I’m currently recruiting bloggers who want to help make the Buy Books for the Holidays blog a success this year.  I need people to help coordinate an advent tour of indie bookstores, design a new button for the 2009 campaign, make book list recommendations, publicize the blog, and cheer people on!  Please fill out the form below if you are interested in helping!

If you have feedback about any area of the BBAW week you are welcome to send all comments, suggestions, and ideas to me directly .  All messages will be read and taken into consideration.

The judges have returned the results and the winner of the iRex ereader is Tilly Greene for her post My ereader Thoughts.

Thanks to all for participating!  And congratulations to Tilly…I hope you love it!

You may have noticed that we moved the list of winners from 2008 over to this blog (as BBAW 2008 took place at My Friend Amy’s blog). Well now, for your browsing and clicking convenience, we have the list of shortlisted and winning blogs for 2009. Simply click “Past Winners” on the top navigation. Enjoy!

In an effort to continue BBAW’s tradition of building community we’d like to make you aware of an ongoing iniative to hold a Book Blogger Convention the week of Book Expo America.  As part of the planning process the organizers would like to get a feel for whether there is enough interest to proceed forward.  There has been some initial research made so below are some details (though not entirely cast in stone) to factor in to your decision: 

*This will be a one day event from 8am-5pm
*Price of admission/participation will fall in the vicinity of $110 (though we suspect there will be the potential for an early bird registration price of around *$75 for a limited time)
*Price will include lunch and other such munchies
*We are working towards getting a block of deeply discounted overnight rooms negotiated for the entire week that you’ll be able to attach to

So what’s the rub?  Well we kinda, sorta, maybe need to know who and how many of you are seriously interested in attending just such an event.  We know it’s early to start thinking about that but in order to move forward with planning we have to make certain commitments (think contractually obliging ourselves all) so getting a good idea of who is truly serious here is imperative.

If you are SUPER serious about attending and not really waffling about it wanna give us some help by answering a couple of quick questions?

Great… click the link below:

Book Blogger Convention 2010 Potential Interest Form

No one is committing themselves to anything.  We’re testing the waters for the viability of actually doing something like this before we move any further forward.

There is no way Book Blogger Appreciation Week would have happened without the generous time and support of the following people.  I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their commitment to BBAW and to the book blogging community.

Ann of Books on the Nightstand
Kristina of Kristina’s Favorites
Trish of Hey Lady! Whatcha’ Readin’?
Swapna of S. Krishna’s Books
Julie of Booking Mama
Rebecca of The Book Lady’s Blog
Dar of Peeking Between the Pages
Michelle of Galleysmith
Lu of Regular Rumination
Deborah of Books, Movies, Chinese Food
Sheri of A Novel Menagerie
Florinda of the 3rs Blog
Serena of Savvy Verse and Wit
Natasha of Maw Books Blog
Jackie of Literary Escapism
Ana of Things Mean a Lot
Monica of Monniblog
Bethany of Dreadlock Girl Reads
J.T. Oldfield of Bibliofreak Blog
Kristin of Bookworming in the 21st Century
Heather of Age 30+ A Lifetime in Books
Melanie of Melanie’s Musings
Jenn of Jenn’s Bookshelves
Beth of Beth Fish Reads
Elizabeth of As Usual, I Need More Bookshelves
Hannah of Wordlily
Nat of In Spring it is the Dawn
Lenore of Presenting Lenore
Shelly of Write for a Reader
Heather of Heather’s Books
Katie of Babbling About Books and More
Deb of Debbie’s World of Books
Jen of Jen’s Book Thoughts
Kim of Sophisticated Dorkiness

And of course all of the awards panelists, those who contributed guest posts, sent me encouraging notes and tweets….Thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping to make BBAW 09 such a fantastic time!

You’ll have to forgive me because I grew up going to church summer camp…and this week has been a bit like that!  From the rush of intense emotions and new friendships to the thoughtful times of reflection and the goal setting we saw today…well…it’s been real, friends! 

What you do…carving out a little bit of cyberspace for books, reading books, talking about books, fighting for literacy, shattering stereotypes about reading and through reading..it matters.  We all read and blog for different reasons but we share something important in common…we love books.  Viva books!

We’ve had a blast this week but in the year ahead we have to keep our book candles burning.  Some places will try to close their libraries, they will cut their library budgets, our reading education will continue to suffer and some children will never know the feel of a new book in their hands or the thrill of discovery at a bookstore.  I don’t know about you, but that breaks my heart.

