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BEA Part 1: Blogger Con

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Written by: Kelly on June 2, 2013.

I’m going to break up my BEA posts a little and share them throughout the week, but I do want to start at the beginning with Blogger Con. As you might remember, I was invited to speak on a panel called “Book Blogging and the Big ‘Niches'”, which was an honor.

The day began with a little bit of a travel problem — the shuttle supposedly going to Grand Central Station never showed up — and then when I got to the place I was to report, no one was there to meet me. After both of those things were taken care of, I met up with Leila and we grabbed spots for the opening keynote speaker, Will Schwalbe. After we stood in line for getting “stuff.” Maybe it’s just me, but beginning the blogging con with “grab stuff you want,” sends an interesting message.

What began as a sort of bland talk about how much book bloggers have saved the book industry (which I don’t know I agree with) actually became a very frustrating keynote to listen to, as Schwalbe suggested that the role of book bloggers is to play the role of cheerleader. We’re to think of the people behind the books — the writers, the editors, the publishers — and in doing so, be careful what it is we choose to say because our words have power. While he called out snarky reviews as problematic, he never once broached the topic of critical reviews, choosing instead to talk about the value of being positive and cheering books and their creators.

This to me is exceptionally problematic, especially as a way to tie into the con more broadly. I think it’s very important to talk about the things you love, but I also think it’s important to remain true to yourself and what it is your goals are as a blogger. Me? I love being critical. I don’t use my platform as a means of being a cheerleader. I use it to talk both about the things I like and the things that make me go hmm.

Of course, part of Schwalbe’s talk circled back to his own book, and he made some interesting parallels between book blogging and book clubs, which to me don’t equate. It felt in many ways that blogging was reduced to one purpose, which was to continue helping the industry (remember his talk began with the grand statement about how bloggers have saved publishing). While I appreciated that Schwalbe talked with three bloggers to inform his talk, he didn’t really offer much more than to say we’re cheerleaders and that left a sour taste in my mouth. I wondered then and still wonder how this talk would have been structured had it come from a blogger who completely gets what bloggers set out to do (spoiler: bloggers do a lot of neat, different, various things — some cheerlead, some criticize, and there is room in this world for all of our unique interests and passions).

So to say things started off disappointing is an understatement. The take away of “be nice” doesn’t sit well with me. “Be respectful?” That would have been a much different — and worthwhile — takeaway for me. You don’t automatically get nice, but you do automatically get respect.

Following the keynote, I attended a session called “YA Editor Insights,” which featured three YA editors — Cheryl Klein of Scholastic, Deb Noyes of Candlewick, Emily Meehan of Disney-Hyperion, and Jen Doll of the “YA for Grownups” series in The Atlantic (long time readers know my thoughts on this series). While I like Buzz sessions, this panel was not billed as that, even though that is all it became. There was nothing about blogging and the impact it has had on editing or acquisitions or on publicity — anything relevant. It was about what books were coming out, and it even included a cover reveal. So while that was interesting, it was incredibly disappointing to be sold books, rather than sold the value of book blogging. And what a missed opportunity, too, since Cheryl is a huge blogger and could have offered so much in that regard.

Again, it felt like what bloggers can do for the industry. And in this case, it was what they can talk about in the coming months.

I should note I don’t blame the panelists for this. I suspect they were told this was what the topic was and this was how they approached it. More on that shortly.

The following panel I attended was “YA Book Blogging Pros: Successes, Struggles, and Insider Secrets,” which featured Cindy Minnich of the Nerdy Book Club, Thea James of The Book Smugglers, Danielle Smith of There’s a Book, and Kristina Radke of Netgalley. For the most part, there wasn’t a whole lot said here I didn’t know, but I suspect there was some value for newbie bloggers. I especially liked Thea’s repetition that being critical is okay and doing your own thing . . . is okay. That there is a difference between critical and negative reviews — I am so glad she said that because it was the first time during the day I’d heard it.

