My unintentional blogger blackout

I got my blog back, but my brief foray into promoting authors is over.

My wordpress.com blog (NOT self-hosted) was temporarily suspended for breaking WordPress TOS.

It was suspended because for the past two months while I’ve been neglecting my reading I have been taking part in a LOT of one-shot book blitz/book blast promotional-type activity. I figured that even if I wasn’t reading I could do what authors want us bloggers to do and still promote them, right?

FYI, WordPress prohibits the following:

Book tour blogs: Blogs that consist of scraped, pre-written content, as opposed to original book reviews, for the purpose of promoting books and driving traffic to other promotional and giveaway sites.”

So this was what I was doing. i was promoting the fuck out of authors. I was adding in buy links, as most of the tour companies demanded. Those promotional posts are what got me suspended.

If I was on Blogspot or self-hosted I would still be okay. I didn’t know about this rule for WordPress. I’ve been running my blog for over two years and only recently started taking part in tours because I know how much authors are supposed to appreciate us promoting and supporting them.

I didn’t want the pressure of having to fit in reading a ton more books into my already crippling huge to-read pile, so I signed up to all of the posts that required minimal effort on my part.

I’ve learned my lesson. I was going to take a break away from the blog for the rest of the year anyway. I’ve been thinking about self-hosting for a while. This was my call to arms.

When I start blogging again it’ll be with a brand new self-hosted blog.

OK guys, here’s the deal.

I’m not just a reader.

I have one full-time job, one part-time job, a new husband, two adorable cats who love snuggles, and on top of that, I try to find fulfillment in other hobbies apart from reading and balance a social life.

This blog is like another full-time job on top of everything else, and it’s one I don’t get paid for. I run it by myself, and I post almost every day.

I can’t keep up with everything.

freddy i've got to break free

To top it all off, I’m in a reading slump.

I have to take a break.

kitten faceplant

I don’t know when I’ll be back. Maybe December, maybe not until 2015.

You can still catch up with what I’m reading on Goodreads and Booklikes.

I still have two EverWorld books I owe for Project EverWorld. I don’t know when they’ll be published. Maybe on time, maybe not. I’m not committing to anything.

But I desperately need some time to recharge.

kitten expectations

So look after the kittens for me while I’m gone.

Nemo
Nemo

About Nemo

A lover of kittens and all things sparkly, Nemo has a degree in English Literature and specialises in reviewing contemporary, paranormal, mystery/thriller, historical, sci-fi and fantasy Young Adult fiction. She is especially drawn to novels about princesses, strong female friendships, magical powers, and assassins.

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6 thoughts on “My unintentional blogger blackout

  1. Brigid

    Laze away Nemo. Don’t stress out about it. Feel free to come back to reviewing when you feel like it. Sometimes life itself can be the cause of our book slumps. I’ve been binge watching Gilmore Girls. CAN’T STOP WATCHING. Holy crap it’s so good! I can’t believe how much I’ve missed this show. My suggestion: Gilmore everything during your book slump. Have fun on your break Nemo.

  2. Tez Miller

    It’s terrible that your blog was temporarily suspended. But it’s also reassuring that WordPress is against what authors/publishers want you to do – simply promote, with no independent thought.

    Anyway, it’s great to have you back 🙂 *hugs*

  3. kaetrin

    I love your kitty Gifs! So cute!

    As for the rest, it’s your blog, do what works best for you. If that means taking a break for as long as you want, posting once a week or once a month, do that.

    Good luck. 🙂

  4. Eilonwy

    I’m glad to see you haven’t lost all your posts after all. But wow, it definitely sounds like you need a break. I’ll be glad to see you again whenever you get recharged. Take care!

Comments are closed.