Top 4 Reasons to be an Armchair BEA Cheerleader

What is Armchair BEA?
Armchair BEA is one of my favorite book blogging events. For those of you, who have not heard of Armchair BEA, here is their mission:
Armchair BEA is the experience for book bloggers to participate in Book Expo America (BEA) from the comfort of their homes. This experience is created lovingly by book bloggers specifically for our peers who for whatever reason are not able to participate in the main conference in New York each year. We bring publishers, authors, and bloggers together in celebrating our love for all things literary by hosting celebrations such as sneak peeks, daily discussion topics, and sponsored giveaways.
Why and How Can You Participate in Armchair BEA?
I love to read and discuss great books with other book lovers. Blogging about books has elevated my reading to a higher level. Blogging about books has given me the opportunity to work with publishers and authors to read and review books I might not have heard of otherwise. I am fortunate to be able to bring those books to my readers and really enjoy that aspect of having a bookish blog.
It’s on my bookish bucket list to get to the Book Expo America (BEA) main event in NYC some day. But until the stars align, I am so excited to find that Armchair BEA affords me the benefits and opportunities of the BEA from the comfort of my own home. With over 500 registered Armchair BEA participants last year, it is THE place to be for people who like to blog or read about books. Have I convinced you to check it out yet? Well head over and sign up to participate here, it’s free and is a great time! I’ll wait for you to register…
Ok, now that you have signed up…what’s next? Sign up to be a Cheerleader!
Top 3 Reasons to be an Armchair BEA Cheerleader
Armchair BEA Cheerleaders are assigned a group of participants to visit for whom they leave comments. A note to show that their post was read and to encourage them in their blogging and Armchair BEA endeavors.
1. Support your blogging community. We blog because we enjoy discussing books but we know blogging takes more time and hard work than it may seem. A thoughtful comment is like a virtual pat on the back, an acknowledgement that we aren’t alone in the blogosphere and that our opinions are heard. We love receiving comments so why not support your fellow blogger and take the time to leave comments? You never know who you might save from giving up on blogging or the bloggy friendships that will develop!
2. Boost your blog traffic. Engaging comments encourage participants to return the favor and visit the commenter’s blog. Some of my highest pageviews were from being an Armchair BEA cheerleader and other cheerleading/commentathon events throughout the year. With so much new traffic coming into your blog, take advantage of it and turn those new visitors into faithful readers.
3. Discover new blogs and books. Find new blogs with new book recommendations. Something out of your usual comfort zone, to broaden your reading horizons and make you more “well-read.” Don’t have time for an IRL book club? Don’t worry, with all the book blogs you discover, talking about good books and finding bloggers with a common interest is just a click away.
4. Special giveaways for cheerleaders. In recognition of the time cheerleaders invest in visiting blogs, they are entered into a separate giveaway just for their elite group. A smaller group means a better chance to win and there are some fantastic prizes as sponsors continue to sign up.
Sign up today to be an Armchair BEA Cheerleader, you’ll be glad you did!
If you’re not sure what to say in your comments, fear not. Check out my tips on leaving engaging comments and other useful articles like how to avoid “comment vomit”. It’s really not that hard to leave a simple comment that makes a fellow blogger smile!
What has blogging and the blogging community given to you? Do you enjoy getting comments? What kind of comments do you like? What kind of comments do you not like? Support a fellow blogger and leave comments!
I love reading and reading and reading….but never considered bloggin about it. Do you just review the books? Talk bout it with others? Sounds fun!!
I review books, participate in reading challenges, and events like Armchair BEA that is a good chance to discuss books with other book lovers. The book blogging community is huge and so supportive, there are many discussion linkies like Top Ten Tuesday, Sunday Post, It’s Monday, What are You Reading? and I link up with many of them. See my Blog hops and linky parties page, many are book related! You can see my book reviews page or search my categories for books and events and most of my bookish stuff is covered there! Stop by and discuss the books you’ve read with me, I love discussing good books!
Thanks for such a great explanation. I will stop by and see if we’ve read the same books 😉
I participated in Armchair BEA last year as a cheerleader. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun. It drove up a lot of blog traffic and I was able to meet a lot of interesting people and I added a bunch of new blogs to follow.
I hope you will join us as a cheerleader again this year, I think it’s a lot of fun too. Please share and tag me on them so I can reshare your post, we need lots of cheerleaders to support all these great Armchair BEA participants!
Hallo, Hallo! 🙂
This #bookcheerleader is quite enthused & excited to be participating in her first-ever #ArmChairBEA! Oh, my dear stars!! I am so pumped up already its not even funny! Honestly, I love bookish blogosphere events and this one rocks because it is focused on book bloggers to unite with fellow book bloggers on a similar vein as Bout of Books which I already adore & love! 🙂
I get so excited when I find comments awaiting my eyes on my blog, as they are such a kind barometer if my words are translating what my observations are as I blog about books & bookish culture! 🙂 I started out in the book blogosphere as a commenter w/o a blog & I continue to leave comments like I always had back in 2013 — I love to stay engaged & focus on the blogger & their content at hand! Love conversations!!
Always appreciate the beautiful serendipity of meeting fellow bookish souls! Rock on!
I love that you are a book blogger…I wish I could be! I just can’t seem to get through books quickly enough though. I used to read all the time but my kids have made that more difficult;)
I know what you mean Rachel. I find ways to sneak books/reading time into my day (a future blog post should I ever get to writing it)! It’s my way to reset and unwind so I need it. I can’t sleep if I don’t read.
That sounds like a fun project. last year was my first armchair BEA and I loved it. I’d love to get more involved this year and help spread the love. Genuine comments on my blog always remind me of just why I blog and I’m a big believer in you have to give to received 🙂
It is a lot of fun Trish! I love being a cheerleader and participating in commentathons. It’s a fantastic way to meet new bloggers and strike up interesting conversations. Let me know if you sign up to be an Armchair BEA Cheerleader, we would love to have you join us!