When the original nominations for the Book Blogger Appreciation Week awards were announced in August, it was such an exciting time. To receive even one nomination meant that someone out there thought that your blog was the best in one of the many categories. I felt proud and happy – not just of my own blog, but of the entire community. There are some great blogs out there dedicated to reading and the love of books. Who knew that there were so many?
The most fun I had that entire few days was picking out the posts to highlight – both my own and others. More often than not, I was helping others nominated from within the same categories. We all wanted to help each other put our best foot forward. The category that I had the most difficulty was Best Literary Fiction Blog. I cannot tell you how thankful I was to have my call for help answered by Ti, Valerie, Ruth, Jen, Kailana, and Rebecca. When I sent my emails back to the committee for the panel reviews, I felt confident that I had made the best possible choices and I hoped that my blogging friends on Twitter and Facebook felt the same way.
After sending in my emails, I went back to the BBAW site to see when we’d find out who made the shortlists. September 7th? Really? I wondered how in the world I would be able to wait that long. I quickly found out. I had volunteered to serve on an award panel. A few days after the links were due, I received my first spreadsheet from Amy. It contained somewhere along the lines of 50 blogs. At 5 posts each, that was 250 posts I had to read by midnight September 4th. I (rather foolishly I see in hindsight – LOL!) told Amy I would be happy to help out on other panels if needed. I was needed and soon received another spreadsheet. It contained around 90 blogs! 90! I had my work cut out for me and that, my friends, is how I survived until Monday. I was so busy reviewing blogs for panels (both of which I was not and would never be nominated for) that I almost forgot about the big day.
Monday was a holiday for me, except that my youngest daughter was up and ready to go at 6am. Ugh! I gave her some cereal and dozed on the couch downstairs while she watched cartoons. It wasn’t until Danny woke up and joined us that I woke up fully and remembered what day it was. I ran upstairs and checked the #BBAW hashtag on Twitter (an invaluable tool if you ask me). I immediately found the link to the shortlisted blogs and clicked on it. I at first scrolled through the list quickly and then took my time, but it was true. My blog wasn’t there and I was sad. I had hoped for at least one nomination and was disappointed. I let myself feel blue for a while as I congratulated those who did make the shortlist. They are excellent blogs and are very deserving of the honor and (darn cute) buttons that go along with their nominations. This year it just won’t be me, that’s all.
Since the shortlists were announced, there have been some great posts about what BBAW is all about, addressing some of the conflicts that have arisen. Many of these posts were written by those whose blogs were shortlisted. Each time I read a post like that I hold my breath for comments something to the effect of: “It’s easy for X to say because he/she got shortlisted.” There is a small part of me that feels the same way, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t true. Shortlisted nominees aren’t the only ones who are saying it – I am, too. In other words, The Literate Housewife Review was not shortlisted, but I whole-heartedly support BBAW. I always have and I always will.
Back to Monday morning. After a while, my husband came upstairs. I told him that I didn’t make the cut (which probably wasn’t a shock as I hadn’t run right back down the stairs screaming about it) and got a nice hug. I started to feel better. Then, it dawned on me – I can relax. I won’t have to deal with cramped fingers from keeping them crossed until the winners are announced. While nominees will have to worry about strategically placed pieces of tape and returning their baubles to the jewelers, I get to stay in my comfy clothes on my comfy couch with my cute little netbook, stock up the house with some yummy snacks, and plan out my posts for next week – all with a content heart. I can purely enjoy the week as it unfolds. I can simply celebrate being an avid reader and book blogger among so many diverse and interesting people who love books as much as I do – if not more. I will meet “new to me” bloggers and will watch my Google Reader grow in awe. I will be thankful for all those involved whose combined efforts and enthusiasm will make September 14-19 not just any other week. There will be special posts, fun contests (such as a complete set of the Twilight series or Books 1 and 2 of the Hunger Games series – both purely hypothetical examples…), laughter, and a whole lot of book-induced joy.
Public Mural by David Fichter
So, go forth and vote for the BBAW awards. You cannot go wrong with your vote. Then, come back for what the BBAW is all about – celebrating the books (past, present and future) that bring us all together.
