The first-ever Book Blogger Con kicked off at the Javits Center on Friday, May 28, with a lively keynote address by author Maureen Johnson, who called herself "the warm-up act." She talked about the all-girl Catholic high school she attended at a convent (inspiration for her YA novel Devilish), changing times in the publishing industry ("we're not sinking into the abyss") and, of course, the topic of the day.
"I turn to book blogs for reviews, for insight, for passion, for gossip, for buzz, for commentary and comparison. I think book bloggers are going to become more and more a part of the publishing world," said Johnson (at left, with Book Blogger Convention founder Trish Collins). Her novels include The Key to the Golden Firebird, Suite Scarlett and, most recently, Scarlett Fever.
More than 200 people turned out for the day-long convention, with book bloggers joined by publishing industry professionals and authors. "It was a nice mix with everyone giving their opinions on what we do and how we do it," said Sheila DeChantal, who blogs at Book Journey. For Alison Skapinetz of Alison's Book Marks, "It was about coming together to work toward common goals: putting out quality content, remaining strong advocates for the reading community, staying professional, building relationships around the publishing industry and with one another--and having fun."
Blogs are "the future of writing about books," said Ron Hogan, the founder of Beatrice.com, who headlined the first information session of the day and offered insights on "Professionalism and Ethics in Blogging." Four additional panels explored the topics "Writing and Building Content," "Marketing," "Blogging with Social Responsibility" and "The Impact of the Relationship Between Author and Blogger." "The content of the sessions was top notch, and the show itself was beautifully run and managed," commented Caitlin Hamilton Summie, marketing director at Unbridled Books.
A standout session for Marsha Toy Engstrom of Book Club Cheerleader was "Writing and Building Content." "I go to a conference for information, not to be entertained, and I got a lot of great ideas from that panel," she said. Suggestions included doing a week-long feature of titles on the same subject or a series of posts on a single, sizable book. "Every post is like a first date with a new reader," said panelist Christina Oppold, who blogs at Stacked and "finds inspiration in books." She takes bibliophiles beyond the page, offering suggestions for travel, activities and more and sharing stories from her own life (like having a bra fitting after reading Uplift: The Bra in America).
"Community is at the center of what we do," Ann Kingman, a blogger at Books on the Nightstand (and Random House sales rep by day), told the audience during the marketing panel. To reach readers, she and co-blogger Michael Kindness started a GoodReads.com group and a Facebook page--which has more than 1,350 fans--and use Twitter. "You have to meet people where they are," she said.
There was some debate in the marketing session about the importance of stats, with most panelists taking the view that there are other, important indicators of a blog's reach, such as activity in the comments section. "As long as people continue to engage with us and tell us they like what we're doing, that's what I care about," Kingman said. Added Yen Cheong of The Book Publicity Blog, "Publishing is a business, and we do look at the bottom line," like whether or not a blog has links to buy the featured books.
Some 50 publishing professionals attended the convention--marketing and publicity staffers from HarperCollins, DK, Hachette Book Group and other houses, along with people from independent publicity firms, online marketing companies and literary agencies. The presence of publishers at events such as this one "is imperative in order to foster closer relationships with bloggers," noted Paul Samuelson, a publicist at Sourcebooks. "As the book blogging community continues to thrive, self-select and organize, it will become an even more important resource for readers and publishers."
And for booksellers as well? Among the attendees was Margie White of the Bookstore in Glen Ellyn, Ill. "I was there to meet and connect with the other book bloggers I've become friends with on Twitter," she remarked. "As a bookstore blogger, I thought I could learn a lot from those who have a broader audience. And I did."
Being at the BBC was "a rare opportunity to sit down in one room with a hundred potential book reviewers," said Susan Gregg Gilmore, the author of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen and The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove, coming from Shaye Areheart Books in August. (She brought along a treat for convention-goers: individually wrapped pound cakes, a confection that features in her new novel.) "I loved hearing their thoughts and ideas and learning about their process because in many ways it's not all that different from mine," said Gilmore. "In the end, whether you get a good review or not, we all clearly want the same thing--to keep people reading." --Shannon McKenna Schmidt
