BlogHer is coming. Look busy.

It’s that time again, folks…the time when hundreds of blogging women (and a few good blogging men) start talking about the big annual conference they’ll soon be attending, and hundreds of other bloggers either commiserate, turn green with envy, eagerly follow every detail, or get sick of the whole thing and tune it all out.

This will be my second year attending the BlogHer Conference, and it’s nice to have some idea what to expect this time. I expect to be overwhelmed by crowds at times, and to want to duck out early from any parties I actually attempt to attend. I expect to have a hard time deciding which breakout sessions I most want to go to, and to keep my days full and busy with great content. I expect to meet up with bloggers I’ve met before and bloggers I’ve been wanting to meet, and not have enough time to talk with any of them. And I know where I’ll be at 1:30 PM on Saturday, August 7:

We all know bloggers want to become authors. But with traditional publishers spending less and less on marketing, authors must now become marketers, and that means they must become bloggers too…sometimes they take to it eagerly, sometimes dragged kicking and screaming. Add to the mix how much easier than ever it is to self-publish and the book bloggers who are now being wooed by publishers and even authors directly, and you’ve got a new publishing eco-system.
The solitary pursuits of writing and criticism are now transparent and sometimes even crowd-sourced. And more authors and critics are now not only the content producers, but their own publishers and business development representatives. The lines are decidedly blurred. But the opportunities seem so much more accessible than ever. We will dig into it all in this session featuring Kamy Wicoff from She Writes (moderator), book blogger Florinda Pendley Vasquez, marketing expert Penny Sansevieri, and author Carleen Brice.

I “met” my fellow panelists via conference call two weeks ago, and am looking forward to meeting them in person at the speaker-training session the evening before the conference starts. They’re all professionals in writing and developing writers, and I feel privileged – and a little out of my element – to be working on this with them. In our session, I will do my best to speak to and represent the role book bloggers play in this “ecosystem” – building relationships with authors and publishers, reviewing and publicizing – and try not to make anyone sorry to have me on the panel! If you have anything you particularly want me to talk about, let me know in comments, and if there’s a way to work it into the discussion, I’ll certainly try to bring it up!

The conference is being held at the same hotel, the Hilton New York, where my family stayed during our recent vacation trip to the city, so I don’t want to spend all the time in the hotel! For one thing, the Hilton’s lobby does not encourage relaxing and chatting – unlike the Sheraton Chicago, where the 2009 conference was held, there’s no seating in the lobby. Considering how much time I spent camped out in the lobby last year, people-watching and chatting and reading, this was a very disappointing discovery. But there’s a lot of sight-seeing within easy walking distance or a short subway ride, and with luck, I’ll still remember a bit about how to get around. There’s one place my roommate and I especially want to visit – the Strand Bookstore. Now, that’s a bookworm’s idea of a party…

Lots of bloggers have been posting prep tips for BlogHer recently, and have done a better job of it than I would. Whether it’s your first or fifth time going to the conference, there’s lots of info to help you get ready.

Miss Britt has a list of things the first-time BlogHer-goer can expect: lots of free stuff, lots of parties, and even more parties that you won’t even know about until someone mentions them on Twitter and you realizes you weren’t invited to them. Expect to be overwhelmed and confronted  with existential questions about your place in the blogiverse. Expect to spend a lot of time on your feet – hence, the Great BlogHer Shoe Debates.  I’d add one thing: expect to enjoy it all just as much as you set your mind to, but what you get out of the experience is up to you.

Cecily Kellogg of Uppercase Woman recommends a few things not to do: skip the fancy shoes, don’t getting preoccupied with the parties and the swag, and don’t get caught up in (or create) interpersonal drama.

“BLOGGERS ARE JUST PEOPLE. This is my most important point. The other bloggers? The ones you think are super famous? They are just people. They have their own life issues happening at any given moment, and they are trying to have their own awesome conference experience. Plus? Some of them are paralyzed by social anxiety. Some are freaked out about having to speak, and some feel like they just totally fucked up while they spoke. Sometimes they’ve got food poisoning. Sometimes they just had a tremendous emotional experience and need to have some quiet time to recover. Sometimes they’ve had too much to drink. Sometimes they get into an argument with a friend. Whatever it is, the moment you choose to approach a blogger you’ve admired from afar may very well be the worst moment of the weekend for her. So if the blogger you’ve loved forever is short with you, or doesn’t gush back as much as you want her to, or simply walks by without responding to your hello — whatever it is, IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU.”