Jennifer, I want you to know SINCERELY that I feel you are one of the best in the business, a standard for excellence. Professional and very cool looking site, excellently written reviews, the brains behind awesome events like The Dog Days of Summer and 4R Challenge Forum. You even had an Aha moment! So I want to nominate you for Sandy’s short list!
If this tells you how pathetic I am, I woke up at 3 in the morning before Labor Day, stewing about the whole thing. Then kept checking the website every freaking 5 minutes.
Those panel responsibilities were something else. A great experience, I have to say, and very humbling. I felt like such a schlub after I saw all those wonderful blogs! I only had thirty some blogs to judge, and struggled with that. I was judging them in the middle of the night while I was visiting up in Chicago! My husband thought I’d lost my marbles.
Anyway, I’ve rambled enough. I hope you still don’t feel sad. You have some pretty avid fans out here!
I know how you feel!! I felt a bit dejected myself when I didn’t see my blog on there. Then two seconds later, I heaved a sigh of relief.
I feel like a loser (big L on my forehead) but I’m okay and since I didn’t nominate myself, that means that someone did and that means that someone thought I was deserving and that’s all that matters. Even if it was just one person…that’s all that matters to me.
You said everything I have thought and would have said if I hadn’t been in the big middle of my Cozy Mystery Week right now.
I too was nominated for several different categories, and was thrilled to have been thought of in the first place – see I’ve only been blogging in full force since March of this year! And I too was sad to find out I hadn’t made the short list.
But I love your advice to celebrate the BBAW week for what it is intended – to celebrate book review blogs!
I salute you, fellow book lover! Excellent blog!
I served on a panel too and it makes you think: suppose they had asked you to do all that work at WORK? We’d all be griping to high heaven! And yet all these volunteers not only worked forever (it seemed!) but enjoyed the experience. Yet being on a panel was scary too. My husband and I can read the same exact book and one of us likes it and one of us hates it. I’m sure with panel members it works out like that too. It was so much responsibility! But it’s almost the luck of the panel draw too for nominees!
On the positive side, I for one was just awestruck at all the great writing out there and all the gazillion blogs I never heard of and all the people putting all that work into all those blogs!
I think your blog is wonderful, and I’m sure there are many of your faithful readers out there like me who would elevate you to Tudor Queen if we could!!! I hope you remember all of your readers – we’re don’t keep coming back for no reason!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are on my shortlist! I love your blog and think you’re fantastic! I’m hoping to get up your way sometime this fall.
I absolutely love your blog. I understand your disappointment, and I was surprised that you weren’t shortlisted. I think your perspective about the entire process and BBAW epitomizes how wonderful book bloggers are! You are a special person with a special blog! And thanks for all your hard work on the panels.
Thanks for this wonderful post. I, too, love your blog, and would have voted for you on a shortlist!
This is my second year participating in BBAW and never in a million years did I expect to be shortlisted. There are so many fantastic blogs out there. I really was just tickled to be nominated at all, nevermind shortlisted.
However, I was surprised that some of my favorite blogs, including yours were not shortlisted. But I am glad that I will have the chance to highlight your blog, along with some others next week in my first post of the week.
I think the contests, scavenger hunts, etc. are the best parts of BBAW..not to mention that exponential growth in the google reader.
Thanks for sharing this post with us.
You’re one amazing bookblogger and please keep your great posts coming!
Thanks so much for your comments, everyone! Being on my readers’ shortlists is the best possible place to be!
Sandy, you make me laugh! Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m so thrilled that you come and visit my blog.
Ti, we’re in great company, don’t you think? It was nice to be nominated and I thank my readers for it. Better luck to us next year. If not, just knowing that our readers enjoy our reviews and posts makes it all worth it.
Jill, oh, if I could have been Queen Jennifer Tudor things would have turned out so much differently. LOL!!!
Kathy, you know you make my day all the time. Here’s to seeing you soon. You can’t stay away from VT for too long.
Julie, thank you so much! I love your blog, too. I think it’s important that we do our best and enjoy BBAW.
Elizabeth, thank you so much!!!!
Serena, those who were shortlisted are in great company, but so are the rest of us. Not everyone can make the shortlist – it would become a very long list. LOL!!
