2017 Blog Resolutions

New Years is the perfect opportunity for me to take stock, not only of my own life, but also of my blog and what direction I want it to be going in. This time last year, I posted my very first set of blog resolutions for the new year. Overall, I think I did fairly well with my first full year of blogging. I certainly read a wide range of books and engaged with some amazing authors. Some of the goals I made last year became less important to me as the year went on. For example, now that I’m working full time, posting multiple times a week became an impractical goal. Instead I focused on maintaining a steady schedule of high-quality weekly posts. Now it’s time to start thinking about the year ahead. Here are some of my goals for 2017:

1. Expand beyond books. The Gothic Library will always be primarily a book blog, but that doesn’t mean I can’t talk about anything else! Over the past year and a half, I have occasionally dabbled in film, fashion, and a variety of events and activities from book festivals to ghost tours, all usually with some tie back to gothic literature. This year I plan to cover a few conventions, starting with Glimmerdark: Misfit Faerie Festival in February. I’ve also been toying with the idea of discussing some music, especially lyrics as literature or music inspired by gothic works.
2. Delve deeper into the classic Gothic novels. They are foundation of everything I talk about here on this blog, and yet I’ve only read a few of them all the way through. By classic Gothic novels, I mean the works that helped to establish the genre in the Gothic heyday of the late eighteenth and nineteenth century, such as the ones I mentioned in my post on the roots of Gothic literature. I asked for a bunch of these foundational works for the holidays, so expect to see some in-depth reviews and discussions in the future.
3. Make better use of my book-related social media. At Book Riot Live this year, I learned about a bunch of new and exciting social platforms like Litsy (@JuliaJOC15) and Bookwitty. I promptly signed up and then never opened the apps again. Come be my friend and help me figure out how best to use these new platforms. I also recently created a Pinterest for The Gothic Library, which I’ll need to remember to update. Follow my boards and let me know what type of content you would like to see there. And of course, the Gothic Library Tumblr has existed for longer than this site has, though I tend to neglect it apart from auto-posting my new blog entries. Which platforms do you use and where would you like to see more TGL content?
4. Interact more with my readers. That’s you! I want to hear from you; I want to chat with you; and in general I want to feel less like I’m shouting into the void. In 2017 I will focus more on encouraging comments on my posts, as well as adding more interactive elements like polls and giveaways. See my first poll at the bottom of this post!
5. Work more directly with A VARIETY of authors. This one is a repeat from last year, but with the added stipulation of variety. In 2016 I did some great author-sponsored giveaways, author interviews, and even a guest post—all with Victorian gaslamp fantasy author Leanna Renee Hieber, whom I love and adore. This year, I’m hoping to get to know some other authors, as well. Who would you like to hear from?