I knew when I met my 2012 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal in September that it was a fluke. Thankfully, I didn't stop reading and actually squeezed in several books over the Christmas holidays. Knowing how busy January and February would be for me I had already decided that I would only review one book a week. My extra reading over Christmas gave me one book a week to review for January.
I was able to complete another book to get me to mid-February, but I knew I was in trouble. Between Upward Cheerleading and my GWR Publicity clients there just wasn't any time to read. I would work all day and either go to Upward practice until 8 pm or come home and work until 10 pm. By the end of February, I was exhausted and I had also come down with a true cold. I was in the "staring into space" mode.
Now, we are nearing the end of March and I've skipped a few review posts. Thankfully, I had the month's featured posts fully booked, so content was going up at least 4 times a week. Additionally, I had a number of book promo posts. So, traffic hasn't been hurt by my missed review posts (actually there's been a big spike in page views).
But alas, if I want to continue calling myself a book reviewer I need to review books. While March has been spent digging out from under the email and back log of work (oh how I wish it was snow I was digging out of), I have tried to get a few books read. I finished one full length novel that I've been working on, but mostly I've been focusing on the novellas and short stories I have in my pile. I took last week off from the day job for Spring Break and while I wish I could have read all week, there was still plenty of work to be done. I do, though, have 3 reviews waiting to written.
What do you do when you can't find the time to read to keep content fresh on your blog? Or do you not post anything when in a reading slump?
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That is a very good question that I wish I had the answer to! I just started my blog in December and am surprised at how much "content" I can put up if I want (I shoot for 3 times per week right now). The problem is, as you mentioned, I have to read the books in order to have content. I am struggling by saying no but not say no too much...but I work full time outside the home and have two kids in sports, so our family is busy. I continue to remind myself that it is my blog and I am just doing this for fun so do what I can but maintain balance with the family.
ReplyDeleteFabulous post Donna. My answer seems to have been sign up for every blog tour out there so I can have author guest post. Unfortunately then I'm spending time formatting posts instead of reading!
ReplyDeleteI have one book review I need to write up but I'm barely a couple of chapters into my next book. Reviews are scarce on my blog these days but I'm not so concerned about it since I feel like people don't read them much anyway.
I occasionally will do a review of a book that I read before I started blogging (as long as I remember enough about it to do so). It keeps my blog fresh with reviews and also lets me review things that I didn't get to share previously.
ReplyDeleteGiveaways sponsored by someone else or book tours. Not ideal, but it keeps traffic coming to the blog. Things here have been in such turmoil for so long, I'm hoping that I'm at a point where I'm ready to play catch-up.
ReplyDeletePersonally I haven't written a review in a long time. School and work take first priority and right now they are taking up all my time. I find that like most running a book blog can be a full time job and as much as I want to devote all the time I need to it I have to keep my priorities straight.
ReplyDeleteI find the one thing that helps get more "reading" done is to listen to audiobooks (but even so finding the time to sit and write a review is very hard.)
I guess this is one of those things where you decide what is most important to you and follow it with all you have. For me my school and work are those things and my blog has to be 2nd.
-K8
http://froze8.blogspot.com/