All b/vlogging workshops will be held in Narnia (aka Uxbridge Library, 5th Floor Study Area, Bay 3). There are loos and lifts. Capacity will be about 30 people per workshop, first-come-first-served. We’re announcing the programme very early, so it’s possible we may have to make some changes, but that isn’t the plan. Check in here for up-to-date info.
10.50-11.45 Blogging/Vlogging: the technical low-down with Stevie Finegan (SableCaught) and Virginie (Chouettblog)
A wide range of top blogging and vlogging tips to increase your technical know-how – and plenty of time for all your questions!
Stevie is an indigenous, somewhat hairy life form that favours a warm, dry habitat with plenty of shelves and a good, sturdy reading lamp. She has been creating YouTube videos about books for over five years now and retains a perfectly peeved look of disdain for when people demand that she puts the camera down and does her actual job… which is still talking about books but involves pulling marginally less silly faces. She studied at a highly be-spired university where she wrote her dissertation on the definition of Young Adult literature and confused a whole flock of dons with it to no end. When she emerges from the depths of her duvet she enjoys wrestling with the strands of her first novel and feeds mainly on a diet of Jasper Fforde, Tamora Pierce and Brandon Sanderson. She lives in perpetual fear that one day the To-Be-Read pile will bury her in an avalanche of crushing cliches. She is still waiting for her letter from Hogwarts.
Virginie aka LaChouett has been running her blog for a year. Originally, she did not think she could do this for even six months, let alone an entire year. But she says it’s been a great journey so far and hopes to carry on. Her personal reading journey started at the beginning of 2014, when she set herself a personal reading goal of 12 books and ended up reading a total of 60 books that year. Not only did she realise she absolutely loooooooooves reading but she also enjoyed talking about the books she read, hence “Chouett” – the blog. Virginie is one of those “curious” reader and will not stick to just one genre. She enjoys reading well-established authors, however she also really enjoyed receiving pieces from unknown writers and providing an honest review in return. There is so much talent out there… just waiting to be read. From time to time you might see her posting some photos: another facet of her creative side I am exploring. She might even take a chance at writing… Who knows?
12.00-12.55 B/Vlogging a cause: books, publishing and feminism with Mariam Khan (helloiammariam), chaired by Tanya Byrne
How do you use social media to campaign and promote awareness of social issues and problems? What are the benefits and the pitfalls? How do you get started? A wide-ranging discussion with plentiful opportunities to ask questions.
Mariam describes herself as a ‘marginally intelligent, selectively confident, enthusiastic woman’ who isn’t defined by what’s on her head: in her case, a hijab. Instead, she defines herself by her experiences and ambitions. Permanently on the run from adult life. Mariam runs her blog and hosts a Twitter chat called #FeminismInYA every week. She hopes to challenge the portrayal of feminism and diversity in fiction and in reality.
13.10-14.05 Engaging effectively with authors and publishers with Lisa Golding (City of YA Books) and Michelle Toy (Tales of Yesterday)
How do you write to a publisher? When you can approach an author directly? What do you say? What don’t you say? What will get you a positive response and what will see you blacklisted? Get the low-down and ask your questions here!
Lisa is a 21-year-old book hoarder with rainbow coloured hair and a pug. She can often be found buried under a pile of books or creating youtube content on her channel. She is slowly plotting the domination of the world and hopes to one day rule because then she can officially behead those who give out spoilers! When she isn’t plotting her planetary takeover, Lisa can be found travelling the UK, working with UKYA authors and assisting with/enjoying UKYA events! Very rarely you will find her actually studying for her degree, because, let’s face it, books are so much better.
Chelley has been reading ever since she was a little girl and blogging since 2014. Her blog features all sorts of bookish delights, including reviews, giveaways, author interviews and guest posts. Chelley describes herself as a little clumsy and is always giggling at something or another. She lives with her husband (who is now used to the house being full of books), her 11-year-old son (who loves reading as much as she does), 3 cats, 2 rabbits and hundreds of different worlds to jump into in the shape of books. You can normally find Chelley reading or on twitter. She won the Champion Newcomer category of the UKYABA 2015.
