Don't Stress, Relax

Lately I noticed that YA book blogging community has been stressing out a lot whether it be over ARCs, blogging or reading. Why? is the question I want to ask. Most people start a book blog because they want to share their love of books with everyone else. They want to voice their opinion about everything bookish whether it be a review of their favorite book, a bookish gift guide or a discussion about e-books vs. physical books. Why stress over something you love?

ARC ENVY

This is getting out of control. I understand everyone gets jealous that someone else received a review copy of a book that you are dying to get your hands on but remember that the book eventually comes out. If you're not able to obtain a certain book, it's okay. You can read it when the finished copy comes out. It will be sans free of typos and you will have a nice beautiful copy in your hands.

This is not a competition of trying to obtain all the ARCs. Are you really going to read all the ARCs you obtain? ARCs are marketing tools. Publishers want people to spread the word about upcoming titles to create buzz. ARCs have no monetary value. Remember, it is illegal to sell ARCs. If you can't obtain an ARC to keep, try borrowing one from a friend, join an ARC tour or just wait for the title to be published. Pinched for cash even after the book is published? Use the library. It's free and you get to support your local library. It's a win-win situation.

We are not required to market all the ARCs as bloggers but I believe that if you requested an ARC, you should read it and review it. If you can't read it in a decent amount of time near the release date, pass the title along to someone else who will read it. If the ARC is a DNF book, pass it to someone else who will read it. The point of an ARC is to promote the upcoming title. By not reading and reviewing the ARC, there is no point for the ARC to exist.

I know people are busy and people might not have the time to read every single ARC but bloggers can also reduce how many ARCs they request. Also, the book will come out on release day. Don't have the money? Again, get the book from the library or borrow from a friend.

BLOGGING

Why stress out about blogging? Blogging is suppose to be fun. It's a way for you to get your thoughts out through a virtual medium. It should never cause anxiety. Don't force yourself to blog. You don't have to be on all channels of social media in order interact with your readers and followers. I understand that you want to boost your stats but that's not why you started a blog.

You started a blog because you want to share you love about books with others. Please don't make blogging a chore. You can blog whenever and how often you like. Pressed for time because you are super busy? Well, schedule out blogs in advance so you can enjoy your life outside of blogging. Tweetdeck is a lifesaver if you want to schedule out tweets. This way you can still reach followers on twitter to promote your blog without actually being online. It's great!

Lacking ideas for blog posts? Creativity will come to you, I promise. Anytime you have an idea, jot it down. This will come in handy in the future. I often will start up drafts for posts and will come back to the drafts at a later date. This way I am never running out of ideas for fresh content.

Please remember that blogging is not your life; blogging is part of your life. Please don't forget your friends, family, significant others, work, school and creating long lasting memories with people. Engage in other hobbies you enjoy. This will help you rejuvenate. If you need to take a short hiatus from you blog, then it's okay.

READING

Enjoy every single moment you have to read. Don't make it a chore. Please don't rush read in order to make a deadline. The reason why people read isn't to get stressed out. People read to relax, to escape reality for a moment, to transport themselves in someone else's shoes and to improve literacy. Read because you want to. Read what you feel in the mood to read. Please don't force yourself to read a book that is boring you to tears or is not working for you. Just let it go. It's okay. We understand every book is not for you.

What are your thoughts about the stresses of ARCs, blogging and reading? How do you prevent yourself from being stressed out?