Armchair BEA: Words of the Wise

 

While you're here, check out the giveaway! 

So on this last day of Armchair BEA the topic is "Ask the Experts". Well I don't classify myself there at all haha, so I implore you my lovely readers to impart your advice upon my humble self. While I don't have much in the way of specific advice to expertise I will leave you with one thought:

Your blog is for you!

When you are no longer happy with the way your blog is going or if you no longer enjoy it, find out why and make the decision to change it or quit because something as lovely as reading or sharing your thoughts shouldn't make you unhappy.

I want you to know that I really enjoyed this week. I met a lot of new bloggers and I am excited to get to know each of them. Please feel free to drop me a line in my email or on twitter! I hope each of you enjoyed your armchair as much as I did and it seems like the week has ended so early. Best of everything to you!

Armchair BEA: Beyond the Blog

While you're here, check out the giveaway!

So today the topic up for discussion is how we go beyond the blog. Monetizing, freelancing, or other opportunities that come from our blogging. When I first thought about this I went directly back to the idea that I discussed in my networking post and I was a little bummed that I didn't have much else to say.

I don't have tips for monetizing, in fact I could use some. Being an Amazon Affiliate has wielded me a massive 4 cents. I don't have paid ads. I'm not even sure if I have enough clicks to host paid ads. So trying to talk about monetizing was not the way to go. Then I went meandering around and commenting when I left a comment that struck a cord and the idea popped into my head!

In my networking post yesterday, I wrote about how I felt my blog and book experience really helped give me an edge to get my job. Earlier, I was commenting about someone else having well rounded writing experience and is this type of experience that really can help give us the edge in an extremely competitive job market. So I explained that I when applying for bookish jobs (i.e. Library where I work now) I put book blogging on my resume. I've spoken to career specialists over my resume and they said it was an excellent idea because of its immediate relevancy to the posistion. I have worked countless hours on my resume and I have seen that it can be successful so I thought I would share with you the way book blogging appears on my resume in the hopes that it may help you as well. 

Book Review Blogger

              Lexington, Kentucky                                April 2011- Current

v  Employ high levels of professionalism contacting publishers and authors

v  Develop a strong knowledge of writing and grammar to create thorough reviews

v  Familiarize self with new releases of all genres within Young Adult fiction

v  Maintain a unique and personal creative space to store and display information

v  Demonstrate writing and analysis abilities to provide accurate and professional reviews to the public on popular teen selections

v  Read a thorough list of selections group to review and hone ability to provide recommendations

As you can see, this helps to show that books aren't just a job for me they are a passion; something that I dedicate my free time to as well. I also have recently found that I love resume counseling but don't have the extroverted personality to give connections enough for that to be a career option. But that is all I have, that little space on the page to take myself far beyond the screens of the blog! Best of luck to all of you!

Armchair BEA: Networking Off-Line

While you're here, check out the giveaway!

It is pretty much obvious that I have put this post off for the most part of the day because I simply didn't know what to do about it. I had some thoughts but when you look at yourself in the mirror and see the shy wannabe, the last thing you want to do is go online to your blog, your public space, and say I suck at networking.

After reading some other stories and posts (love you all for sharing btw), I realize I am not quite as bad as I thought I was but I still have a ways to go to really say that I have accomplished anything significant. So I thought I would tackle this post in different sections to cover some of my experiences and some of my goals.

Did blogging get me a job?

One thing that I can say I have done is make it no secret that I work in a library. When I see all these posts about networking and when I think about my own experience that is what I keep going back to. In a pool of qualified people, I go into my job interview nervous and extremely excited. It puts me one step closer to the dream job. This is where the blog comes in. I assume the questions are similar amongst all applicants but I am prepared for recommendations and to sum up the last great book that I read because I had recently reviewed it. And honestly, when I told them that I had decided to make books my career and that I read, review, and blog in my free time, I think it gave me an edge above the other applicants. It illustrated to my bosses that I was serious about my job and that I do love books.

Since then I have been given all the teen YA catalogs that I keep in my locker and all my bosses love my writing background and reference my blog frequently. I really do believe that blogging helped me get my job on top of my own merits and determination to enjoy my career choice!