Undomestic Diva‘s “Less Than Super Famous Blogger’s Guide to Blogher 2010” has “before,” “during,” and “after” suggestions: order business cards and arrange a ride share from the airport; bring cash, a camera, those business cards, and a party dress (just in case you decide not to blow them off after all); speak up, say hello, and mingle; and don’t diss your experience after the fact.

Christine Koh from Pop Discourse advises a “less is more” approach to the conference based on being realistic:

“Be realistic about the conference program…and take a step outside your comfort zone.
Wherever you are on the program stamina spectrum, I suggest mapping out what sessions you plan on attending in advance and keeping the number of sessions reasonable. Obviously, this number will vary from person to person, but I might recommend identifying 1-3 must attend sessions then a handful of additional sessions across the conference to add on depending on your stamina for sitting and listening. And if you’re mostly going to BlogHer for networking, I recommend scanning the program and attending 1-2 sessions  beyond your reach or comfort zone.


Take a realistic look at your social calendar.
I’m taking a realistic look at my calendar (and a map of Manhattan) over the next couple of weeks, stripping out double bookings and un-RSVP’ing for events where I’m pretty sure it would be un-fun or impossible for me to get from point A to B to give the event’s organizers any meaningful amount of my time…I’m taking a firm line and politely declining if I already have a conflict, no matter how tempting the event is or how much I’m fretting for people about their event planning. These two action items will not only make social events more reasonable and fun for me, but will open space for other people.”

Related to the social-calendar item, I’d second Christine’s suggestion to make plans with friends you want to make certain you see there – either in advance, or via text/IM on-site. It’s a huge event, and while you may find there are some faces you seem to see everywhere you go, you’ll also find there are others you won’t manage to see at all unless you make a point of it.

Jean from Stimeyland had a couple of very practical recommendations I didn’t see anywhere else:

  • Don’t forget the Advil, but bring the Pepto-Bismol too. (My addition: If you do forget either one, there’s a Duane Reade just up the street. There’s a Duane Reade every few blocks, actually. In New York City, they’re like the Starbucks of drugstores.)
  • Bring small bills – the drinks may be free, but the tips aren’t.

Also, she suggests that while part of the excitement at BlogHer comes from seeing old friends, it’s good to take some down time to get to know someone new.

And here are five of Kim Tracy Prince‘s “Top 10 Tips for Survival at BlogHer’10”:

  • “Pace yourself with the alcohol – for God’s sake!  You are an adult person.  Drink responsibly.  Also, pack ibuprofen.
  • Wherever you go, you will miss something, but you’ll have a great time there.  There are so many simultaneous events that unless you have figured out how to clone yourself you will indeed miss several things.
  • (echoing Cecily’s point) Remember that some bloggers are much more comfortable at home in their pajamas and are socially awkward.  If you run up to someone with squee in your brain because you are excited to meet her and she remains nonplussed – it’s not you, it’s her.  Most likely. 
  • Try not to miss breakfast.  There are plenty of tasty, healthy treats to stash in your bag for later, in case you forget to bring the granola bars.
  • DON’T worry if you’re not invited to the party, or you don’t know where the secret swag room is, or if the mommy bloggers get all the cool stuff.  Focus on what’s happening, on the people you’re meeting, on the information you’re learning.  You’ll be much, much happier and more satisfied.”

Are you going to be at BlogHer’10, or just in New York City between August 5th and 7th? It would be great to see you – please leave a comment, @ me on Twitter, or e-mail me at 3.rsblog AT Gmail DOT com if you’d like to make some plans! And if you make it to my ROYO session, please come by and say hello!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,318 other subscribers
Book Talk: *Every Last One*, by Anna Quindlen

Book Talk: *Every Last One*, by Anna Quindlen

Disclosure: I purchased this book in e-book format to read on my Amazon Kindle. *I am an Amazon Associate. Use of purchasing links in this review will generate a small referral fee for me. Every Last One: A Novel Anna Quindlen Random House (2010), Hardcover (ISBN 1400065747 / 9781400065745; eISBN 9780679603726) Fiction, 299 pages Opening lines: “This is my life: The alarm goes off at five-thirty with the murmuring of a public-radio announcer, telling me […]

A Vacation Story: NYC – A night on Broadway, a day at the museum

A Vacation Story: NYC – A night on Broadway, a day at the museum

We didn’t have much planned for our Wednesday in New York City until evening…but before that, Katie needed to find some shoes. Wet hopped on the subway headed to the 34th St./Herald Square Station. These days, nearly every city has a Macy’s, but there’s really only one MACY’S. Two full city blocks, seven floors, those historic wooden escalators…and the shoes! After our shopping trip to Macy’s, we rode back uptown, stopped at the hotel to […]

