Last Call for Volunteers

Now that the shortlist has been announced, it's time to get Round 2 of the YA Bloggers Book Battle running.  I have a few spots left for volunteers to judge Round 2, so if you haven't applied yet and you think you might be interested, pay attention to the information below. 

 

Those of you who are already Round 2 judges, your confirmation emails went out this morning, so look in your inbox for them and let me know if you don't get anything. 

 

So, think you want to volunteer?  Here's what it take to be a Round 2 Judge.  You'll find info on how to sign up at the very bottom of this post:

 

About Round 2 Judging
Round 2 of the battle will have 24 book finalists divided into five series of brackets. Each bracket will have two books which will be read by the judges for that bracket. The judges will decide which of the two books will move on, and the winner will move to the next series to face off the winner of another bracket. This will continue until only 1 book is left. In Series 4, one eliminated book will be chosen by battle spectators to be brought back into the competition for a final chance at the last spot.

 

Everyone will be working with a partner (if things go well). Partners will be paired up based on availability, access to shortlisted titles, and if necessary by time zone. Every judge will have two weeks to read their assigned books. If you can read faster than that, that’s great and helpful, but please don’t take any longer. Once you finish your assigned books, you will need to discuss with your partner which of the two books you think is better, and come to a consensus on which book will move on to the next series.

 

You will be responsible for gaining your own copies of books for judging. However, if you are having trouble finding a title, let me know and I will do my best to help you find a solution. In some cases we may be able to find a copy you can borrow via mail (or a digital copy) but please do your best to try and find the books on your own. If you’ll need help tracking down a copy, please let me know ASAP so we can have maximum time to get you one.

 

At the end of your series, each judge team will email me your decision. I will assign you both a posting date for your announcement. Then you will be asked to post on your blog about which book you chose and why on your assigned date.

 

As bloggers, you are welcome (and even encouraged) to blog as much as you want about the battle, and the process along the way. But please do not indicate which book you will choose to win the bracket before your assigned posting date. If you have any questions about whether or not a post reveals too much, you can always email me and ask.

Revised schedule (if things get organized quickly, this schedule will move up one week)
Organization period (to prep for Round 2): May 22nd-June 4th
Kickoff for Round 2: June 5th
Reading period for Series 1 brackets in Round 2: June 5th-June 18th
Series 2 brackets: June 19th-July 2nd
Series 3 brackets: July 3rd-July 16th
Series 4 brackets: July 17th-July 30th
Series 5 (final bracket): July 31st-August 13th

 

So, still interested?  If you haven't applied yet and you'd like to volunteer to be a Round 2 Judge, send me an email at shadyglade(AT)mail(DOT)com with the following information:

1. Name
2. Email address
3. Blog URL (if you have a blog)
4. Any dates in the above schedule you think you may be too busy/absent from your computer and unable to participate
5. Any of the shortlisted titles you don't think you'll be able to get a copy of
6. Any of the shortlisted titles you have already read. We’ll try our hardest to get you in a bracket with books you have not read, but I have less control for brackets that come later in the competition. If you don’t mind rereading a title, please let me know you are flexible.