So what we do this year ahead…until the next BBAW…is we keep reading.  We keep talking about books.  We find ways to give reading to our communities, to read with the children of our times, even if they are not our children.  We support the kidlitosphere in their many goals of spreading the word about books that have value for children.  We volunteer to teach ESL at our libraries and we give books as gifts when we can.  Because if we, the most passionate fans of books and reading don’t do it, no one will.

I love you all.  You are such an amazing, diverse and exceptional group of people.  It has been an honor to celebrate with you and celebrate you this week.  Namaste.

(Contests are open until Sunday!!  Stay tuned to the blog for a chance to sign up to volunteer to help out with BBAW next year and also Buy Books for the Holidays!  The blog will not go silent!  )

I have to say that I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with book bloggers. As a romance writer I’m always interested in what readers, reviewers and other authors have to say about various aspects of my genre. I’ve followed a variety of tours from Jane Austenites; to unusual historical blogs; to western romance blogs; to humorous contemporary romance blogs; to romantic suspense blogs. This allowed me a window into the likes and dislikes of readers who are loyal to a certain brand of romance. If you have a favorite type of romance there is an array of good bloggers out there ready and willing to talk about it.
I recently did my first blog tour for my romantic suspense, Mr. Charming. I decided to start out small with a total of five blogs. Every blogger I approached was warm, friendly and willing to allow me to visit and talk about my work. The variety of ideas from bloggers for the tour was great. I did an interview with the heroine, a review and interview with the hero, a review and interview with the author, the story of how the book was published and an excerpt highlight. All the responses to my tour were positive and readers were able to follow along without seeing the same blog over and over. Reviews of the book were thoughtful and well written. As an author I couldn’t ask for a better experience.

I think that book bloggers play an important role as mediator between authors and readers. They introduce an author to their friends and readers. They can help to “hand-sell” an author’s work—something that independent bookstore owners used to do before the emergence of big-box bookstores and on-line book sellers. Book bloggers can create important buzz for books and can be influential in creating viral sales of author’s works. I’ve noticed that even bad reviews can bring an author into the spotlight and create an on-going conversation about the author and their work. Most books are sold through a trusted recommendation. Book bloggers can fulfill that role.

I write books to share the stories in my head. Without readers there is no reason to put a story on paper. They are my reason for writing. Creating a book is a lot of work from rough draft, to revisions, to queries, to edits, to galley edits, and even promotion. Why go through all that if no one is going to read the work? It is the relationship between the author and the reader that creates the “art” of writing. Think of it this way…if you tell a joke with no one around, who laughs? But if you run to your friends and family and tell the joke, you get a laugh, a response and a joy that what you thought was funny is shared by those around you. Writers need readers for that shared experience. Book bloggers are perfect for that because not only are they readers, but they share their experience with a wider audience and give authors a stage on which to showcase their stories.

Nancy J. Parra is the author of Mr. Charming, which is available in stores now!

It’s right there on my kitchen counter—right there in black and white—my morning newspaper. But something’s happened to it in the past year or two. My once fat and sassy daily fix of journalism—more vital to me than my other morning ritual—an icy Diet Coke—has fallen on hard times. Advertising dollars have gotten scarce. Younger readers spurn newspapers in favor of free online news sources, and even time-challenged die-hard newsies like me are re-assessing the value of a news delivery system that involves the impossibly quaint practice of tossing a paper in my driveway every morning.

Yes, the news about news isn’t good. Believe me, I have a vested interest in seeing how all of this shakes out. Because for 14 years, I was a newspaper reporter. I made a living (not a very good one, but a living, nonetheless) from my byline. I literally learned to read at the family breakfast table, poring over The St. Petersburg Times, while my mother poured milk on my Cheerios. I take no pleasure in watching from the sidelines as my former employer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution struggles for survival. 

Today, I’m a novelist, writing as Mary Kay Andrews, with 17 published novels to my credit, the last five of those having reached New York Times best-selling status. Book reviews and book publishing coverage—whatever form they take— are of vital interest to me. If I want to know what the hot book of the moment is, I can click on any one of a dozen sites tracking book sales. In addition to the reviews of both new and old books on the hundreds, maybe thousands, of book blogs around the world, book bloggers also conduct in-depth interviews with authors, run feature stories, contests, and giveaways—valuable and engaging coverage that just won’t be found in the top mainstream print outlets. I’m always thrilled when I read a blog post from a reader in a faraway corner of the world who’s spreading the good word about my books, and it’s even more heartening to read comments posted by that blog’s readers about their take on my work. I even have my own blog, THE KUDZU TELEGRAPH at MaryKayAndrews.com, where I share news about forthcoming titles, tour dates, and appearances directly with my fans. It was not always thus.

