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December 22nd: What’s your blogging routine?
I am a big-time planner. This dictates how I blog.
I have a large spreadsheet where I keep track of each post. It coordinates with a Google Calendar that I use only for my blog. The calendar is a visual check to make sure I have something scheduled each day, with the spreadsheet keeping all the details. Here is a screenshot of my blog schedule spreadsheet.
I also use the spreadsheet to track up-coming releases that my blog reviewers and I want to read, regardless if they are purchased or review ARCs/copies. About every eight weeks, I search the catalogues of our most commonly read publishers and add upcoming titles to the spreadsheet. I also subscribe to favorite author newsletters and look for upcoming books on Facebook author groups. These all get added in the spreadsheet and eventually scheduled if a reviewer or I decided to review it.
The spreadsheet is color-coded. For example, the weekly Sunday Snippet posts are highlighted green, TMST posts are highlighted blue, and outside content like Author Guest Posts are highlighted yellow. I also use different text colors based on the reviewer.
I have a set of templates for the different types of reviews and posts. I try to at least get the template draft and basic framework for the week’s posts done on Sunday and Monday (for Monday-Sunday posts). This doesn’t always happen, and I have had some days when I am scurrying to get a post done the morning of the post.
Other than Jennifer, who does her own posts and lets me know when there are ready for final review and scheduling, my reviewers send me their reviews via email. I also have guest posts, Sunday Snippets, etc., which are sent to me by authors/publicists. Anywhere from one day to a week ahead of time, I insert the post text into the draft posts, format them to look nice, and get them scheduled for posting.
Even though I’m great at scheduling, I don’t read and write reviews weeks in advance. I’m usually finishing books within a week of the post date, so I’m really a last-minute reviewer/blogger in that respect. I’m actually writing this post on Sunday afternoon – so I’m a little ahead… lol.