14.20-15.15 The blogging system: all the things they don’t tell you with Vivienne Dacosta (Serendipity Reviews) and Laura Heath (SisterSpooky)
Laura and Viv will be discussing how blogging works on a day-to-day basis with publishers and authors, and how it has changed since they began as book bloggers. They’ll be happy to be honest and open about both the good and bad (naming no names) and how you can avoid the same pitfalls. They’ll be taking any questions, so don’t hold back. Our workshop will be an exclusive viewpoint from two UKYABA 2015 winners on how the blogging system works on the surface and what goes on behind the scenes. Be afraid, be very afraid!
Vivienne is the owner & editor of Serendipity Reviews, which she has successfully run since 2009. It was voted one of The Guardian’s Top Ten YA book blogs of 2015, as well as Champion of Content in 2015 at the UKYA Book Blogger Awards. She is also Events Editor for Words and Pictures, SCBWI’s online magazine.
Laura has been blogging for nearly fifteen years now. Sisterspooky, in its current form, has been going for over six years, growing from a small review blog into an award-winning platform for blog tours, reviews and personal blog posts. She’s seen blogging change hugely over the last six years and dealt with the evolving publishing industry as it learns how to co-exist with bloggers. She hopes to become a published author. Laura is the 2015 Winner of the UKYABA Champion Adult Blogger Award.
15.30-16.25 Managing your reading and choosing what to review with Cora (TeaPartyPrincess) and Luna (Luna’s Little Library)
Towering TBR pile? Don’t know where to start? Not sure if you should write negative reviews or focus only on books you liked? Discuss all this and more with an eye to figuring out your blog-brand and what will work long-term for you.
Cora is a twenty-something tea-addicted bookworm with a special love for UKYA and thinks that there’s nothing better than to lose yourself in a different world and experience the thoughts and feelings of someone else by reading. Living in the wild wastes of Northumberland, she loves all things local and spends a lot of time in her walking boots, exploring castles and grand gardens.
Luna is a UK book blogger and spends her time very productively by reading and not dusting… although she does continuously rearrange that small(ish) library in her home, which has now grown into its own room. Luna’s Little Library is a book blog that reads across a multitude genres/ ages and focuses on promoting diversity in books. Apart from reading, Luna also makes jewellery inspired by books, draws and finds unicorn paraphernalia. She lives next to the sea and has no idea what her natural hair colour is.
16.40-17.35 Blogging across different platforms with Michelle (Fluttering Butterflies/Bookish Brits)
Don’t know which platform or combination is for you? Need to figure out what sort of content suits which platform? Not sure how to link everything up or how to balance your time between things? Want to set up a group blog or channel? Get the low-down along with Michelle’s advice on working out what’ll work for you.
Michelle is a YA book blogger, booktuber and founder of the booktuber collab-channel Bookish Brits, as well as being a lifelong bookworm. She loves YA, poetry, celebrating diversity, talking about mental health and supporting UKYA and libraries. Michelle is an American/British mother of two, a part-time university student and a roller-coaster enthusiast. She’s been blogging for over 10 years and, during that time, Fluttering Butterflies has been named in CISION’s Top Ten Teen Literature blogs in the UK for three years; Fluttering Butterflies and Bookish Brits have also been shortlisted for the UKYABA.
NB: Beware Twitter’s tendency to autocorrect ‘Cloverness’ to ‘Cleverness’, which is entirely apt but not where you’ll find Michelle.
17.50-18.45 Going Global: taking your blog to the next level – Chris Moore (YAfictionados/YA Takeover)
Chris is the co-founder of the YAfictionados and launched the first-ever Twitter book festival in the UK to make books accessible for everyone. He is a twenty-six-year-old book blogger who consumes copious amounts of coffee to encourage and inspire his first novel. When he’s not juggling digital campaigns, writing and blogging, he’s usually trying to figure out what his actual job is. Chris is always trying to get to the root of cultural matters like scone (sk-o-ne) or scone (sk-on) and whether a Jaffa cake is indeed, a cake. Chris’ spirit animal is an ocelot.
Unfortunately Lucy Powrie and Hayley Steed won’t be able to join us this year as planned.
YA Shot 