Seventeen years ago, when my first book, EVERY CROOKED NANNY, a mystery written under my real name of Kathy Hogan Trocheck was published, authors lived and died by newspaper reviews. When EVERY CROOKED NANNY, and my follow-up book, TO LIVE AND DIE IN DIXIE received favorable reviews in The New York Times, my publishers and I were ecstatic. While I was reviewed in other papers and magazines over the years, there would be no more New York Times reviews. Still, my sales climbed and my career took off. Although—Janet and Michiko—if you happen to read this, I’d really, really love a review again. The truth is, these days, while authors and publishers covet the prestige of a nod from a critic at The Washington Post or The Los Angeles Times, a print review rarely translates directly to increased book sales. The new reality is that a favorable mention from a respected book blogger can be as important as a review in any newspaper I can name.

So on the occasion of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I offer you book bloggers my respect for the hard work you are doing to fill the void being left by shrinking print coverage, my appreciation for your dedication to books and authors, and my deepest thanks for the love many of you have shown to me and my books over the years.

You know how PBS and NPR (and other non-U.S. variations thereof) try to get you to donate during sponsor drives four weeks out of the year?  Well, consider yourself lucky that I’m only asking a few minutes of your time, and I’m not asking for any money.

Not exactly.

I am asking you to change your habits ever so slightly.

Like NPR asks you, what public radio means to you, I am asking you, during this week of appreciation, what book blogs mean to you.

Those behind the web 2.0 times like put down book bloggers.  They say that we are often “more enthusiastic” than “professional” and that we will soon fall by the wayside.  The first may be true (but those with so-called “professional” accreditations tend to hail from publications in the red and organizations that can’t seem to figure out how to get people to read) and it appears during this week, of all weeks, that book bloggers are here to stay.

With your help, that is.

Book bloggers work hard.  For nothing. Or at least close to nothing.  Occasionally a blog comes along that makes it “big time” (and truly, who among us doesn’t at least sometimes aspire to that?), but for the most part, bloggers shell out more than they take in.  Whether it is paying for prizes, paying for shipping, or switching to self-hosting formats, many bloggers spend money promoting and maintainging their blogs.

Which I why I am channeling PBS (pun intended) in asking, what do book blogs mean to you?

To me, they mean a freedom of opinion, an outlet for lesser-known authors as well as big names to promote their books equally, a community of people passionate about literacy, and an interaction ideas.  And though some people predict their downfall, I want to see them grow in strength and presence.  I have dreams of more blogs reaching the mainstream and picking up where so many newspapers seem to be slacking off.

But here is where I mix campaigns, and point the finger.  Ask not what book blogs can do for you (interviews!  Give aways!  Guest posts!  Oh my!), but what you can do for book blogs.

The solution is simple.  Next time you go to buy a book at full price (i.e., a book you intend to purchase, that you have not found used or on sale), go to your Google Reader, type in the title or author, and see who has reviewed it.  Then find a blog that has a link to Amazon, B&N, Indiebound, whatever, and purchase it.  The blogger will probably only make a buck, but if we do this enough, if we change our habits to support each other, we strengthen our resolve to do things like blog on busy days and make our give aways international. 

Now, I just tried it out.  There is a book I need to get for a challenge, that my library doesn’t have, nor does any used bookstores in my neighborhood.  I typed it into my Google Reader and of over 120 blogs I follow (many of which I have recently added thanks to BBAW), I came up with nada.

But I shall not despair!  Because there are other things I can do to support the book blogosphere. 

Example A.  She Is Too Fond of Books has a section where you can buy ANY book at various online retailers and the money goes, not to She Is Too Fond of Books, but to First Books’s Books for Kids, Books for Keeps campaign. 

Example B. Indiebound is an organization of independent bookstores, which are sort of like the book bloggers of the real world—though I don’t think that anyone would call them unprofessional, they are certainly enthusiastic and worthy of our support.

All any of these options—searching your reader, using an altruistic site like She Is Too Fond of Books,  or going through Indiebound might take you a few extra seconds, but they don’t cost you anything more than if you were going to buy a book brand new, especially if you were going to buy it online. 

But what it does in terms of vindicating blogging, supporting bloggers, and fortifying our community, is worth half a minute of your time.  Isn’t it?

J.T. Oldfield blogs regularly at the Bibliofreak Blog!