2015 #RAGT Blogger Lounge Schedule

At last year’s Reader Author Get Together, I got together with Barclay Publicity, Joyfully Reviewed, Blogging by Liza, and A Buckeye Girl Reads to host a fabulous concoction of meet & greets and events in the inaugural RAGT Blogger Lounge. Man was it so much fun. You should have seen all the books we had to giveaway too – by Saturday night we were giving them out in groups of four! There was a lot of reader joy going in Suite 120; and since we weren’t the only ones who thought so, the Blogger Lounge will return for 2015!

While last year was a ton of fun, I’ve had to make a few changes for 2015. The suite was perfect for the informal, intimate, gatherings we wanted for the Lounge; but it was a bit too small for the crowd we ended up getting. Case in point, Boyfriend Bingo not only did not have standing room available, they were spilling out into the hall. Considering the laughter that kept flowing out of the room, it didn’t seem to deter too many people.

So this year I’m changing things up. What can I say, I like change and it means that if you were there last year, you won’t get the same experience this year. Not completely. We are bringing back the 3 Roundtable Discussions from last year, but that’s pretty much where the familiar ends. So without further ado, 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.
  Host: Danielle Barclay (Barclay Publicity)
• The Author-Blogger Relationship (Friday at 11am) 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.
  Host: 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.
  Host: Jen (That’s What I’m Talking About)
• Reader Mixer  (Saturday at 11am) Come by the Blogger Lounge and meet reviewers/readers of all genres (both Adult, NA, & YA) in a relaxed, informal setting.

Meet & Greets:

#RAGTLIVE will not be back. Too many technical difficulties and confusion about who had to be where and when made the idea not work out quite like I planned. Instead the Blogger Lounge is offering, what I like to call, a “Boardroom Lite” option. Authors and Bloggers can reserve time in the Lounge (on their own or in groups of 2-3) for their own Meet & Greets. What they do with their time slot will be completely up to them, within the parameters and overall tone of the event.

The idea is for those Authors (& Bloggers) who are not sponsoring a boardroom to have a chance to host their own “Hey come meet me, let’s talk about books” type of atmosphere without having to worry about public interruptions. If you’re an author or blogger who has registered for RAGT15 and would like to request a time slot to host your own gathering in the Blogger Lounge, email me at jackie @literaryescapism.com.

Here are the current available time slots, if you have a specific time you would like, please indicate that in the email:

I’ll be updating the times as they are confirmed, so make sure you swing by later to see who will be having fun in the Blogger Lounge.

Swag!

I loved the idea of the Genre Lounges, but let’s be honest, they too didn’t work out as well. People didn’t stick around after the RAGTLive sessions, so they ended up being a bust. However, that doesn’t mean the general idea can’t be done. At any time you can come by the Blogger Lounge and find information about authors/reviewers/readers of certain genres (both Adult, NA, & YA) in a relaxed, informal setting. The Blogger Lounge will be the spot to find everyone’s favorite SWAG! That’s right, we’ll have swag sitting out all over the place, so come in and take it home. Authors and Bloggers – make sure you bring your swag to set out!

Scavenger Hunt:

I’m planning a scavenger hunt that I totally stole from the Coastal Magic Convention (I loved the idea Jennifer!). More details to follow once I get everything figured out. I don’t want to do the exact same thing as CMC, so I need to switch it up a little before I post anything more.

Bloggers!

As I did last year, I’ll be putting together a Blogger Lounge welcome banner. Any reviewer/blogger who would like to be included, please send your site name and your sites high res button to jackie @literaryescapism.com. Also, I would like to again compile a list of all attending bloggers so authors and readers can swing by and pick up a list to see who’s here. If you would like to be included on the list, please fill out the form below. If you’re curious to see who attended last year, you can check out the full list here.

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 in a quiet setting, 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.