So you've probably seen the above graphic somewhere
advertising the totally free week-long Bookstagram Beyond-A-Thon Online
Literary Festival. You know that simply by participating, you can get
exposure to tons of new readers!
But what does participating in Beyond-A-Thon actually
entail?
Glad you asked!
Here's what it's going to look like:
Authors
We’re excited to welcome indie authors who are passionate
about community, storytelling, and building a stronger bookish ecosystem! To
keep Beyond-A-Thon running smoothly and fairly for everyone involved, we ask
that all participating authors adhere to the following guidelines.
š Eligibility Requirements
To be considered for Beyond-A-Thon, your book must meet
these criteria:
- The
book must have been published within the past 12 months.
- It
must not have been featured in a previous Beyond-A-Thon event.
- You must submit a short writing sample. This is simply to ensure consistent quality across the event.
š Expectations for Participation
By joining Beyond-A-Thon, you agree to the following
responsibilities:
✅ Required Participation:
- Authors
will send me an image of their book cover and three photos of themselves they
would like to be included in our posts.
- Authors
will send EPUB and PDF files of the book they want advertised by
Sunday, May 24th, 2025 to be included in this Summer's
Beyond-A-Thon event. These will then be shared with all
participating Bookstagrammers who then decide what they want to read and
who they'd like to interview.
- Post
Twice Daily: Use the pre-made post templates provided to you,
customized with your personal info. Some templates may require
collaboration with other authors. All posts must include the
hashtag #beyondathonbooks.
- Promote
the Giveaway: Post at least twice during the week to
explain the giveaway rules and encourage your followers to participate.
- Create
Original Content: Post at least two original pieces of
content during the week (e.g., reels, carousels, photos, or
stories), and include #beyondathonbooks in the caption.
- Support
the Merch Store: Post at least two times during
the week promoting the Beyond-A-Thon merch store to your followers.
- Engage
with the Community: Share as much Beyond-A-Thon content from
others as you can to help amplify the event.
Sound good? If you're interested in applying to be a participating author for this Summer's Beyond-A-Thon, fill out our Google Form right here!
Bookstagrammers
Bookstagrammers will have total flexibility in how they
choose to contribute, and can do so as much or as little as they would like.
This is all for free, so we don't expect you to bust your butt -- we want you
to have fun. This means content might be reviews, interviews, or even
re-posting prior content you've made about a participating author. Really, any
fun way to spotlight the books is perfect for Beyond-A-Thon as long as you
remember to use the hashtag #beyondathonbooks.
š Expectations for Participation
By joining Beyond-A-Thon, you agree to the following
responsibilities:
✅ Required Participation:
- All
Bookstagrammers must contribute a short video introducing
themselves and announcing their participation in Beyond-A-Thon. This
doesn't have to be long -- 10 seconds is fine -- but they must make sure
to name themselves or their channel name and mention Beyond-A-Thon.
- All
Bookstagrammers must send three photos of themselves they would
like to be included in our posts.
- Bookstagrammers
MUST specifically cover participating Beyond-A-Thon authors. This
coverage can include reviews, interviews, q&a's, or other creative
content that mentions our authors.
- Promote
the Giveaway: Post at least twice during the week to
explain the giveaway rules and encourage your followers to participate.
- Support
the Merch Store: Post at least two times during
the week promoting the Beyond-A-Thon merch store to your followers.
- Engage
with the Community: Share as much Beyond-A-Thon content from
others as you can to help amplify the event.
Publishers
š Expectations for Participation
By joining Beyond-A-Thon, you agree to the following
responsibilities:
✅ Required Participation:
- Publishers
must make at least two posts promoting the event
giveaway and explaining that entry requires posting with the
hashtag #beyondathonbooks.
- Publishers
must contribute e-Books or physical copies to the
giveaway on August 16, and are responsible for contacting
winners to arrange delivery.
- Publishers
must send image files of each book title they want featured in the
giveaway in addition to a photo of the book's author(s) and a short
synopsis of the plot. This will help create excitement for the
giveaway.
- Engage
with the Community: Share as much Beyond-A-Thon content from
others as you can to help amplify the event.
š« Failure to Follow the Rules
We value professionalism and mutual support. If a
participant does not meet the above expectations, they may not be
eligible to participate in future Beyond-A-Thon events.
That said, if you are going to be unable to meet the
expectations above, simply DM
on Instagram here, and/or send me an e-mail. Explain to me what's going on. Nine
times out of ten, I'll be happy to work with you.
This helps keep Beyond-A-Thon a dynamic, collaborative space
where everyone benefits. If you're ready to dive in, we’d love to have you.
What Now?
We all have a part to play in promoting the indie writing
community, and we're all creatives. We're all in this together. Everything --
the books, reviews, interviews, advertising, good faith, and positive reactions
helps grow our community that much larger.
Whether you're a writer, Bookstagrammer, or publisher, get in touch with me and include all the required deliverables listed above by DM on Instagram here, and/or send me an e-mail.
Thank you for your interest in Bookstagram Beyond-A-Thon Online Literary Festival, and I look forward to collaborating with you soon!
Yours truly,
Alex Hartwell, Founder and Organizer
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