Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where each week bloggers are given a new top ten theme to blog about!
As this is the first Top Ten Tuesday of the year, it’s only fitting that we blog about our, well, BLOGGING goals! It’s funny for me to see that I often pick the same goals, year after year, which means I didn’t have much luck with them the year before. So some of these are repeats from last year’s goals. I tend to forget about this post right after it’s published, but maybe this year I’ll check back in half-way through 2016 and see how I’m doing. Maybe:-) Anyway, here are some goals I have for blogging this year:
1. Read more backlist books.
I love joining Lisa’s Backlist Burndown each month, that is when I can fit in a backlist book! This year I’m going to really try to read an older book each month, even though I was a complete failure last year in this department. I have so many new favorite authors, and I NEED to check out their backlists!
2. Complete at least two reading challenges.
As always, I’ll be doing the Goodreads challenge (I’ve set mine to 90 books, at least for now). And I can’t wait to get started with the Worlds Without End Women of Genre Fiction Challenge. Why don’t you join me?
3. Read and review one graphic novel or comic a month.
This is a new goal, one I’ve been thinking about all year. I purchased at least five graphic novels in 2015 that I was dying to read, but I didn’t get to any of them, shamefully. I love art, and I love fiction, so the combination of these two is really a no-brainer. I have a stack to start off the year, so I have no excuses!
4. Host more authors.
I really enjoy doing author interviews and guest posts, and I’d love to host at least one author/publisher a month. I’m starting out the year with two interviews in January, which I’m very excited about!
5. Cut back on review requests, and say “no” more often to books I’m just not interested in.
Ever since I stopped reading self-published books, I’ve been pretty good at saying “no,” but I still find it very hard to turn down books from big publishers, even if they aren’t really my thing. I’m always afraid they’ll never ask me again, I suppose. Unfortunately, I’ve found myself agreeing to read and review some books that I just never got to, simply because in my heart I wasn’t that interested. So this is the year I plan to really be honest with what I want to read, even if it’s hard to say “no.”
6. Expand my online presence.
I have a confession: I’m not a very social person, LOL. I tend to stay in my comfort zone, visit the bloggers I’m friends with, use the same old social sites I’m familiar with. But I know there is a whole big world out there that I’m missing, and I’d like this blog to get more exposure if possible. I’m very curious about Reddit, which seems to be pretty popular these days, in particular their fantasy groups. If anyone is using Reddit and knows the ins and outs, I’d love to know the best way to start!
7. Start posting my reviews to Goodreads—immediately!
I am the WORST at posting my reviews to Goodreads, and so I just broke down and purchased a plugin that will do it for me. I just tried this for the first time and it works like a CHAMP. I don’t know why I didn’t think to add this plugin sooner!
8. Work on a blog re-design.
I’ve had this design for almost a year, and I’m just not happy with it any more. Truth be told, I’d love to change the name of my blog, but I can’t figure out a way to do it without losing all my followers. Or maybe I just need a creative project! Anyway, time permitting, you may see a new look this year.
9. Find new blogs to follow, leave more comments, and try to be more social in general.
Like I mentioned before, it’s very hard for me to be social, although it’s certainly easier online that it is in real life! I’d love to make more online friends and discover new blogs this year. Commenting on blogs sometimes feels so time-consuming, that I tend to “lurk” on blogs rather than join in conversations. But the rewards are obvious: the more comments I leave, the more visitors I have to my own blog, plus I get to “meet” some very cool speculative fiction fans that I might not have met!
10. Be happy with the amount of time I have to read, and make the most of the time I have to blog.
Instead of making a goal to “read more books!” which is the obvious one, I’m going to take a different approach this year and simply appreciate the time I do have to read and blog, and focus on quality instead of quantity. It’s so easy to become envious of bloggers who have more time to read than I do, but envy isn’t a very positive emotion, and really, it’s kind of silly. Reading is only one part of my life, and sometimes I need to remind myself of that fact.
What are your blogging goals for 2016? I’d love to know:-)
I know I definitely want to read more older titles this year. I am also interested in reading more comics and graphic novels. I wish you luck with your goals!
Lauren @ Always Me recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Resolve To Read This Year
I’ve noticed a lot of bloggers are trying to get back to reading books they already own, so even though the new books are so shiny (!!), I have to remember that the older ones can be just as exciting:-)
These are all great resolutions, Tammy! I tend to go back and forth on the social media bit, only because my time for it is very limited. I’m also trying to pull myself out of the “lurking” habit I fell into during my end-of-year hiatus. I’d visit other blogs, but didn’t make time to respond to any new posts I read. So, like you, I’m reminding myself to be more social now.
