Even though I have been blogging for almost four years, I have never set any goals for my reading or for my blog. I thought that 2021 was the year and that it would be interesting to reflect back on these at the end of the year and see how I did. It will be nice to have this post to reference throughout the year as a reminder of what my intentions are. Life happens and these are subject to change, but I still want to put them out into the universe.
Start a BookTube Channel
I have been watching BookTube since 2014, and it is something I have been thinking about doing for years. I think a lack of confidence was stopping me from actually doing it. I am a quieter person and it will probably take me a little while to get use to talking to a camera, but I think this blog has made me more comfortable talking about books and I will never know until I try it!
The first thing I have to figure out how to do is edit videos. If you have any tips, I am looking for all the help I can get!
Update Old Posts
I have never thought about how important it is to update old blog posts, until I read an article on databox. I am sure many images and links are broken throughout my blog and apparently it is important for SEO, which is a constant source of confusion for me. I have been blogging for three and a half years, so going through all my posts is going to be quite the task!
Be Better at Pinterest
I know that many bloggers receive a large portion of their traffic from Pinterest. It is something I have dabbled in but am very inconsistent with. I am hoping to change that in 2021!
Write More Discussion Posts
I experimented with a few discussions post in 2020, and I discovered that I really love them and I love hearing everyone else’s opinions on the topic in the comments. Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books introduced me to the Discussion Challenge hosted by the blog It Starts At Midnight. I love the idea of sharing my discussion post while also finding new blogs to follow.
Post Reviews on Goodreads and The Storygraph
Every year I say I am going to consistently post reviews on Goodreads, but I never do. I think that my love of The Storygraph and my want to contribute to the site will help encourage me to post reviews on both platforms.
Read More Translated Work
I normally read a few translated works a year, but I failed to do that in 2020. There are so many on my list that I want to make a priority!
Read More of the Books I Own
I am participating in the Beat the Backlist challenge this year, and I am hoping that it encourages me to read more of the books I already own. It is so easy to get distracted by shining new books, but there are books on my shelves I have been wanting to read for years!
Read More Nonfiction
I adore nonfiction, but I didn’t make it a priority in 2020. When I was putting together my end of the year stats, I realize that of the 16 nonfiction titles I read last year, seven of them were five stars. I tend to love the nonfiction I do read, so I need to make them a bigger part of my reading life throughout 2021.
What are your intentions for 2021?
Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads
Heya! Good luck with your booktube channel 🙂 I’m still pretty new to booktube myself, and editing is something I really struggled with at first. I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to navigate either imovie or windows movie maker. The editing program I found that really works for me is WeVideo. It’s really user friendly and has a lot of neat effects that are easy to use. I mean, my videos still don’t look super professional, but I get a little better at using the software every day, and each video I make ends up looking a little more polished than the last.
Thank you so much! You have no idea how helpful this was. I am looking into WeVideo as we speak. There are so many different programs out there that I didn’t know where to begin. This one seems to be user friendly!
These are all things I’m intending to do. Except the BookTube channel. Not going to do that.
Haha I get you! We will see how I feel about BookTube. It may not end up being for me but I want to try!
I almost forgot about the Beat the Backlist Challenge! Thank you for the reminder. I’ll only be doing the 24 prompts one though because I am an extremely slow reader. 😔
As for BookTube, editing is relatively easy since you just mostly need to cut videos (and add photos of books when needed). I learned more about editing through quick tips and tutorials on YouTube too!
Good luck with all your 2021 goals, and Happy New Year! 🎉
I always have great intentions with the prompts for reading challenges, but quickly forget about them. Hoping that changes this year!
I noticed that YouTube has a lot of helpful videos, so definitely will be watching those.
Thank you and Happy New Year to you as well!
One of mine is the same of yours – read more of my backlist. I’ve got books on my Kindle I’ve forgotten about and some hardbacks waiting on the shelf.
It is so easy to get distracted by new releases!
Off topic, just wanted to let you know your IG/Twitter/Goodreads links at the end of the post don’t link correctly! I was like, “Wow I should follow her Goodreads!” and your Goodreads link links to Twitter, and Twitter to IG and IG…to IG lol. Just heads up! 😉
Hahaha thanks for letting me know!!
I definitely should go back and update my old blog posts, haha. That would be quite the task though. This year I would like to engage more with others as well as read more adult fantasy since I seem to just stick to YA for it.
I know! I have done a few posts and it is a lot more work than I even expected.
I love the goal of engaging with the community! I have really embraced fantasy in 2020, but I would like to try more high fantasy this year.
