Remember a few posts ago I told you all that I'm planning to attend the Baltimore Book Festival (Sept. 26-28)? Shortly after that wrote that post, I commented on the Baltimore Sun's Book Blog suggesting they set up a Book Blogger Meet & Greet at the Festival.I got an email back an hour later ... here's what it said:
[The Baltimore Sun Book Blog Editors] will be on a festival panel Sunday morning at 11 to discuss the decline of book reviews in U.S. newspapers. Meanwhile, there's been a huge increase in book bloggers. It would be great to have the perspective of a book blogger like you on the panel. Would you like to join us? I hope you can.Uh, YES!!!!! Of course I can!!!! Can you believe that?! I was already planning on missing church that morning (shame on me) to attend that panel and now I get to be ON that panel!
And since it's a subject that's been a hot topic on book blogs lately, I'd love to get YOUR input. I'm meeting with the editors in a week or so to discuss what we want to say ('cause yea, I get to help plan the entire panel discussion!). Do you have any suggestions for me?
YEAH! I'M SO SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!
21 comments:
Congratulations!!!
How neat is that! Congratulations! Do let us know how it goes.
That is seriously the coolest thing ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really hope that you'll record it and podcast it for us if you can! ;)
Congratulations. That sounds like fun.
That sounds like so much fun! Good luck to you and congratulations!
I personally enjoy the reviews I read in "regular" people blogs more than I ever did in newspapers. Especially from people who I can tell share my reading tastes. If they say a book is great, I know that I will probably like it. Also, I find it so fun when an author comments on a review about their book. The first time that happened to me I was just astounded and starstruck!
COOL! What an honor :-)
Congratulations! That is so cool!
Hooray! The very best thing about book bloggers is they tell the truth. They aren't paid by anyone. They say straight up what they feel about a book. Often, when I used to read book reviews in newspapers or magazines, I learned more about the writer of the review than about the book. On blogs, it is like talking to a friend about a book. "wow, this is great!" or "I think you may like it but it wasn't for me." And perhaps the best thing of all is that book bloggers do not tell too much. They don't give away the plot as book reviewers of old sometimes did. You did a review recently which really appealed to me, Heather, because you said right up front that you had nothing in common with the writer, yet you loved her book. That went a long way with me in making me want to read it. I hope there is a way you can share the whole experience with us. Have fun!
Congratulations! That is SO cool!
What a nice thing to have happen! Have a fantastic time.
That's fabulous! I've had some contact with ReadStreet and I think they're pretty cool. I posted about this very subject earlier this month and I agree it's a very hot topic.
My take is this: book review sections in newspapers are going away, never to return. Publishers and publicists have to find some way to replace that coverage, and amateur blogs will be part of that mix. Professional blogs, like Read Street, will also be part of it, as will book trailers on YouTube, online book tours and whatever else they can dream up. The publisher pays us in free books - it's practically free for them. It just makes good business sense to forge strong relationships with bloggers.
Congratulations, that is so awesome. Book reviews do seem to be on the short order these days. I write them for a small college paper, and often enough I doubt that my reviews even get read.
How exciting...I can't wait to hear all about it! Congrats!
Congratulations! I know you'll represent the book-blogger community very well. Good luck!
That is excellent. Congratulations! You will do great.
BTW, I got the book and you are right, it is beautiful. I don't know when I will have time to read it but I am looking forward to it.
Heather, that is very exciting! See what happens when you "put yourself out there"?!?
I agree with amy, if there's any way the panel discussion could be recorded for a podcast, we'd all love to hear it!
You have to post the date and time because I would love to try and get there!! Woohoo for you!!
Yay! Congratulations! That is soooo cool. Let me know the specifics and I'll try to make it!
Congratulations!! Go you for being out there.
As for the topic, I think there is space in the book blogosphere for all.
That is so cool, Heather! Congratulations! One thing I love about bookblogs is that they write about classics that don't get reviewed in the papers (unless the book is reprinted) and other non-recent books that were reviewed in the papers when they were fist published. While I do appreciate and read (whenever I get the chance) "traditional" reviews, I find bookblogs a much better way to expand my reading-horizon. For example: because of all the reviews on bookblogs in the past year, I will finally read To Kill a Mockingbird. Otherwise I doubt I would have ever picked this classic up.
I did a whole post the other day about that Huffington Post article entitled Will Blogs Save Books...I think that's the best jumping off point.
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