Almost every reader with internet access and a Pinterest account is familiar with book annotating. Book annotating nowadays usually involves writing notes or reactions in the book, drawing little pictures, and using tabs and highlighters to mark impactful quotes/moments. Although, seeing how advanced and detailed some people’s annotations are can be intimidating and discourage you from reaping all the benefits that this activity comes with. You may even be yawning at this blog post, thinking, “What’s the point?”
It seems like a lot of effort and time, which it can be if you decide to annotate that way. It also seems pointless, and scary. I have definitely felt this way before, and to this day, I usually don’t annotate by writing directly in the book because of the fear of messing up and ruining the pages. Although, I have recently begun annotating two books that I’m currently reading, and it’s been a freeing experience. I’m a beginner to this craft as well, so here’s my perspective on how to start book annotating in the most effective way.
This blog post is not meant to force you to write in your favourite books with pen or permanently alter the book in any way, unless you’re comfortable with doing so. I’m a firm believer in the idea that if you spent your own money on the book, you get to choose what to do with it. If you don’t want to annotate, don’t annotate! Although, if you’re curious, stick around for why I found annotating helpful and which parts of it I didn’t enjoy as well.
Annotating Pros and Cons: Why You Should or Shouldn’t Annotate
Annotating books can help you connect better with the text and understand underlying themes. Some say it helps them get more invested in the plot. Although, annotating can also take up a huge portion of time and slow down your reading pace, as well as distract you from actually reading. Maya from Medium states, “Some people might find this practice distracting and damaging to the book (myself included). But you can choose how you annotate, which will significantly affect your experience. Make it as expressive, or keep it as simple as you like.”
-
Jason Goodman – Unsplash Pros:
-
1. Improves comprehension: Writing notes or underlining helps you engage more deeply with the material, making it easier to understand and remember.
-
2. Makes reviewing easier: When you come back later to look back into the book, your annotations help you quickly find key moments and quotes that you may want to refer to.
-
3. Encourages critical thinking: Asking questions or making comments in the margins forces you to think more critically about what you’re reading. It’ll help you ask important questions about the plot and characters and you can better analyze the text.
-
4. Personal connection to the text: Annotations can reflect your personal reactions, emotions, or thoughts, making the reading experience more meaningful. You can get a lot more out of the book this way.
-
-
Cons:
-
1. Time-consuming: Stopping to highlight or write notes slows down your reading, which can be frustrating if you’re on a schedule.
2. Can be distracting: Focusing on making annotations might pull you out of the narrative or main idea.
3. Clutters the page: Too many notes or highlights can make the page look messy and harder/more distracting to read later.
4. Not ideal for borrowed books: If the book isn’t yours (library or friend’s), you usually can’t write in it. Although, you can find alternatives like using sticky notes and tabs to ensure you don’t permanently damage the pages.
5. Can lead to over-annotation: Highlighting everything defeats the purpose, it’s easy to go overboard with your annotating and realize you actually don’t understand anything about
-
Annotating Supplies & Materials
To annotate, people use a wide array of materials. Before you begin, you should check if the materials you choose to use will damage the book or not. Some pens can bleed through the pages and other pens have runny ink, which will lead to messy pages and make annotating more frustrating than fun. Here are examples of materials that you may choose to use on your annotating journey.

-
Pens & Pencils: For writing margin notes, underlining, or drawing symbols. Pencils are great if you want to erase and are scared of making a permanent mistake.
-
Highlighters: For marking key points. Consider using different colors for themes, characters, or important quotes. I’ll talk about annotating legends later on in this post.
-
Sticky Notes / Page Flags / Tabs: Great for adding notes without writing directly on the page. Also useful for marking pages to revisit.
-
Notebook or Reading Journal: For more detailed notes, reflections, or summaries that don’t fit in the margins. Making a scrapbook for your book can also be a fun activity.
-
Colored Pens or Markers: Helps with color-coding notes by theme, topic, or emotion. Make sure the markers don’t bleed through the pages by testing them out on a separate sheet of paper before using them in the book.
-
Ruler: For drawing neat lines or boxes around important passages. Also used for underlining quotes.
- Annotating Legends: Assigning specific colors to specific things that you want to look for in the book. For example, someone may choose to use blue tabs/highlighters/pen to mark their favourite quotes in a book. When you’re looking for something specific in the book, having a legend can help you find it quicker and organize your thoughts.
How You Can Get Started

To begin annotating, start by reading through the text to get a general understanding. Use tools like highlighters, notes, or symbols to mark key ideas, unfamiliar words, and your personal reactions. Focus on identifying main points, asking questions, and making connections. Ensure you prioritize quality over quantity, having too many annotations can be hard to keep up with and make the whole process.
Creating a legend is ideal when you’re annotating multiple different elements of the text. For example, you can assign the colour blue to highlight your favourite quotes, or use green sticky notes to mark pages with scenes that emotionally impacted you. You can choose to write your legend down on the inside cover of the book, or use a sticky note and place it in the cover instead. Ensure your legend doesn’t contain too many categories at first, since this will make the activity more frustrating and stressful than fun.
At the end of the day, annotating is supposed to be creative and enjoyable, meaning you can annotate however you’d like. This activity can be both stress-relieving and calming for those who enjoy it, so if you like to read, give it a shot!
TL;DR
- This blog post presents you with different ways to annotate books, and examples of materials you could use to do so.
- Book annotating is a creative way to engage deeper with your novel by marking important quotes, writing down thoughts, or using tabs and colors to organize ideas.
- While it can seem intimidating or time-consuming, it’s totally customizable since you can keep it simple or go all out.
- Annotating can help improve comprehension and personal connection to a book, but it’s not for everyone. If you’re curious but unsure how to start, this post breaks down the pros and cons of this activity, suggests beginner-friendly tools, and offers tips for getting started without placing too much pressure on yourself