The Iron Knight Launch Event

When The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa launched there was a launch event in Louisville, KY (her hometown). That is about an hour away from me so I hopped in the car with a friend and drove out to go and it was great. I mentioned my blog to her and I was a total herp derp. But I still had a blast!

 

Oh, why yes that is Prince Ash in our picture!

Goals

I would love to find people that are of the book bloggy nature around here. I don't like book clubs much because I have never found one that really suits me. I don't like reading a book because I have to but because I want to. I am in a local Goodreads group through the library but I have yet to see anyone who reads the things I could talk about.

Sometimes, when I see books get returned that I enjoyed, I want to rush out and find them and scream that they have good tastes in music and sometimes, if I come across them with the books in their hands, that is what I do. Minus the screaming part; I don't want to go to jail!

I think that some of the local bookstore stories I have heard today have been absolutely inspiring and it really has sparked my interest to visit the local stores for the purpose of networking.

And I really want to get the most out of Twitter & blog comments. I try to utilize it and I have the followers to do it but I never seem to get any return interaction from my readers/followers and it can be really heartbreaking. Especially when it is an open question that could really stimulate conversation or give readers an opportunity to effect the things on the blog. But it is a goal to keep at it. Nothing will change if I just give up.

I hope that you have tactics for networking that work for you because I know mine are always changing and adapting and sometimes, being an introvert, it isn't easy.

Armchair Giveaway! OLDIES BUT GOODIES!

Last year I hosted my first giveaway for Armchair BEA and gave away Summer & The City by Candace Bushnell. This year my focus on things that I want to feature is a little different and with my new Reader's Advisory feature, I am trying to feature some older books to bring back that good literature still exists even though we get wrapped up in the new and shiny. So this year I am giving away an older book from the following list:

• Glimmerglass (2010) by Jenna Black
• The Giver (1993) by Lois Lowry
• If I Stay (2009) by Gayle Forman
• Memoirs of a Geisha (1997) by Arthur Golden
• The Wizard's First Rule (1994) by Terry Goodkind
• Uglies (2005) by Scott Westerfeld

I think that covers a variety of genre and ages for hopefully everyone to enjoy something. Enter on the Rafflecopter below and check out the details:

•     Contest Ends June 12, 2012 at 12:01AM EST
•     US Only (Sorry)
•     Must be 13 or older
•     Extra Entries are available
•     Fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter!
•     Comments must be reported as entries
•     Winner will have 48 Hours to respond or another will be chosen

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Armchair BEA: Greetings!

Hey Armchairers! I am so excited to participate in the Armchair BEA again this year. I participated last year and had an absolute fantastic time. There were a lot of great events including fantastic daily topics, twitter parties, and it was in conjunction with my first giveaway. Last year was extremely successful for the event and for me as a participant so I am excited to see where this year goes. It is crazy to think that a year has already past though.

This year, instead of a standard "about me" introduction, we are going to be doing self-interviews and blog hopping to see everyone's answers and getting to know one another. Without further ado, my heart on a string:

Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? Well, my name is Leila and I am 25 year old librarian wannabe. I am currently a Library Assistant and I absolutely love my job. My supervisors love the fact that I blog and it really initiates a lot of great conversation and people turn to me for teen recommendations lol. I have been book blogging for a little over a year now. I missed my blogoversary but that's okay, I want to focus on pushing past the obstacles and celebrate overall success. Okay, that is just an excuse for not noticing the time just past right on by.

I was originally a World of Warcraft blogger and I found that blogging was something I really enjoyed. I had that blog for over a year and I found that it was rather successful. After I quit playing, I reconnected with a love of reading and found I kept getting lost in book blog world and it just kind of snowballed from there and a year later, here I am.

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you. An interesting spot to be with a question like this. Do you go private? Funny? Cute? How about this, I am a sucker for comic book movies even though I have never read a comic book! I am a Marvel girl through and through and love The Avengers (GREAT MOVIE!) and The X-Men above most other comics!

