How to annotate your very first book | Step by step beginner guide

[@cobo628]

I have watched so many how to annotate videos and tried it on a couple books, but this is the single most helpful video and I am excited to try again!

[@sweetteatohightea]

Love this - so glad you're giving it another go!

[@YellowChick-rp1ef]

Annotating is literally so fun... It's like recording ur reaction ... There's no perfect way to annotate just have funn

[@sweetteatohightea]

Exactly! There's no wrong way to do it. What's your favorite book you've annotated?

[@S.M.Owens_]

I love annotating for multiple reasons, but the romantic in me loves to think about my children or grandchildren one day reading my books when I'm no longer here and them seeing my annotations as they read the books for the first time and it would be like we were reading and experiencing the story together. I have a book that belonged to my grandmother, she is the reason I have such a love for reading and stories, and she annotated it for me after she found out she was terminally ill and it's my most prized possession. Anytime I miss her and want to spend time with her I read that book and the notes she made and it's like she is sat right next to me talking about what she liked and what she didn't.

[@sweetteatohightea]

This is such a beautiful sentiment - thank you for sharing! What book did your grandmother annotate for you?

[@MultiProudMother]

This!! I desperately wish I had my mother’s annotated Bible. 😢

[@poneegrl6735]

Not me currently annotating my first book and it's a contemporary fantasy that heavily focuses on a mystery 🤡 This is a super helpful guide, thank you for posting this!

[@sweetteatohightea]

Love this - you're going to learn so much about your own annotating style by diving into a complex book!

[@lexi9040]

Annotating a mystery could be so fun! You could use a tab for all the clues you find throughout the book. And as you read through, if you forget some clues you could just tab back to see what you’ve learned

[@artisticvirtuoso4501]

As someone who always struggled with annotating because of my autism -everything is important, thats why its in the book - I've been wanting to annotate my favorite book series for the things like foreshadowing and this video makes it seem so easy. Can't wait to get started.

[@carriepinkduck]

I agree 100%. Even in books I love, I don't think I could appropriately annotate.

[@juliegardner8884]

I loved how thorough you were with explaining what is worthy of annotating. Obviously that's going to be different for each individual. I enjoyed the live annotating session at the end as well. Thank you for this!

[@triphophoney]

I agree with many here that this is the best annotating video! I like how you broke things down step-by-step and how you neatly summarized those steps at the end of each part. It made things much easier to comprehend. I'm 51 years old and was an avid reader in my youth. I recently made a commitment to reconnect with my love for reading. I've got loads of books collecting dust on my shelves that need my attention! I've never annotated before, so with the help of your beginner's guide, I'm excited to try a more immersive style of reading, which as a fellow stationery junkie, gives me an excuse to acquire new pens, highlighters and tabs, hehehe!

[@sweetteatohightea]

Excited for you to give it a try - especially if that means new stationary!

[@cozyhobbytime]

I love how you explained everything. I'm going to annotate my first book since school now! Would also love to see a video on how you annotate nonfiction books?

[@99sydthesquid]

I love how thoughtful your videos are! I annotate mostly nonfiction and classics because I do it to help my understanding when it’s a more difficult book. Definitely something I took away from school even though I’m way past that timeframe lol

[@sweetteatohightea]

Thank you! I need to start annotating more non fiction books.

[@modestalchemist]

I learned to write in my books during school too. Teacher even encouraged it. It's helped me learn so much.

[@ashleyevalise]

This is absolutely the BEST annotating video on this platform. As someone who is still fairly new to annotating my books I always catch myself watching videos on how other people annotate to see if there is something different I can add to my system or understand it better but what I find is that people tend to repeat themselves so it's not really beneficial to me as someone whose trying to really learn it, ya know? But, this video actually broke it down and provided examples on HOW to annotate and WHAT to annotate and how to use the different techniques you see on so many social posts. Truly, thank you so much for making this video ❤ I feel like it finally makes sense and im not just annotating for the sake of it lol

[@sweetteatohightea]

So glad it was helpful! Would love to hear more as you annotate books and if there's any other types of videos that would help!

[@denisebattocchio-xb1eh]

the rereading through your annotations is so real 😮

[@sweetteatohightea]

Rereading them might actually be my favorite part of the whole process!

