Ann, thank you so much for taking the time to look at my blog and to give me some great advice. I definitely want my blog to reach regular readers and am going to try your tip of contacting publicists when I post a great review. I recently found your blog, and am very impressed with it!

Well, I haven’t had many ARCs yet. I read only paper books right now, so there’s less of an opportunity to get them. I have gotten some through Goodreads Giveaways. If I have an early copy of a book, I’ve been trying to post a review about a week before the release date.

If I had to post a negative review of a book by an author I loved, I would just be honest. We’re not going to like every book we read. Also, it’s up to us which books we want to review, so I could always just not post a review! I think readers do appreciate reading all types of reviews, though.

I use Goodreads to keep track of what I read, and I also cross-post my reviews there.

I’m also still trying to figure out how to reach more readers! I try as much as I can to read other blogs and post thoughtful comments.

Thanks so much for the tips, Bec. I hadn’t really thought about authors relying on Goodreads and Amazon, so will definitely take your advice and start adding my reviews to both places. I am on Twitter. Will look for you there! I love that you do audiobooks. I’ve only listened to a few, but would like to do more soon.

JoAnn – Thank you so much. I appreciate all the advice and words of encouragement. I’m having fun with the blog and meeting some great people. Congratulations on your 8th anniversary….fantastic!

Thanks, Bea!

Thank you so much! Your comments are very helpful. I just checked out your site. What a great idea for a twist on the usual book blog!

Reviewing a book you don’t like … well first of all kick out the thought that it is traumatic. All you have to do is explain nicely what and why you disliked. What you dislike somebody else will love

ARCs from NetGalley. They will, I’m told, refuse ARCs if you do not proportionally review. Also if you have your 80% badge and order more books, then you have no longer reviewed 80% and the badge will be removed The NetGalleey reviews are more for the people who gave you the book, it is too soon to post on your blog or wherever so you send your review to the publisher via NetGalley. Ought to be the same review really, just maybe tarted up a bit

You really ought to post on Goodreads and Amazon, authors rely on these reviews. It costs authors to give you books, you want to read it for free and they want a review. You have an affiliate link so you must be interested in publicity, posting on GR will help with that as will Twitter
Good luck with your blog

1.What do you consider the optimal time frame for reviewing a newly released book?
I don’t accept many review books these days, but tried to run a review on publication day or as soon after as possible.

2.How do you deal with the trauma of doing a negative review of a book by an author you normally love?
I hate when this happens! I started a “Pick or Pass review format for those cases.. and list both what I thought was good and what was not so good. Hopefully that will help readers make their own decision.

3. What’s the best strategy for handling the balancing act of ARCs?
I was getting too stressed over ARCs and have stopped accepting them altogether. I still have a NetGalley account, but have only requested a handful of books all year. I’m enjoying blogging a lot more without them (recently celebrated my 8th anniversary) and love reading whatever I want, whenever I want.

4. When someone inserts a link into a comment on your blog, do you leave it be?
Unless it is a regular commentor and a legitimate link, I remove it.

5. How important is Goodreads?
I mostly use it for keeping track of what I read, but sometimes post my blog review (or an abbreviated version of it) with a link to the post, too.

6. Any tips and/or strategies for reaching more readers?
My best advice here is to read and comment on other blogs and join events or readalongs. I’ve met many of my best blogging friends though readalongs and have discovered many new blogs through events like Nonfiction November.

7. What’s with all the Christmas books?
It’s crazy, right? I’m not much of a seasonal reader…. have probably only read one or two Christmas books in the past five years.

You’re doing a great job with this blog, and I think we have similar reading tastes… I’d be happy to answer any other questions if you’d like to email me.

2
Since free time is so limited, I abort reading a book after it doesn’t impress me favorably after about 100 pages. . .so wouldn’t be in a position to review it. Again, however, a blogger might habe business reasons to finish and review books sent to her by the publisher.

3 no comments on Arcs (what are they??)

4 only would worry about links taking a reader to a site that might infect her computer – probably not likely

5 I don’t look at goodreads

6 have you tried “boosting” your fb posts? It costs about $20

7 I bought a Christmas book at a concert recently that my neighbor had written!! I thought it was so unusual that a person i knew would have written and puvlished such a book — apparently, though, from the comments above — it’s a trend. Who knew??