If you’ve never attended BEA before before, that’s good news. BookExpo America is awesome. And once again we have 50 free VIP passes to give away. These get you into the show as well as a special VIP-only lounge area.

In 2014 BEA will run from May 29th - May 31st at the Javits Center in Manhattan. If you can make it, you’ll have a chance to see Bill and I debut a brand new talk. You’ll also have a chance to load up on signed books, grab tons of galleys, meet authors, and attend entertaining, informative programs.

Here’s the deal on the VIP passes. BEA wants us to give them to librarians who are new to the show and who have a strong influence over what books are ordered in their library or elsewhere.

Passes are earmarked for librarians (and library employees doing the work outlined below) attending BEA for the first time. We’ll also be randomly picking one of the 50 VIPs to have lunch with Bill and me.

To qualify for a free pass, you must:

• Have not attended BEA in the last three years (this is set in stone, BEA checks).
• Work for a library system with at least three branches or one really large building.
• Help select or order books for your library’s collection OR have a significant influence over what books are ordered.

Just email me from your work email address and include: your name and title along with your library’s name, address, phone, and fax (if you fetishize antiquated technology).

I also need a short statement explaining how you qualify. Tell me about your library or library system — the size, number of branches — and give me some idea of how many books you buy or order per year. And let me know about your social media presence, that you’re a squeaky wheel who always manages to get your favorite books on the shelves, or whatever else is relevant to making your case.

Passes will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to qualified professionals. There are no passes available for guests, family members, or students. We’ll update this blog post when they’re gone.

It’s been a crazy three weeks for our Library Ranger Badges Kickstarter. We reached our initial funding goal in just over a day, and since then you guys have unlocked one awesome stretch goal after another. We are incredibly grateful for your support. At this point we have almost 500 backers who have ordered a total of 1000 badge packs!

Now we’re down to the home stretch. It all ends at Wednesday 2pm PST. And, to be honest, we’d really like to get to the $35k stretch goal so that we can afford to add an additional bonus badge to each pack, the ones you see above - Audiobooks, Shelving, and Genealogy. This is totally doable, but it will mean pulling together and getting the word out in a big way. So please tell your friends, family, coworkers, patrons, and mortal enemies. Visit your local library, patronize your favorite bookstore, drop by your neighborhood comic shop. Once they see the video they won’t be able to resist. Let’s give everyone the badges they deserve!