So I’m not the only one who buys more books before reading the ones already owned :’)
Can you recommend some fiction books you loved or post a link if you’ve already published them? Thank you.
There are so many things on your list that I want to do for my blog as well this. Top priorities for me are updating old posts, and getting through some books that have been on my shelves for years. Good luck with getting through your goals 😊
Awesome! I hope we both do well with those goals. Good luck to you as well!
Thank you 😊
Keeping on top of old posts and updating them is something I want to do fairly regularly as I’ve found it to be a huge chore in the past when I’ve noticed a lot of broken links or other things that need tweaking. Good luck with the BookTube channel if you decide to go ahead. I’m sure you’ll be great!
Thank you so much Emma!
It is definitely going to be quite a undertaking to update all my posts. Will have to be better at staying on top of it from now on!
I would love for you to start a BookTube channel! I think you should go for it; I would definitely subscribe.
Some great intentions here! Good luck with them all 🙂
That is so sweet and definitely encourages me to just start the channel!
Thank you!!
Some great goals here!
Good luck with them! 😁
Miamii / https://explorewithmii.com/
Thank you!
These all sound great! I have spent 2020 updating posts. I committed to one post per week which seemed minimal at the time but now I have 52+ updated posts! My DA has increased this year and I know updating posts has helped! I’m amazed at the broken links I’ve found! One link wasn’t exactly broken but it lead to a girlie site! 😰😱😱😱 I have no idea how that happened but it makes me fearful of linking to a blogger I don’t really know! What helped me in updating is to have a dual purpose…..I’m linking up with Throw Back Thursday. So every Thursday post is my updated post for the week! This strategy has worked for me and is giving me one extra post per week. For now, I’m only updating book review posts….that will probably take me through 2021 too. Then I’ll need to go back and update the other types of posts. I keep a spreadsheet of all my posts so I can check off if they’ve been updated, reshared, etc. I think it is good for SEO! Good luck!
I did sign up for Story Graph and I’m attempting to use both GR and SG this year. I’m not exactly sure I know how to use SG yet but I’m trying!
Omg Carol!! A girlie site! Now I am nervous to see what I will find on my site. That is hilarious!
Throw Back Thursday is such a great idea. You are way more organized than I am. I want to be one of those people who embraces spreadsheets, but I can never stick with them. Sounds like you have a great strategy going and I should do the same!
Spreadsheets save my life! I forgot to mention that I’m pinning all those old posts to Pinterest, too! Because I only started using Pinterest seriously in 2020.
Ah that is genius! Definitely stealing that idea as well 😂😂😂
Good luck on all your goals! Especially the booktube channel, I would definitely check it out!
(www.evelynreads.com)
That is so nice! Thank you! I will definitely share the channel if and went I start posting on it.
I recently learned how to edit videos and while it’s super overwhelming at first, it is BEYOND possible! While I also would like to create a YouTube channel, the thought of editing myself freaks me out, so I do understand your trepidation!
I’d be more than happy to talk with you more about it, show you the things I learned, help you get started, or just be a sounding board for you. It just makes me so excited for people to take their first steps at doing something they’ve always wanted! My email is available on my About page if you want to reach out privately – no pressure though.
Also, best of luck on your other goals, as a silent reader of your page for a while, I wish you all the best! 🙂
That is so kind of you Jacqueline! I might just take you up on that. I am playing around with editing and watching so tips and tricks on YouTube, but I am bound to face roadblocks and will definitely reach out to you! I think getting used to my own voice is going to be a journey!
It always makes me happy to know that there are people out there reading my blog! Thanks for commenting and for offering to help.
So glad to hear! I’m here if you need me! 🙂
My intention for my blog is to include more posts included on my Instagram page. I do interviews with authors and buddy reads. I’ve been slacking on those. Some of these are similar to yours. I want to think of better posts and write more about what I read. I started a couple of weekly series too.
Such great intentions. I love the creativity of this community!
Good luck with book tube 😊 I’m trying to beat my backlist just downloaded three books – it’s not going well 😂🤷🏻♀️
Thank you!
I definitely relate to that struggle!! 😂
Oooo a booktube! Ill defo watch! Some great goals there 😁
Ahh thank you! 😊
I’ve been debating making a Booktube channel for about 8 years and still haven’t plucked up the courage 🙈 Good luck with all your goals this year!
It’s definitely a nerve-wracking thing. Not sure how I will feel talking to a camera!!
It might take a little getting used to, but I’m sure you’ll do great!
