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Friday, January 10, 2014

Book Blogger New Year's Challenge of 2014 - What New Things Will You Be Doing This Year?

What New Things Will You Be Doing This Year?

I've mentioned more than one of these before in answering the various Book Blogger New Year's Challenge questions, but here is a list of things that I plan on doing in 2014. Or at least try to do in 2014.

Switching to WordPress: I've said this before, but even though Blogger is a decent platform, I'm pretty sure I've been straining its capabilities with the things that I've been making it do for this blog. I've figured out some workarounds to overcome its inherent limitations, but I'm reasonably certain that these workarounds are a stopgap measure at best. So I am going to switch to WordPress at some point this year, probably in April or May, since that is when I think I will have the time to make the switch.

Starting a Podcast: I and a few of my friends have been kicking around the idea of a podcast focused mostly on science fiction for a while now.We've done some preliminary planning, the only thing we really need to do is get our act together and begin recording and editing. I can't say for certain the date on which this will happen, but I am reasonably confident that we will do it in 2014.

Going to the Baltimore Book Festival: I've known about the existence of the festival for a couple of years now, and for various reasons I have not been able to make it to the event. This year will be different. I will be going to the Baltimore Book Festival which will be held on September 26th-28th this year.

Publishing My Fiction: Inside of almost every science fiction or fantasy reader is a science fiction or fantasy author trying to get out, and I'm no exception. Inspired by the example of my friend Sue London and her success with her Haberdasher series, I am going to try to get some of my own fiction published. Obviously, this is out of my control to a certain extent (unless I decide to self-publish may material), but I am at least going to get my work out there into some markets and see if anyone bites.

Going to the World Fantasy Convention: This is the most tentative item on this list, but I hope to be able to go to the World Fantasy Convention this year, as it is being held in Washington D.C. I have never been to this convention before, and its close proximity makes it very enticing. However, like the World Science Fiction Convention, this is a very pricey convention to attend even without having to factor in travel or accommodations costs (which I would not have, as the convention is close enough to where I live).

Eliminate My ARC Backlog: Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

Go to Day 9: What Cons or Events Do You Hope to Attend in 2014?
Go to Day 11: How Many Books Are On Your To-Be-Read Shelf?

2014 Challenges     Book Blogger New Year's Challenge of 2014     Home

14 comments:

  1. Nice list :) I too need to eliminate my ARC backlog because there are some pretty old ones on there.

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    1. @Becky B.: Looking at my ARC backlog is somewhat depressing, because I know I am so far behind in getting them read and reviewed.

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  2. I have started out this year by cleaning my arc's out as well, Well the ones on my kindle right now. Hope I can finish the ones I actually have on my shelf as well.

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    1. @Rev. Kim Justice: One of my review policies is that I generally don't review e-copies of books. Not because e-books are bad or anything, but simply because by eliminating that format helps to cut the number of ARC's I get down to a manageable volume.

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  3. I LOVE WP :) Def worth the switch :)

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    1. @Tabby: I have heard many glowing reports about WordPress. I just want to make sure that I'll be able to present this blog in a way that is similar to its current format.

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  4. I'm impressed. These are great goals. I'm not ready for any of them... lol. Good luck to you and I hope you accomplish all of them this year. :)
    Laura

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    1. @Laura Agnella: I'm not sure I'm ready for all of them either, but I'm going to try anyway.

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    1. @Terri M. LeBlanc: Thanks! If I do, I'll be sure to let everyone who reads this blog know.

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  6. You're going to love WP!

    Conventions are great places to network with authors and others in the industry. Keep your eye out, some conventions even offer writing workshops and pitch meetings with agents, publishers, and editors. A great place to market your unpublished work and your love for the genre!

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    1. @Andrea J.: Everything I've read and seen about Word Press tells me that switching to it is the right thing to do.

      I'm lucky in that I have CapClave so close by. It is a great convention for interacting with authors and editors in the genre fiction field.

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  7. Hooray for switching to WordPress! :) It's so much nicer and greater for controlling your blog!

    Podcasts are possibly also on my list. I haven't quite decided whether or not to do them because sometimes I really hate the sound of my own voice haha.

    - Farhana @ Digesting the Words

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    1. @Farhana Chowdhury: I need greater control of the format of the blog. I'd also like to be able to have more than the ten static pages allowed by Blogger.

      We've been kicking around the idea of a science fiction focused podcast for a while, and possibly a board game focused podcast (which I would only be a contributor to, as opposed to being the organizing force).

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