[@alaynes5513]

I'd love to watch you annotate more! I learned a lot, thank you!

[@Rachierooh]

The best video on how to annotate. Thankyou x

[@jennifersaetia3217]

Just wanted to share my appreciation for you sharing this video. I picked up seriously reading this year after not reading regularly since high school over ten years ago and fell into the world of watching booktubers too. So I’ve always been intrigued by annotating but intimated by not knowing how to actually do it. I know there are no set rules but the not knowing is scary. I watched so many videos trying to learn how to annotate that although were cool, didn’t really help. You’re the first person who has shown it in a way that makes me confident enough to start annotating. I love your deep dive into how to, why to, and what to annotate. Thank you!

[@mona891]

I loved seeing this guide on how to annotate more in-depth with an example. I feel so overwhelmed with writing in my books to begin with and this has made me feel like I can make it look beautiful and loved. I appreciate you taking the time do do this. I would personally love if you would make this a series where I can see how we annotated the same books. It’s an amazing idea. Thank you!!! ❤❤❤❤

[@sweetteatohightea]

That's a great way to think of annotations - they definitely make books feel extra loved! I think I will definitely add more book annotations to my content.

[@ginaharold6250]

I love how your books are organized by color! 😍

[@juliesiefke1173]

It looks absolutely beautiful, but I’d never find what I wanted. 😂 I need all authors together, all the genres together… A shelf (or 2) for Tolkien, a shelf for for Potter and Young Wizards, a cookbook section, non-fiction…

[@faithcantread]

I’ve annotated forever but I love watching these videos so much that I always have to watch. An automatic click lol

[@anon.7610]

Very helpful and very well-explained! I agree it's one of the most hands-on and clear demonstrations of annotating I've found. Thank you.

[@AYAN1487_YT]

Thanksssss because of you I have annotated my first chapter of Percy jackson and the lightning thief I can't stop thanking you you have started my journey

[@JerinAnjumMoushi]

I'm new to annotating world.I read books for a long time but never did any annotation.Recently I'm thinking to learn about it and from that day I'm trying to find some basic videos for beginners ( in annotation ) ,but trust me,I didn't find any,most of the annotation videos in KZbin are not beginner friendly ,It became so difficult to understand about annotation.Finally I found your video,and when I started the video,I didn't think much.But after finishing the video,I can say OMG ,finally I found a great video where I can learn from the beginning.Your video is so informative,and most importantly I watched the 45 minutes video without getting bored.Girl,I love your channel just by watching one video of your🌼💞.Thank you.Your new subscriber is here 🖐🏻💗🪷

[@sweetteatohightea]

I'm so glad you found it helpful! Welcome to the channel!

[@nicoleflores4338]

This has been the best beginner annotating video! Thanks so much.

[@Nika_Kyra]

Thank you so much for this video. I was always really scared of annotating my books because I felt like I had to get it perfect. And it also felt like everything was important otherwise the author wouldn't have kept it in the book... I now realised that I don't have to do everything and can start small. And that annotating for my own books and books for school is very different. The tip with starting with a book that you already read is such a good one!! It takes so much pressure away. Really thank you so much for this video you really showed that annotating is fun! ❤

[@sweetteatohightea]

I'm so glad it was helpful!

[@Jadefox-ev7qy]

OMG, I’ve always been anxious about annotating my books. I used to be an avid reader before life took over ,I want to start reading again. Love your channel , amazing tips. Could you please link your beautiful supplies? Thank you for sharing.

[@melchortaleza1893]

Thanks for simplifying, dissecting each process and explaining the basics :)

[@Amy-cq6jt]

Why annotate? 2:17 Supplies not to use 3:59 Techniques 14:13 Books to start with 21:07 Real time annotating 28:26

[@JesusLightsYourPath]

This will be my first book annotating but I'm not writing notes in it I'm just putting color coded sticky tabs in it to keep track of my feelings.

[@sweetteatohightea]

That's a great way to start!

