(Updated to correct a major grammar error in the post title, which will unfortunately live on in the permalink–color my face red, y’all!)
When we started Armchair BEA in 2010, we had such a great time with it that all of us on the organizing team vowed that even if we had the opportunity to go to the real BEA, we’d still want to Armchair. This year, four of us–Danielle, Emily, Pam, and I–will be in New York City during that first week of June, but that doesn’t mean we’re any less committed to making Armchair BEA the best it’s ever been! Meanwhile, Chris, Michelle, and Tif will be keeping everything rolling along from their respective armchairs computers throughout the week–those Twitter parties don’t host themselves, you know!
Speaking of Twitter parties: there will be three of them this year, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday! Details will be announced next week…and sign-ups for this year’s event open tomorrow at Armchair BEA Central, so make sure you’re there! Besides the Twitter parties, there will be themes to fuel your blogging every day of the week, with link-ups to make it easy to visit other Armchair-ers; guest posts; on-site updates from our team members in NYC; giveaways; and more. Here’s a quick peek at the plans, which are posted in advance so you can prep and schedule your posts. That’ll give you more time to visit other players during the big event!
Monday, June 4: Introductions First!
The interview swaps have been one of most popular features of Armchair BEA, but there’s just not enough time to visit all the participants. This year we’re changing it up with self-interviews; we’ll ask you to post your answers to five questions we’ll be providing, and then to visit as many participant blogs as you can.
Tuesday, June 5: “Best of” Giveaways Everywhere!
Tuesday is Armchair BEA’s big Giveaway Day! If you’re hosting a giveaway for Armchair BEA-goers on your own site, this is the day to post about it and link it up! And if you’re not hosting a giveaway, share some of your favorite books so far this year, and/or the the books being promoted at BEA that you hope will end up among your favorites for the year!
Wednesday, June 6: Networking…In Real Life?!
On Wednesday, Armchair BEA-goers will be invited to share a positive “real life” experience with books and other people who love them: your own partnership with a bookstore or library in your community, a book signing you went to, or a get-together with fellow book bloggers. Armchair BEA Central will host guest posts from our team members Emily of Emily’s Reading Room, Tif from Tif Talks Books and Pam from Bookalicious about how they’ve worked with their local bookish communities.
Thursday, June 7: Beyond the Blog
Blogging’s not an end in itself for some folks.Thursday’s topic is “getting beyond your blog” –writing for other sites, making your blog pay, and making online connections outside the book-blog community. I’ll be the day’s guest blogger at Armchair BEA Central, talking about freelance writing (you know, that thing that’s caused me not to post here so frequently…).
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Friday, June 8: The Future of Book Blogging
On the final day of Armchair BEA, we’ll be sharing tips on keeping book blogging exciting and unique to your vision for your blog. The theme is “Ask the Experts”–post your burning questions and/or best advice for your fellow book bloggers, link up, and visit other Armchairers! Armchair BEA Central will feature a guest post from Pam at Bookalicious with her views on the future of blogging.
