Jove Belle

Hootenanny Recap!

Hootenanny 2015When Andi and I started Women and Words, we really didn’t know what we were doing. We had a vague idea that turned into a less vague set of guidelines that turned into this really cool place where, we hope, folks feel welcome.

We were told that, in order for Women and Words to be successful, we needed a well-defined mission and a clear understanding of our target audience. We still haven’t figured out those parameters exactly, but we sure are glad we went ahead and charged in, clueless as we were.

Sometimes, we focus on tools that writers need. Sometimes we focus on information that readers want. Sometimes we do both. Sometimes we do neither.

Through all of our posts, we have kept our eye on a few underlying threads. Courtesy, kindness, inclusion, respect, and above all, no asshattery. Or douchey behavior of any kind. We think we’ve seen a lot of the former and very little, if any, of the latter two. And that’s awesome.

We thank you all for growing up with us here at Women and Words. We’ve gone through several evolutions over the years, refined our format, and fleshed out our lineup. And, I’m certain we will continue to grow and change.

The first year we hosted the Hootenanny, back in 2010, we reached out to our fellow authors and asked them to support this event on our relatively unknown site. And we were met with overwhelming generosity. Each year since, the number of authors, publishers, and books has grown.

This year, we coordinated giveaways of more books in the first five days than the total number of books the entire first year. It’s amazing to me how this event has grown into a tradition that many look forward to, a tradition that we here at Women and Words are very proud to be a part of.

Thank you for sharing another year with us. We’ll be back next year and the year after that and the year after that. As long as you keep hanging with us, we’ll keep hosting this crazy-fun event we call The Hootenanny.

Don’t forget to check back over the twelve days to see if you were a winner. Sometimes our notifications get caught in spam filters and we’d hate for anyone to miss out on the awesome!

And we’ll see you in a few days. We’re taking a little break after the Hootenanny, something we do every year. Happy Holidays to all of you!

2015.1

103 comments

  2. Well seeing as how several hundred replies to any given day this Hootenanny is any yardstick… I think you and Andi have done well. Insomuch as popularity with this blog as much as the popularity with the genre. And *that* is very nice to see. As a greedy reader it’s nice to see new authors pop up 🙂 Those are my favorites.

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  3. You two rock! What an amazing effort to pull this hootenanny together. Just by taking part I have found out about some authors I didn’t know before and that is a massive bonus.
    Thanks again for putting on such a show for 12 days!!
    Happy Christmas!!

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  8. Thank you so much for the time, effort and inclusion and kindness of the Hootenanny each Christmas and also Women and Words all year long. Have a wonderful holiday 🙂

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  9. Thank you for everything you two do! I’ve been following the Women and Words world and the Hootenanny for four or five years and it’s only gotten better each year. Keep up the great work and I know I’ll be seeing you next year and hopefully the years after!

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  10. Thank you so much. It has been a great Hootenanny! I love the Women and Words website. Season greetings to all.

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  13. Jove and Andi rock. Such a wonderful 12 days, with so much happy-times and laughs. Thank you for the immense organisation this must have been. I’m already looking forward to donating books (and entering, hoping to win!) next year.

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  14. till next year, then, I’ll wait for you.
    Hope you had as much fun as I had.
    Joining hootenanny was a very smart choice that made my days.
    Thank you all

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  15. Thank you for a wonderful time and taking the time to make it a happy hootenanny. Thank you to all the authors and publishers for the chances to win their books.
    Have a very merry Christmas and all the best for the new year. 🎊

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  17. Thank you both for all the hard work you put into the Hootenanny each year and all the other things you do during the year for us the readers. Have a very happy Christmas and best wishes for a wonderful 2016.
    PS: Enjoy the break you both deserve lots of eggnog etc etc etc. 🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄

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  19. I want to thank both of you for all that you do throughout the year for us readers. Thanks to you I have made the acquaintance with so many new writers and my book collection has grown tremendously. I always look forward to a new post from you guys. Once again thank you for all that you do. Happy holidays and have a great 2016.

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  21. There’s nothing quite like Women & Words and there’s absotively, posilutely nothing like the Hootenanny! You all do a great job and have my utmost gratitude and respect! Have a restful holiday!

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  23. I love your blog, thank you for continuing to provide such wonderful information and insight into women and words. Well done and Merry Christmas. May the new year bring you love, laughter and prosperity.

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  26. Thank you ladies! It was a privilege to join in. Loved every second! Het was geweldig 🙆👭❤💙. Happy Holidays!

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  29. Love Women and Words. I wear your t-shirt proudly. Love Hootenanny! I’m reading my winning book now. Thanks so much. Here’s to a great 2016 for us all! Thanks again.

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    • I love that you have a T-Shirt! Woo! I have one, too! Thanks for hanging with us this year. See you in a week. You know, virtually. Because I’m going into hibernation until then.

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  30. I don’t think that Thank You is enough for all your hard work and time you guy’s put it to the hootenanny every year. I know I speak for all when I say we had a blast . Thanks so much and have a Happy Holidays.

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    • We’re honored to be able to do it. Truly. We love that authors and publishers trust us to represent them in this way, and that you all check in to be a part of it. Thank you!

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  36. Merry Christmas to all the elves and everyone involved in all the hootenanny hoe down fun. It was blast. This was my first and most definitely not my last. Every day was filled with so many fun treats, new carols, banners, great books to add to reading lists, and winning too. All of y’all rock. Thank you so much for everything. Many blessings to you all in the New Year! 😀

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  37. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The Hootenanny is a wonderful way to cap the year. I know that I and many others appreciate all the hard work done by you two throughout the year, you both deserve a nice long rest.

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  42. Thanks for organizing the Hootenanny and having such a great blog. I was just introduced to it this year and have enjoyed it thoroughly every time I’ve dropped in to read.

    An event as big as a 12-day giveaway during the end-of-year holiday season is no mean feat and you pulled it off beautifully. Kudos to you and all of your elves and contributors. You rock!!

    Have a great holiday of your own with your families and a happy and safe new year. See you back here next year!

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  49. Andi and Jove,
    Thanks for this pure sense of joy…the excitement each night anticipating if my name would appear next to a treat! It let me feel like a kid again! I guess what I’m saying is you can put Ms. Claus in your resumes along with all the other talents you possess 😁 Happy Holidays to you both, and kudos for a fantastic Hootenanny extravaganza!

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  51. Another Great Hootenananny in the Books! I want to thank all the publishers authors and elves and the Mary Rangers I had a blast again this year and also a shut out to Andy Marquart and all of the other people involved thank you thank you thank you and I look forward to this event every year and thank you and y’all have a great holiday season and thanks for successful 2015 hootenanny

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  53. Thank you Andi, Laydin and all the Hootenanny elfs, reindeers, our readers, publishers and everyone who donates a huge amount of our kind of crazy… The Writers and the Artists! I tip my hat to you collective ladies! Oh, and how could I forget the trucks and trucks of the Egg Nog! Can’t forget the nog and schnapps and all those merry drinks!

    You have out done yourselves this year! Each day I’m a part of this crazy bunch of writers, publishers I call friends, best friends that I never thought I would have! I thank you for the joys you have all brought to my life! Not just the free books either! 😉 BTW, I still can’t find the Rafflecopter Winners! Sometimes it’s me against technology and Tech wins.

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