[@RobertPlank]

I really loved this video! I never thought about how annotating can help me reread favorites without going through all those pages again. It’s like having a personal guide in the book! Also, I learned that using thinner pens makes a huge difference in keeping my notes clear and easy to read. The tab placement trick is genius too; now my books will look nice and organized on my shelf! I’m excited to try the color system for my tabs, especially the idea of having one for emotional moments. Can’t wait to dive into my first annotation journey!

[@sweetteatohightea]

Glad it was helpful - excited for you to give it a try!

[@littlestar8283]

Perfectly summarized all the answers I had questions for.

[@peppersware269]

Thank you so much for the info. Great video.

[@Triciajeanne98]

I have been looking for a good video to help me start annotating… every video I have watch has given me anxiety and turned me away from annotating… this one has helped me so much and made me so excited to start!

[@sweetteatohightea]

I'm so glad it helped - hope you enjoy annotating your first book!

[@aspartameindustry]

You don't have to annotate. You can enjoy a book just by reading it. I don't understand why everyone thinks it's good to write all over books. You're just making it so that copy can't be enjoyed by anyone else in the future in the same way you enjoyed it reading cleanly the first time. IMO it's just another consumerist trend to make people buy more stuff

[@nicolewhite1696]

I’m new here and loved every bit of it. Thanks please do more.

[@CocoRio]

I've never annotated a book. Thank you for sharing your approach in this "101" video. Subscribe and liked!

[@bobasaurirl7700]

id love more videos of you annotating. I love your writing

[@izzimi2728]

This video reminded me of how beautiful reading fiction is. Thank you. ❤

[@CozyBooks_Lattes]

Ah, the glitter gel pens! I had big plans for my pretty annotations and the book I ruined using them 😭 This was a great idea to mention what “not” to use! You popped up in my feed, loved your video this was so helpful. Subscribed! I have a book, craft & crochet channel. Come say hello if you like!

[@sweetteatohightea]

Hi, thank you and welcome! Your channel looks so cozy!

[@CozyBooks_Lattes]

@@sweetteatohightea Thank you so much! Your channel is cozy too, we have similar taste. Have a great week🤗

[@jaynobeanies7979]

I’m new to annotating and i have watched so many guides over the past few days, this was definitely the most helpful

[@livbee9453]

44:16 I’d love to watch and listen to someone go through their annotating process of a book, but legally I think you’d only be able to do small excerpts. An actor friend of mine tried to start a channel reading books aloud chapter by chapter while also filming the actual pages so you can see the text and got copyright strikes for it. She could only read books that were in the public domain.

[@sweetteatohightea]

Wow, I would have never known. Thank you for sharing!!

[@jukalono]

This is the first video I watched on book annotation, and I want you to know that you sparked an obsessive love in me! Seriously, I find your video so inspiring and helpul - and I absolutely love the sheer beauty of your annotating! Thank you for sharing such a helpful video and for letting us see your gorgeous work!

[@sweetteatohightea]

Thank you so much!

[@beckyduff]

Thank you for this video! So many great ideas. One thing I wanted to say was that with books, like a fantasy or any book with a lot of info, you can tab everything you think is important, then we get you further into the story (or even after you're finished) you can go back & underline/highlight/note what you found was important to remember. You can pick one color just for tabbing the "this might be important later" bits.

[@IvyGirl22]

this was SO helpful thank you!! i love your techniques for bracketing/circling/etc

[@sweetteatohightea]

So glad you enjoyed it!

[@ArcticBanshee]

I wanted to start annotating books that I read within the genre that I want to self-publish a book in, to study and break down how different authors write and arrange their stories, to get a feel for the story beats and when they appear. This video is going to help me a lot with that. Thank you. Subbed!

[@marys5299]

Found that the neutral mildliner set is awesome - more earth tones and not as in your face as other colours.

[@rudytoot100]

Have never annotated a novel and found your video to be quite inspiring! Excellent content and truly for “beginners”, which I greatly appreciate. Your presentation is easy to follow and understand and has great pace. Thank you for taking the time to create this video.

[@sweetteatohightea]

Thank you - so glad you enjoyed it!

[@aprilsmithswe]

For some kinds of books, nonfiction mainly for me, I prefer to go through and underline and circle and put exclamation points and circle page numbers and then, once I am done, I like to make notes, in a pretty and fun looking way, with all the things I learned and things that made me thing, and the like!

