The Clueless Librarian

netgalley:

Recipes for Success: First Steps to Creating a Book Blog
Guest post from Kate of Ex Libris

Here at NetGalley our goal is to provide a central resource for professional readers to discover new titles to recommend! Whether you’re a reviewer, blogger, bookseller, librarian, or educator, we know that you’re spreading the word about books. Some of our members are well-established and some of you are just starting out. For those of you who have just started or are thinking about starting a dedicated book-review blog, we introduce this new blog series: Recipes for Success. Here you’ll find tips and tricks from the insiders! We aim to give new bloggers and reviewers helpful information, tools, and best practices to help facilitate your growth and effectiveness as reviewers.

Our first post is from Kate of Ex Libris, who’s here to kick things off by sharing four first steps in creating a book blog. Kate has been a NetGalley member since 2011 and has been approved for 182 titles as of today! Don’t forget to stay tuned for Kate’s next Recipe for Success, all about Review Policies.

So, you want to start a book blog…..

I published my first review on June 8, 2011.  It was The Help by Kathryn Stockett and probably qualifies more as an essay rather than a review.  I started a book blog looking for a way to combine my love of reading with something I could do from home with limited materials. (I was never good at scrapbooking).   As I slowly discovered the vast world of book blogging, I eventually found a community in the Young Adult blogging world through attendance at book festivals and book signings.  Without that community, I don’t think I would enjoy my hobby-turned-passion as much as I do.  I feel like I have grown leaps and bounds as a blogger in the past 18 months, but I know that I still have a lot to learn.  So, as I offer what worked for me, please understand that this is what worked for me.  Ultimately, you have to travel a path that works for you.  I just wanted to talk about some of the steps I took at the beginning that really helped me.

1. Start a blog
It’s that simple. There are many free blog platforms …

Read More

schoollibraryjournal:

Jarrett J. Krosoczka delivers a TedX talk, “Imagining Beyond Your Circumstances.”

(Video via 100 Scope Notes)

schoollibraryjournal:

SLJ blogger and New York City librarian Betsy Bird and blogger and elementary school librarian Travis Jonker have a conversation entirely in picture books.

neil-gaiman:

One day I will set them free.

(Source: xxxo-xxxo, via poplibrary)

Get your Center for Cartoon Studies Schulz Library Tote at the Norwich Bookstore (Norwich, Vermont) or online.

Go Away, I’m Reading book covers by Sarah Enni. You can print out your own!

[via Galley Cat]

How very clever … a hanging bookcase that has its own bookmarks and can serve as a table if (gasp!) you’re okay with setting items on the book spines. Designed by Raw-Edges Design Studio (I couldn’t find a direct link to this particular project).

[via The Bookshelf blog]

Tutorial on how to use old books to make simple, yet beautiful, shelves.

Happy Lunar New Year from Neil Gaiman (posted one day late by me).

[via Neil’s blog]