When I was on my “blogging vacation” I gave myself some time to look back on my reading/blogging in 2016.
What I realized was that most books I read was from the same genre: women’s fiction.
There’s nothing wrong or strange about that, since that is my favorite genre, but I was still surprised to see how few books from other genres I read (especially literaly fiction and non-fiction).
I don’t want to bother you too much with my rambling, but since I made some decisions/planned my blogging schedule, I figured out it would be fair to let you know about them, so you’d know what you can expect on Book Dust Magic this year.
1. There will be blogging schedule
I decided to plan a blogging schedule and to stick to it.
There will be 3-4 blog posts per week + on Sundays.
Posts will go live on Mondays, Wednesdays and either on Thursdays and Saturdays (4 times per week schedule) or on Fridays (3 times per week schedule) + Sundays.
In those posts, I’ll try to include 1-2 book reviews per week and will be happy to include movie reviews too (in my Movie Monday posts, but those won’t go live every single Monday).
Sometimes, I will post WoW meme, sometimes book (or other) tag, and will try to write discussion posts from time to time.
Sometimes, I will just ramble what’s on my mind (like now).
I will try to schedule my blog posts on regular basis.
2. I will read (and review) books from more genres
I came to the point where I started missing ya, and started craving for non-fiction, so you can expect me to review books from those genres more often.
I also want to read more challenging books and to go out of my comfort zone sometimes.
I won’t stop reading women’s fiction, but I would like to explore more genres on a deeper level then I do now.
3. I won’t be reviewing every single book I read
I don’t want to stress myself about reviewing. I love writing reviews, but I don’t want to write them just for sake of writing them.
If I accepted a book for review, it will be reviewed, don’t worry!
But when I read a book on my own, I don’t want to feel obligated to write a review, especially if there is not much to say about the book.
Also, sometimes I will write one review for the whole book series, instead of reviewing every single book in it.
Rereading is something I enjoy, so that is also one of the reasons I won’t be reviewing every single book (if I already reviewed it, I see no point in doing it again).
4. I’ll try to make more personal posts from time to time
There’s not much to say about this decision.
I’ll try to write something that will mirror my personality, from time to time.
Maybe that way, you’ll get to know me better.
5. I’ll only post what I’d like to read on other blogs
There won’t be book blitzes or cover reveals, at least not for now.
I realized I don’t enjoy reading them on other blogs, so decided not to post them on mine.
I want to put the content I enjoy reading myself, even if it means less posts per week.
6. I will read and review more backlist titles
This decision is the result of my book buying habit. I own many backlists that I paid with my own money, and they are just sitting on my shelf, waiting to be read.
I realized that the only way to make my money worth is to actually read them, so that is why you’ll be seeing more titles released two or more years ago.
I will still review new titles, don’t worry, just not exclusively.
That is it.
Please tell me what do you think about my decisions and if you made ones yourself, feel free to tell me what they are?
Book Dust Magic 
You’re a woman with a plan. You’ve set some good goals there. I’m going to follow you on that last one, I hope to finally read some of the books that I purchased before I started blogging because I don’t think I’ve read and reviewed any of these titles since I started blogging. I’m doing good on not requesting anything on Netgalley, I only have a soft spot if I see paperback proofs somewhere and there’s a chance to get them so I have accumulated more of that category lately (and wouldn’t want it any other way). I do plan to send most of the onwards to other bloggers or leave it in a public spot for another reader as a way of paying it forward though.
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Thanks! 😉
And oh, I know what you mean! I also stopped reading my own books since started blogging (and I thought it would be the other way around).
When you’re opposite of hoarder (like I like to believe for myself) then full bookshelves can sometimes be suffocating (oh, oh, saying that aloud almost feels like sin).
I don’t know if you know how my Nook ereader broke. I was sad but at least I stopped requesting books from Netgalley, so that’s plus. 🙂
Also, I’m like you when it comes to physecal ARCs. I like reading physical formats, and once again, I get you. Sending them out to other fellow bookbloggers is a good way of paying it forward.
