Hello everyone,
Today I have a discussion on a topic which has been on my mind quite often of late. As we have just entered a new calendar year, this is a time where many book bloggers have published posts containing a list of their most anticipated 2021 releases – some of them fairly lengthy. Also, on days where a whole heap of books are published, the entire bookish community on Twitter seem to be aware of it – except me!
That has led me to wonder about the ways in which people find out about upcoming books, but how they keep track of them. Shock alert, but if you asked me to name some books that are due to be released in the coming months, then I think I would seriously struggle to get to five!
It is possibly because I am just ignorant and much less proactive at seeking out new releases lol. I know all about some of the areas where I am failing and I shall touch upon them over the course of this post, but it has made me very curious to understand approaches that others take.
In light of this, here are some of the ways I may hear of a new release. It will also be good to compare these methods with those of my fellow bloggers!
Netgalley
I am perhaps assuming a lot of things in this post, but it seems pretty clear to me that a lot of book bloggers learn of upcoming releases and their publication dates via Netgalley. It is essentially a repository of all soon-to-be-released titles, and where we get most of our ARCs, so definitely one of the main places to look.
I opened up a Netgalley account in April 2020 out of necessity (I was taking part in a blog tour and the book could only be requested via Netgalley). In all the months since, I have only accessed the site about four or five times, making a handful of requests. I tell myself that the main reason for this is that I prefer to concentrate on the books that are already on my TBR.
The obvious thing to say here is that I would likely know a lot more about upcoming releases if I spent more time on Netgalley, but there have surely got to be other reasons why why I am slow at finding out about them.
ARC Reviews
As I hinted at the beginning of the post, the most common way I find out about a new or upcoming release is via other book bloggers who are much more on the ball than I am! I add a considerable amount of the books on my TBR based on the thoughts of other bloggers, so these reviews – from people whose opinions I trust – are really valuable to me.
Furthermore, blog hopping accounts for the majority of my interaction with books, besides reading them. Most bloggers indicate in the title of the post or within the text itself that it is an ARC, and they often include the publication date, which can often range between a few days or even several weeks after the review is posted.
For me, this acts as the most useful source of information for new releases.
Goodreads
On Goodreads you have the ability to follow an author, which allows you to receive updates should they post anything or have a new book due to be released. Also, by clicking on to an author’s profile, you can see a list of all of their published books including the ones that are yet to be published.
I can also potentially find out about upcoming releases based on the books which my friends on Goodreads have either added to their TBR or read as an ARC, which would appear on my updates feed. This is a relatively rare avenue for me, but I have discovered books in this way before.
Social Media
Being a part of ‘Book Twitter’ means that it is never too difficult to find out which books are receiving almost universal love and adulation at any given time (a current example being These Violent Delights, and rightly so!!), but I also hear a lot about everyone’s most anticipated reads or ARCs that other book bloggers have received through the post.
But perhaps a more likely way of finding out about upcoming books is by actually following the authors themselves. Information about their next book is often contained in a number of tweets as well as their bio, with an image of the cover as their banner. Potential solutions for me would include following more authors and publishers, but I feel like there must be a more efficient method out there than that.
I do not use Instagram or other social media, but I assume that many hear about new books on those platforms too.
Blog Tour Invites
Since the start of 2020 I have taken part in blog tours and I frequently receive emails or messages from the organisers with an invite containing the synopsis of a book and its publication date. Some of these books – especially those organised by The Write Reads, are either by popular authors or have received a fair amount of publicity.
Even if I decide not to take part, these invites represent an opportunity for me to find out about an upcoming book and certainly put it on my radar, and I see that as very useful.
Conclusion
In writing this post, I understand that there is a lot more I can do in order to be actively aware of upcoming releases. Some of these things are quite straightforward adjustments, but I still get the feeling that there is something I am missing.
When I read ‘Most Anticipated Releases’ posts by other bloggers, I wonder how they are compiled, and why I had no idea about most, if not all of the books on those lists. Maybe others are simply better at actively seeking out upcoming books?
Let’s Chat
How do you find out about books that are due to be released? Do you keep an eye on publication dates? I would love to know your methods if you do. Let me know in the comments!
Stephen Reads Books 