Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion where we discuss certain topics based on prompts allocated for each Friday of the week. You basically share your opinions and get into the conversation by visiting each other’s posts. You can find the November schedule here or here.
Today’s Let’s Talk Bookish topic is Do You Keep Up With New Releases?, which was suggested by Pippin @ The Pigeon)
I’m so excited to talk about my reading habits because I have noticed a marked difference in my reading trends from last year and this year!
How current is your reading? Do you tend to read recently published books or pick from the publishing backlog, and why?
This year my reading has been mostly new releases with a few backlist books making into the list. I thank NetGalley and my blog for this drastic shift. I have noticed that I get more influenced by Bookstagram too. Author requests and peer pressure are the two biggest reasons behind this trend and my physical TBR of backlist books are weeping 24/7.
Is there any particular merit to keeping up with current releases, or is it all hype?
As a book blogger, I find it helps the authors and publishing houses when we read current releases, especially preordered copies. I didn’t realise this till I immersed myself in blogging, so I am not surprised that my reading changed so much this year.
If you are interested in learning more about the role of pre-ordering books in the publishing industry, you can read this article on Penguin Random House.
But this isn’t to say that the hype surrounding new releases does not affect me at all. Most Bookstagrammers tend to review and talk about current releases, so most of my feed would be full of the new stuff. Does this hype influence me? Oh yes, definitely! The more I see people talking about the book, the more likely I am to pick it up.
How has book blogging changed your habits on this front?
Book blogging is one of the main reasons behind why I pick up newer releases, both in an effort to support new authors as well as to make connections with the publishing industry. It’s no coincidence that the year I blogged regularly is also the year I read more current releases than my backlist TBR!
And, in the future, are you thinking you want your reading to shift either way?
Reading new releases was fun and all, but my physical TBR is weeping because of the neglect it has faced this year! So, in the future, I would love to figure out a way to balance out my new release and backlist TBR. Seeing that pile of books towering over me in my study is really starting to stress me out!
Do you tend to read more new releases or backlist books? Let’s talk in the comments below!
My previous Let’s Talk Bookish posts:
- November 19: What Truly Makes a Blog Hiatus?
- November 12: Reading for My Blog Versus Other Hobbies
- November 5: 5 Tips for When a Blog Post Doesn’t Do Very Well
- October 15: 5 Overused Book Tropes
- October 8: 3 Cut and Paste Character Archetypes I Am Getting Tired Of
Share this:
5 thoughts on “Taking a Closer Look at My Reading Habits: New Releases Versus Backlist Books // Let’s Talk Bookish”
Comments are closed.
I’ve had to take time off of blogging for a bit, but I just *HAD* to come back and see everyone’s responses to my prompt (!!! how exciting). I really appreciate the consideration you made in this post for how helpful reading new releases is for the authors and publishing teams behind those new releases! Early performance really counts, which is, like you mentioned, something I didn’t know about before I started reviewing. But I’m rooting for you in that physical TBR battle! I hope the backlist on your bookshelf welcomes you 😌
Omg Pippin! Haha thank you!!! The battle’s going strong, so I’ve still got hope! And yeah, blogging and reviewing can open eyes to the publishing industry tbh!
If you find the secret to balance between arc books and TBR do let me know! I had a reading schedule with slots built in for reading TBR books, but then kept bumping them as I said yes to more and more arcs. I need to learn to say no to authors who make arc requests, but it feels so rude!.
I do the exact same thing! Haha! I’ll definitely update you on any secret I come across!