Book Blogger Friday with Kelly from The Bookscape Report

Indie Book Promo is happy to welcome Kelly from The Bookscape Report to the blog! She is participating in our Book Blogger Friday event. Like on other Fridays, the point of introducing Kelly to you all, it to help you find book bloggers who you can chat about books with. This is not an invitation to flood Kelly with review requests!

So, welcome to Book Blogger Friday and go make some bloggy friends!

IBP – Introduce yourself and your blog.

Kelly – I’m an assistant librarian and an MLIS student. I’m also a writer and am hoping to finish revising my novel within the next six months. Aside from reading, writing, and blogging, I love photography, basketball, gymnastics, tennis, soccer, music, crafting and cupcakes. My blog focuses on young adult literature, but I do post reviews for adult fiction and non-fiction every so often.

IBP – Do you see yourself as a voracious reader?

Kelly – Absolutely. I’ve been a voracious reader since I was a kid. It’s rare to find me without a book. I’ve been known to hide out during family get togethers so I can read, and 99 percent of the time, I stay up much later than I should because I’m reading.

IBP – How long have you been blogging?

Kelly – Roughly since 2010. I had a blog prior to 2010, but didn’t do much with it, and I’ve been blogging under The Bookscape Report since late 2010.

IBP – What made you decide to start book blogging?

Kelly – I really wanted to connect with other readers who love YA literature as much as I do. Out of everyone I know who reads, most of them don’t read much, if any, YA literature. Now, it’s a bonus, since blogging and keeping up with other book blogs helps me in my job.

IBP – What genre(s) does your blog focus on?

Kelly – My intent is to focus on pretty much any genre, as long as it’s YA. I prefer contemporary fiction over anything else, but I’m not picky. I’ll review any genre.

IBP – Has your reading tastes changed since you started your blog?

Kelly – Yes, definitely. I read much more paranormal and sci-fi/fantasy than I used to, though I still prefer low-fantasy to high-fantasy.

IBP – Do you post reviews on your blog?

Kelly – Yes–my blog focuses primarily on reviews. I post the same reviews on other sites, such as Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon when authors request it.

IBP – How many review requests do you get each month on average?

Kelly – It varies. I would say on average, maybe 5, but sometimes it’s more, and sometimes it’s less. I also receive books from two publishing companies usually a couple of times a month, since I’m on their reviewer lists.

IBP – Do you have a Review Policy or something similar?

Kelly – I do. I’ve found it necessary to have one, especially as I get more and more review requests. You can find my review policy here: http://thebookscapereport.blogspot.com/p/review-policy.html. It includes the types of materials I will review (young adult, genres, self-published, formats, etc.), as well as where I post reviews, what I include in my reviews, and other general guidelines

IBP -  Do you review Indie or Small Pub books?

Kelly – Yes. For a while, I contemplated not accepting self-published titles, but I found that despite my review policy stating I would not accept them for review, I was accepting them, anyway. In addition, one trend that I and other people in the library world have noticed is that self-published books are, in a way, becoming “the next big thing.” There are many self-published authors who are so successful, and I’m finding that it is too difficult to not accept self-published authors for review because self-publishing is becoming more and more acceptable, and more and more successful.

IBP -  Do you host guest posts or interviews?

Kelly – Yes! I love hosting guest posts and interviews. I do ask authors to allow me to read their book(s) before I send them interview questions, though.

IBP -  What information do you require when an author approaches you?

Kelly – Per my review policy, the information I require is: title of the book the author would like me to review, the name of the author (this is so important! I’ve received many review requests where the author’s name is not included!), the book’s release date, and whether or not the book is part of a series, and if it is, which number in the series it is. Other information I like to see in review requests: address me by name! I tend to disregard generic review requests that are sent to multiple bloggers. Also, showing me that you’ve spent some time looking at my blog goes a long way. I recently had an author send me a review request, and he congratulated me on having some of my poetry and photography published. While I will accept review requests that don’t mention that type of thing, I’m definitely more likely to accept a request when the author shows me that he/she has done more than just gotten my email address and sent me a review request. I’ve received a lot of review requests that aren’t for young adult titles, which I also disregard, since it shows that the author isn’t aware of what my blog focuses on.

It also helps for authors to include a blurb for the book they want me to review, but I don’t require it.

IBP -  How can we stalk you?

Kelly – Blog: http://thebookscapereport.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bookscape-Report/300812713292540
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4693944-kelly
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thebookscaperep