What I didn’t like about this panel was that it came off at times like an opportunity for Netgalley to advertise. And while yes, Netgalley IS a good tool for bloggers, I didn’t need to know that they were doing a “wellness check” and could help us make our profiles most appealing to publishers.

This is where I say again, it felt very much like what bloggers can do for the industry, rather than what we are doing for ourselves.

There was a lunch break after this panel, and it ended up being a not-free lunch since I never got my free lunch ticket. I should have when I picked up my badge but did not. And I’m sad it didn’t happen. So I paid way too much for a half-burned hot dog in the Javitz cafeteria and tried to regroup before the afternoon sessions.

Immediately after the lunch was an ethics panel, featuring Jane Litte of Dear Author (with a law background), Richard Newman (a lawyer), and Geanne Rosenburg (journalism professor who works with the Student Press Law Center, which was an invaluable resource to me — when I was working in journalism). The session began with talking about FTC compliance, and it was probably where I took away the one valuable nugget from this entire conference. Apparently, if you write negative reviews (and they said negative, not critical, since no one seems to understand those are two different things), you don’t need to disclose your free product receipt.

Which.

Why is it everyone conflates ARCs with free products? ARCs have no value; their purpose is for reviewing. I don’t understand why there needs to be an obsession with those being freebies. They aren’t. They’re valueless. I think there’s a difference if you get a finished copy of a book, but even then, since you’re under no obligation to review it, why do you need to disclose it?

Obviously, we disclose everything here at STACKED: where we got our books, who sent them to us, if we have a relationship with an author we’re reviewing a book from. But I like to think readers understand we’re under no obligation to review anything and getting anything or having a relationship with someone in no way influences our opinions.

That said, the ethics panel then devolved into something ridiculous: whether or not we could use cover images on our posts. I can’t believe that in 2013, this is even a topic of discussion, especially at a blogger convention. I cannot believe that the discussion went on for nearly 20 minutes, and that people suggested a way around this issue could be taking a photo of the cover image since you own the copyright to the image you took.

People.

Covers are part of the marketing of a book. As long as you are not claiming you are the creator of the cover nor are remixing it without permission of the copyright holder (the publisher in many cases), then you can post it. You may even be ENCOURAGED to post cover images. It spreads the word about the book. It is the biggest piece of the selling puzzle of a book.

There was essentially no talk about things like censorship or about libel. Those are important ethical topics and instead, time was wasted talking about book covers. I point you to Leila’s post about blogger con, too, since she talked about an interesting series of thoughts we were having at our table between ourselves on ethical issues. Something else I’m curious about and wish had been talked about: what is a relationship with an author? It was sort of broached but never explored — if you’re friendly with someone on Twitter, is that a relationship you need to disclose? When does a relationship go from casual on social media to something deeper? I know where my lines are, but I’m curious where other people draw their own. And what then blog readers expect in terms of disclosure, since it seems silly to say “I talk with so and so on Twitter” as a relationship, even though that could influence a book review or impression.

In short, the ethics panel didn’t deliver anything new or groundbreaking, nor did it address some really thought-provoking topics on the ethics of book blogging. I do think some of that has to do with the fact this was a law-driven panel, rather than one driven by bloggers (aside from Jane, who moderated more than spoke) or critics themselves.

I didn’t actually attend a panel after the ethics conversation, since I met with my own panel co-presenters to go over what it was we wanted to talk about. I presented with Chelsy Hall of Big Honcho Media (who we’ve worked with before here), David Gutowski (of the blog/site Largehearted Boy), and Sarah Dickman (of Odyl, which created the book discovery website Riffle you may have heard about). Our topic, “Book Blogging and the Big ‘Niches'” had us all confused from the start. What did it even mean? We made it our own thing.

We had 5 points we wanted to cover specifically and then we opened it up for questions — and David and I took on the bulk of talking on these topics, since we were the two bloggers represented on the panel, with Chelsy talking a bit about working with bloggers and Sarah talking about how bloggers can use sites like Riffle to bolster their expertise and reach. To say it was a weird mix of people on the panel would be an understatement.

