.#ArmchairBEA What is it, and Why you should join up? @ArmchairBEA

Hey everyone!

Last year I could not attend the BEA events in New York, and I'm sure there are a lot of you who will NOT be attending this years BEA Expo, I won't be going again this year, BUT I will be attending the ARMCHAIR BEA events from home. I had so much fun last year! I met some amazing book bloggers, won some amazing prizes, chatted with great people on Twitter and I was able to get to know a little more about myself, other bloggers, and learn quite a bit of information.
This year I'm participating again, and will look forward to the exciting activities, planned. So why am I telling you all this? BECAUSE, you can join in on the fun, and become an Armchair BEA participant.

So, what do you have to do to attend? Easy, the whole week will be a schedule of events listed. Blog about each days activity, join in on the fun on Twitter  #ArmchairBEA  @ArmchairBEA  Facebook

Design credit: Sarah of Puss Reboots

Armchair BEA is an online conference that runs in conjunction with Book Expo America in New York City. There are a large number of people around the world that are not able to join in the literary celebrations in the Big Apple, so Armchair BEA brings the celebration to you by allowing networking among other book bloggers, authors, and publishers as well as special coverage of the event, all from the comfort of your own comfy armchair. For more information, be sure to check out our new FAQ page!





So you ready to join in on all the excitement from your comfy chair at home? If you have any questions or comments leave them below and I WILL reply back to everyone or @Silverlight00 me on Twitter. I will be happy to answer any questions about the event.

SIGN-UP  HERE






Here is a list of their agenda for this year. Participants will blog the Q&A or topic based questions on your blogs each day. If you think you have the time or want to attend sign-up.


The Armchair BEA team is excited to finally announce the agenda for the 4th annual Armchair BEA!  We have had lengthy discussions, we have read through your feedback from previous years, and we have settled on our daily topics.  Read on for more information, and do not forget to register for the event!

One thing that we have changed for this year is we have added multiple topics for each day to discuss:  one that is topic-based and one that is genre-based.  This will provide participants an opportunity to chat specifically about the topic at hand or share something generally about the selected daily genre (i.e., list of favorites, books you would recommend, a piece that changed your life, a recurring re-read, etc.).  In essence, we will be providing interactions regarding blogging and reading -- the best of both worlds!  

As in previous years, you will have the opportunity to link up your personal posts and reactions for each topic so other participants can stop by and join in the conversation.  In addition, we will also be adding a NEW opportunity for participants to link up to genre-specific lists to assist in networking with like-minded bloggers.

Tuesday, May 28:  Introductions & Classics

We kick off the week by starting with introductions of ourselves.  Last year, we changed things up by having everyone answer questions from a pre-determined list.  It was such a hit, that we are doing it again.  The questions and more information will be posted in the weeks leading up to the event, so you can plan accordingly.

Our first genre discussion will revolve around classic literature.  Ideas for discussion include a list of your favorite classics, books you would recommend to a non-classic believer, or even what draws you to keep reading those classics over and over again!

Wednesday, May 29:   Blogger Development & Genre Fiction

Day 2 we talk about how we develop ourselves as bloggers.  Have you branched out into your community? Do you partner with other bloggers?  Have you gone "pro" or begun supplementing your income through your blog?  Are you a long-term blogger, and how has your online personality developed over the years?  These are simply ideas.  Think development and tell us what comes to mind.

The book-ish focus will be genre fiction.  What draws you to a specific genre?  Do vampires, zombies, or witches float your boat?  Or, do you prefer the heat of romance?  Recommend your favorite genres and/or books and help build reader TBR shelves a bit more!

Thursday, May 30:  Giveaways & Literature 

We take a break from official discussions on Thursday to allow participants to hop around the web and enter blogger-hosted giveaways!  Start planning your giveaway now!

The genre of discussion is general literary fiction.  Which works of art have changed your life?  Be creative and make a list outlining books featuring specific subjects (i.e., animals, recommended prize-winners, outstanding authors, etc.).

Friday, May 31: Ethics & Non-Fiction

We get back into discussions on Friday with the heavy topic of ethics.  Do you have recommendations to new bloggers to ensure credit is given to whom/where credit is due?  Have you had an experience with plagiarism?  How did you deal with it?  What are the guidelines as bloggers that we must follow?

We bridge the genre gap from fiction to all things non-fiction.  Do you read non-fiction?  Why or why not?  Is there a specific type of non-fiction that you prefer to read (i.e., historical, true crime, memoirs, biographies, etc.)?  What is the perfect book for a first-time non-fiction reader?

