I’m excited to be moderating a panel at this year’s Book Expo America (BEA) Blogger’s conference which takes place right before the BEA proper. This day-long conference used to be called the book-blogger convention but this year has been folded into the BEA–where it will continue to live on into the future.

The afternoon panel is focused on Demystifying the Book Blogger & Publisher Relationship, and I expect it will feature great perspectives from both sides of the evolving relationship. To some extent, I sit on both sides of the fence–I’ve been writing this blog for a few months and I’ve been in publishing for at least a few years… So I have some idea of the challenges involved across the board as well as serious respect for bloggers who frequently post well-written pieces (whatever the subject)–and then do a great job of promoting their blog through social media, events, and networks.

From a wider perspective, it’s great to see bloggers become part of the publishing ecosystem. Many book bloggers are dedicated readers, insightful critics, and incisive writers–and passionate about books and authors. Those that can reach and influence their readers are important in getting the word out to their communities, and publishers should treat them like professionals (as many do–creating dedicated programs to engage with book bloggers through book tours, guest blogs, author access, and review copies).

Recently, I’ve seen publishers hosting blogs on their own websites with invited guest bloggers, community experts, and influencers. It’s a nice way to recognize important external stakeholders, drive traffic to both publisher and blogger, and provide great content to a community.

There are many other great ways to create mutual benefits for both publisher and blogger while helping more people know about the books and authors we treasure. I hope our panel will help make the relationship between bloggers and publishers easier and even more productive.

See you at NYC’s Javits Center in June…