If you have been wondering where my April Book of the Month Predictions are, I am going to fill you in.

A year ago, I started posting Book of the Month (BOTM) predictions. I had been good at informally guessing what books would show up as BOTM selections; so, I decided to share them with the world. But I am considering no longer making BOTM predictions at all. The last few months, I have been struggling to find any joy in making the predictions. As a result, it is hard for me to constitute the amount of time I put into them with researching, crosschecking, creating the actual post, and adding my thoughts. After all, it is time I could be reading or doing other things I enjoy.

So how did I get to this point? Why are they no longer fun? I think I have pinpointed a few possible causes.

As I previously mentioned, creating my predictions and ensuring that they are the most accurate ones out there takes a lot of time. And right now, I do not feel like I am getting anything in return. While a lot of people have managed to find them through Instagram, Facebook groups, Reddit, or an internet search, those people are not sticking around. People will visit this site or my Instagram feed to look at the predictions, but they never follow me/subscribe, engage with the post, or take a look at other posts. As someone whose Bookstagram in particular has been EXTREMELY slow to grow, it is frustrating. In this world of social media and blogs, the only real currency (outside of actual money) to support a creator is likes, follows, and comments. So when I see tens of thousands of people reading my BOTM predictions every month but do not see ANY comments or growth, it feels like the work I put in is being discounted or not appreciated.

Second, increasing numbers of people are making BOTM predictions. And I am fine with this; I am not here to gatekeep. However, people are posting predictions earlier and earlier. Literally, some people are posting them for the next month the day after BOTM posts selections for the current month. For example, if BOTM makes April selections available on March 30, people are posting predictions for May on March 31. This puts a lot of pressure on me. I feel like I need to post predictions earlier and earlier. In turn, my brain wants to do it less and less. Consequently, I feel burnt out and stressed from the pressure to create predictions a month ahead of time.

So what do I do? That is what I am currently trying to figure out. I can of course just no do them or take a break. But that also stresses me out as the completist I am. I could cross my fingers and hope some people read this and decide to support me. I have also thought about making this site or my predictions a very cheap subscription for monthly access. I have seen other book creators do this for their newsletter, reviews, etc. If I were to adopt this practice, I would at least have a little bit of compensation for my time. For now, I am going to take some time to think it over.