Saturday, May 17, 2014

Getting Ready for RAGT: Blogger Lounge!



June is almost here, which means the Lori Foster Annual Reader Author Get Together is right around the corner! I've been going down to West Chester (which is a suburb of Cincinnati) for the last couple of years, and love catching up with bloggers and authors who I've been lucky enough to meet. This year however, there is something new and exciting in the works: Blogger Lounge. Along with Literary Escapism,   Barclay Publicity, Joyfully Reviewed, Blogging by Liza, we'll be hosting the first ever RAGT Blogger Lounge in Suite 120, which should hopefully be a giant party. We have quite a bit planned and all of it is based on the idea of getting authors, readers, and bloggers all together in one room.

Here's the schedule:

ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS
  • If You Don't Invest in Your Brand, No One Else Will Either. (Friday at 10am) This round table get together is ideal for aspiring and debut authors. Danielle Barclay, owner of Barclay Publicity will give tips for building an author brand and explain why it's so important. Topics include learning how to identify your unique selling points to develop your author persona, building a branded website, creating a newsletter, engaging fans with social media and more. (Giveaways) Moderators: Danielle Barclay (Barclay Publicity)
  • The Author-Blogger Relationship (Friday at 11:30am) Calling all aspiring and debut authors! Learn the best way to approach a blogger when requesting a review or tour stop and why it's so important to build relationships. Industry experts will reveal tactics for running a successful blog tour, hosting a giveaway, how to genuinely engage and build a reader fan base, and how keep those relationships strong. Moderators: Jackie (Literary Escapism)
  • Social Media Interaction (Saturday at 10am) Getting Bloggers & Readers together to swap ideas and talk books. What do Readers want to see--what things do they like/dislike for features, what do they look for when they read reviews, etc? As well as how to maintain a well-run blog. Wordpress vs Blogger. Understanding Stats. Maybe a "how to" of sorts for newer bloggers/authors/readers who have questions. Learn the best way to use social media, as well as how to grow your fanbase. (Giveaways) Moderators: Liza (Blogging by Liza) & Jen (That's What I'm Talking About)
#RAGTLIVE We'll be hosting 6 interview sessions, and even if you can't make it to RAGT, you'll be able to watch them live via Google Hangouts OnAir. This should be a really fun session as each one is broken down by genre.
We have room in the Historical and LGBT #RAGTLive sessions, so if you're an author who's attending RAGT and would like to participate, let us know! I am working on setting up another session to feature some of the authors who were hoping to get on a few of the maxed out panels, but I won't know for sure until after RT. GENRE LOUNGES The best way to describe The Genre Lounges is this: Come by the Blogger Lounge and meet authors/reviewers/readers of certain genres (both Adult, NA, & YA) in a relaxed, informal setting. Many authors write in multiple genres, so don't be surprised if you see one in multiple lounges; but the goal was to offer a time to meet authors/reviewers/readers of a specific genre at one time. If all you read is science fiction or LGBT fiction (for example), it can be hard to distinguish these authors from everybody when everyone is together. At the same time, if you're a Erotica or Historical author, it can be hard to figure out which blogger reviews those genres. We're hoping the lounges will allow an easier time for everyone to find these answers. The Genre Lounges will take place directly after the corresponding f#RAGTLive session.
  • Erotica (Friday at 1p)
  • Fantasy, Paranormal, SciFi (Friday at 4:30p)
  • Historical (Saturday at 11:30a)
  • Contemporary Romance (Saturday at 2:30p)
  • LGBT Romance (Saturday at 5:30p)
For any reviewer/blogger who is willing to commit to attending one of the Lounges, your site name will be included on the Blogger Lounge welcome banner, which will be situated at the door. Just let one of us know and send your site button to jackie @literaryescapism.com. SOCIAL EVENTS
  • Bar Night! (Friday at 9p) It's never a con without spending a little time in the bar, so before heading to bed, join Literary Escapism and Blogging by Liza for a night cap and a little socialing!
  • Book Boyfriend Bingo (Saturday at 8p) Mingle with readers, bloggers, and authors while matching up your favorite book boyfriends/covers from popular books during a fast paced round of Book Boyfriend Bingo. There will be giveaways and prizes! Moderator: Barclay Publicity
  • Game Night with Cards Against Humanity and more! Socialize with other readers while playing Cards Against Humanity, Apples to Apples, Headbandz, and other card games, board games, etc. Moderator: Literary Escapism

Press Room:

What's a Blogger Lounge without a press room? After all, we're all here to see our favorite authors and meet some new ones. For anyone who would like the chance to meet one on one with any of the fabulous authors attending RAGT, request some time in the press room! To reserve time in the Press Room, simply fill out this form here and Jackie will send a confirmation once that time has been scheduled.
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