Melody, thank you so much!!!!
Now let’s all enjoy next week.
Jennifer,
I hope you know how much I love you. I wasn’t lying today when I said that the majority of the blogs in my favorites folder didn’t shortlist. And I felt bad for people like you who worked so hard on the judging! But at the same time, it’s cool to see so many news blogs. And there’s always next year.
And you’ve captured the heart of BBAW in this post and I hope many others feel the same way.
I’m with you, I wasn’t shortlisted, and I’m okay with it. Sure, I would have liked to be, but I’m totally confident in the jobs that the judges did that better blogs won. Like Amy, many of my favorites didn’t shortlist and I’m almost more disappointed not to see them than not to be shortlisted myself, but I’m super excited for BBAW!
You’ll always be tops in my book! And this post is just one of the many reasons why!
Very well said! And you know we think you’re a winner, regardless
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I served on three BBAW panels, and once I got into scoring people’s blog posts, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t make the shortlist for any of the three awards I was nominated for. I was right, and even though I wasn’t surprised, I was still a bit sad at first.
But BBAW is going to be all kinds of fun anyway!
Jennifer, I really enjoyed looking over (and in some cases, re-reading) the blog posts you were considering for submission. You are definitely a quality blogger, and I am glad that in spite of the results, you are still looking forward to next week.
Being new to this, I’m looking forward to checking out and participating in BBAW next week.
I totally agree with everything you said. I was disappointed that I wasn’t shortlisted, but I can definitely relax and enjoy the week now. I was on two panels, and while I think they were a bit smaller, maybe 50 blogs each, it was still a lot of work. Mostly I was surprised by the shortlists because so many of my favorite blogs, yours among them, weren’t on there. I didn’t think I would be, but your blog is fantastic and I just find it hard to believe!
Anyway, I am still very excited for BBAW and glad that I can enjoy all the bookish festivities without worrying whether or not I will win anything.
i was a bit surprised not to see your blog on the shortlists myself. i’m a big fan and it’s one of my daily visits, even if i don’t always comment.
i’m with you and think that BBAW is a great community builder–i’ve been reading so many new blogs that it’s a wonder i have time to do anything else. book bloggers are a talented group and i’m honored to be among the ranks.
don’t despair about the short list–there’s always next year!
ps. thank you so much for being a part of the panel–i can’t even imagine the time you and the others invested! be confident that your efforts are a success.
Amy, I love you, too! I will always remember our phone call during the first BBAW. You were the first blogger who became real to me. You’re absolutely right that there is always next year. The nominations are nice to have, but these comments and the comments and emails I get all year long are so much more valuable.
Jen, we are in great company and I know that most people feel like we do. The BBAW is going to be so much fun this year! I did my best as a panel judge and I know that is true of everyone else.
Softdrink, thank you and you know I’m so happy about your nomination. It’s great that my fingers are free to be crossed for you!
Florinda, thank you so much – and right back at you! Being on a panel was such a big responsibility. Like I’ve been saying, those of us who didn’t make the shortlists are in mighty good company.
Valerie, thank you so much for your help and support. I really am excited about next week. Your blog is one of those I discovered this year.
Meghan, I feel the same way about your blog. I have no idea how you did not make the Historical Fiction blog list. Seriously. But still, we’re in great company and Monday is going to be a very special day.
Nat, same here. Your blog caught my eye at first because of your name – catchy, literally. LOL! I don’t leave as many comments as I would like, either. I need to figure out a way to balance my reading, posting, and blog reading. It’s tough. Good luck next week!!! I’m so excited for you!
I have to say, I really appreciated YOUR help! You recommended a post that I never would have thought of submitting, but I did and was shortlisted in the category!
Thanks for this post. I was thrilled to be nominated for a few awards, but didn’t really expect to make the shortlist. Given that, I was surprised at how disappointed I was not to make it.
But now I move on and celebrate all the other wonderful blogs out there– including yours!
Jennifer:
I may not comment too much, but I am a faithful reader. Your posts are interesting, informative and I really get a sense of ‘you’ when I read them. Please know that being on a list or not, I think your blog is wonderful!