Blogging with the Bird - #AtoZChallenge Host @ArleeBird #CBWLA

As promised, today I want to give you a heads up for a very special opportunity to meet the man behind the A to Z Challenge, Mr. Arlee Bird! 

Lee has been blogging for several years, and he's racked up quite a following on social media. He has nearly 3,000 followers on Twitter, which he started using just last year. He also has nearly 1,500 followers on his Tossing it Out blog, along with another 200+ Networked Blog readers. He has brought people together from all around the globe, and cheered new bloggers on as they learn the basics of social networking, particularly in the blogging world.

Last year, I interviewed Lee for an article on Technorati and asked him how he was able to execute a month-long blogging challenge and garner enough interest that a couple thousand strangers would sign up. Click here to link to the interview.

I have very special news for bloggers in the Los Angeles metro area. Lee agreed to be the guest speaker at the Children's Book Writers of Los Angeles (CBW-LA) March meeting, just before the A to Z Challenge kicks off! On March 30 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m., he will speak to a group of writers and bloggers at the El Segundo Library about the merits of blogging and social networking as it pertains to the author's platform. 

CBW-LA is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and inspiring writers on the road to publication. It is the brainchild of another local mastermind, the fabulous Nutschell Windsor of The Writing Nut, and she dedicates countless hours and passion to sharing her knowledge of the publishing industry with writers, aspiring and published alike. 

The beauty of it all? Anyone in the L.A. area can RSVP and meet both Nutschell and Arlee at one time! There are space limitations, so advance payment and reservations are requested here. Hope to see you there!

Full event description from CBW-LA website:

The Author's Platform: Blogging with the Bird

Arlee Bird, creator and host of the A to Z Challenge, will speak to CBW-LA about the benefits of blogging and the blogging community. The A to Z Challenge is the brainchild of the influential blogger. When he began blogging four years ago, Lee was looking for a way to tie the community together, build sustaining relationships between writers and bloggers and populate his blog with useful posts. He decided to dedicate an entire month to challenge himself to blog through the alphabet, and invited others to join him. A to Z was born, and with the help of several co-hosts, Lee will kick off the fourth annual A to Z Challenge this April. Nearly 2,000 people signed up for the challenge last year, and for those who use it wisely, readership and fans soar.

Why is blogging important? Shouldn't an aspiring author focus on writing and revising their manuscript rather than focus on blogging and other social media?

The answer is yes and no. If an aspiring author spends all their time on a blog, Facebook and Twitter, a manuscript will not write itself.

However, in today's world where a writer is expected to engage in marketing and sales in addition to stellar writing, the author who finds the right balance between blogging, social media and writing will vastly improve their chances of getting an agent or a book deal. Ultimately, agents and publishers want something that will sell, and blogging enthusiasts and followers will buy a quality blogger's book.

The other upside is - the more you write, the better you become. It doesn't matter what you write about - the simple act of putting words on paper or on a computer screen will improve your ability to communicate and tell a compelling story.

Lee will talk about his blogging journey, and the networking opportunities afforded him through the A to Z Challenge. He will also talk about how to get started blogging, how to create a sense of online community, and how to use Facebook and Twitter to maximize the writer's platform.

There will be time for questions and answers, but any attendee may submit a question prior to the event by sending it to any CBW-LA board member or alana@cbw-la.org. Lee would be happy to incorporate advance questions in his talk.