I did that only once, I would do it more often if the postage from Croatia wasn’t so expensive.
What I like to do is donating them to my local library. We don’t have many books in English and people, especially studens, like to read in English to improve it, so I feel like donating books and giving more people a chance to read those stories is also a good way to pay forward.
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Haha here’s to reading more of our own books this year :-)! Well I would like to swap books more but I have a similar problem, everybody here reads in Dutch, not English :-(. I’ve even proposed in one of my posts a swap for a really good book by Claire Douglas and nobody reacted (well there’s this thing too that I’m not really interested in swapping for a fantasy book). I’m planning to have my first giveaway at the end of this month (I plan to send it out only by regular mail which hopefully isn’t too expensive either) and I’m already wondering if there’s going to be more reaction for that. We’ll see ;-). Your donating to your local library is a great idea too, so nice of you!
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There probably will be a bigger interest if there’s going to be a giveaway. Giveaways always grab attention.
But I get you, I’d like to swap my books too, but here people just don’t read, and if they do, they rarely buy books. Croatian people like to borrow books, that’s why our publishing houses barely survive.
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Those are amazing goals, Irena!! I really hope they work out for you. I find that scheduling and planning posts in advance etc, makes a world of difference. I hope things go smoothly for you and your blogging/reading life!
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Thanks Amy! And you are right – life is so much easier when you already have some blog posts scheduled. That way if something happens and you don’t have time to sit and write post, you are already covered. 🙂
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I wish I could make a nd follow a blogging schedule but I have realised that I just can’t follow a routine. The one thing I want to start doing is to batch blog posts when I’m in the mood.
Palesa | http://beingpalesa.com
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Ohh, that’s okay too. If you write bunch of posts when you’re in the mood, that can also be great!
We all blog the way it suits us best.
Thanks so much for stopping by. 🙂
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I like the sound of your new plan. The idea of making more personal posts is good as it is always nice to know a bit about the person behind the blog.
I think like you I’m going to stop doing blitzs and covers as I don’t like reading them either. They were initially a way of bulking up my content, but it’s better to have quality rather than quantity.
I’m looking forward to reading more of my chosen books this year and less ones that have been asked of me to review. I will still take requests but I will be far more picky now than I used to be.
Your blog plan sounds good, I look forward to reading your posts.
Amanda
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Ohh, I get you! I can’t say I’m overbooked (is that a word) with review requests, but the good thing about my broken Nook is I stopped requesting books on Netgalley. I only requested two from Edelweiss, and those two were ones I really want to read and if I get declined, I’ll purchase them myself, that’s how bad I want to read them.
But yeah, I get it. Sometimes we postpone reading our own books so we could read review copy, and some books just never get their turn, sadly.
As for posts, it’s better quality over quantity in my opinion.
Thank you so much, Amanda!
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It sounds like you have a great plan and healthy approach to blogging and reading. I try to mix up the genres I read.
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I don’t always review everything I read either. I mean I usually do, but sometimes… I just don’t lol And I’ve definitely stepped outside of my comfort zone since blogging, and while it’s occasionally been a challenge, I’ve discovered so many awesome books! So yeah…
Great post!
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Thank you Greg! That’s great to hear. 🙂
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Sounds good to me, if it works for you!! These are actually a lot of the same goals I have for myself this year too. Good luck with them!
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Thank you Megan!
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Welcome 🙂
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Love this!! I love having a vague blogging schedule myself but try not to get stressed about it. I love women’s fiction and actually find myself reading more of it. I love reading reviews on all genres though. I love reading a book and knowing I don’t have to review it so I get that. Good luck and happy reading!!
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3-4 post a week is a lot, well for me that’s a lot. I’m trying to post once a week and maybe twice if I can keep it up.
I find that I always stick to the same genre. My favourite is fantasy. I hardly branch out but I am trying to read some book from other genres now too.
Good luck with all your goals 🙂
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Thank you, Krystal! 🙂
Ohh, I though 3-4 posts was few, because I thought if you’re a book blogger, you have to blog every single day.
Good thing I don’t think like that anymore. 🙂
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