Introduction

I have already read a 2022 release. I do not actually plan on reading no new releases this year. (If you plan to read no new releases this year, please sound off on how and why in the comments!) Making such a commitment would go against my fundamental principle of reading whatever I want whenever I want.

Lest I be called out for clickbaiting – let’s emphasize the ‘what if’ part of this question. That ‘fundamental principle’ I mentioned above is often aspirational. I try out different strategies every now and then as I attempt to optimize my reading approach. The titular question stumbled into my mind one evening as I contemplated 2021 books I never found the time read. So allow me to address “What if I don’t read any 2022 releases this year?” as a thought exercise.

Backlist Value

I started blogging seriously about books in 2014. Two events of note happened that year: I completed an English degree specializing in children’s literature and the hashtag #WeNeedDiverseBooks took off. Translation: I was well-versed in kidlit up to that year, and that year proved to be a turning point in children’s publishing. I focused on new and forthcoming releases that offered fresh perspectives which had previously been denied in children’s publishing. I added many new books to my TBR and raced to read them because those new books offered stories we had never seen before in middle grade fiction.

No longer do I feel that running to keep up with new releases is the only way to access diverse perspectives. There will always be more new books featuring excellent diverse stories than I can keep up with. And in 2022, I now have plenty of backlist titles on my TBR that also offer excellent diverse stories. (To be clear, I mean ‘diverse books’ as in ‘books that differ from one another‘.) Books published five years ago (2017) vs. books published five years before I first started book blogging (2009) differ greatly from one another. I don’t need to keep running ahead when there are now so many great titles behind.

An additional thought on the value of backlist reading crossed my mind when I recently DNF’d The Wolf and the Woodsman. By waiting until some months after a book has been published, you can avoid some of the ebbs and flows of hype. I imagine I was able to approach The Wolf and the Woodsman with a clearer mind, coming it at from a more balanced and neutral perspective, than if I had tried to read it at the peak of its hype.

The backlist has more titles of value to me now than it did in my earlier years of book blogging. (Also, I can dodge some of the effects of hype.)

Marketing Machine

At times, I feel like a marketing machine. Tweet this, read that, review here and there, and onto the next book. More often than I wish was necessary, I have to remind myself why I started book blogging – to share my thoughts on the books I’m reading. Not to stay ahead of the curve. Not to learn about new releases. Not to promote books that I’ve enjoyed. I strive to keep my focus on reading and enjoying books. That focus can be easily lost when I feel the allure of new and forthcoming titles.

The idea of not reading any 2022 releases came to me as a way to hit the marketing machine breaker. The machine feeling especially kicks in when it comes to anticipated new titles. We all know how important visibility and sales are in the early days of a book’s life. Sometimes I feel pressured to rush and read and promote a title I’m excited for, instead of just enjoying the story. And then I may feel a bit disappointed when I don’t get a new release right away, like I’m not ‘doing my duty’ as a book blogger.

Just because I feel this way occasionally doesn’t mean I think these is a ‘correct’ way to feel. Not sure how to phrase this but – There are so many books! You can boost them any time! No one can support every great book all at once! I am reminded of this when I see big bloggers reviewing backlist titles and I catch myself thinking, “Wow, So and So hadn’t already read that one?” But they’re just reading books and reviewing them as they like, and it still makes a difference in that book’s visibility.

[Update after post publication: Krysta @ Pages Unbound posted yesterday “5 Myths About Book Blogging“, including points related to new releases and ARCs, so that is another relevant post you can check out.]

(Another small critique I have of the marketing machine vibe [which is slightly tangential to this post]: I’m not keen on hyping books before I’ve read them, which seems to be something that happens a lot in the online book community. Focusing on new releases includes the pressure to do that.)

So again, I need to refocus on reading and enjoying books. A frontlist title does not have more inherent value than a backlist title, at least for me. Focusing on picking up books to enjoy at my own pace and letting go of any need to turn on the marketing machine should result in me naturally boosting books I’ve loved, instead of running the promotional hamster wheel.

Not reading new releases would allow me to feel less like a cog in a marketing machine.

ARCs

I recently read two great posts about ARCs from a book blogger’s perspective. Caitlin @ Realms of My Mind published “Blogging to Get Free Books: Sometimes Necessary, Not Evil“. Amber @ The Literary Phoenix published “Five Reasons I Kind of Hate ARCs“. Caitlin acknowledges the advantages ARCs provide; Amber highlights some of the disadvantages. There’s plenty one can say in a discussion about ARCs! For this post, I’ll focus on two points in particular.

ARCs exist solely as a marketing tool. For book bloggers, they can be a critically important way to access new releases. Moving reminded me how long it can take to get ahold of new releases, depending on public library access. Acquiring an ARC can sometimes be the only way to read a book I genuinely want to get to in the year that it’s published. If I request an ARC for a book I’m keen to read and I’m approved and that book is great, then hooray, that’s a wonderful experience. If I request an ARC for a book I’m keen to read and I’m denied or the book isn’t great, then boo, that’s a dreary experience. It can be a risky game when it comes to requesting ARCs (which by their nature are all new releases).

Additionally, ARCs come with deadlines. I realize that may be a contentious assertion lol but the purpose of an ARC is to boost and review the book up to its publication date. Such deadlines can turn a potentially enjoyable reading experience into a dreary one by transforming reading into an obligation. That’s the tradeoff – you receive a free book before publication date, you read and review that book within a certain time period. This is not always a negative experience. But as I noted, if the ARC you’ve received turns out to be a book you’re less than excited for, it can be painful. This is one of the reasons I generally only request books I was already interested in and planning to read anyway. (For context, I would like to note that so far I have requested four 2022 releases on NetGalley and been approved for three.)

ARCs have value, but they can also turn reading from a joy to a chore.

Conclusion

And now we have come to the crux of this discussion! Because the question “What if I didn’t read any 2022 releases this year?” is really a larger question in disguise: “What do I value most when it comes to my personal reading choices?”

Kathie @ Bit About Books wrote an inspiring post on this question back in November (“What Are My Reading Values?“). I don’t have an answer to that greater question for myself yet. I have felt unsure of my values for a few years now. I was getting close to finding them at the end of 2020 but I lost the thread in 2021. I think it’s a challenge for me because my values and/or priorities seem to be always changing. But I feel addressing this ‘smaller’ question and reflecting on a focus on new releases a good step forward.

This is not an exhaustive post; I likely have further musings on this topic. That’s enough from me for now. Now, it is your turn. I would love to hear your responses to these questions.

What factors do you consider when choosing which books to read?
How do you approach requesting and reviewing ARCs?
What do you value most when it comes to your personal reading choices?