Rocket Bomber - article - reviews - site news - BookNom.Net Book Review Summer Challenge

It’s an idea that occurred to me yesterday morning, before I had to go to work:

And that’s about as simple as I can make it — 101 Days, 101 Book Reviews.

Some clarifications and caveats:

Yes, I’m doing this for BookNom.net. It’s my other site, the one I just launched 3 months ago. I’m not posting this announcement over there because RocketBomber is my chosen venue for drunken posts of all types: from rants to data analysis [you wouldn’t believe how much beer that takes] — to bravura boasting and throw-down-style blogger challenges.

Yes, this is a Stunt. But it should be fun anyway.

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I’ll will now open the imaginary floor to supposed questions from theoretical readers:

Why are you posting this challenge here?

I answered in part above, but let me fill in some some more blanks: I personally would like to keep BookNom.net as focused as possible on its mission, with the possible exception of one tiny little fiction exercise just because Lissa’s art concepts for the site were, honestly, really damn good (I felt inspired) — but past the occasional instalment of an ongoing illustrated story: it’s all about the book reviews.

And if you all were reading BookNom, we wouldn’t need a summer publicity stunt, now would we?

I’m looking to bookstrap bootstrap new content for BookNom, build up it’s archives, and populate its tagcloud while also giving search engines lots of toothsome content to index, to increase the ‘nom’s profile and overall exposure. Even if I’m the only blogger who accepts the challenge, that’ll still be 101 new reviews—posted daily—and I think both I and the blog will be better for it.

Wait, is this actually a real thing?

Serious as a heart attack. Look, I even have a graphic:

Can I participate?

I *said* we have a graphic — ↑↑↑ — and that makes it a participatory web-like-thing, right? Am I right? Amirite?

I don’t write for BookNom, though. Is that a requirement?

Ah. well. [mumble, mumble] …no. [/mumble] – You could post to facebook, honestly. I’m not on facebook, so I couldn’t read your reviews, but use whichever platform you have

BUT your lack of participation at BookNom is a temporary handicap, a lack that can easily be fixed!

[shameless plug]

I’ve several resources already posted to BookNom, so take a look. When developing the concept and building the site, my first thought was to make it as easy as possible for my fellow bloggers — we all have a blog already (or two, or three) plus facebook, plus twitter, plus actual human contact and friendships and family and obligations and crap [should you insist… ludite] so BookNom is meant to be an extra — a place to review things that you still enjoy but which might not fit on your own site, and a handy platform to post synopses of previously written material that fit the BookNom mission [http://booknom.net/about/] and which could use a little extra exposure.

Drop me an email at either site — matt @ rocketbomber or matt @ booknom.net — and I can get you set up with a login [END /shameless plug]

What are the ground rules?

101 Days. 28 May to 9 September — Memorial Day Weekend [Saturday Next, in fact] to Labor Day — ah, those are the US holidays. …sorry, forgot to mention that. Kind of US centric as these are the laws and holidays provided to me.

Post One Book Review a Day.

That’s it.

I might go one step further and say that *I* certainly don’t plan to write long essays or analysis or much more than 5 or 6 paragraphs for each. At BookNom, I’ve proposed a ‘friends recommend’ review style — casual, to the point, & only the stuff you like.

Do I have to *read* 100+ books?

Only if you want to. Please feel free to recommend/review old favourites, though — especially if they’re books that you enjoyed.

Can I repost old reviews?

Hm. Tough call.

I’ll allow it, if
1. You wrote it for another site but said site is now defunct. In this case, I think you really should repost old reviews where someone can now read it. I’d almost call it an obligation on your part. or:
2. You merely link to an older post, but take at least a few minutes to revisit the work, explain why it’s still a good book, and put the old review in context. OR:
3. You find yourself in a situation where there’s just so much other fun stuff to do and you want to keep up with the Challenge but you need a ‘free pass’ and here’s this old review, just sitting there…

fine. So long as you post One Review A Day, I’ll give you 3 free passes to repost old reviews. But only 3. And you should feel guilty, and maybe feel compelled to make up for it with a truly fabulous new review when you have more time.

If it doesn’t start until 28 May, why bring it up now?

While I could just drop this on you alongside my first review [“Oh btw there’s this thing and I’ll be posting daily kthxbye”] well, at that point it’d be too late for you to join in.

I would have given you more than 10 days notice, but I just thought this thing up yesterday morning.

The other reason to give all of you a little advance notice is so everyone can start writing now. The Second Corollary to what I’d previously called The Tayler Principle [see note] is that if you need to post something once a day, you’re going to need a buffer.

Say you go gangbusters, write at least a review a day for the next week—and 2 each on your days off—by the time Saturday next rolls around you can post your first review and have ten or even 12 posts in the queue, ready to go should you slip a day or forget or whatever.

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I personally need the challenge, and the structure, and the deadlines — and a really good excuse to get off of my butt and actually working […or onto my butt, in a chair, at a desk, at the computer writing; but anyway…]

I love books, I have at least 30 things already knocking around the apartment that need to be reviewed, and another 30 that need to be read.

I’m looking forward to the BookNom.Net Book Review Summer Challenge, 101 days of books [Books I Love — or at least those I like, as I won’t bother to write about the bad ones] and while yes, I’m sort-of-joking and tongue is planted firmly-in-cheek:

I Dare You to Try It Too.