Brooke Reviews

YA Book Blog

Top 10 Tuesday: 2015 Bookish/Blogging Goals

by 7 Comments

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

BOOKISH

1. Read 55 books

This is the reading goal I’ll set through Goodreads. While I thought my goal of 50 books for 2014 would be a challenge, I blew past it! So we shall see what 2015 has in store for me, but I do believe 55 books is both challenging and attainable.

2. Write better book reviews

I am a huge procrastinator when it comes to writing reviews. I really need to be better at writing reviews as soon as I’ve finished reading, so I don’t move on to another book and forget the previous one!

3. Organize book club(s)

Last summer I created a book club for rising 6th grade girls. We read Cinder by Marissa Meyer and it was so, so fun. I’d like to do it again this summer, but I want to expand and host multiple book clubs. *Does anyone have suggestions for great middle grade books??

4. Attend BEA

This would be a dream come true. I’ll be out of school, and I have family in New York, so I really think it could work out this year. *Fingers crossed* And it looks as though many other bloggers have this same resolution, so I hope to see you all there!

BLOGGING

5. Posting consistently

I need to be consistent and stick to my Monday/Thursday schedule. If possible, I’d like to write posts in advance and have them scheduled on the blog so I’m not always scrambling to publish the posts at the last minute.

6. Using my own images

I’m excited to be getting better at photography and image editing, so I’d like to begin using my own images in posts. (This excludes the book cover images I use in my TTT posts, as I don’t always own the books I blog about).

7. Interviewing authors

As an avid reader AND writer, it’s always an incredible learning experience speaking to an author. I began contacting authors for interviews in 2013 but really slacked off in 2014 (authors are busy people!). So this year I’d like to interview an author at least once a month.

8. Guest posting

I think guest posting is a great way to put yourself out there and to connect with other bloggers. So not only would I like to guest post on other sites, but invite other bloggers to guest post here at Brooke Reviews.

9. Commenting

I follow many other book blogs but often forget to leave comments! I think it’s important to let other bloggers know they’re doing something right, so my goal is to get better at leaving positive/encouraging comments when I read posts I really like.

10. Social media

Again, I sort of fell off the bandwagon. At one point I was on Twitter at least once or twice a day, and then I abandoned it for several months. I miss all the bookish updates! I have felt so disconnected! Twitter, I shall return!

 

What are your bookish/blogging goals for the new year? What can I add to my list? Any suggestions for Brooke Reviews?

 

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Comments

  2. Your list is great! I think I need every single one of these on mine (only exception is to replace BEA with YALC because I’m from the UK and CANNOT afford flights out to the US right now!)
    I really need and want to e more organised and consistent with my blogging too! I also need to be more social, both with comments and social media. I really like chatting to other bloggers,I just fall behind sometimes!
    My TTT

    Reply

    • Thanks so much! I’m definitely going to need to buckle down in 2015 to accomplish these goals – but I know it can be done, especially with the support/accountability of my fellow bloggers! I think the social aspect is a big one. I am the same way – I enjoy chatting with other bloggers but often forget to make the first move by leaving a comment or reaching out via social media. Thanks for commenting, Hannah 🙂

      Reply

  3. Great goals, Brooke! I hope it works out that you’re able to get to BEA and that you have an amazing time. 🙂 Author interviews are also cool–good luck with that as well, I’ll look forward to hopefully seeing some of those around your blog this year! I’d love to interview authors at some point for my blog; I just haven’t gotten around to trying to organize anything yet because I still feel like I’m settling into the blogging thing, and also because I’d like to have at least a few more followers before I pitch the idea so that my blog won’t seem TOO small in the eyes of the authors or their publicists, haha. Have you ever found that to be a problem for you?

    Also! I haven’t read too many recent middle grade books, but some great ones are The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, Doll Bones by Holly Black, The Year of Shadows by Claire Legrand, Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver, The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry, and the Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall. Hope that helps! And also: Happy New Year! 🙂

    Reply

    • Thanks, Taylor! 🙂 I’ve really enjoyed interviewing authors – it’s such a great opportunity for me to learn. It’s always exciting when I receive a positive response from the author himself/herself, agreeing to answer my questions. I definitely share your doubts – my blog isn’t widely read and I don’t have enough followers for the publicity to mean much for the author. But you never know unless you try! And believe it or not, neither of those concerns were the reasons an author or publicist turned me down. In several cases, it was simply because the author was already booked solid with other commitments and so I’d caught them at a bad time. I honestly don’t think I’ll ever reach a point where I believe my blog is “good enough” to do this or that (I’m a total perfectionist, and my own worst critic!) so I decided I needed to go for it because otherwise I might never take action. Of course, it totally makes sense to get your feet under you first. But you have blogging experience and your new blog is really great!

      Thank you thank you for the middle grade suggestions! I’ve read the Penderwicks and totally forgot about it – super cute book. But I haven’t read the others so I’ll be sure to check those out. Happy New Year!

      Reply

      • I think that’s great that you’ve had such a positive response from authors, and it definitely makes me more confident about requesting interviews myself. I’m hoping to start that this year, before too long! I can definitely relate to being your own worst critic, as I’m generally very hard on myself too, but I hope not to let that stop me from reaching out to authors. 🙂 I’m glad you haven’t let it stop you, either!

        (And you’re very welcome–happy reading!)

        Reply

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