[@lillysummeroriginals1213]

I will say the purpose of your annotations is really important. For example, if you were annotating for an academic purpose what you were looking for is going to be different than if you were annotating simply for your own enjoyment. Informer you are most likely looking for important information while in the latter it is information you want to go back to. For the latter this information could very well be important but it also could simply just be a quote that you enjoyed reading would you want to refer back to in the future even if that quoteis not vital for the novel. Hope this can help

[@angelagordillo1806]

Thank you so much for this information. This was the perfect “how to get started” for someone who wants to annotate but has no idea where to start.

[@jessicatippett9868]

This is so helpful! I started and ended up feeling overwhelmed. Thank you for making this!

[@LindselleCreates]

I tried annotating but it got difficult with a baby and a toddler lol! But thank you for this video it was so informative yet we know annotating is so personal. I love the idea of highlighting quotes said by characters and underlining non dialogue! That is so smart and that is what I will be doing moving forward. ✨✨

[@sweetteatohightea]

I can definitely empathize with having a little one around making things more difficult! Excited for you to get back into it!

[@signatuscrafts]

Shout out from a fellow sharpie s-gel .38 user 👋. I like to use a different color highlighter each time for favorites I reread and mark the date with it in the front. I love making predictions in the margins so a mystery or thriller would be perfect for me to annotate. And I usually circle words I don't know and write in the definition. Loved your video! Definitely filled in some knowledge gaps for me! ❤

[@sweetteatohightea]

Love your different techniques!

[@letabond575]

Like how u organized your book shelves🤗

[@PowerInYourCurl]

Absolutely love this video. It is so informative and still not overwhelming. Thank you for making it so organized. Could you possibly link the supplies you do recommend and showed in this video?

[@sweetteatohightea]

I will link the items in the description here shortly!

[@t21girl]

I love this vid what amazing info and perfect explanation! Thank you

[@mtb1202]

Thank you for this beginners guide. I've watched many of attonation videos and this was the best yet. This book sounds good and I will have to add it to my list. Glad you shoed up on my feed.

[@sweetteatohightea]

So glad it was helpful!

[@carynsmith7806]

Thank you so much for sharing tips on annotating a book for beginners. I will definitely try your tips on my next book. Also, I would love for you to delve deeper by reading and annotating. It brought the passages of the book to come alive with your inner thoughts and comments.

[@sweetteatohightea]

So glad it was helpful!

[@niyaakbar1098]

I’m going to start by annotating my copy of Neon Gods since it’s my most hated DNF, I’ll have plenty to say about it and I’ll feel a lot better about learning to annotate in a book I don’t care about. I can’t bring myself to try on a book I really do love

[@sweetteatohightea]

Books that make you have such strong reactions are the best to annotate!

[@snehapradhan5591]

I've been watching a bunch of annotation videos since yesterday and this was THE best!! It is so in depth and you've given so many practical advice for beginners like not starting with a fantasy books and using pens sparingly. Gosh thank you so much! ❤

[@sweetteatohightea]

I'm so glad this was helpful!

[@Kayla-v7t]

Love the way you annotate and i would really like to see more annotating videos where you read it out loud and give your toughts on everthing just like the last bit of the video🥰

[@shemiahwalker]

You color coated you books . That's amazing 😮😮😮🎉🎉🎉

[@khinlamin4556]

Thank you so much. ❤❤ This is very useful. I can see your effort and intention. I have watched other annotating videos but I'm still anxious and overwhelmed to start. This video literally help me to be able to start annotating. I'll buy the supplies and start tomorrow.

[@sweetteatohightea]

I'm so glad to hear it! Excited for you to get started!

[@michellemanzanillo6494]

Thank you!! This video has been the most helpful out of all the annotations tips I've watched. I think I'm ready to annotate my first book. Thank you for the book suggestions. Loved it!!!

[@sweetteatohightea]

So glad it was helpful!

[@kacis8426]

This was so so helpful and inspiring. I’m going to annotate my first book now! Loved all your tips and I took note. But will definitely just have fun. Thank you for sharing! Very organized - you’re so clear with your messaging. Excellent delivery too. Public speaking prof here 😉 Couldn’t help but notice the skill on display.

