I was talking with author Elizabeth Hunter on Twitter a while back when I had reviewed her book A Hidden Earth, she asked What I thought of the bonus first chapter in the of the next book. I was a little embarrassed but I had to be honest that I hadn't read it yet because it went against my blog rules. As I was typing that to Elizabeth I was wondering, do other bloggers have rules? What is the biggest obstacle as a blogger?
My Blogging Rules:
- I have to write a review for the book I have read before I start the next book. Yes, I know there are people out there who can read 2 to 4 books at the same time…I would like to be that person, but I have to give each book all my reading/review attention then move on to the next.
- I do read all genres of books but I only review paranormal, fantasy, urban fantasy, and dystopian genres on the blog because they are my favorite and I want to make sure I give an honest review.
- I try to pick books that I think I will enjoy because I hate writing negative reviews, but I always want my opinion to be an honest one.
My Biggest Obstacles:
- The first I have about conquered, and that is my shyness. It kept me off Twitter way too long, and has kept me from asking publishers for books I wanted to review.
- My biggest obstacle is technology itself! When I told my husband and BFF that I had started a book blog their very first reaction was 0_0. Lets just say I have a reputation for not being the best with computers.
But, through blogging I am leaps and bounds better than I was…umm compared to most people that’s still not great, but I am trying to learn. I am excited to see how far I will go in this new year
So, do any of you have rules? And what are your biggest obstacles as a blogger?
Happy Blogging and Reading!
having time lol
ReplyDelete2much on twitta and goodreads and youtube
school is time consuming
I started my blog in May 2011 and I did a self-imposed rule of no more than 1 blog posting per day...I wanted to give whatever I had posted (review, guest post, ramblings, etc.)an entire day of attention without other postings moving it down the page. I have, however, changed that and if I want to post everything that I need to post, sometimes more than one entry on a given day is a must.
ReplyDeleteSaph
I agree with picking books I think I will enjoy! I'm VERY choosy with books. I pick stuff I'm certain to like and sometimes that prevents me from trying out new genres or books that I might've ended up liking.
ReplyDeleteI read 2-3 books at a time but I try writing reviews as and when I'm done with each book. Sometimes it happens a week later but that's very rare.
I'm VERY shy too. I just got my twitter account started up. Networking isn't one of my greatest strengths. That's my greatest obstacle, I guess.
Great post!
I'm with you on MUST review after reading a book and before starting another. Though I'm quite in love with technology, so I don't have that hurdle to get past.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
I have to finish and review one book before starting the next, as well - I would get too overwhelmed if I felt like I were trying to do more than one at a time.
ReplyDeleteBlogging has caused me to break one of my Reading Rules, though - I am very indecisive, so when I'm trying to decide what to read next, I pick from just one of my shelves, then when I finish that, I pick one from the next shelf, and so on and so forth. Now that I accept books for review, though, I've had to adjust that a bit, so I can get to those ones in a more timely manner!
Like you, I've made it a rule only to pick books that I'm pretty sure I'm going to like. I try to go into every book thinking "This is going to be a five star read", even though most are not. If I'm not fairly optimistic about a book, I set it aside or give it away.
ReplyDeleteMy only other rule is is that if I review the book within 24 hours of finishing it. I've found that even after a few hours, the feeling I have toward a book start to fade and things get forgotten. So I try to be really quick about it.
I think my biggest rule is to make sure I am selective in what I pick. If I choose something I don't think I'll like, it just hurts everyone.
ReplyDeleteI *DO* read more than one book at a time, which means that I am reading/finishing more than one before the review is completed. But my notes are meticulous (hail to the almighty list!) and I think I *usually* do okay with that.
I don't review every single book I read. I read Divergent recently but haven't done a post on it yet. I'll probably do something on it eventually, but seriously, do we need yet another review on Divergent?
So I don't really now that I have a ton of rules. I just typically go with the flow. As best as I can, anyway. And sometimes, because of my nonchalance, I get a little frustrated with myself.
For example, I read Wither and Fever back-to-back a couple of weeks ago because I'm doing the Fever tour and had never read Wither. I read both books before I wrote up my review for Wither (because it was so daggum good I couldn't stop, okay! poor judgment on my part, I know) I *almost* couldn't remember which things went in each book. Lucky for my meticulous notes, they saved the day!
Great question! I love how everyone does everything differently. Sometimes I forget that not everyone does things the way that I do!
I'm one of those lucky people who can read 2-4 books at the same time. But generally I like to stick to 2 books. As for the reviewing process, most of the time I read then write up the review straight after or I read a couple of books then reviewing them in one hit. :)
ReplyDeleteMy biggest obstacle is other blogs I visit a ton and then no time to read and review lol I'm also a much slower reader than most reviewers are. I too am shy about asking for a book to review and also never know who to contact. Frequently I've read ask the publicist but who is that? I can never find the info so I'm not sure there on what to do, should I contact the author or the publisher at whatever email I can find. Most importantly I don't know how to say no. I need to do this because I have a habit of taking on more than I can handle and have issues of being behind in my reviewing like I am now.
ReplyDeleteI can read two or three books at the same time. But, lord, don't ask me to remember every detail in order to write a review. Things get mixed up in my head...and reading "Truck"bmy Michael Perry and "A Book Of Angels" by Sophy Burnham at the same time...you can imagine the crossover details can be quite humourous. He rebuilt the truck himself...no angels were involved.
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