In anticipation of the largest book expo in all of North America, Soho Press shares some of the things they’re looking forward to, as well as their personal advice for anyone venturing into the madness for the first time. (PS: They’ll be stationed at booth #3949 and hope you’ll visit!)

1.) There’s a vendor at BEA every year with weird copper statues of haunted-looking children, I believe intended for sale to libraries. My personal rec would be to avoid these. The story goes that if you happen to lock eyes with one, he or she will follow you home and choke you to death with tiny, impossibly strong copper hands.

-Mark Doten, Editor

2.) Contrary to what the photo above implies, we will NOT be handing out free lattes with our authors this year. That said, Soho has a number of amazing, non-caffeinated giveaways planned. And that’s what I’m looking forward to most—the sheer joy on people’s faces when they get free stuff.

-Michelle Rafferty, Publicist

3.) My tip is to bring as many business cards (or whatever your personal equivalent is) as possible. For me, the most important part of BEA is the networking aspect, since it brings people from all over the country together. (Ancillary tip: try to force yourself to sit down and follow up with everyone whose card you collected as soon as you get home—trust me, it’s much less daunting that way than when you go back two weeks later and try to remember who everyone is.)

-Juliet Grames, Senior Editor

4.) I’m looking forward, as always, to the swag. There are so many great books there for the taking! Read about how to swag from the expert here. I’m also looking forward to what promises to be an epic BEA party on the 7th.

-Meredith Barnes, Publicist

5.) I’m excited to see the tight rope walkers, the elephants (including their elephant tusk jewelry and tiny elephant hats), the sharpshooting Indian, and the Siamese twins. I’ve also heard that the candy tunnel is a blast, but to avoid any offer of a free haircut as this is often a scam. So pumped for my first BEA!

-Rudy Martinez, Marketeer

6.) I’m excited for my panel on Reader-Centric Publishing with Gina Centrello, Jonathan Karp, and Mega Tingley and moderated by Carol Fitzgerald Wednesday at 11. Also looking forward to Library Journal‘s Editors’ Picks panel where Juliet Grames, Nan Graham, David Highfill, Michael Pietsch, and Molly Stern will talk about their hot Fall titles. And as always, I’m thrilled to be giving away hundreds of galleys and special edition totes over the three days of BEA. I get to be a featured author for my upcoming novel, Accelerated, at the indie press PubDate party at Le Poisson Rouge Wednesday at 8, and the host of Soho’s second annual BEA bash at Housing works Thursday at 8. I’m exhausted (and exhilarated!) just thinking about it. See you all there!

-Bronwen Hruska, Publisher

7.) My thoughts about BEA: It’s the best place to get free & hyped Fall season ARCs, and to learn about all that’s behind them. (Lots of great signings, too.) That’s what’s fun: Seeing what the competition is up to. Wandering around, you also spot all the zillions of books that slipped under your radar. Which is fun and not so fun. Remember, I’m a teenager, so take this with a grain of salt. Also, isn’t Neil Young playing at BEA this year?

-Daniel Ehrenhaft, YA Editor

8.) As a virgin to BEA, but not to conventions, I expect table-hopping, celebrity sightings, and much cordial handshaking. Free totes? I hope that’s a thing.

-Simona Blat, Editorial Assistant

9.) I’m definitely excited for my first BEA — meeting favorite bloggers and authors, attending any panels I can get to (especially the ones about digital!) and, honestly, geeking out about new books. Also, I hear there’s truly awesome party happening on the 7th. (Editor’s note: she’s right!)

-Katie Hoffman, Editorial Assistant