Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Top Ten Blogging Tools

Today's Top Ten Tuesday is:

*Top Ten Tuesday* Top Ten Things That Make Your Life As A Book Blogger Easier

  1. Goodreads - Before I started blogging, I was writing reviews on Goodreads and it naturally led to blogging!  I LOVE Goodreads and always check out prospective reads there before I go anywhere else.  I especially love Goodreads Shelves - they make life so much easier!
  2. NetGalley - When I first started blogging, I assumed that I would need a huge following before I'd have access to any ARC's or free books for review.  Then, I found out about NetGalley and thought, "What the heck, I might as well try it!"  I was shocked to be accepted for almost every book I requested.  Now that I have a bigger following, my only problem is not requesting too many books - I need to get to them all!
  3. Blog Tours - I really love participating in blog tours.  I almost always try to review, but sometimes it's nice to throw in a spotlight post or a book blitz to make my life easier.  I REALLY love it when blog tour hosts provide me with HTML.  All I have to do is make some minor adjustments and add in a bit of my own flair (or add in my review or other info).  What could be easier than that? 
  4. My Kindle - I wasn't much of a Kindle reader before I started blogging, but most review copies come in eBook format, so it's kind of a must.  I still love paper books, but I've come to really appreciate my Kindle as well.
  5. The Library - Even though I do a lot of blog tours and NetGalley reviews, I still really love to read paper books.  But I hate to break the bank (and my bookshelves) by buying every new book I want to read.  The library is a wonderful place!
  6. Rafflecopter - Rafflecopter is the best thing since sliced bread.  I mean it.  It makes giveaways so darn easy!!
  7. Google Calendar - I don't know how I'd survive as a blogger without a good online calendar.  Absolute necessity as far as I'm concerned!  (Although even with a good calendar, I'm still a procrastinator!)
  8. Twitterfeed - I'm not much of a Twitter user, so I have to admit that I wasn't really even putting my posts up on Twitter.  But, recently Roxanne over at Bewitching Book Tours introduced me to Twitterfeed - it automatically posts for me.  Problem solved!
  9. Scheduling - Sadly, it wasn't until relatively recently (maybe a month or so ago?) that I realized how to schedule my posts.  I know it's pretty obvious, but I just hadn't noticed that option over there.  Boy, is life easier now that I can schedule ahead of time!
  10. Bloglovin' - I LOVE Bloglovin'!  Yes, there are lots of other feeds out there, but Bloglovin' is the only one I pay all that much attention to.  It just seems so easy to use - it sends me an email with new posts and I can easily scroll through the newest posts at Bloglovin.com.  Oh, and I LOVE that I get an email for every new follower and it's so easy to follow back!
  11. Other Bloggers - Yep, I know that this is #11, but I couldn't leave this one out!  Not only do my fellow bloggers have a wealth of information, they are a fun bunch of people who I love interacting with!  
So, what's helped you the most with your blogging?

Comments (12)

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I've yet to try Rafflecopter but NetGalley is pretty cool with lots of shinies. I almost feel like whipping out the sunnies when I visit :)
My recent post Top Ten Tuesday: Making Blogging Easier
1 reply · active 603 weeks ago
LOVE NetGalley! It's hard not to request every book I see!
Scheduling is a lifesaver! I didn't have to do it until exams but I have been using it a lot lately and it saves me so much time and energy and worries. Great feature.
And same for Kindle and Goodreads, love both!

My TTT
1 reply · active 603 weeks ago
Yes, scheduling makes life SO much easier!
Thanks as always for a good post with helpful advice. Okay, I will admit my newbie-ness. How do I get scheduling for my blog? I hear about it, but don't know how to do it. Thanks in advance, Nicole!
2 replies · active 603 weeks ago
If you are on Blogger, there is an option for scheduling on the right hand side of the new post (under Labels). I'm not sure how to do it if you're on Wordpress (which it looks like you are?) Fellow bloggers, can anyone help??
Thanks so much!! I learn new things all the time!
Goodreads led me to blogging too! Gotta love it!
My recent post Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Things That Make Your Life As A Reader/Book Blogger Easier
1 reply · active 603 weeks ago
LOVE Goodreads! I am on it multiple times per day.
I couldn't live without Goodreads, either!

I love your blog design. :)
My recent post Top Ten Tuesday 8.20.13
1 reply · active 603 weeks ago
Thanks for the compliment! I love the design too (although I really want to figure out how to make this middle column bigger - I'm working on that!) I can't take any of the credit - it was created by Lena.
I agree about scheduling - I have to have a schedule on days to post reviews or I know I'd be completely scatty about it and nothing would ever get done! I'm THE worst for procrastination

- Allie @ Little Birdie Books
My recent post Review: Forbidden {Tabitha Suzuma}

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