Book reviews are the main feature of most book blogs. Book reviews can make or break a book. And everyone has a different system for reviews and ratings.
The discussion today isn’t on what you review or how you review, but when.
By this I mean, do you review books as soon as you read them?
Do you wait a bit?
If you review arcs, do you wait until the book is released or review right away.
If it’s an older book, do you review it when the author has a new book coming out or just when ever?
Does it matter when reviews are posted, so long as they are?
My personal preference, you may have noticed, is to schedule arc reviews for release date unless otherwise asked. That way, anyone who decides they want to read the book has the option to buy it immediately.
Older books tend to be reviewed whenever I get the review written, then scheduled to where I think it fits best.
I personally am fine with reviewing books a while after I read them, in fact, unless I have a deadline, I am nearly patently incapable of reviewing a book as soon as I’m done. It’s a pipe dream for me.
But what do you think? Do your reviews have a set day of the week/month? When do you post arc reviews? Why do you do things that way?
Let me know what you think!
RiverMoose-Reads 
I aim to get my review for ARC books up on publication day, as you said. With older books, I review as and when I have time to. I always write my reviews during my time of reading them, so they’re usually done by the time I’m finished with the book so it’s just a case of finding a good time to make them live on my blog 🙂
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We have a pretty similar system then!
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I think ‘reviewing’ and ‘posting a review’ are both different and lengthy discussions! Haha. In terms of actually writing the review, I think it’s important to do it as near as possible to having read something… That way it’s still fresh in your mind, you still know how it affected you. Of course, reflections on something after its had time to sink can sometimes be just as important, maybe you loved something because of the initial buzz but it quickly fades, maybe something doesn’t make sense until you think about it a bit later… These are things you can go back to, but I still think reviewing something while its fresh is best.
As for posting a review… that’s a bit looser. I think if the book is new, posting it on release is good, both for you and for your readers. For you, Readers are probably searching for that book anyway (since its new and going to have some buzz), and for those that want to buy it straight away it means its available. Win win! More hits for you, easier access for your readers! For older reviews, I think scheduling them where you have a slot is fine. Sure you could save them til there’s more buzz about that author (if they’re releasing something else, if they’re re-releasing that book, etc) but it might not be worth the wait compared to having a blank slot.
Good post 🙂 Brought up a lot of discussion in my head! Thanks for sharing.
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So glad you liked it. Thanks for your input!
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With ARCs, I always post them to Goodreads, NetGalley, and First to Read as soon as I am done reading them. The point of ARCs is to review them early so that people can decide if they want to read the book or not. With other books, it really depends. Sometimes I take a few days to reflect on the book.
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Cool. Makes sense.
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While I’m reading, I tend to have an ongoing review I’m editing in my mind, but I still like to sit on a book for a few days to let it stew rather then immediately throw down something right after I finish. I don’t like reviews looking rushed. Plus, some books require more mulling over and you never know when you might stumble upon something else (news, an article, another review, or a conversation) that gives you a new idea or angle.
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That’s always true!
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If I’m reading an ARC, and the publisher requests I wait to publish my review, I’ll definitely hold off. Otherwise, I have to write my review shortly (within a day or two) after I finish a book, while it’s still fresh, or I lose all motivation to do it. Plus, I usually have trouble moving on to a new book until I get all my thoughts out about the last one I read.
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Makes a lot of sense!
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I post reviews as soon as I finish a book. I need to get out all my thoughts and emotions before I lose a single thing! When it comes to ARC’s I usually post them about 2 weeks before the release. I’ve never had a publisher request that I wait so I try to get my thoughts out there before the release but not too far away from the date
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I tend to post reviews, even ARCs, pretty soon after I write them. For ARCs the publishers want your opinion early, and if you want your review to feature on the novel’s book jacket (which has happened) the only way to do that is to post your review quickly.
Otherwise, I tend to post a review every few days to keep my blog active. With older books, its just when I get around to writing the review. I have a book I read 2 months ago that I still haven’t written anything for – I do have notes – but I’m in no rush, especially with my Netgalley TBR getting out of control 😀
Interesting post!!
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The book jacket thing is really awesome. I hadn’t known that. And yeah, netgalley is always out of control. Glad you liked the post, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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I write and post them as soon as I can after finishing the book. I figure I’ve had enough time to reflect if it was good enough to finish.
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Makes sense.
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I usually post two or three days after I read a book, I try to post as often as I can, so my followers can tell that I’m still an active blogger.
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Makes sense!
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Most of my reviews get published about a month after I’ve read the book because I’ve been able to stay on top of that for a few months now. Some of my books get reviewed right away, but that depends on other constraints, like my undying love for it, the release of an adaptation, or the release of the book (if it was an ARC).
For ARCs, I try to post my review within three or four weeks of the release date now, but a few years ago, I used to do some crazy things like publishing a review two months ahead. My understanding with some ARC-review agreements is that some publishers ask you to not post your review until no more than a month before the ARC’s release date. To continue the question about when it’s okay to post a review, I get nervous about publishing a review of an ARC when we pass a month after the release date. I don’t know if there’s a rule for it, but that’s how I feel.
For older books, I post reviews whenever I feel like it. It helps renew interest in those books if you like it, and it can help the author.
Great post!
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I really like your system. Thanks for sharing what works for you!
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With Arcs, I try to post on release day, unless I have a scheduled date for a blog tour. With older books, I post when I have finished.
I have a system where I write out my reviews first on a word doc, so that I can save my thoughts as soon as I finish the book, especially for Arcs that may not be released for a few weeks yet. Of course, that doesn’t always happen, and I often find myself trying to write multiple reviews on the same day so that I don’t get to far behind with my commitments.
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Makes sense. Also, pretty realistic, I’m perpetually behind on things. Thanks for sharing!
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I usually try and review a book within a few days to a week of finishing it. While I am reading it and when I am done I write down my thoughts. I try and make a good and bad list. Then I give it a day or two and go back and review my notes and reflect on them before writing the review. I try to only review books that I liked as to not put out too much negativity on the internet (there is enough of that already). However, I do a lot of ARC and reviews in exchange for a free copy and I will give an honest review in those cases.
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Cool system. Thanks for sharing!
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I’m not systematic about when I post reviews of books I have read. I tend to post the review a month after I read it because other reviews and posts need to happen first. Sometimes I try to save a post for a more relevant or seasonal time. I am sometimes get it out fast or have very few posts scheduled ahead, so the book sometimes gets reviewed shortly after I read it. I don’t think it matters when you post a review because reviews help on the release date and well after. Particularly for well after, it can help someone else find out about it or decide that it might be worth a read after the hype dies down.
ARC reviews can be unique beast because the author or publisher may ask you to wait until a certain date to post the review. If I were so fortunate as to receive and read an ARC three months before the due date, I would schedule the review to happen within a month of the publication date or whatever the preferred timeframe of the publisher is.
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Makes perfect sense!
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