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2012? I am a little extremely behind in my current reading with the holiday last week but I am trying to read Everneathe by Brodi Ashton. I'm also waiting to read City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare. So far in 2012, I absolutely adored reading Article 5 by Kristen Simmons and I have had the privilege to interview her as well, and she is just as pleasant and awesome as her book!

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community? Is there anything that you would like to see change in the coming years? The book blogging community is in a dynamic all its own. It is unlike any other blogging community I have been a part of. It is a great community to be a part of because you find people who enjoy reading the same things you do and it really can start a great dynamic and introduce you to knew people. If I had to say I would like to see some changes, I have noticed there can be hints of elitism in terms of people who do this and flaunt their success and brag about the things they get rather than simply sharing. I also, in my year of blogging here, have seen some pretty large explosions of drama that I hadn't really experienced in other communities and I'm not sure why that is but we all have one great goal to share great books!

Have your reading tastes changed since you started blogging? How? I came out of the gate when I reconnected with reading with guns blazing so to say. I got incredibly caught up on all of the new releases that were coming out in Young Adult lit that I really forgot about everything else that I enjoy. So my tastes have come back around to where I enjoy reading a little bit of everything again instead of just YA. I have found that I enjoy reading more horror stories as well and that hadn't been something I had every really explored so that is also exciting!

So now that I have poured my secrets, I wonder how authors feel after an interview haha. I hope to see you guys around for the rest of the armchair event and that you enjoy the event!

Armchair BEA: The End

This week has been absolutely phenomenal fun while I have been participating in the Armchair BEA event. I would like to say that next year I will be going to BEA but in truth, I'm going to be sitting right here on my outdated floral couch wrapped up in, maybe a different blanket! I had a great time listening to the discussion panel on Wednesday, checking out all the floor coverage, and writing all the daily topic posts. The giveaway for Summer and the City remains open until June 3rd and Armchair participants get extra entries but you don't have to be a participant to enter. On top of it all, I even won a prize from the Thursday Morning Twitter Party! The organizers have all been incredibly warm and welcoming, not to mention patient while I asked all my newbie questions. I came across amazing new bloggers and have gained some new readers as well, I hope that to all my new readers, you really do enjoy yourselves here!

Sadly, I did not have the opportunity to participate in the topic posting for Thursday and Friday. I had an emergency come up and I was unable to get everything written and scheduled (I have a posting plan, but I don't schedule many posts). So for that you can expect to see a couple more posts today including First Impressions Friday where I talk about the Clockwork Prince cover that was revealed at BEA this week and Follow Friday where I continue to spread more love amongst the blogging community.

It was really a great chance for me to get to know a lot of the book bloggers and for me to be so new, nearly 2 months old, I find that has strongly influenced my desire to make this blog work and work for me. Using this event and my love of reading, I have gained more wisdom than I thought was possible for my own desires and passion that is reading and it has helped me foster a healthy life decision.

In a parting thought, I still wanted to share the biggest tip that I can for bloggers...

Blog for yourself.

The moment that you feel you're obligated, it is no longer a hobby and no longer fun and you will find yourself miserable. When situations come up, accept that it is OKAY not to make a post, your readers are people and they know you're a person too. If you're not happy with something, fix it; I'm the queen of this but if you're not happy doing it, your readers will know and it will effect everything about your blog. Be strong. Be proud. BE YOURSELF.

Happy reading Armchair goers. The best of worlds are always found Within Pages....

Armchair BEA: Sharing Blog Love

When you participate in a community as big and involved as blogging, you can't help but networking; networking is an integral part of life that helps propel us from point A to point B in a relatively painless way. Take for example, networking for a job! Job searching is drudging and horrible and sometimes starting out a blog can feel like the same level of defeat when you feel you're all alone.

When I started book blogging, there were several inspiration blogs that I found extremely amazing and they were part of my fostering movitvation to start my own. Some of them have even helped me in ways I could never begin to pay back (pay it forward!). When I have had a question, I've turned to tweet these lovely ladies, and have always gotten a helpful response and they always seem so excited to be doing what their doing.