The five points we hit were:

  • Using your professional background and experience to inform your writing. I talked about how being a librarian meant I focused my reviews on reader appeal factors and potential audience, even for those books I don’t like myself. 
  • When and how to reach beyond your own blog for a bigger platform. I talked about how sometimes you need to know what other bloggers have passion for and collaborate with them in order to make a bigger impact. I talked a bit about series posts and how those have a bigger and different reach in a way that builds community among bloggers of all sorts.
  • Interacting with readers, publishers, authors, and local communities helps you. David talked about the series he does with local bookstores, and I talked about how, being rural and without access to a local bookstore, I use my blog as a means of connecting people with people and people with books. We don’t all have access to a big book world and that that digital space is a legitimate and valuable space. 
  • It’s important to be willing to be available for others via blogging and social media. I talked about how I love helping other people, and I hit the fact that sometimes, a non-answer comes from the fact it’s something I’ve blogged about before extensively and therefore can be answered with a quick search of the blog OR that sometimes, time really is a factor in responding to everything. I do read every single email or comment I get; sometimes, I just cannot respond though. And it is never, ever personal. 
  • We then talked a bit about how the niche has changed and where we think blogging is headed. I talked about one of the interesting trends I’ve seen and like to take part in, which is talking about backlist titles. Apparently this was….a surprise. I talked about the success of The Chocolate War read and blog along, and about how many of the bloggers I read and respect have been implementing projects to highlight backlist books (Jennie is an excellent example of a blogger who is creating daily book lists talking up YA backlist titles). 
We then opened it up to questions, the bulk directed at David and I because . . . we were the bloggers. And here is where I am going to be a bit critical.
Almost all of the questions we got came from industry professionals. I was asked how I am best pitched to. I was asked how to structure the materials that accompany unsolicited review copies so that those books catch my attention. I was asked if I really would consider reviewing backlist titles from a publisher. And while I think they’re valid questions, it really struck me as proving the point I’d been seeing all day: this wasn’t a convention for bloggers about bloggers. It was a convention about how bloggers can serve the industry. How the industry can make sure they’re getting on blogger radars. 
This was not the forum for that. 
I made sure to bring up a couple other important points that I think newbie and seasoned bloggers needed to know, like the fact you don’t need to be everywhere and do everything. There ARE a million book discovery websites and a ton of social media outlets. But if you try to keep up with everything, you will burn out and lose passion for blogging for you. You are no one’s tool. You do this because you want to do it. I emphasized you can and should say no. 
Then I was asked how many review copies I get a week. Which…
It’s interesting to me this comes up at all. And it’s interesting to me this is such a secretive thing in the blogging world. I was asked from someone representing the publishing side, as they noted that many bloggers claim they get overwhelmed on a daily basis, and I do believe that many bloggers do. But I wonder at times how much of that is exaggeration. 
Because I get maybe 3 or 4 unsolicited AND accepted review copies a week. Yes, that’s a lot, but it’s not the 10-15 a day many do say they receive.
But the kicker on my panel was the question which came near the end and I really needed to do a double take on.
He asked me how I felt library users were being “screwed” by the Big 6 publishers in their ability to access ebooks. While he didn’t use “screwed,” he did phrase it very slantedly in the first wording of the question. When I asked him to repeat, he toned it down a bit. But I sat there and had a moment — here I was on a panel about blogging, and I’m being asked to answer a question about libraries, ebooks, the Big 6, and I’m meant to represent the answer for all of these industries at once? 
I said I couldn’t answer that and that it’s a topic that merits entire conferences in and of themselves.
It was that moment, though, it really nailed home how this conference was not about bloggers or blogging. It was about the publishing industry and the fears all over it. Bloggers play in as cheerleaders and tools of the industry, rather than out to do this because they want to do it for themselves or love talking about and thinking critically about books.
My panel concluded and we all made our way for the final keynote, Randi Zuckerberg. Yes, it’s the sister of THAT Zuckerberg. Her talk began 20 minutes late, partially because there was no computer for her powerpoint presentation so they had to borrow one from the audience.
I can’t even go into how bad the presentation was. I can’t talk about how it was not in any way tailored to an audience of bloggers. I can’t even talk about how it was about how great and privileged Randi was and how she had no idea what it is we really do as bloggers. 
In many ways, I don’t even know who her talk was for.
She had 10 tips for successful social media use, but none of it was tailored for bloggers. In fact, I have never been to a keynote where I have so vehemently disagreed with every point that at the end, I walked away feeling depressed and down about what it was I do and think myself. I don’t have the energy to rehash it, and neither did Leila, but in short, there are right ways to do social media, and no matter what you do, you’re never going to be doing it as good or as well as Big Name Companies who Pay People Money to Do These Things.
This keynote was much more about privilege and business than it was about people who blog because they enjoy blogging. There were topics brought up which made no sense at all — Zuckerberg talked about an app that stops people from drinking and driving and how apps were the new way to gain audience, as were taking photos of the events you want to talk about (because we all know that taking photos of my on the couch in my pajamas reading is going to bring interest to my BOOK REVIEWS) — and in many ways, it was a clear sign that this industry just does not get what book bloggers do. That maybe this entire conference missed the point.
Take Aways

