1. When did you start blogging?I started blogging a little over five years back on an impulse. My blog started with a random name and has come very far since. I did not have expectations that anyone would read my words and it was a pleasant surprise when people did. My blog now is starkly different from those first couple of years. Everything from content and aesthetics to direction has changed.
2. What are your favourite genres to read?
My top genre is romance. I started reading adult romances in my late teens and slowly fell in love with the genre. It is my comfort genre that I always reach for on a sad day. I also enjoy good literary fiction and fantasy. Literary fiction is so fun to read and annotate, and obviously, fantasy is brilliant.
3. Best book you've read so far this year?
I simply cannot choose one haha. So allow me to choose two.
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko! It’s a really good fantasy that honestly sets new standards for the genre. It’s unbelievable that it is a debut novel because it is written so well and has great world-building. I highly recommend it!
Drag Me Up by R. M. Virtues. It’s a Hades and Persephone retelling romance with a lot of world-building (more than the average romance book). It totally delivers on characters, relationships, steam, and plot.
4. What social media sites do you use most to spread the word about your blog posts/to network with the book blogging community?
Twitter and Instagram, mainly. I also use Pinterest and have been trying to use it more lately but it’s a work-in-progress. I’m mostly comfortable on Twitter, though. Somehow promoting my blog often there comes easier than on Instagram. It’s also easier to network with bloggers from multiple niches on Twitter. I think it is better because all content is searchable and has the potential to reach new audiences. Instagram is not that good for it.
5. What do you wish you'd known about book blogging before you started?
Many things! For starters, that there is a book blogging community. I used to randomly post anything, including posts that were like diary entries. It took me a long time to switch to book blogging and only after that did I find the book blogging community.
Another thing I would have liked to know was to not overshare. I used to share so much under the cloak of anonymity and kept most of those posts up even after I revealed my identity. Privacy, especially for minors, is very important.
6. What is the hardest part of being a book blogger?
Being recognized lesser than other book influencers even though we are the backbone of the community. Book bloggers work just as hard and, in many cases, spend money on our platforms for domain name, hosting etc. But the publishing industry has been noticing other platform creators much more even though theirs is short-lasting content while ours is long-lasting content. Our work is almost thankless work because we’re expected to promote and do our best for free. It’s one of the reasons I like to have diverse content and not stick to books because it’ll just disappoint me.
Other than the lack of attention from the publishing industry, I also feel like we are undervalued by other bookish content creators as well. I’ve seen multiple instances where other bookish content creators simply don’t consider bloggers when discussing things. It is highly demotivating because we’ve been here from the start and we are the only ones who own our content but we are not considered in most cases.
7. What are your goals for your book blog? Do you have any plans for your blog in the future?
Ever since relaunching my blog, I have grand-ish plans for the blog. The blog has grown to include a mailing list and a resource library. I am also looking forward to monetizing my blog in little ways, at least. It takes a ton of work and it would mean a lot to be recognized through sponsorships and monetized work.
One lasting goal from many years is to keep my blog diverse in content types. I don’t want to be only a book blogger. My blog shows all of my interests in one place and I want that to continue.
8. How often do you post to your blog?
I post about once a week. I used to post thrice a week but that frequency is not friendly with a full-time job and doesn’t help me make every post a great one. Now, I spend all week working on one really good post and I’m really happy with my content.
9. What's your most popular blog post?
It’s only been a few months since I got a new domain so my new site has only a few posts on it. The most popular is my post on How to Annotate Books When You’re Reading For Fun. It is somehow getting a lot of views from search engines and is my most popular post every day.
10. What are you currently reading and why did you choose to read it?
I’m currently reading These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever. A friend of mine (through the book community!) absolutely loves this book and lent me his hardcover to read. I’m in a slump right now so it’s not going fast but I’m definitely enjoying it. I love the writing and the characterization of the main characters. I’m obsessed with seeing depth in characters and this book has that in spades. The characters have been formed so well.