The only new blogging plan I have for 2016 is to start hosting guest posts from other writers and speculative fiction bloggers. I already have one person committed, so I’m very excited about it. 😀
Sara L. recently posted…Two New Articles at DIY MFA
All fabulous goals, Tammy! I signed on for a backlist challenge this year as well. I’ve had my own personal goal of fitting in more older titles from my shelves (which I fail at pretty much every year) so I figure someone else’s challenge might be easier to get on board with!
I also need to work on number 5. Ugh.
I want to start posting my reviews on Goodreads. I think I’ve only done it about 6 times! 😐
Good Luck!
My TTT! 😀
LOL about forgetting. I don’t usually do resolutions because I never seem to do them… but it’s fun anyway. 🙂 This is a great list, I agree about backlist and graphic novels. I’ve been doing GN’s on and off but lately not as much, and would like to get back to it. And #8 -blog redesign is something I’ve put off for so long.
Have a great Tuesday!
Greg recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday
Ahh yes. I was reading and nodding along to every one of these and completely understand them all. Although – I don’t think you need a blog redesign! This is lovely. And, I know what you mean about a rename – ‘lynnsbooks’ !! Could it be any worse, really! But there it is When I started my blog it was for purely personal reasons and i never had an inkling that anybody would visit – I might have given some more thought to it at the time if I had.
I have been on Goodreads for a while but never really used it until this year and even now I don’t post every review. it feels like you have to post your review multiple times all over the place and it’s so time consuming.
I’ve put my goal to 100. I read just under 120 this year and would be happy to achieve the same but I’m not going to go mad trying to do so. I did probably read slightly more books before I started blogging as obviously it does take up time.
Great list.
Lynn 😀
You’ve got this, Tammy! I have the GR plugin and haven’t used it yet, but that does seem like the easiest way to add reviews to GR! I like your blog name and design but I understand the need to want to play around with it. Awesome resolutions! Have fun reaching your bookish/blogging goals this year 🙂
Lucy recently posted…Spotlight and Giveaway: This Song is Not for You by Laura Nowlin
Great goals! I love graphic novels, I can’t wait to see which one’s you read this year.
I need to work on reading some authors’ backlists as well. I have a quite a few authors who I loved one or two of their books but just haven’t gotten around to reading some of their other books.
Good luck with your goals!
Samantha recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish and Blogging Resolutions For 2016
I’ve already started in on my backlist by participating in Vintage Sci Fi Month (I think it’s on twitter and instagram). It’s really fun to read the older books that you don’t see around (as much) anymore. I wish you luck with your redesign and renaming plans- I am currently trying to freshen up my blog while sticking with my ratty old color scheme. It’s okay because I love it! 🙂
~Litha Nelle
One of my unofficial goals is to host more authors — which I’m doing with my Sweet Talk feature! I think it’ll be good for me to find new books/authors (I’ve already discovered so many, for the feature!). And the backlist goal is such a popular one – and very worthy! I approve. 😀 Good luck with the new year, in blogging and life, Tammy! 🙂
Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!
Alyssa Susanna (The Eater of Books!) recently posted…Sweet Talk with the Sweet Sixteens: January 5th
Great resolutions! 1 and 9 are true for me as well! I hope you will achieve all of your goals!
Three cheers for more graphic novels! There’s some really exciting stuff being published right now, I’m sure you’ll come across some cool finds. I completely agree, I need to be more social in the blogging world too! I also tend to “lurk” and often nod along with posts but don’t necessarily comment or interact with the blogger in any way. This year I’m hoping to change that! Good luck with all your goals, Tammy. 🙂
Danya @ Fine Print recently posted…Graphic Novels, Tough Chicks: Vol. 11
Oh, great list!! I need to do about all of these! I’ve thought about doing a graphic novel a month as well. I’ve done some, but not that many. And as for the blog, you jetpack can forward all your followers! I did that when I switched to a self hosted site. And very excited to see the Backlist Burndown on here! It’s so hard to make time for those backlist books, but its also fun! Best wishes for a great year!!
Lisa @TenaciousReader recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday – Snakewood by Adrian Selby
Fantastic goals!
I love the ones about being more social and leaving more comments, i am trying that as well 🙂
Wonderful list 🙂
Awesome goals, I know I want to adopt a few of these for myself 🙂 I want to read more graphic novels too, and right now I still pick up a few every few months. I probably won’t review though, since Wendy and Tiara are so much better at reviewing comics than I am, lol! Out of curiosity, why do you want to change the name of your blog? I think it’s got such personality! 🙂
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…2016: Most Anticipated Science Fiction & Fantasy Books Written by Women
Good luck with all your 2016 goals!
I like the goal of appreciating the time you have to read! I’ve been really struggling with time management the last couple of months and I think I need to also do this, and not feel guilty about it when I don’t have time to read/review. And the goal about being more social – that one as well, too 😛
Good luck with your goals! I know I have many of these same goals as well for the year, and I can’t wait to see how how your goals for this year help you shape up your blog! 😀