[@sweetteatohightea]

Thank you! I'm so glad you found it helpful, excited for you to annotate your first book!

[@mdsagould]

This is the video I've been looking for! Thanks so much.

[@YarnGeek]

I’m trying to get into annotating so this is perfect. Would love to see a full video.

[@sweetteatohightea]

Love that, what book do you think you'll start with?

[@YarnGeek]

@@sweetteatohightea going to start with a favorite pride and prejudice.

[@fdetrius9154]

Exactly the video I wanted to watch :) Thanks for explaining everything in detail and for showing an example :) I'm going to try it out on my very next book :)

[@Indy-van-Salem]

I‘m an absolut beginner in the world of annotation. You’re Video was really helpful, I loved the live Annotation Part, that was really helpful. I think I‘m going to try the Techniques you‘ve mentioned with my first annotation tomorrow. How exciting.

[@sweetteatohightea]

Glad it was helpful - hope you enjoy your first experience annotating!

[@zero-player9424]

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I am just getting into annotating as another way to express my love of reading. You are a joy and you made this new journey less intimidating.

[@sweetteatohightea]

Thank you - I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@wendyhoward2699]

I would love to see a video on annotating. I really want to do this. Blessings.

[@kayhammock]

Your video came up on my feed. I've been curious about annotating and didn't have a clue on how to get started. This video was perfect! I read A Man Called Ove and when you mentioned Fredrick Backman that book came to mind. I may start with the romance though. Somerhing light and fluffy. More videos of you annotating would be great! ❤❤❤

[@sweetteatohightea]

Both would be a great option to start with, especially A Man Called Ove. I'd love to hear your thoughts after you try your first go at it!

[@CharlaniEveryday]

Thank you SO MUCH for this video! I can’t wait to implement all of this! This was perfect for beginners like me!

[@sweetteatohightea]

Would love to hear how your annotation journey goes!

[@vanessaboman8143]

I have done this for many years, I started on library books, that my mum had to replace when I was a child. I had no idea there was a name for this way of marking up my books. I don't use any particular supplies I just use what I have to hand I do add tags now more and more... Much I do in my bible. I do like to use sticky high lighters now. I got them from Amazon. But like you said it's up to us how we do stuff... I do use glitter pens now and then too... I do use very thin pens for writing in the tiny margins. I actually was alone in this journey as none of friends or family mark up their books, and most don't even write in their Bibles, all my Bibles are marked up, and I hope when I go to be with The Lord my family will enjoy finding me in my books. It's really great for me to see the younger generation enjoying reading and marking up... Thank you for a good video on this subject. Watching from across the big pond as you popped up in my feed...

[@iheart959]

Love love love this video!!! I'm a total beginner!

[@denna1545]

This was very helpful. Thankyou

[@goodieswithgrace1004]

This is such a great video! I was researching an easy way to explain annotation to my jr high students and this was perfect. ❤❤

[@sweetteatohightea]

So glad it was helpful!

[@keonblack1830]

Annotating is interesting and I want to try it, but I'm currently reading my cousins book which is fantasy so my compromise was to make my notes in a notebook, adding page numbers of the book and quotes and notes in it as well as my thoughts on it

[@JuliaMakenzie11]

I love these tips! I've always been scared of "ruining" my books by doing it wrong. I may try these tips with a second hand book or arc so i can figure out which supplies work best for me!

[@mikaellefigueiredoteixeira562]

Thank you so much, you help me to understand better the techniques. I rereading a book the I love and making notes. 😊

[@sweetteatohightea]

So glad the video helped!

[@Gotaluvpolish]

I have just decided to annotate and felt a little overwhelmed when I did research on what I need to do and use and how to do it all. I love this video because it give you things not to do because it didn't work for you and why it didn't. Thank you so much! What are you using to highlight now? You mentioned a neutral highlighter.

[@sweetteatohightea]

I'm so glad this was helpful. The highlighter I use is the TomBow marker in 910 or 761.

[@luckystamper]

Just found your channel. New subbie. This is the best explanation of annotation. Would love to see more.

