The Fun of Reader Connection: A Bit about The Bookish Hour by Sarah E. Burr

As authors, we’re forever thinking of new, fun ways to engage with our readers. Sometimes the ideas we come up with fizzle after one try, but once in a blue moon, something special sparks the imagination and takes flight. I’ve been fortunate this year to experience the latter with The Bookish Hour, an hour-long YouTube livestream author interview series.

What, you may be thinking. Sarah, that’s just a bunch of random words smashed together. And you’re right! I’ve had difficulty describing The Bookish Hour because what my co-host, J.C. Kenney, and I are doing is relatively new and unique. Twice a month, J.C. (author of the fantastic Allie Cobb Mysteries and the brand-new Darcy Gaughan Mysteries) and I invite an author to chat with us about their books and the writing process. This interview is streamed live to YouTube, where viewers can watch and ask questions during the broadcast in real-time. Yes! Our discussions happen before our audience’s eyes, and because of this live format, our viewers can participate in the interview with us. Some of our best conversations have come from questions our audience members have posted in the YouTube chat. I often wish we had more than an hour with our guests because the time flies once we get going. We’ve covered a lot of ground so far; everything from finding dead bodies in for-sale homes to classical artwork and mysterious societies. Both our author guests and viewers have been so generous with their time—the stream doesn’t feel like “work” because I have so much fun.

And we're live! From left to right: Special Guest Lida Sideris, J.C. Kenney, and me, Sarah Burr

There is some technical work involved, and it always gives me butterflies before we go live. However, our viewers are great sports about the whole thing, which makes me feel a thousand times better. Part of the show’s fun is that viewers get to watch The Bookish Hour through an unfiltered lens—tech flubs and all! We’ve had some doozies, let me tell you. In our first livestream segment—a “March Madness” party for our new releases—YouTube was not picking up my audio. Luckily, my affable co-host J.C. ad-libbed like a seasoned talk show professional and chatted with our audience as if nothing were amiss. While this happened, I sat wordlessly onscreen, frantically clicking around in my streaming software as if my life depended on it, trying to get us up and running. I can still hear the echoes of blood pounding in my ears as I tried to diagnose what had gone wrong. But, as a millennial, troubleshooting tech issues is in my DNA, and we got the stream working in no time. Luckily (and knock on wood), we haven’t had any significant snafus since our inaugural livestream. Yes, we have the occasional internet lag or audio stuttering, but we roll with it, and our viewers have been absolute champs about the experience. It’s all part of the beauty of being live! I wouldn’t trade it for anything; it’s been amazing chatting with authors and readers in real-time!

J.C. and I couldn’t be happier with how readers and writers have received our little show. There’s something for everyone during a The Bookish Hour episode, whether it’s writing tips, publishing advice, or behind-the-scenes details about your favorite book character or series. Our first season ends on Thursday, July 28^th at 8 PM EST with special guest—and Writers Who Kill’s very own—Marilyn Levinson. And yes, you may have noticed the phrase first season. If you can believe it, J.C. and I are already booking guests for our third season! So, if you’re an author, a publisher, an agent, a book blogger/reviewer, you name it, we’d love to have you join us for an episode of The Bookish Hour. And if you are a book lover, we’d love for you to stop by one of our livestreams and ask us your burning questions. Even better, once an episode concludes, it’s available on our YouTube channel to watch at your leisure. It also makes for a great podcast listen on commutes or road trips.

I’m so incredibly grateful to be able to engage with readers across so many different platforms. Whether it be through a blog, social media, in-person events, or a YouTube livestream, the possibilities for us to connect are truly endless.

What is your favorite forum to connect with authors and/or readers?

Learn more about The Bookish Hour at www.thebookishhour.com