A Tuesday in NYC: Meeting St. John and Lady Liberty

A Tuesday in NYC: Meeting St. John and Lady Liberty

On the day we arrived in New York, I received an unexpected – and more than welcome – message from a dear friend asking if we might be able to meet up during my time in the City. Ann and I met over 20 years ago, when I was an accounting temp and she was a secretary for a communications company in Ithaca, New York, and hadn’t seen each other since I moved to Memphis […]

Book Talk: *Bird in Hand*, by Chistina Baker Kline (TLC Book Tour)

Book Talk: *Bird in Hand*, by Chistina Baker Kline (TLC Book Tour)

Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher, via Trish at TLC Book Tours. *I am an Amazon Associate; purchasing links are provided by Amazon.com and will generate a small referral fee if used. Bird in Hand: A Novel Christina Baker Kline Harper Paperbacks (2010), Reprint, Paperback (ISBN 0060798904 / 9780060798901) Fiction, 288 pages Opening Lines: “For Alison, these things will always be connected: the moment that cleaved her life into two sections […]

A vacation story, continued: New York, New York!

A vacation story, continued: New York, New York!

The Washington, DC portion of our trip was recapped here (part 1) and here (part 2). Days 7 & 8, Sunday-Monday June 20-21: For Tall Paul’s first-ever train ride, we boarded Amtrak’s Acela Express at Washington’s Union Station on Sunday morning bound for NYC’s Penn Station, just like East Coast natives travel! We passed through Baltimore, Wilmington DE, Philadelphia, and a couple of New Jersey stops before arriving in the City around 1 PM. We […]

Could California ban divorce? Should it?

I’ve been mulling about this one for at least a week, and after the two days of discussing Laura Munson’s separation memoir, this seemed like as good a time as any to bring it up. Two years ago, there was a lot of talk in California about “protecting marriage” as Proposition 8 came up on the ballot. The constitutional amendment that defines marriage as strictly between one man and one woman passed, controversially, calling into […]

Book Club: How *my* story is – and is not – *her* story

Laura Munson’s memoir This Is Not the Story You Think It Is, which I reviewed yesterday, wasn’t the story I thought it would be – or the one I hoped for, to be honest. I haven’t exactly been in Laura Munson’s shoes, but about eleven years ago, mine were a very similar style and size. I have to admit that that even now, I was looking to find some validation from shoes that had walked […]

Book Talk: *This is Not the Story You Think It Is*, by Laura Munson

Book Talk: *This is Not the Story You Think It Is*, by Laura Munson

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in order to participate in a planned From Left to Write Book Club discussion scheduled for July 21. *I am an Amazon Associate. Use of the purchasing links in this review will generate a small referral fee for me. This Is Not The Story You Think It Is: A Season of Unlikely Happiness Laura Munson Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam (2010), Hardcover (ISBN 0399156658 / 9780399156656) […]

Book Talk: *31 Bond Street*, by Ellen Horan (TLC Book Tour)

Book Talk: *31 Bond Street*, by Ellen Horan (TLC Book Tour)

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher for review purposes as part of a blog tour, via Lisa of TLC Book Tours. *I am an Amazon Associate. Purchasing links in this review are provided by Amazon.com, and will generate a small referral fee for me if clicked and used. 31 Bond Street: A Novel Ellen Horan Harper (2010), Hardcover (ISBN 0061773964 / 9780061773969) Fiction (historical), 368 pages Opening Lines: “About three o’clock early Saturday […]

Sunday Salon: Bookkeeping, Bookmarks, and Reading, Online-style

Sunday Salon: Bookkeeping, Bookmarks, and Reading, Online-style

The Sunday Salon When I went on vacation last month I had a few guest bloggers fill in here, and I think the one who got the biggest response was Molly from The Bumbles Blog, with her tips for managing feed-reader clutter. I’ve implemented one of her suggestions and have been using it for a few weeks now, so I thought I’d let you know how it was going. If your preferred browser is Firefox, […]

Baby, it’s HOT outside – but just chill out! (Weekend Assignment #327)

Baby, it’s HOT outside – but just chill out! (Weekend Assignment #327)

Between my vacation and my limitation to one-handed typing for the last few weeks, I’ve missed a few Weekend Assignments lately. But my right shoulder is recovering well, as I Tweeted on Wednesday morning: “GREAT news at the ortho yesterday: shoulder healing very well & can wean off sling -by next week, just need to wear it at night!” 9:30 AM Jul 14th via TwitterGadget and later that day: “I have a new appreciation for […]