I think it’s clear that this conference was not for bloggers by bloggers. Yes, they had an advisory board but I think much of the power of that advisory board didn’t shine through (in fact, I mentioned my panel didn’t understand our charge to talk about big niches, and the person who proposed the panel told us what she’d envisioned and that it didn’t come out that way when described to us). Neither of the keynotes were there to talk about blogging and its richness and diversity. 
There was a real emphasis on what it is bloggers are doing for the industry and many in attendance were eager to swallow up the knowledge of how they can get a piece of the pie. I was pitched many books while there, and it left a sour taste in my mouth.
I’m in blogging for the love of blogging.
I’m in blogging to meet other bloggers and to have enlightening, engaging conversations about blogging and about books. I want to be critical.
I’m in this for selfish reasons and I’m in this for community reasons.
I’m not in this to be a service to publishers. I am not in this for free stuff because I don’t think I’m getting anything out of blogging except the rewards I assign to blogging for myself. The emphasis on free stuff, the emphasis on getting my attention, the emphasis on how books and publishers can get on my radar? It was weird and uncomfortable. 
Part of why I love and adore Kid Lit Con so much is that the entire conference is for book bloggers BY book bloggers. There is virtually no swag. Virtually no freebies. It’s about the community and the diverse voices, energies, and insights garnered therein. It’s not about what I can do for the industry because what I do is not influenced by the industry. 
What I do is influenced only by what it is that interests and ignites me.
I wouldn’t recommend BEA Blogger Con for those looking to learn about blogging or those looking to grow their readership, audience, to expand their knowledge of ethics or become more savvy on the world of blogging. It wasn’t that. I have been to Blogger Con before, when it was run by and for bloggers, and the tone was much different. The goals much different. 
Why is it the keynotes weren’t bloggers? Why were a few of the panels covered entirely with bloggers? Why did some seem like giant advertisements for products or services? 
I love blogging and I LOVE the community herein. I have made some of my closest friends through this activity, and I have found some of my favorite books and authors through this.
I have not sold books doing this. I have not made it my goal to be an advocate of the publishing industry or to be a cheerleader for it. 
I’ve gone on for a long time here, and I could go on twice as long with how disappointing and disheartening this conference was. I’m sure many will walk away feeling it was successful and that they learned a lot. I’m sure in many ways they did learn a lot. I know I draw from a well of experience and program attendances to compare, but I also know that this wasn’t what it advertised itself to be, either. 
I hope that other bloggers find those right niches for them and that they learn there is a huge, rich, wonderfully complicated and exciting world of blogging out there. That what they’re told at a conference like this isn’t the be-all, end-all. That they can choose to do things on their own terms with their own goals and passions and interests in mind, whether that’s being a non-stop cheerleader OR being a snarky reviewer OR being critical OR being a little bit of everything.
There is no one right way, even if that’s what the take away may have been. 

