As for tips, let's see...
- Know your limits. This means knowing when you need to take a blogging break, when you really cannot take on anymore books, and if you'll need to schedule posts to keep your blog from looking eerily silent.
- Talk. Online, specifically and at bookish events too. Comment on blogs, talk with other bloggers on Twitter, and heck, maybe even meet up with a few bloggers at some point. It's all about community and that's the best part of blogging, in my opinion; knowing that you're not alone (and being able to share your love of books with people who understand you).
- Be yourself. Have a unique voice. Your voice. But please keep the snark or book trashing to a minimum. I'm not saying, "Don't write negative reviews." What I mean is, please tell us how you think the book could've been improved.
- How do you find time to read? Do you just read when you can or do you give yourself a certain time frame to read in each day?
- If you use Google +, how useful do you find it to be? (I swear I can't figure it out for the life of me. *pokes it*)
- How do you get yourself out of a reviewing slump?
Google Plus confuses me too! I try every few weeks to work it out, and then I just go back to what I know!
ReplyDeleteFinding time to read? Well I have a commute that gives me a little over an hour each day, I always read for at least half an hour in bed before I sleep and on weekends I get up early to read for a few hours uninterrupted.
I've never had a reviewing slump *touch wood* - but I tend to bunch them up and write a few at a time - I start to get inspired after the first one :)
I've never used Google+, and sometimes I don't always have time. Like the post couple of months I've barely blogged because I was so busy with finals, graduation, and taking classes over the summer at community college.
ReplyDeleteI guess you could say I was in a reading slump too, a lot of the books I was reading were just mediocre. The ABEA helped bring me out of my blogging slump, although I still don't know what I'm going to read!
Google+ confounds me too!
ReplyDeleteI read whenever I can possibly fit in a page or two, even have a few audio books for while I am cleaning or washing dishes.Having an ereader and other portable devices has helped immensely as well.
Currently in a reviewing slump and I was hoping that Armchair BEA would alleviate that...we shall see.
I wish I found more time in the day to read but alas, I have been OVERWHELMINGLY busy and reading isn't something I get to make a lot of time for. You dont find time you have to make it essentially.
ReplyDeleteI don't like G+ lol. I prefer Twitter+Facebook combo.
And I agree with Gwen, I am in a review slump and sometimes I just give up on the one that is causing me problems but right now I am hoping ABEA was enough of a distraction :)
Best of luck!
Leila | The Fiction Pixie
I re-post my posts on Google+ and well...that's it. Oh, it has some fun games, too. So sometimes I play on it :)
ReplyDeleteI only review the books I want to, so no slump for me. :)
About reading: There're days when I read a lot (a whole book) and there're others when I read nothing. It depends on how much free time I have.
Have a great weekend, Kristin!
Great tips!
ReplyDeleteI read when I can. Right now, it's maybe an hour a day. During the school year, there are days when I don't do any recreational reading at all. It gets to the point where I don't want to look at any more words for a bit. Then I calm down and get back to reading. :)
If you have the time, I’d love to hear from you at my intro armchair BEA post.
Love the advice - it's definitely stuff I try and keep in mind. =)
ReplyDeleteRe: your questions...
I always read during my lunch at work and I always read before bed. Besides that I try and read a bit each evening, but it depends on what else is going on and what I'm reading. If it's a book I'm enthralled with then it's not unusual for me to read all evening from after supper until it's time to sleep. (With breaks and within reason, of course)
I don't use Google+ and I don't see myself using it anytime soon... and I find it annoying from an observer viewpoint because not everyone who uses it has their blog posts synced, and then I have to go out of my way to try and find their blog addy to comment back.
Reviewing slump... I don't know. I try and keep myself ahead of schedule so that I have stuff to post in the meantime when I don't feel like reviewing or posting. But sometimes I just take a little break as well.