sherry Thomas’s Burning Sky.
Macmillan (1557): The first 1,000 Power Readers who arrive at the show will receive a free bag from the publisher, containing 10+ books from its various divisions, in a wide variety of genres; among the titles are Lars Kepler’s The Nightmare and Linda Castillo’s Her Last Breath. The publisher is also hosting a party in its booth to celebrate its new crowd sourced romance imprint, Swoon Reads.
Penguin (1520): Among the titles the publisher is giving away are the latest from Eat, Pray Love’s Elizabeth Gilbert, The Signature of All Things; Terry McMillan’s Who Asked You; and Nicholas Baker’s Traveling Sprinkler. Authors doing in-booth signings include Margot author Jillian Cantor (11:45–12:45 p.m.) and SYLO author D.J. MacHale (11 a.m.–noon). The publisher is hosting a book club lunch with Gilbert and Wally Lamb, 1:30–3 p.m., in Room 1E12/13.
Random House (2739): A number of authors will be doing signings, including Chris Raschka (Daisy Gets Lost), 12:30–1:30 p.m.; Tad Hills (Rocket's Mighty Words), 1–2 p.m.; and Robin Wasserman (The Walking Dark), 1:30–2:30 p.m. The Random House Publishing Group division will have authors like Colum McCann (the forthcoming Transatlantic), Diana Gabaldon, Alexander Maksik, and Kelly Corrigan on hand, and also plans on giving away, among other titles, a sample of the new cookbook from Paula Deen).
Scholastic (1638): Galleys and giveaways include Train by Elisha Cooper, Star Wars: Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown, The 39 Clues: Unstoppable Book 1: Nowhere to Run by Jude Watson, Seeing Red by Kathryn Erskine, and Marie Antoinette: Serial Killer by Katie Alender. The publisher will also be giving away I Read YA buttons and tote bags.
Simon & Schuster (2638): Authors signing in its booth include Chris Matthews (Jack Kennedy), 10:30 a.m.; Jamie McGuire (Walking Disaster), 9:30 a.m., and Mary Higgins Clarke (Daddy’s Gone a Hunting), 11 a.m.
