Kindle Challenge Update--January 2021

 

(Image source) 

It was a wonderful surprise to open my email from Amazon with a Kindle Challeng in January. My goal is to read 35 books in 2021 and track my progress on Goodreads. So far I have finished 9 electronic book and 10 physical books. Earning badges still reminded me of National Novel Writing Month. 

I earned 9 badges out of 12. I was not going to unregister my Kindle device and risk issues with syncing my account, and I missed reading two days, so I did not earn the Read 30 days in January badge. Since I missed two badges, I did not earn the badge Overachiever because I did not get all of the badges for the January Challenge. Oh well.

 

My Earned Badges are as follows:

(Earned) Bronze Reader: Read 7 days in January

(Earned) Silver Reader: Read 15 days in January

Gold Reader: Read 30 days in January

(Earned) Goal Setter: Create a reading goal for 2021

Easy on the Eyes: Register a Kindle E-reader device

(Earned) I’m a Fan!: Follow an author

(Earned) Book-in-Hand: Purchase any Kindle eBook from Amazon

(Earned) Kindle Unlimited Reader: Borrow any title from Kindle Unlimited

(Earned) Series Starter: Start reading any series title

(Earned) Quitters Day: Read on January 19^th, the day most people quit on their New Year’s resolutions

(Earned) Finisher: Complete any Kindle eBook in January

Overachiever: Earn all available badges in Kindle Challenge

 

I will keep reading regardless. 

What are your reading goals for February 2021? How are you doing with your overall reading goals for 2021? What are you currently reading?

 

 

 

Kindle Challenge

 

(Image source)

It was a wonderful surprise to open my email from Amazon with a Kindle Challenge. My goal is to read 35 books in 2021 and track my progress on Goodreads. So far I have finished one electronic book from the library. I am intrigued with the Kindle Challenge quests. It reminds me of earning badges during National Novel Writing Month.

 

My Badges are as follows:

Bronze Reader: Read 7 days in January

Silver Reader: Read 15 days in January

Gold Reader: Read 30 days in January

Goal Setter: Create a reading goal for 2021

Easy on the Eyes: Register a Kindle E-reader device

I’m a Fan!: Follow an author

Book-in-Hand: Purchase any Kindle eBook from Amazon

Kindle Unlimited Reader: Borrow any title from Kindle Unlimited

Series Starter: Start reading any series title

Quitters Day: Read on January 19^th, the day most people quit on their New Year’s resolutions

Finisher: Complete any Kindle eBook in January

Overachiever: Earn all available badges in Kindle Challenge

I shall give an update in February of my progress. What are your reading goals for January 2021?

 

 

Reading Goals for 2021

(Photo Source)

I am amazed at how much I read this year, over 100 books. I was not expecting to read very many books for fun because of my required reading for grad school. Since I have read many more books than I expected, I hope to finish the year strong with a couple more books before midnight on the 31st.

2020 Reading Highlights in no particular order:

• Several by Jason Reynolds (so many good ones, it's hard to pick one)
• Radical Compassion by Tara Brach
• The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin
• Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley
• Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley
• Sing for Your Life by Daniel Bergner
• The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
• Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker
• The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
• Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
• Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist
• The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
• Nothing Was the Same by Kay Redfield Jamison
• Trauma-Informed Treatment: The Restorative Approach by Patricia D. Wilcox
• The Wounded Healer by David Sedgwick

Books I intend to reread:

• How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
• White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
• Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit by Mary Frances Winters

I shall set my 2021 reading goals to include the books I want to reread, as well as another reading of The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. It is a book I have reread several times. 

What books do you intend to reread? What are your reading goals for 2021?

Q: What Are You Reading? A: Antiracism Books

(Racism Scale: Where do you fall? source: https://racismscale.weebly.com/)

"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot." –Stephen King

It is vital for writers to read. The best writing advice I have ever received was to read everything I could. One hundred books of what I wanted to write.

It is important in these times to educate ourselves on the meaning of words. What is individual racism? What is systemic racism? Are we using these words correctly? Do we truly understand what these words mean? Click here for more information on racism definitions and explanations. 

I am still learning, and as a writer, editor, and reader, I read to learn. What are you reading today? Currently on my nightstand are: White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism  by Robin DiAngelo, So you want to talk about race by Ijeoma Oluo, and Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad.

There are articles online, book lists, and sources available here to find book titles, authors, and more to learn about #WeNeedDiverseBooks and how to be antiracist. Here are a few.

 

The Antiracist Reading List

35 Must-Read Books About Racism

5 Black Children’s Authors and Illustrators You Should Know

A Diverse #SummerReading List For Kids

1000 Black Girl Books Resource Guide

Black Books Matter

AICL’s Best Books of 2018

Revisions to Racism in Books

28 great Black History Month books for kids

24 Children’s Books to Read to Your Kids In Honor Of Black History Month

75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice

158 Resources to Understand Racism in America

Books by or About People of African Descent

 

Check out OA’s recent blog posts on how you can support #WeNeedDiverseBooks

 

Authors and Videos of Support #WeNeedDiverseBooks 

Support Black Lives Matter

This blog post is part of a series called Q: What Are You Reading? by Suzanna Anderson on Operation Awesome. Please note that this book list is not comprehensive. This list is a starting point, an introduction to Antiracism titles. Suzanna reads a book and usually finds at least ten more books to read. Use this list as inspiration to check out titles at your local library, support your local bookstores with purchases, or wherever you get your books. Please do read, share, and write reviews (if you want to). Comment below what you’ve read and what you’re excited to read next!

What are you reading?

T is for Think Like a Book Marketer #AtoZChallenge

The #AtoZChallenge 2017 Theme at Operation Awesome is the Publishing Journey.

Authors spend most of their free time in their characters’ point of view. In order to think like a book marketer, consider a book marketer’s point of view. A book marketer’s job is to reach the people who are most interested in your book, and persuade them to buy it. As I’ve said many times before, writing is art but publishing is business and marketing is part of that business.

The problem for many authors is that they view their book as they view one of their children—beautiful and wonderful and loved by all. Of course, authors feel this way. They’ve labored for years and invested their heart and soul into their book.

The truth is, not everyone is going to like your book.

Marketers seek to find a niche market and go after it. They aim to reach the book’s target audience and so should you. That means admitting that your chick lit romance will not be everyone’s cup of tea. You must refine who your audience is. What gender and how old are they? What media and social media outlets do they use and how do they get their information? What do they do in their spare time? Where are they spending their money? How do they usually buy their books? As anti-intuitive as it sounds, you need to narrow your audience to reach your audience. Less is more.

By honing in on your target audience, you spend your time and resources on endeavours that actually reach the specific audience who is interested in your type of book. So, take off your author hat and put on your business hat. While your passion for your book can surely be a great tool in your marketing toolbox, it can also get in the way. Your book is a product with a specific audience. Put together social media posts that appeal to them. Go to events and conferences they attend. Find bloggers and podcasters who your audience follows.

Now, go find your readers!

* * * 

Melinda Marshall Friesen writes sci-fi books for teens and adults. Daily, she removes her author hat, and dons her business hat as the marketing director at Rebelight Publishing Inc..