Interview with Mohd Faizan Fahim from Bookaapi Book Blog | Jo Linsdell

Interview with Mohd Faizan Fahim from Bookaapi Book Blog


Interview with Mohd Faizan Fahim from Bookaapi Book Blog



Welcome back for another Book Blogger Interview! This week my guest is Mohd Faizan Fahim from Bookaapi Book Blog





Interview with Mohd Faizan Fahim from Bookaapi Book Blog


Introduce yourself. Who are you? Where are you from? Where do you blog?

Hello everyone, my name is Faizan Fahim. I am a student, currently doing MBA in Marketing. I am from New Delhi, Capital of India. I am living here for my whole life.
I do blogging on my book blog, hosted on WordPress. Other than the blog, I post the review on GoodReads, I do have a Facebook page, and Instagram Account.
I make graphics for my blog and Instagram on Ms Publisher and PowerPoint.

Why and how do you blog? What made you start?

What made me start is the reason when I read a thread on Goodreads that they are deleting the negative reviews. There was a very big discussion on that GoodReads post, how GoodReads being unfair to the reviewers, so I thought, I should make a blog. And I did.
I used both now, GoodReads and Book blog.
At least I own my content and reviews now, GoodReads can have a part of it, but it is mine.
So, wanting to own my content make me start my own blog.

How long have you been blogging?

I am blogging for past 2 years, one year on wordpress.com, and then I brought the self-hosted plan of WordPress. It was so difficult in starting, with all theme and customizing, but we are readers, we can read and solve problems so that I did.

What advice do you wish you'd had when you started?

When starting, I filled up my blog with different widgets. There was a Twitter widget, and Facebook Page widget, Instagram Widget and also a Goodreads widget.
One day I thought about why I am making my blog so messy. So I started cleaning. Now there are not many widgets. My latest posts, and some ads.
That I wished to know earlier.
This is the advice I give to new book bloggers, keep your blog clean.

How much time do you devote to blogging each day/week/month?

I try to write at least one post every week. And if you see me some latest post, you will realise how much work I do in writing a single post. From creating good-looking graphics to writing a detailed article that would be helpful to the reader.
So yeah, it takes time to write a post.
Sometime even three days, because I don’t sit consistently.
I make time to do this between other works.
But I am thinking to give more time and post at least two posts a week.

How often do you post on your blog?

Already answered in Question 5 I think.

What motivates you to keep blogging about books?

Facebook Groups.
Let’s see.
I read the post on one of my Facebook Group that what WordPress Plugins a beginner book bloggers should use?
So I wrote the “Best WordPress Plugins for Book Bloggers” about this topic.
My Facebook book Blogging groups motivate me to blog, because they offer me the problem, that I solve.
And there are NetGalley ARCs that I like to review on my blog.
One more major motivation is the sense of creating something. It feels good when I see my published post.

Is there something you wish authors knew about your blog or blogging?

I don’t know what to say here…
I don’t have relations with authors or publication houses much.
They send me books and I review them.

What's your most popular blog post?

I am not a popular blogger, so there is no popular post.
But “Book Blog Post Ideas”, this post has more views than other posts.
I wrote a long post about what to write when you are out of ideas. 30+ Ideas, with an explanation.
Helpful for book bloggers.

Do you write reviews for every book you read?

No, that is not possible for me.
I write a review of only those books that I said I will review.
Like NetGalley book, and review Copies.
Other books I read, I write about them, not reviews, but Quote Post or Analysis of a Character or Situation.
I am trying to widen my book blog topics.

How many book reviews do you normally do a week?

One post, but that is not always a review.
But I am trying to write at least one review every week.

What genres are your favourites?

My favourite genre, this is my favourite question.
I like reading Y/A Fiction, teenage Stories, Coming of Age Novel.
I also like slow books. Slow books is not a genre, but I like books with prose.
Like Kate Atkinson, Carol Rifka Brunt. Fast books like Gone Girl, and The Girl on the Train, well, I want to protect myself from those type of books.
I also like reading short stories. Short stories say a lot of things in a few words.
Good writing is what I want from a book. Good writing with the Good story.
I don’t need lessons, motivations or jaw-dropping sequence. Give me a good metaphor, with prose, and sound story. That’s all.

What are you currently reading and why did you choose to read it?

I am reading Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I am reading it because a friend of mine said that I read crap and I should read some good fiction.
So my friend, who thinks reading y/a is idiotic, gave me this book.
But I am also reading a Me and Me by Alice Kuipers.

Do you have any plans for your blog in the future?

Yes, I am thinking of writing more, and make a helpful guide for beginner book blogger.
I am thinking of adding any of my friends to help with sharing on social media.
TBH I am not a planner, I do things randomly.
I also have to figure out that mail thing. I am a noob at that.
But it is a matter of time that I will solve that riddle too…



10 comments

  1. Lovely to meet you Faizan! Looking forward to checking out your blog.

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  2. I enjoy Faizon's lovely posts always so well done!

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    1. I agree. Faizan also gave some great advice here for other book bloggers.

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  3. Nice to meet you Faizon! Love the interview

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    1. Thanks for dropping by Shana. Glad you enjoyed the interview.

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  4. This was a great interview. I have just changed to a self hosted blog and while it was a lot of work and there is a lot to learn, I prefer it, and I also went for a far cleaner look.

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    1. I think this part was very useful advice for bloggers. It's so easy to clutter a blog with too many widgets. A nice clean look is more professional and easier to navigate.

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  5. Interesting interview. Thanks for introducing Faizan to your readers

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