Good luck with your intentions, Kristen! I’m so excited to hear you might start a YouTube channel! I’ll be watching! (although I don’t know if that makes it more encouraging for you or more nerve wracking! 😅)
Hahah thanks Meghan! A bit of both but definitely more encouraging to know that someone would be interested in watching!🙂
Glad to hear it falls on the encouraging side!
Good luck with starting a booktube channel! I’m sure it’ll be great and I cannot wait to check it out! I’m also hoping to use Pinterest better!
That is so nice! Thank you!!
I had no idea there was much of a link between the blog world and pinterest, that’s interesting to learn. My goals for the year also include keeping up with reviews of GR and the storygraph, and reading more nonfiction and translations. I look forward to following your reviews in those categories! Best of luck with your goals for 2021! 🙂
Thank you! Pinterest is overwhelming but I have joined a few group boards for book bloggers and I have read some truly amazing posts that way!
I have been putting together a list of translated fiction, so I will be sharing it soon! I have a hard time finding recommendations for some reason.
It can definitely be hard to find translation recs, I think partially because too few books get translated, and what does get translated not enough people read and share about to help spread the word- but it’s definitely a category I’d like to help support further too, whatever small amount of attention my blog might help bring. A work in progress. But in the meantime I can say I just read Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor, translated by Sophie Hughes, and it was fantastic! It’s LGBTQ+ set in a Mexican village, full of social commentary and cultural superstitions. Highly recommend!
These sound like great goals Kristin! I think I will have to look into Pinterest too 🙂
It can be confusing but I know Pinterest has worked wonders for some people!
All these points sounds great. I hope you can achieve many of them. I would never start YouTube channel. I don’t think I’m really comfortable at talking with camera of confident to speak right. Worst fear is wrong pronunciation as English is not my first language.
Thank you! I’m not sure how confident I will be in front of a camera, so we will see how it goes!
These are great goals and they’ve certainly got me thinking about what I want to do with my blog over the next twelve months! I hadn’t considered updating old posts in regards to SEO and links. I suspect I’m going to find one or two broken links, eeek. Food for thought!
Right?! Not something I ever thought about doing before either.
I have been wanting to get involved in Booktube too! I’ve been so intimidated though (and overwhelming) by everything I’d need (camera, lighting, editing software, etc). I know it’s doable since so many people DO create Youtube content, but it’s almost hard to pinpoint where to start since it seems like there’s so much information out there!
That’s exactly how I am feeling. I am going to try to film a video this week just to see how I feel about talking to a camera! I’m watching booksandlala’s video about thumbnails, which is another thing I haven’t really considered!
I hope you’ll succeed in all your tasks!! Mine are trying reading new genres, and get back on a consistent blogging schedule!
Thank you! Great goals! I have been embracing new genres the last few years and it’s been amazing.
Wow! That’s a lot of work but I know you can do it. It is also my goal to be more consistent in posting articles in my blog and videos in my YouTube channel. Like you, I’d also wanted to read more non- fictions, it’s more of my jam but I want to balance it by residing fiction on the side. Atleast 2 non fiction and 1 fiction every month maybe. I also want to learn more about writing this year. Cheers to 2021! And everyone in here, fighting! 😊💚🌱
Good luck on your goals and I hope you enjoy A Winter’s Promise!
Thank you!
I am mostly going to try for he Fantasy Challenge, Read it again, Sam and Dystopia challenge. I have also the goal of doing more reviews of books on both Storygraph and Goodreads.
And also read books that I have wanted to read for a long time now.
I also need to maybe do a post about the spreadsheet I use to track the minimal stuff for my reading.
I would love to see a post about your spreadsheet!
I would love to talk about my spreadsheet because I really need it to actually know when I start and finish books. And how many rereads I do each year.
🥂 good one
I too have temptation to read a lot. Like, I want to read everything ever written which is impossible today. But! Even nuclear bomb was impossible since he said so before the discovery of neutron in 1932.
I believe some day, a technology would enable us to read everything at once.
They sound like very realistic goals so it will be easy for you to accomplish them. Hope to hear news on your book tube. I would love to see it
Thank you! I have filmed a video! Now I just need to work up the courage to post it 😂
Don’t overthink it. I’m sure it will be great. Don’t forget to post the link somewhere so we can see it
That’s a great idea to go through old posts and check the links there. Glad you mentioned it. I need to do that too.
And that’s cool to do booktube! 🙂
I have been going through my posts slowly but definitely finding some broken links!
The Shadow of the Wind is such a good book, I hope you’ll enjoy it!
I cannot wait to get to it!!