The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Billy @ Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to their own blog.
Question:
How do you keep track of books you will be reviewing or reading?
(submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver’s Reviews)
Answer:
I’ve shown my very colorful calendar before, but now I will explain my process:
NetGalley Widgets
I don’t get much opportunity to peruse NetGalley anymore because I receive so many widgets. I prefer the widgets because there is no uncertainty to them in regards to scheduling. When I receive a widget, the first thing I do is look at the publication date and see if I have anything scheduled for that day or week. If I think I can fit it in, I go ahead and hit read it. Then, I put it on my calendar on the date I will post the review (orange – just ARC or flamingo – blog tour). Lastly, I schedule the days to read it in order of the review schedule (yellow). Sometimes I vary that up a little to try not to read books of the same genre back to back, but it doesn’t always work out that I can.
Blog Tours
Scheduling blog tour reviews works basically the same as NetGalley widgets. I’m sent an invitation with a book and a time frame. If the book interests me, I pick a date in that time window (if I have availability) and send back the date I will post the review. I then put it in flamingo color on the calendar, and add it in yellow to my reading schedule.
The only blog tour that doesn’t work that way is with Dave at The Write Reads. He sends out a schedule rather than me telling him when I will do it within the designated time frame. Technically, I can change it, but I’ve learned to work around it because I don’t want to mess with his system. I put the book in peacock blue on my calendar on the first day of the tour, so I don’t forget to put it in my reading schedule, and then when I receive the plan, I move it to my scheduled day and change it to the flamingo color.
Purchased Books
Books that I purchase and am going to review are the ones marked in red. I fit them in when I can. I post reviews on Tuesday and Thursday regularly – so if I don’t have a blog tour or ARC on one of those days, I will get to enjoy a book I purchased.
24 responses to “Book Blogger Hop | Keeping Track of Books”
I’ve never heard of a netgalley widget.
So much more organised than me. I have no system whatsoever. Chaos reigns over here.
Publishers will send you a link that provides instant approval to read a certain book available through NetGalley = NetGalley widget.
And I’ve always been a color-coded kind of person. I can’t help myself 😊
Ahh, never knew that. I’m not on any auto-approved lists yet, so I must wait for mine 🙁
You’re so organized, Tessa! I schedule book reviews for my blog on a calendar (handwritten), and everything else is just in my head. I should really schedule reading times – maybe I’d get more done.
Reading times definitely hold me accountable. My family does a lot of sighing when I say I’m behind on my reading (33% per day) because that translates to “let me be so I can focus” but it all gets done, so I’m okay with it 😊
Wow! You are really organized. Go you! I don’t have a system, but during this pecular time we find ourselves, I have really caught on my TBR pile.
That’s great! My NetGalley list is finally starting to show some progress. That always makes me feel good😊
I use a colour system on Google calendar too, Tessa. I only started doing it last year but I couldn’t do without it now!
Hope you have a great weekend. x
I love using colors ☺️
Wow… that is a very complicated process. I wish I could claim something similar…
My post: https://ignorantsouthafrican.wordpress.com/2020/06/14/weekly-wrap-up-7/
Is it? I guess it’s just how I think. ☺️
Your calendar is so colorful! I’m not nearly that organized, Tessa. I generally read in order of purchase unless I’ve made some sort of time commitment, which I rarely do. 🙂
I used to do it that way too – before I was sucked in to ARCs and the commitment they require. I guess it’s a trade off😊
Yeah, I can see that. I’d have to have more of a system or I’d be totally lost.
I have started writing my monthly reads in a diary and then pick one which appeals to me. I do a lot of blog tours that keep my reading going.
For sure! You do even more than me – I can’t even imagine ❤️
Hahaha 😂 I deliberately did that to get over heartbreak last year. This year to fight depression. But I have gone down on Tours and hope to read some of my own books
Good way to organize. If I don’t get a widget, then I usually don’t get approved for (or can even request) books on NetGalley. I do get some widgets – such as from Penguin Random House International (mostly mainstream stuff that I’m not always interested in), and I have an “in” with Atria Books because Fredrik Backman’s publicist likes me, and she’s helped me get other books that they publish. Since no one wants to invite me to join Blog Tours anymore, and I don’t write for the website Book Browse anymore, that’s the extent of my widgets. Edelweiss does accept my requests from time to time, though.
Thank you ❤️. Atria puts out some really good books, so that’s a great in to have!
Well, it doesn’t always work, but I wanted to read this book “The Paris Library” and my friend at Atria sent my request to that book’s publicist and VOILA!
Wow, that’s a lot of ways!
Plan, plan, plan ❤️❤️❤️
I have been using an excel spreadsheet – I hadn’t even thought of google calendar. I’m going to give it a try.
I find it very easy to use and readily accessible.