I would also like to take this time to mention another blog that I have been following for quite some time and she is also a participant of Armchair BEA and that is Gripped Into Books. She has a lovely website and some great book selections. I would also like to congratulate her on her 700+ followers! She is still currently hosting her 500 Follower Giveaway with the chance to win 1 of 4 amazing prize packs. Check out the contest details and take a look at around at all the other goodies over there!

Armchair BEA: Best of 2011

Today's topic for discussion for Armchair BEA goer's is the best picks of 2011. There are a bajillion new selections that come out every year, it is so many I have to make up a new amount for it. Here are some of my picks, I've broken it into a couple different categories!

New Releases

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

This book is fantastic. It is an extension to one of my favorite YA series The Mortal Instruments. Clare does a great job at creating a world in a brilliant Urban Fantasy setting full with the mix of a GREAT story and a HOT love. This extends into the series The Infernal Devices you'll here more about in a minute!

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wow, Rhine is such a deep character and the world is so fully created and I am not left with a sense of confusion in the creation of her dystopian environment. I can feel the tension amongst all the characters while I read this book, as I am doing now.

I feel like Divergent by Veronica Roth is going to be on this list but I haven't had the chance to read it yet, it is next in the TBR!

Upcoming Releases

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

This release has been delayed from September to December of this year and the cover is to be revealed tomorrow morning at BEA and Mundie Moms will be sporting the cover reveal tomorrow with an Armchair BEA event! This book is the second in The Infernal Devices series, second to The Clockwork Angel which I absolutely adored. It has its own flair and uniqueness to it that I didn't expect with it being the prequel series to The Mortal Instruments.

Sacrifice by Melinda Metz & Laura Burns

This book is the sequel to Crave which received a five-star review from me. Crave ended in a very harsh cliffhanger so I cannot wait to get my hands on this YA vampire sequel.

Finally Read in 2011

Have I mentioned just how much I love Cassandra Clare? The Clockwork Angel was released in August 2010 and Crave was released in September 2010. I had heard great things about CA and I knew I would enjoy it having read The Mortal Instruments but I recently went into reading Crave completely blind, just grabbing it off the library shelf and I fell in love. The story was amazing. Strongly recommend either of these!

What are the books in your top for this year?

Armchairing the Book Expo America

Who am I...How do I Armchair?

I am a veteran blogger and have been topic specific for over a year and a half now, the problem with saying that is that my venture into book blogging has been short so far (for now) as it has only been a month and a half but I am really enjoying my venture into the world.

I am a twenty-something college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Communications. I am attending some graduate school counseling to pursue the application to the University of Kentucky's School of Library and Information Science Masters Program. I went through a big problem facing the "What am I going to do with my life?" question. When I finally gave up my addiction to a video game, I reconnected with my love of reading and the light seemed to be turned on. In high school, I wanted to work at my public library back home, but they only staffed two librarians and it was too far away to drive to simply volunteer. In college, I was placed in the library for work study but my job was given away in some technical problems. And now, after realizing what I don't want to do, I know what it is I want to do and I want to be a librarian, preferably at the public library for public and wide-reaching events.

So here I am, throwing myself into my love of reading hardcore getting support from everyone I know and it is so exciting. There are some days that I don't find time to read because of different situations and I can only read one book at a time, so I meander through the literary worlds slower than some but then some days, when I get the time to myself, I can read a book a day. As I would love to go to a convention someday, Book Expo America seems like a great goal but for now, I am very excited to be lounging on my very old couch in my Maryland Terps blanket as an official Armchair participant. This June I am going to the Harrodsburg Book Festival since I live in Central Kentucky and I am looking forward to it!

5 Random Facts About Me

• I've worn glasses since I was a freshman in high school
• I have been dating my boyfriend for over 5 years
• I graduated from Transylvania University in 2009
• I currently work in the Child Care industry
• I'm in a weight loss journey and am currently at -27 lbs.

Thank you so much for stopping by, I can't wait to meet all of you and be sure to check back the rest of the week for great goodies and Armchair fun! There will be a giveaway hosting tomorrow! I hope to see you around! I love introductions so be sure to say hi in the comments or join me on twitter!