FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5: Very informal pizza or other dinner for whomever is in town hanging around. Meet around 6:30-ish.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6: Conference.

7:45-8:00: Check in. Pay your registration fees if you haven’t already, get your name tags and your Who’s Who cheat sheet. (We’ll have coffee and continental breakfast.)

8:00-8:10: Intro to the conference.

8:10-9:00: Kidlit Blogging, Part 1 (led by Tasha Saeker and others): How to get started, how to get ARCs, how to do reviews, how to do author interviews, what blog formats seem to work best, etc. There’s a lot of experience in this group, and I’m hoping many of you will have tips to offer.

9:10-9:45: Podcasting 101 (led by Mark Blevis and Andrea Ross): The how-to’s (and why-to’s) of creating and posting podcasts on your site. I just did a podcast interview on Friday–it’s the wave of the future, baby!

10:00-11:00 (room #1): Cybils Forum.

10:00-11:00 (room #2) Blogging for Authors (led by Robin Brande, Gregory K, Barry Lyga): websites, blogs, MySpace, why to, how to, the different philosophies thereof (sales & promotion, connection with readers, daily writing exercise, can’t stop talking, etc.).

11:10-12:00: Promotion Ideas for the Kidlitosphere (led by Jen Robinson): Brainstorming ideas for increased promotion of the
kidlitosphere as a whole, as a resource for readers/parents/ authors.

12:00-1:00: Lunch on your own (not alone on your own–you can find friends).

1:10-2:00: Kidlit Blogging, Part 2–the business side (led by Pam Coughlan): Brainstorming tips to improve your blog, attract more
traffic and links, keep your blog (and yourself) fresh, and generally kick it up a notch.

2:10-3:00: Kidlit Blogging, Part 3–the creative side (led by Anne Levy): How to establish your “voice,” how to maintain your writing quality, what makes for a good review, how to hone your reviewing skills.

3:10-4:00: The Ethics of Reviewing (led by Liz Burns): What do we do about personal relationships/potential conflicts of interest, “bad” reviews, copyright, and other ethical issues?

4:00-5:00: Meet the Authors (hosted by Esme Raji Codell of PlanetEsme). A chance to have a little one-on-one with some of the authors–a time to chat, interview, question, inspect.

5:00-6:00: Go away. Relax in your room. Brush your teeth, spiffy up.

6:00-7:00: Cocktails/mingle.

7:00-9:00: Dinner! Prize giveaways! Fun!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9: Brunch off-site (directions to be provided Saturday night), hosted by Esme, for anyone not leaving at the butt-crack of dawn. 8:30-11:30 AM–come for all or part.

For more info and RSVPs…

Tags: blogging, children's literature, conference, kidlit, kidlitosphere, writing