Austen in August 2014 Invitation & Call to Arms!

It's that time of year...

That's right, Austen in August is right around the corner!  That means it's time for me to officially extend the invite (none too soon, as I've already had people telling me what they're planning for AIA this year. ;P), AND for me to put out the call to arms.

So this is where I tell you want to expect, and invite any of you who are interested to participate by contributing a guest blog/vlog, review, giveaway, Darctiltleyworth love fest, etc., etc., This invitation is especially important this year, as I'm going to need all the help I can get! But before I get to that, What the Eff is AIA?

The Deets:

1. Austen in August is a wall-to-wall celebration of all things Jane Austen, featuring book and film reviews, discussion posts, vlogs, giveaways, author interviews and more! [See years one, two, three and four for more of an idea of these events.] You can stop by any time during these 2 weeks and get lost in Austen. It's all very austentatious. . . alright, I'll stop now.
2. This year's event runs from August 18th through August 31st, and everyone is welcome to participate. You can just read and comment on the daily posts, if you'd like, but  as always, I will also be welcoming guest posts — this year more than ever! Want to review or giveaway your favorite adaptation of Jane's work? Share your Top 5 MOJ (Moments of Jane)? Discuss why Wickham and Willoughby are misunderstood? I'd love to host your awesome post! You can fill out the interest form below with what you'd like to do and I'll reserve a spot for you!
3. Are you an Austenite author who wants to be involved? EMAIL ME! I'd love to have you involved!
4. There will also be a linky up on the first day, as always, if you're not the guest-posting type or have last minute posts you want to share. :)
5. Once again I will be hosting an Austen Read Along to coincide with the event, as well as a movie watch-along or two, since we had so much fun with that last year. Liz and I area also incorporating #WednesdayYA into this year's event, so yay! But more on all that to come. =D

So that's the basics, and now that that's out of the way, I have a small plea — as those of you who follow my vlogs know, between my new job and the fact that said job is moving locations right smack dab in the event, my August is going to be hectic at best. I know for a fact that I'm not going to be able to do as much as I'd normally do, to the point that I even thought about skipping this year. But this August marks the fifth year that I've had a summer Austen event, and I just can't stop now. So instead, I say these two things to you:

I need your help more than ever

and

I need you to bear with me if things are lighter or more sporadic this year.

You guys are always amazing at contributing your time, creativity and enthusiasm to this event, and one of my favorite things about putting this together is seeing what everyone has to say. I don't ever want anyone to feel obligated to contribute in any way, but if you've been on the fence and too shy in the past, I'd love to feature you this year! I'm going to need all the help I can get keeping the event full and fun, but I also just want to hear what you have to say!

For those who are interested, the form to be a featured guest or contribute in some way is below. Now, I generally spend a lot of time pre-event tracking people down and emailing back and forth with people that then back out, and dude, I totally get it, things change and we're all busy. But as I've said, this year, I just don't have time to waste — I've got to make every moment count in putting this together, so please, only fill out this form if you're serious about being part of the event AND can have your post or whatever is needed to me by no later than August 8th. One month. I know that's a tight timeline for some people, but remember, there's always next year!

For those I haven't scared away, please fill out the following if you want to be featured during AIA!* If you are an author, see my note below. Other than that, see all you Janeites real soon!

*And because I get this question every year: this form is just for those who want to guest post or be featured on The Book Rat. You're welcome to do whatever you'd like on your own blog or vlog, and there will be a linky to share things if you so choose. But you do not have to fill out this form to say you're writing a post on your own blog. =)

UPDATE: Since we are getting close to the event start date, I have disabled the form, as the timeline is too short to keep checking it. If you're interested in participating, please email me!


NOTE TO AUTHORS: Few things: yes, authors are welcome to participate, and if you have a guest post or something you'd like to do, feel free to fill out the form. If you want me interview you, or you want to give away a copy of your book during the event, please email me directly.
And unfortunately, due to the above-mentioned hecticness of my summer, I'm not taking on more books for review during AIA, as I'm really not sure how many I'll get through as is. But I'd be happy to feature your book in some other way, so again, feel free to email me. =)