As the online book community grows, Readathons are becoming more and more popular. Readathons are events during which people read books to fit particular prompts or genres in the allocated time given (this can be anything from 24-hours to a month).
Readathons are a fantastic way to focus your reading and to help you become a more active member of the community. However, participating in a Readathon can feel a little intimidating and can take a bit of organising. This is where this guide comes in!
Whether you are participating in a 24-hour, weeklong or monthly readathon, this survival guide will help you to get the most out of your participation.
Plan Ahead
If the Readathon has prompts or is dedicated to a specific genre, it is always a good idea to look through these before the Readathon starts. This can help you in planning your reading ahead of the readathon. This could mean setting a TBR, or if you are a mood reader, putting together a list of books that fit the prompts or genre.
If you are anything like me and struggle to stick to a list, don’t panic, because chances are, if the prompts are broad enough, you will be able to read whatever you like and see which prompts fit after you finish the book.
Audiobooks are your best friend
Sadly life gets in the way of reading sometimes, and it might feel almost impossible to find the time to sit down and dedicate time to reading. This is where audiobooks are useful. If you haven’t started listening to audiobooks yet, readathons are the perfect time to start.
If you find that you’re busy during the readathon but still want to take part, you can listen to audiobooks while completing those menial but necessary tasks. You can listen to an audiobook on the way to work, while you’re doing the laundry or even while cooking!
Make friends!
Usually, a discord group or a group chat on another platform is set up for readathons. If the readathon is hosted by a YouTuber, sprints are usually hosted during the readathon too.
Actively participating in a group chat or in sprints will allow you to talk to other people about what you’re reading and to get recommendations. This will get you a lot more excited about the readathon and will also motivate you to read more.
Have fun!
Most importantly, have fun! It can be easy to get carried away and put too much pressure on yourself to complete all the prompts and set unrealistic goals for yourself. At the end of the day, readathons are supposed to be fun. If they stop being fun for you, take a step back and ask yourself why you’re taking part in the first place. The likelihood is, you’re taking part to have fun and feel like part of a community.
No one is checking up on you and it does not matter if you don’t complete all the prompts. Read what you want, DNF books if you’re not enjoying them, and most of all, have fun!
Mairead Morgan @maireadreads
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