For the last 13 years, The
Underground has been a book review blog -- my own little slice of the internet where
I could share my thoughts on the books I’d read -- but that’s not how things
started. I originally created this space in 2009 to record the ups and downs of
my publishing journey. It’s where I scribbled down my thoughts on new
publishing trends, where I celebrated getting an agent, and commiserated about
my book failing to sell. After parting with my agent in 2012, I decided to take
a step back from writing, though I couldn’t let go of the publishing world
entirely. Slowly, this blog shifted into a promotion space, where I tried to
help both authors and readers connect over their shared passion. I treated
every review like a mini book report – I analyzed plot, characters, writing
style, what worked and what didn’t, all in an attempt to keep my skills sharp,
so that when I returned to writing, I would be ready.
Through the years, I got the
chance to connect with a variety of authors and industry professionals. I worked with publicists at Big 5 publishing houses who connected me to authors
like Soman Chaini (The School of Good and Evil series) and Carter
Roy (The Glass Gauntlet). I received numerous ARCs, which included Lauren
Oliver's Vanishing
Girls, Wesley King's OCDaniel,
Deb Caletti's A
Heart in the Body of the World, as well as hybrid books like Between
Worlds, which integrated 'augmented reality' technology through a connected
app. I've worked with a variety of indie authors, like Eliza
Green, Cornelia
Funke, Dani
Hoots, and many others. I worked with indie publishers, like Slug
Pie Stories, as well as book promotion companies, like Rockstar
Book Tours and YA
Bound Books. These connections ultimately led me to new opportunities, like
working as a sensitivity/authenticity reader for Scholastic.
And it has been a blast.
But the time has come for me to
move on. Reviewing books has taught me so much about the craft of writing, but
the itch to create has been nagging at me for many years now. It’s time to
prioritize my own creative pursuits, in the hopes that someday, others will get
the chance to return the favour and review something that I wrote.
So, The Underground is
transitioning back to its original form – a blog where I can catalogue the ups
and downs of my publishing journey, and a place for me to record my thoughts on
the industry as a whole. That’s not to say I’ll never write another book review,
but they’ll be occasional, one-off affairs, where I focus on celebrating the
books that blow me away, instead of critiquing everything I read. I’ll also post short, opinion-based reviews on Goodreads, both good and bad, so if you’ve
enjoyed my take on books, feel free to give me a follow there. I’d love to have
you.
Finally, I’d like to thank you,
my readers. It’s been a pleasure sharing my love of books with you. Whether you
stopped by often, or stumbled through here once out of curiosity, know that I
am grateful you took the time to click through. Sometimes running this blog
could be a lonely affair, and it often felt like I was shouting into the void,
but every once in a while, a reader would leave a comment, or re-tweet my
reviews, and it brought me joy to know that people were connecting with what I’d
written.
I’m not one to ask for
engagement, but if this blog happened to benefit you in some small way –
perhaps you found your next read, or learned something from my analysis, or
found enjoyment in my cheesy puns – then please, leave me a comment and tell me
about it. It would mean the world to me to know that my efforts benefited you
in some way.
Thank you again, and I hope you’ll
join me in the next phase of my journey.
Cheers,
Kyle
