Tuesday, June 5, 2012

10 Great Google Hangouts for Book Nerds

Google+ still has yet to firmly seize the social media sector, but the digital overlords have obviously started experimenting in ways to keep its offerings as fresh and unique as possible to set themselves apart from Facebook and Twitter. The relatively new Hangouts feature serves as a group video chat where friends, family, professionals, classrooms, cam fetishists, and hobbyists across the globe can meet and discuss anything they desire. Even the early adopters still fiddle with the feature in order to use it to its fullest potential, but many past, present, and future events already started building up in the bibliophile community. They aren’t easy to find, and they’re sometimes rather sporadic, but the following Hangouts showcase how many Google+ users choose to harness the available technology. Watch the archives, join in regular meetings, and get inspired about ways to promote and share literary love.

  1. Books & Beer:

    ePublish Unum — Digital Author Education often hosts Books & Beer live hangouts with Lynette Young and J.G. Hutchins, where they talk about issues relating to self-publishing. Check with the organization’s profile for information about when the latest event will take place.

  2. Christopher Moore:

    Nook hosted a hangout promoting author Christopher Moore’s new novel Sacre Bleu, allowing some lucky fans to ask him questions via video chat and learn about his writing process and the ins and outs of the book. And, of course, his plans for any future reads joining such established comedic classics as Fool and Lamb.

  3. Vaginal Fantasies:

    Actress Felicia Day heads up a digital book club catering to women who enjoy discussing the fantasy genre in a fun, light, and sassy setting. It meets every month, so stop by her Google+ profile for information about the next scheduled hangout.

  4. Brandon Sanderson:

    This author has taken over the beloved Wheel of Time series following the passing of Robert Jordan, and Google Australia allowed fans and fellow writers to meet with him and talk shop. Eager comments and questions about where he plans to pick up abound in both the discussion itself and the comments section following it.

  5. All About Book Promotion with Aggie Villanueva:

    Perfect for authors wanting to learn more about getting readers interested in what they have to say, the pilot to this possibly ongoing hangout series covers promotional strategies both digital and traditional. Google+ video chats seems to be gaining some semblance of popularity among writers looking for a way to get up close with potential and established fans.

  6. Nicholas Sparks:

    An adaptation of novelist Nicholas Sparks’ The Lucky One recently hit movie theaters, and he agreed to a Hangout session to dish on watching another one of his books on screen. The story involves a young soldier in Iraq whose fateful find of a lovely young lady’s photo keeps him going through three tours of duty.

  7. The Oxford Book Club:

    Because this online literary organization does not post its recorded meetings online, hopeful participants should circle its profile to find out about the month’s selections and scheduled times. Past picks include novels The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and The Sense of an Ending.

  8. SciLingual:

    Lovers of all things scientific and literary — particularly their intersections! — should give this union of the two disciplines a circle. They post frequently about upcoming hangouts with the authors in question and cover a wide range of different scientific areas of study.

  9. Google Hangout with Jason and AC:

    Every week, these two writers get indie with it and discuss books and publishing subjects relevant to authors and readers alike — particularly those into small presses and self-printed-and-promoted reads. Guests pop in and offer their own insight and advice on marketing, going digital, and plenty more.

  10. Hangout Conversations:

    Host Michael Rappaport brings on “sit-down comedian” Glenn Rogers to chit-chat about two different writing formats, blogging and e-books, which new media buffs will obviously find worth delving into. Even those without any sort of literary leanings might enjoy the pop culture riffs and opines regarding video games.

Taken From Online College Courses

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