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In Which I Am Condescending and Want Free Things

Three months ago I had no idea what BookExpo America (or 'BEA') was, and now I'm overwhelmingly jealous of any and all who are going. I could explain what it is, but frankly I'm not entirely sure, and it's probably more informative just to google it. The main thing that interests me is, of course, that one gets free stuff, of which I am pro.

Of course, by this time next year my book blog will have millions of followers, all of them brilliant, and it will make more sense for me to attend such an event. And my reasons will perhaps be less mercenary (but probably not).

Speaking of followers, I am stuck in something of a conundrum. Can you be stuck in a conundrum? Probably not, but English is a flexible language, unlike blasted French. Anyway: followers. I've noticed in the course of browsing through various book blogs that some people seem to be what I'm going to call FollowerWhores. They welcome all, so long as the end result shores up their numbers. These blogs then can become a bit...how do I put it...stupid. Basically, I'd rather have 10 followers whose opinions I really respect than 100 who review books like Pitbulls in a Skirt 3 (actual book title -- although I do admit that The Face That Launched a Thousand Bullets by T. Styles is something I would totally read).

Which is why I don't understand things like giveaways that you have to be a follower to join. I mean, okay, if you're giving away something, you might as well get something out of it, but do you really want people following you whom you're basically paying to read your blog? I want people following me who feel compelled to follow me due to my sparkling and effervescent wit.

In conclusion, The X-Files pilot is awesome. I can't actually tell anymore if it's good or not, but I've seen it so many times that basically all the lines are iconic. "I'm here to solve this case, Mulder; I want the truth!" And Gillian Anderson with her giant suits with shoulderpads. Did you know she was 24 when they filmed it? That's just terrifying to me. Good job, madam.

Comments

  1. As the Crowe Flies and ReadsMay 13, 2011 at 3:35 PM

    I'm all about your sparkling and effervescent wit, actually. And I'm going to BEA. Is there a reason why you're not going if you want to?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Reading RamboMay 13, 2011 at 3:40 PM

    @As the Crowe Flies and Reads Hah! Thanks.

    I found out about it when people started mentioning it a lot, so maybe a month ago? And between plane fare/hotel/BEA ticket, it didn't seem like something one should do as a spur-of-the-moment thing. But I'm gonna do research and try to go next year. My research would be helped if you did a detailed blog post about your experience there. :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownMay 15, 2011 at 9:48 PM

    I feel the same way about these FollowerWhores, and I love that term! I honestly don't enter a whole lot of giveaways for that very reason - I follow people because I'm interested in their content, and I hope they're interested in mine too, but I don't really want random followers just for the numbers of it. I like the interaction with my fellow book bloggers.

    I'm likewise jealous of the people who are attending BEA - I learned about it last year because people were talking about it so much, and I would love to go sometime. Maybe next year!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Reading RamboMay 15, 2011 at 9:50 PM

    @Crystal - Princess of Pop Culture I say we totally pledge here and now to try to do that, dude. 'Next year!' shall be our heralding cry. And then we shall charge into BEA with our empty bags and take all the free stuff we can. And it will be awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  5. RedMay 18, 2011 at 11:42 AM

    First up, I love this post. I don't understand the FollowerWhores. Why do you want a bunch of people who don't bother reading your blog following you? The same for people who do "follow for a follow". I will follow your blog if it looks awesome.

    ReplyDelete

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