As the post title says, this is going to be full of my habits and quirks that I'm not really proud of, but can't help doing or thinking anyway! These relate to reading, as well as to blogging, and I sure hope I'm not alone in some of these! My idea for this post first came from thinking about the first item on my list - that of:
Not being into teaser chapters
There seems to be such excitement over these, and I just don't get it. It's frustrating to me to just get a taste of the book, and not be able to finish it. And it also seems like a waste of time, since by the time the book does come out, I'll probably have to re-read those chapters once I get the book. I know it can give the reader an idea of if they will like the story, but for me, I'd rather start the story and decide if I like it when I can continue with the whole book. I also find it hard to read serialized stories as well, as I just like to read the whole thing in one go, and not have to wait for each chapter.
Judging a book by it's cover
Even though it's not good to judge a book by it's cover, I do this hardcore. I feel like a book with a bad cover is just not going to be great, and I don't have any excitement over reading it. This is probably the worst, since I'm sure there are good books with bad covers out there! The author sometimes can't help it!
Self-published books
So... this one I'm really ashamed of, but as I've gotten more into blogging and evaluating books through reviews, the more I personally feel that self-published books are more likely to be a disappointment than not. It's so unfortunate that I feel that way, because I think it's amazing that authors can publish on their own and get their work out there, the way they want, but I just have more trust in traditional publishing to turn out the kind of content that is well produced and put together, in addition to just being a good story. It's necessary that a book is thoroughly edited, and preferably by someone not the author. Even though I don't have any experience in this, I feel like a good editor can really elevate a book beyond it's initial promise. I do occasionally read self-published books when they interest me, but it's getting rarer every day!
Giveaways and contests
This a blogger quirk more than a bookish one, but I actually don't enter giveaways that much. I think it's down to feeling pessimistic about winning. I always feel like I'm not likely to win, so I don't even bother. It's kind of sad really since giveaways are great and it's wonderful that bloggers take the time, money and effort to hold them. And probably if I entered them more, I'd be more likely to win, so it's a self-fulfilling prophecy!
Intimidated by lots of comments
This is another blogger quirk of mine, and one that I'm working on - if I visit a blog post and see that there are already a ton of comments, I feel less inclined to comment as well (unless I have something I really want to add). If there are already a lot of comments, I feel like I'm not really adding anything interesting to the conversation - nothing that someone else hasn't already said, so I sometimes just try to find another post with less comments that I can comment on.
Blog tour posts
This is another one that I should work on, but so many blog tour posts that I've seen are promo content, and I'm not really interested in seeing chapter excerpts or book cover releases. That kind of content does not appeal to me. Author guest posts are better, but also hit or miss as far as interest. I do participate in blog tours on occasion so I know the whole practice has worth, but I think it would be nice to see more quality content on blog tours - like reviews and guest posts because I think it's easier to engage with that. I also feel bad saying that since who am I to be the barometer on the effectiveness of those kinds of posts? :o
Are there any shameful quirks you'd like to share? I'd love to know who else feels this way or of any of your own quirks!
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