Blogging through the holidays

by Donna Huber

The busiest time of the year is upon us. Between rushing to the store to get that perfect gift and the calendar filled with parties and plays, you may be feeling the pressure to blog regularly. If you need someone to tell you that you can slack off on your blogging this month, then consider me that someone.

However, if you are going to post irregularly or not at all this month then I recommend interacting with your fans on your other social media channels. And it doesn't have to be all about books! My Facebook posts about my Christmas tree saw some great interaction. I've also chatted about Christmas movies. If you are dressing up for a holiday party consider posting a picture of yourself. Focusing on building your relationships with your readers can be one of the best things you can do for your blog and this time of year is great for conversation starters. You can also promote past posts to keep the traffic coming to your blog.

If you want to keep up with some sort of posting schedule, I recommend planning out some topics and scheduling posts. By scheduling ahead of time you won't be stressing when that last minute costume crisis occurs for your child's play. This time of year are all kinds of best of 2014 lists, consider making your own. If you have a bit more time, research some of the best of lists and discuss them in a post.

As for keeping up with reading during this time. My solution is audio books that I can listen to on my commute and ebooks on my Nook for any awaiting in line. I'm also keeping the books I'm set to review to a minimum right now so that I don't have to write the review if life gets too crazy. I have a some reviews waiting in the wings so there will be a few reviews posted the next few weeks.

The holidays can be stressful enough you don't need to add blogging stress. Remember you aren't the only one running around, your readers are too. So make it more about the fun than keeping up with any kind of schedule or "must do".