Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Armchair BEA: Networking in Real Life


In the spirit of SNL's Stefon*:

Day Three of Armchair BEA: you know, it's that thing, where a giant glob of people all flock to New York, but you can't go. It has everything: cratefulls of bookmarks, hosted giveaways, bloggers connecting with other bloggers...

So, blogs are cool and everything, but have you taken the social networking experience to the next level?

Let me tell you how easy it is!

I started going to book signings at the incredibly amazing local bookstore Anderson's Bookshop about five or six years ago (check out their events page). I've seen Jodi Picoult, Stephenie Meyer (pre-movie franchise - it was still nuts), Libba Bray and Meg Cabot. Oh yeah, they bring in the big names. When I started fanatically reading every YA I could manage giving I still worked a day job, I realized that Anderson's brought in all the top children's and YA authors early on, meaning I could see them before they sold out events. I've seen tons of other great authors that are buzzed about, almost all are willing to chat with fans during the signing. I've gotten writing advice from Simone Elkeles and Carrie Ryan just for showing up to free events like these. (Free, but buy the book and support the store and author!)

I noticed the same folks showed up to many of these events. Going solo, I would have loved if someone said hi and introduced themselves. Why not be that person? Exert all your extrovert abilities, and say hi to someone next to you. I've done it. I met a well known book blogger who happened to drive in from another state. Who knew? I already followed her blog!

A twitter buddy posted about going to see Beth Revis (Across the Universe) and I thought hey, if I go, we can meet! When we met up, I told her I was looking for a local writing group. She invited me to hers, which was part of the national organization SCBWI. I ended up joining which connected me with even more resources and local chapters - there are lots in the Chicago area. Sometimes one contact can open up even more connections.

The more active you are on blogs and on twitter, the more connections you make. Registering for a conference is a great way to meet fellow bloggers and writers. On some of my followed blogs, people were making plans to meet up at BEA. How cool is that! If you go solo, you can still meet up with a friend. All it takes is a little courage to reach out and make the connection. Sometimes it's scary if you're shy, but in my experience, most book bloggers and writers have been very friendly.

Check out the #ArmchairBEA hashtag on twitter for more giveaway opportunities. Here again is a link to participating blogs.

And because he's the best, here's Stefon:

 


18 comments:

  1. That's great that you've been able to go to so many author signings!

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  2. That's so great you've been able to do all of that! I wish I HAD a local place to do all that wish, but unfortunately - small town =(

    Some great tips in here for others!

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  3. Great advice. I recently met up with some blog and twitter friends at a conference and it was really fun. I'm going to check out this hashtag. Thanks for recommending it.

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  4. Oh I love Anderson's! It's about an hour and a half drive for me (I'm in McHenry County) but I've attended several events there and all were definitely worth the trip.

    It's a great way to meet like-minded readers -- I like your initiative to introduce yourself. I'm going to take your advice.

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  5. Great Advice. Hope you are enjoying aBEA!

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  6. That's so awesome! Sounds like your book store is great and meeting others is such a great opportunity.

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  7. What great events! And I love your advice to be the person who reaches out (although that's easier said than done for us introverts...)

    And yes, commenting on blogs and Twitter is SUCH a great way to establish and build relationships!

    Thanks for stopping by my Armchair BEA Networking Post!!

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  8. Sometimes at events I've stayed in my little shy corner, but it really is worth saying hi to someone, especially if you arrive early and you're just waiting around.

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  9. That's fantastic that you've gotten to meet so many authors. It makes me miss living in the US. I wish I had taken advantage of all these literary events back when I had lived there, but I didn't even know about them. Oh well, maybe some day.

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  10. This is some really fabulous advice! I'm usually a more shy person around other book bloggers, but I've definitely started reaching out more to people. It's fun meeting and talking to other book bloggers!

    Awesome post!

    -Aneeqah @ My Not So Real Life

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  11. I did not realize that Twitter was that important to the book community. I have read many articles today and Twitter is mentioned in all of them as a must do for book bloggers.

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  12. That's so awesome! I just wish I lived in the US and was able to meet them more easily. Even the free events, would be a huge trip from Sweden and as a student it's not that easy sadly. Not when you're into the English reading at least. ;)

    Definitely some great advice and I love your story! My bookish real life story!

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  13. Some of the signings you've been to sound amazing

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  14. I would love to have a bookstore nearby like that! That's amazing to get to see that many different authors! Your advice really hits the nail on the head, you definitely need to get out there and connect through twitter (which is why this event is so amazing). :)

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  15. Awesome post! And thanks for the reminder that sometimes we need to be the person to reach out first!

    Tanya
    Girlxoxo.com

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  16. You're a pro at this! I've done those things too, but I have no aspirations to be a published author, so the writing groups are always beyond me. Glad you joined ABEA! Tattooed Books

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  17. Very inspiring post! And I love Stefan. :)

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  18. Very inspiring - how great you have been to so many author signings. I am inspired to look some up in my area!

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