Last summer we launched the first-ever Cybils Awards Idea Boards using padlet.com. Our goal: create a place where readers can share their favorite recent reads.
- Books they can’t stop talking about.
- Titles they want other readers to discover for themselves.
- Books they think might have some award-worthy potential.
The Idea Boards turned out to be not just a place to share great reads, but also a place, come October, to find nomination ideas in genres that may be outside one’s normal reading choices. So guess what? We’re bringing them back! You have books you love, we have a place to share them: Cybils Awards (cybils_awards) (padlet.com).
Summer means more free time to tackle that TBR. It is also the perfect time to launch our 2022 Cybils Awards Idea Boards. Keep reading to get the details, instructions, and the full list of links to each Idea Board.
First Things First
Let’s put the fine print up front, shall we? The Idea Boards are a community resource. Like that bulletin board in the coffee shop where you can post stuff that you want other people to know about. The boards are NOT in any way, shape, or form, related to the nominations process. That begins in October and is a completely separate process.
The Idea Boards are for readers, not author promotion. We love you and wouldn’t exist without your creations, but the Idea Boards are not the place for you to add your own book. If you self-add, we will remove it.
Books recommended on our Idea Boards must be published between 10/16/2021 and 10/15/2022. More importantly, they must be consistent with our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) guidelines. Any book that is inconsistent with the Cybils Inclusivity Initiative will be removed.
There is no more anonymous posting. If you want to add a recommendation, you will need a padlet.com account. It is free. If you don’t want to create a padlet.com account but still want to recommend a book, then email Terry at cybilsawards [at] Gmail [dot] com. Include the book title, ISBN, and book review URL (if you have one). She’ll get it posted for you.
While there are no limits on how many books you can recommend on an Idea Board, we do ask that you limit them to your “most favorite-ist,” not every book you’ve read over the last 3 months.
How To Add Your Recommendations
These instructions are included on each Idea Board, but we thought it might be helpful to have them here, too.
First, go to the #CYBILS2022 Idea Boards main page. [Link goes to padlet.com]
Step 1. Open the Idea Board with the category that corresponds with your book.
Step 2. Select the ➕ sign from the bottom right or along the timeline.
Step 3. Be sure to check out the “Then read these tips” card. If a category has a “subcategory” you’ll find info on how to let visitors know who the right audience for the book is.
Check out these Pro Tips …
A. Do a quick search to see if the book you want to add is already there. A simple keyword search [Control + F] will do the trick. Saves you time if the book is already there.
B. Use Goodreads.com to get the ISBN. You can also copy the Cover Image link from there.
C. If you reviewed the book, include the URL in the description. That’s a great way to get people to visit your blog or review site.
D. Add your Twitter or Instagram handle. We’d love to re-share some of your favorite reads on our social media.
In the timeline view, Padlet’s default is to have all cards above the line. To see more recommendations quickly, use your browser’s zoom feature. Changing the screen view to 75-80% is usually enough to get the books to stack above and below the line.
How to Resize Your Screen
The Idea Boards
Bonus Pro Tip: Bookmark this page or the Cybils Awards padlet set to have one-stop access to all of the Idea Boards. That’s especially helpful if you read lots of genres and don’t want to have to find each board individually.
Board Books | Fiction Picture Books | Easy Readers & Early Chapter Books
Middle-Grade Fiction | Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction
Young Adult Fiction | Young Adult Speculative Fiction
Graphic Novels | Nonfiction | Poetry
Any books added to the Idea Boards do not perpetuate harmful racist, gender, and sexist stereotypes. Should you identify a book that is inconsistent with our Inclusivity Initiative, please use our feedback form to let us know about it.