Comments

  1. I'm glad you wrote this because I basically skipped most of blogger con except for the YA Buzz Panel, Thea's panel, the free lunch, and my panel. I feel like my life choices for skipping out on most of it are vindicated now. Like, it irritates me how off base the keynote speakers were. I can remember back when Sarah of Smart Bitches Trashy Books was the keynote and I came away feeling inspired and ready to kick some ass and take my blog to the next level, whereas this time I was left feeling apathetic.

    Thanks for the recap.

    • I was thinking SPECIFICALLY of that keynote all day and how much it really inspired and engaged me. I don't get why they didn't bring in a BLOGGER to do just that. Instead, I felt uninspired and frustrated at the lack of understanding of what it is a blogger can do.

      I wish I'd skipped out. I would have probably been less frustrated.

  2. Oh my gosh, this post reads almost exactly like what I wrote about last years BEA Bloggers, which is so very, very sad. I was hoping that the problems of the conference — that it was about what the industry wants or needs from bloggers not about bloggers themselves — would be ironed out a little bit after a bunch of criticism last year. But apparently not.

    The audience questions last year were the kicker for me too. They were all from people who were clearly NOT book bloggers and basically hijacked part of the conference. Ugh.

    I think if "the industry" wants to learn about working with bloggers, it needs to be as part of the BEA Education sessions and not get shoved into a conference that is supposed to be for bloggers. I'm getting aggravated just thinking about this! I can't imagine being there… if it was anything like the year before, I'm sure it was awful.

    • The questions bit is where it really all came together and made that big point for me. Who was I talking to? It wasn't bloggers. It was industry folks who wanted a tap into my knowledge and network and….you know, I'm not there sharing it with them. I'm there sharing it with fellow bloggers. It rubs me wrong that that was how it played out.

  3. And this is why – although I could drive to the conference, I didn't bother. Last year, my first and only year attending the blogger day, I wasn't impressed. I felt then that Armchair BEA was more fun and enlightening. This year, Armchair BEA rocked – especially the 2nd day, and I learned a lot about other bloggers, and how they do things.

    Tanya Patrice
    Girlxoxo.com

    • I read a few of the Armchair BEA blog posts but what I read was so, so interesting to me. I can't wait to dive in more and see what you all had to say and share. I think indeed THAT is where the true gold and value is. Not in this conference, unfortunately.

    • I'm going to butt in here about Armchair BEA. I've been helping out with it for the last 4 years, and everyone on our team has made a concerted effort to make it NOT about how we can "help" publishing, but about how we can connect with each other and talk about books in new and exciting ways. I'm so glad you brought it up Tanya, because I'm really happy with the reception it's getting, and we hope to keep making it more and more awesome.

    • While I was reading the post, I was thinking that I had gotten a lot out of Armchair BEA and was maybe glad that I didn't have a chance to be there in person. By visiting many blogs and the interaction there, I learned a lot and am energized.

  4. Really fascinating piece – a shame that it sounds like a frustrating experience, but thanks so much for sharing! The "Book Bloggers = Cheerleaders" thing really gets on my nerves. (And this is speaking as someone who pretty much DOES only post positive reviews on my blog.) It's ridiculous that some people get so worked up about critical reviews. As for nearly 20 minutes spent talking about cover images – good grief!

  5. @Jim Dean (for some reason I can't "reply" directly): I think there is a completely valid and good corner of book blogging that IS cheerleading. Everyone gets to do what it is they want to do with regards to blogging, which is part of why it's such a neat thing. That the other side is completely ignored or dismissed in one complete swoop — conflating critical with negative — is what's so problematic.

    • Definitely agree. I love raving about my favourite books, or brilliant books in particular genres/on particular topics, and I really enjoy running author interviews and guest posts. But to suggest that's the 'right' way to blog and negative/critical reviews (sensible ones, at least) aren't as valid is just ridiculous.

