On the Books: How To Keep Track of New Releases
I think that, as readers, one thing we can all agree on is that there is never enough time to read all the books we want. No matter how much we read, there will always be more books. It’s a pretty excellent problem, honestly, to have a never-ending supply of something that brings you joy. But a big question that a lot of readers have is how to keep track of new releases.
The majority of new releases come out into the world every Tuesday. It’s like a holiday every week! Let’s start with a brief look at how to find out about them, because there are a lot of ways to find out about upcoming books.
How To Find Out About New Book Releases
Book Riot has several great ways for you to find out what’s coming up and coming out. Here’s great advice on how to keep up with new book releases, how to find new LGBTQ releases, and how to find upcoming book releases by date. You can also follow the All the Books! podcast, where we discuss new releases for the week, sign up for the weekly New Books! newsletter, and check the site every Tuesday for the New Releases post. You can also join Book Riot Insiders at the Epic or Novel level and get access to the New Release Index, a calendar where we list the most exciting upcoming releases of each month.
Another great way to find out about new book releases is, well, me. I know, the hubris, right? But all of my jobs deal almost exclusively in new and upcoming books. I read 500+ books a year, co-host the All the Books! podcast, write the New Books! newsletter, and work on the New Release Index. I am usually reading books six to eight months early, but sometimes even a year in advance. And I wave Muppet arms about them on my Twitter and Instagram accounts (along with an abundance of cat pictures.) I am the Meryl Streep of new books!
So these are great ways to find out about new releases and upcoming titles. But how do you keep track of all those enticing new books you want to read that haven’t been released yet? I have several suggestions for ways to keep track of upcoming books, many of them methods I employ myself. Partly because I like to be thorough and partly because I am a nerd who can’t resist a list or spreadsheet. Because anything to do with books is an epic nerdpurr! I am sure one, if not several, of these ways will work for you.
How To Keep Track of New Releases
Google Calendar Reminders
I don’t know about you, but I have so much happening on any given day that I need help from calendar reminders. They pop up on my desktop and my phone every day. So you can certainly set reminders for a book or two (or 50) that you’re interested in reading. Just set it and forget it! Your calendar will take it from there.
Goodreads
Goodreads gives you the option to make lists, so if you have a Goodreads account, you can mark an upcoming book as “want to read.” And then you can create your own categories for the upcoming releases. You can do “upcoming releases” or “January 2022 new releases.” Or get as specific and creative as you want, like “upcoming June 2022 releases by authors who have the letter ‘H’ in their first name.” Go wild, it’s your account.
Preorders
If you’re big on buying books that you’ve been anticipating, a great way to make sure you get them when they are finally available is preorders. You can call your local bookstore and place a preorder, and then down the road you’ll get a call or email that your book is available. It’s like it’s your birthday! And if you’re like me, you’ll have forgotten you made the order, so it’s a real bookish surprise. Thank you, past me.
Library Holds
Another simple way to make sure you get the new releases that you want to read when they come out is to put them on hold at your library. And as long as the book is listed in their system, there’s really no such thing as too early. So many other people also use this method, so do it as soon as you hear about the book. Otherwise, you’ll be number 2043 on a list for the new Louise Erdrich on the day it’s released.
Journal
Old-fashioned, but nerdy and fun. And who among us doesn’t already have an enormous blank journal collection? It’s also a great excuse to buy that fancy one you’ve been eyeing.
Screenshots
I find this to be a really effective first step in keeping track of new releases. Whenever I see a book online, whether using my phone or my computer, I take a screenshot. Then, when I have a bit of time, I go through the photos and add them to my lists. It’s great when I don’t have time to stop and mark it down.
New Release Index
Remember the curated Book Riot Insiders calendar I mentioned earlier? You can bookmark any of the upcoming titles you’re interested in and automatically have a place to check for books in the coming months that you want to read.
Spreadsheets
I use a Google Doc and add every title I find to it by month. (It currently has about 3500 titles, tee hee.) But you can also make a spreadsheet to keep track. You can label them by month, or use the sort options to find the titles you’re looking for in a pinch.
Whatever method you employ, I hope you’re enjoying your reading life and all the happiness it brings!