[@AshwiniShettyOfficial]

This was helpful ❤ Especially for someone like me who likes things clean, some very useful tips...

[@pallor17]

I really needed this video...thank you so much!

[@terriesnow39]

I just found ur channel and love how u annotate and ur description how u do ur books. I’m new to annotating and want to buy ALL the books! 🤣. Thank u for sharing ur ideas. I didn’t read responses from others but I would LOVE to see ur videos of annotating! ❤️

[@sweetteatohightea]

Thank you - I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

[@faezehhaghjoo6872]

It was fun to watch and actually really useful thank you😊

[@mikaelalundberg6207]

Thank you so much for this vid! This makes it easier to get into annotating books (other than textbooks) ❤️

[@jessicah4631]

this is the best video I've seen on annotating, and I've watched a lot.

[@nanskugirl1762]

When it comes to gel pens, The MUJI gel pens work perfectly fine when annotating. I can Imagine other kinds of gel pens tho like u said dont necessartily work as well (especially the glitter ones ! hahaha) Maybe it depends on the tip size tho? I use 0.5, but m,aybe 0.7 and up would be more inconsistent like u mentioned?

[@sweetteatohightea]

I'll have to try out the MUJI ones - thanks for the tip!

[@Deeareads]

Yes, I would love to see you annotate and say your thoughts out like the example in this video!

[@ShawnaRadRN]

Your hair is gorgeous

[@racheltichy6406]

Loved this!! Just found you and thought this was fantastic!! Going to show this to my teens that have to do some annotating for school too.

[@sweetteatohightea]

So glad you (and hopefully your teens) found it useful!

[@zombifiedninja4665]

as a huuuge fan of the murder mystery/ thriller genre, i really love annotating them. they usually contain weird information and they often also talk about topics like justice, grief, etc. also, i dont like annotating about romance books. they just contain nothing for me to annotate about. but hey, to each their own!

[@dolliebops7402]

I really enjoyed this video. It was very informative, I really liked your presentation style and I’m in love with your book shelves 🥰 thank you so much xx

[@Mithrandeer]

What supplies do you recommend ? I’m super new !

[@sweetteatohightea]

I'm going to try to link all my supplies in the description - stay tuned!

[@Sallyannestitches]

Thank you so much for this video, off to get some supplies 😊. More annotating videos please xx

[@xxDebbyx]

Please keep doing the annotate of this book in a video, I want to start doing it soon but I do not like to write on my books at all, just my name and date I started reading... So if you do more of those videos, and continue with this one I am sure I am going to just want to do it! Love your explanations and exemples.

[@ba_samsoum]

Have you thought about trying transparent sticky notes?

[@xxDebbyx]

@@ba_samsoum I did but I think I would need a bigger sticky note to do so and find a pen that will not stamp the other page. :x baby steps over here.... But I am starting to think that I would be making the book my own and not damaging it 😄

[@ba_samsoum]

@xxDebbyx there are sticky notes that are full page sized. I don't personally use them. I just thought I'd suggest you start with those until you can do more. I also had a hard time annotating at first. I was thinking, what if I want a reread? I would want a fresh experience. What if I lend the book to someone. But once I started I think I like it, maybe? not sure yet. Highlights are a big NO for me personally, but I am able to underline passages and write on the margins... with a pencil.

[@xxDebbyx]

@@ba_samsoum I do think I am going to start that way or maybe just using the tabs and have a journal to write down the page and my thoughts… whenever I start I will let you know 😊Thank you for being so kind and helpful 😘😘

[@ba_samsoum]

@xxDebbyx I wish you the best darling 🩷🌹

[@aquarianfog]

I love your library 😍

[@aquarianfog]

How do we not have more subscribers here?? Awesome content and very well done!

[@sweetteatohightea]

Thanks so much!

[@tiffany_sant]

Omg! Please read and annotate in videos, it would be so relaxing!

[@BooksCatsandBathBombs]

I loved this, you broke this down into manageable pieces and I feel not as overwhelmed. Thank you!

[@Wooweemama]

this video is amazing, thank you!

[@MingyusGurl.18]

Thank you so muchhhh ….. I really needed this . I was so confused on how to do this

[@joannaed77]

You explain that so well thank you very much❤