Saturday, June 1: Keeping it Real & Children's/Young Adult Literature

What exactly does "keeping it real" mean?  The meaning lays in keeping.  How do you not only grow an audience, but how do you keep them coming back for more?  If you have been around for years, how do you keep your material fresh?  How do you continue to keep blogging fun?

Our final genre focuses on the younger crowd:  children's picture books and young adult literature and everything in between.  What are the top 5 (or more) books that every child should have on his shelf?  If you are an adult who reads YA, why do you keep going back for more?  If you are not a reader of these books, think back to your childhood and share your favorites from your younger years.

Sunday, June 2: Armchair BEA Wrap-Up

On this final day, we encourage you to wrap-up the week with your favorites and highlights of the week.  Did you learn something new?  Did you connect with a new-to-you blogger?  What was your favorite discussion topic?  Do you have ideas for future years?  You can write your own blog post and link it up, but we also encourage you to take our end-of-event survey.

In addition to the daily topics, we will also be featuring special guest posts, photos and videos from on-site, featured giveaways, twitter parties, and so much more.  Be sure to check back here often to stay up-to-date on all the upcoming and ongoing news in the weeks to come

Armchair BEA: Ask The Experts

Today is the last day of BEA, and let me say I'll miss it! Really, it was a blast and I'm so glad I participated in the many events from this past week. I met and found some great bloggers, had a blast at the tweetparties, and won some great prizes. Hopefully, I'll still be here blogging away for next years events, because I'm in.

The last days events have to do with asking the experts questions that you may have about blogging.
So today, I'm asking all my visitors a few questions that I have about blogging. Everyone can answer and you DO NOT have to be a memeber of BEA to participate.

Thank you for your answers!!


Question Time: Answer 1 question or all, whatever you have time for.


1) When visiting blogs, what makes you come back to a particular site and revisit?

2) How do you keep your blog fresh and exciting?

3) How many meme's do you participate in, and which one's do you feel are the best?

4) What advice would you give me about my blog ie: layout, coloring, header, etc.... is there something that needs updating or changing?

5) What would you like to see more of from a blog, in general ie:
reviews, freebies, news about books/authors, helpful hints, memes, etc....

6) When writing reviews, If you really disliked a book and DNF would you still put up a review on your blog w/ a DNF, and an explanation as to why?



Thanks again, for visiting and have a great day!!  ~Lisa -Silverlight :)

Armchair BEA: My thoughts on Beyond Your Blog

Armchairbea post today is all about going beyond your blog.
Has blogging opened up opportunities for you beyond getting free, advance copies of new books? Has it helped you get offers to write or review elsewhere (maybe even for pay)? Have you gotten invites to special events or places you might not have been to otherwise? Today, we'd like you to talk about those opportunities in you own posts. Don't forget to check out more great post on this subject here


Now, I didn't participate in the "Networking In Real Life" post yesterday, because I honestly never thought of networking in real life! I visited a bunch of sites and learned quite a bit about networking outside my blog. Today's topic is another one that I really have no experience with. Being, that I've only been blogging for almost six months I really can't contribute on this subject from an experienced bloggers stand point. So I'll be sharing a little about the subject and my thoughts, from a newbie. 
Thanks for stopping by and letting me share.



Since day one of blogging, I've always had one thing in mind and that is, blogging for me needs to be fun and all about enjoying what I'm doing. I never got into blogging to make money, or win popularity contests. I got into blogging for the books and sharing my thoughts with a larger audience. I wanted to interact with authors and share my praise for their books. I wanted to share my love for the great books that I've read, or sometimes not so great books.

I'll be honest and say that I also got into blogging for the perks. I wanted to get free books and arcs because I wanted to to share the buzz over these new upcoming books. But, let me tell you it has meant more to me than all of that. Its been about meeting great people, fellow bloggers, and authors, all around the world. 
Being able to help authors share their books is something I love doing, letting them have a voice on my blog, and getting the word out about their books. I am honored to feature authors on my blog and I do it all for free. I do participate in the Amazon Associate program but I only got into that program to be able to advertise the authors books, and advertise freebie books. I don't make any money from advertising free books.
It's a great program, and the little money I do make from the program is put back into my blog, as giveaways for Amazon products.

Since, I'm still fairly new to the blogging community and haven't really thought about "beyond my blog", I'll just say I'm thankful for all the great opportunities that have come my way.
 Maybe someday I'll go "beyond my blog", but for right now I'm just happy setting the little goals I have for my blog and being able to achieve those goals in a short amount of time, has been great, so far.
 Maybe, by next year's Bea, I will be sharing even more "beyond my blog" ideas with you.
Thanks again, for letting me be a part of Armchairbea 2012 and sharing my thoughts with all of you!