  6. I'm glad you wrote up this post. It gives me so much to think about. I know that I write mostly positive reviews because I don't read books I don't like anymore. There are too many I want to read for that. However, I hope that I'm a little critical in my reviews. I've been trying to talk more about why I like the book – not just that I like it and maybe to give a similar read.
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

  7. I have always been told what a disappointmsent BloggerCon can be. It's a pity that these panels were not executed in a way to actually benefit a blogger. Never would I call myself a cheerleader. Had blogging been about glowing reviews and positive promotion only, I would have never started. Funny that the critcal review was scarcely touched. Even my most positive reviews offer constructive criticism. There is no perfect book that I have encountered. Why can't authors and publishers realize this? Also, the idea of debating the use of cover images for 20 minutes? So futile. It's a shame that nothing grand and inspiring was really revealed. A very out-of-touch convention…

  8. Wow.

    Reading this made me almost do a double-take, to check to see if I wasn't reading the recaps from last year. I wasn't at last year's BBC nor this year's, but I was at the ones in 2010 and 2011. It's such a shame that this is apparently the direction the event has taken – AGAIN, for the second consecutive year.

    I had been feeling disappointed about missing BEA this year but this makes me feel better. Thanks so much for this excellent recap.

  9. I really appreciate you doing this post. I went to the Blogger Con last year and felt that it was completely off the mark. I had heard that the organizers understood that and were going to restructure it a bit but decided to skip it this year anyway. Sounds like they didn't do anything to improve and treated us like tools once again.

  10. Ugh, this sounds like a complete waste of time–you should have come seen us at Day of Dialog instead! 🙂

    I'm a book blogger because I write reviews for myself. I don't seek out advanced copies, and I frequently review things that have been out for many years. I don't care about free stuff and I don't care if only a few people read my reviews. I do it for me.

  11. I appreciate you taking the time to write all of this up, too, Kelly. For me, it not only made me not want to go to this con in the future, but it made me want to be more critical in my reviewing. Because I did not sign up to be anybody's cheerleader.

  12. Thanks so much for this post. I certainly didn't start blogging to be anyone's cheerleader. I also didn't get into it to review only current books. I got into it to read and write critical reviews about children's and YA books about politics. I read and review what's interesting to me, and I hope it ends up being interesting to others as well. But a cheerleader for publishers? Not for me.

    You mentioned Kid Lit Con. I'm wondering if you know when/where it's going to be this year? I'm on the kidlitosphere list, will it be announced there?

  13. Kelly, I sat on the advisory board and I'll say that the "editor" panels were totally my idea. The other panelists argued against it, but I thought it would be neat. Having read your post, I totally understand where you are coming from and I think I have a better idea of what needs to be done to change the event.

    Ironically, I thought (and this was totally wrong again) we needed some big name speakers to draw in the crowd, but it sounds more like you would like to hear from bloggers talking to other bloggers about *things*.

    Sarah Wendell and I hosted a tiny little bloggercon before RT this year. We had publicists come in and talk about managing relationships. We also talked platforms, dealing with authors, troubling reviews, and the like. That may be the better way forward. In any event, your account is super helpful as are so many of the comments.

    It also looks like we (the advisory board) should take a closer look at BEA 1 and the Armchair BEA. Or maybe even Parajunkee's Twitter BloggerCon.

  14. Excellent recap! Sorry to hear that BEA still doesn't understand bloggers and what they're looking for at a blogger convention. I was going to attend last year, but changed my mind when I found out BEA had taken it over. Glad I skipped this year as well!

  15. Reviewers have been selling ARCs to used bookstores for decades — even back in the day when they were all printed by Crane's and had single color covers with just the title. I'm not sure that I agree that they have no monetary value.

    Other than that, I think that the con would be better if it were run by and for bloggers, instead of by the same people who run the publishing convention. It might serve your needs better?