How becoming a book editor has changed my reading life! Burnout Discussion (Dealing with burnout as a book editor/beta reader)

Hey everyone!! I hope everyone is doing well! Today, I wanted to post something a bit different. I wanted to do a discussion post about this topic, because I’ve been dealing with this a lot lately. I feel like I need to get this off of my chest!

Basically, I feel like ever since I became a book editor five years ago, my reading life hasn’t been the same, and it has gone downhill. Just like with all of my posts, this is going to be raw and completely honest.

I want to be super realistic here. I want to show people that being a book editor sometimes isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Don’t get me wrong, I love it! I love being a book editor, and wouldn’t want any other job in the world. I love editing books, I love reading books, and I love meeting/helping authors. It’s the most fulfilling job I’ve ever had! But, there are some downsides to it, that I want to share with you.

I was always a big reader! I’ve been reading since I was a little kid! Even in middle school and high school, I used to devour book, after, book, after, book. I would read about a book a week, and around 4-6 books a month. Even after high school, I used to read that much. I used to read around 50 books a year!

Ever since I became a book editor in 2020, my reading hasn’t been the same. I could never put my finger on why. Did I lose my passion for reading? No, of course not! Are newer books just not as good as older books? This may be the case, but I’m not sure. I’m still trying to figure this out. I think being a mood reader, has really made reading tough for me lately. Most of the time, I can’t figure out what I’m in the mood to read. Also, my mood changes everyday, so it’s hard for me to stick to one book right now.

I think burnout is the answer. When you’re reading several hours a day for work, it gets tiring. I feel like most days, I do want to read after work. I mostly read at night. There are some days, where I don’t feel like reading, and I’m too tired, so I do my other hobbies, like listening to music, etc. It’s frustrating, honestly. I also can’t finish books as quickly as I used to. I think being a book editor, made me become a slower reader. When I was younger, I used to read a book in a couple days, or a week. Now, it takes me like 2 weeks or longer to finish a book. I don’t mind it if it’s a book I love, but I don’t waste my time on average books anymore. Being a slower reader is annoying, because there’s so many books I want to read. I can’t catch up/keep up with new releases either. I’m still reading books I bought like 3-4 years ago. I get jealous sometimes when I see people in the book community read like 100 books a year! I try not to compare myself, but sometimes, I wish that was me. I only finish like 1-2 books a month now. I would love to be able to read 50 books a year again, but that hasn’t happened in years. I also struggle to finish a lot of books nowadays because I’m such a picky reader now. I don’t mean to be negative. I just want to be completely honest here, and show you the realistic side of working in the book industry. I know it depends entirely on the type of job. I want to end this post on a positive note. So, here’s some tips for dealing with burnout as a book editor:

1. If you’re dealing with/feeling a reading slump coming, just embrace it. That’s something I’ve learned to do recently. I get into reading slumps all the time now. Instead of forcing myself, I just take a break from reading. It does help to take a day or two off from reading.
2. If you’re not in the mood to read, then don’t read. I have some days where I’m just not in the mood to read, and that’s ok! You don’t have to feel guilty about not reading. You also don’t have to pressure yourself to read a certain amount of books in a month/year. I decided not to do a reading goal/challenge this year. I don’t want to be pressured to read, because it’s not fun. Reading is supposed to be fun and relaxing, not stressful. I’m not reading as many books as I want to, but I feel better about not forcing myself to read.

I wanted to post this discussion, because I never hear anyone talk about this. I’m sure many people can relate to this. I want to discuss this topic with you. Do you experience burnout? Has becoming a book editor changed your reading life too? Do you have any tips for how to deal with burnout? Please leave me a comment down below! I would really appreciate it! Thanks so much! Have a great day!!