Blogging: Top Tips for Book Bloggers
Book Blogging Tips and Tricks
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Etiquette and Tips for Book Bloggers
I've written a lot of posts over the years giving advice to book bloggers and about blogging in general. It's one of my passion topics and I love sharing the tips and tricks I pick up as I go along in my own blogging journey.
Here's just a few of the posts you might like to check out if you're interested in being a book blogger or are looking for ways to improve your own book blog:
For this post I wanted to share tips specific to book bloggers. As I've given a lot of technical advice in the past I thought I'd keep my own top tips to the not so technical aspects.
1. Only read what you want to read.
Being a book blogger you can feel pressured to read all the hyped books and keep up with all the latest releases. Trust me, you won't be able to. It's just not possible.
Whilst it's nice to read ARC copies and actually know what all the "hip kids" are talking about, it's not realistic to think you can read them all and not necessary either.
Older releases deserve attention too. Different genres deserve their time in the spotlight. Reading is a personal experience and no book is for everyone so pick the books that appeal to you.
If everyone seems to be talking about an amazing fantasy book that'll be released soon but you 1. hate the fantasy genre, 2. haven't been given an ARC or 3. don't have the budget to buy a copy as soon as it hits the shelves... well that's all fine. Don't read it. Spend your time reading something you actually enjoy and want to read.
2. You don't have to read a huge number of books to be a book blogger.
There are book bloggers out there posting reviews almost daily and I'm always in awe at how they find the time to read them all. Don't get me wrong, I applaud anyone who can read that amount of books in such a short space of time. That's not me and that's OK.
We all read at our own pace. It's not a competition. We all have our lives to live and everything that comes with that. Some of us are just plain busy most of the time and don't have as much time as we would like to sit and read. If you read one book a month or twenty you can still be a book blogger.
Now feels like a good time to point out that being a book blogger isn't just posting book reviews.
Looking for blog post ideas? Check out these posts:
3. Be yourself and have fun.
This is probably the most important piece of advice of all. Whilst there is nothing wrong with being inspired by other book bloggers (I highly recommend visiting other book blogs) you need to bring your "you-ness" to your blog. It's the things that set you apart and make you stand out that will lead to your success. Be your own unique self and embrace what makes you different from all the others out there.
By being authentic and bringing your own personality to your blog you're much more likely to enjoy doing it too. It should be fun after all.
Now I've given you my 3 top tips for book bloggers it's time to pass over to other book bloggers so they can share some advice with you. I reached out to some of the book bloggers in my community and asked them to give me their own top tips for book bloggers. This is what they had to say:
Working with publishers
Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. They can't say yes if you don't ask! Make sure to include all the information they need about you in the email to improve your chances: social media stats, why you love the author/book you're emailing about, your postal address if asking for a proof copy. If you don't get a reply (publicists are busy!) or it's a no, don't let that put you off in the future.
Book Tours
If you're going to take part in a lot of blog tours then make sure to note down the date of your future blog tour post as soon as you arrange it/sign up. Blog tours can sometimes be arranged months ahead and it's easy to forget what books and tours you signed up to for. Keeping the dates of upcoming tours listed in either a diary or even a notebook (either online or physical) of the book name and date you're scheduled for can really make it easier for you when the tours happen, helping you to plan ahead what books to read and when, as well as being more organised and feeling less stress when it comes to blogging in general. :)
Set Boundaries
Have a clear goal for why you blog. Most of us do it as a hobby, so be careful of over-committing. Don’t feel pressured to say yes to review copies, and don’t be afraid to DNF. Don’t let reading (and blogging) feel like a chore if you’re doing it for fun.
Find a schedule that works for you
My best blogging tip is to come up with a schedule that works for you and your life. If that’s every single day, great! If it’s once or twice a week, fantastic! Just try and find the balance that will make sure your blog doesn’t start to feel like a chore. Once it crosses that “chore” line, blogging starts to lose its fun, in my opinion. And if you start with one schedule and feel the need to change it down the line, don’t feel bad! Your blog is for you to enjoy as much as your readers, so make it work for you.
Don't get stressed out trying to post too often. There is no set rule for how many times a week/month/year that you need to be posting on your blog. If you push yourself to post too often you will find that eventually you will burn out and/or get fed up with blogging.
Don’t Be a Stranger!
“No one can blog successfully in isolation.”
To be successful as a book blogger, I knew I had to extend myself, take chances, and make the first move. Easier said than done for someone who finds comfort hiding behind a screen or seeks escapism between the pages of a book. I hope you find the following five tips for “connecting” helpful:
1. Set aside your hesitations and join ALL the social media (Using your blog name, make bookish accounts for Twitter/X, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, Facebook, etc). Follow and interact with other bookish accounts.
2. Begin “blog hopping” to find your niche and your people.
3. Slowly Expand Your Reach by trying new things such as guest posting or joining a collaboration.
4. Participate in Popular Memes to interact with like-minded bloggers. Top Ten Tuesday (TTT) is a popular weekly bookish meme for your first experience (http://ThatArtsyReaderGirl.com). TTT participants are known for their generosity in blog hopping, commenting, and connecting.
5. ENJOY and TREASURE your new book blogging community. Celebrate their achievements, continue the conversation, and enjoy the connection. In seven years, I can truly say that the JOY in blogging (for me) is the community. Book people are the best people. I hope that if you have not already found your community that these few tips will be helpful and encouraging. Although I’m still learning, I’m happy to answer questions on connecting and blogging and book reviewing! Don’t be a stranger!
Be consistent
My advice is: be consistent and be professional. Posting consistently at the same hour of the day helps to create an habit so people can check your site; and about being professional, it's important to make your word worth it, always try to stick as much as possible to what you promised.
I hope these tips are useful and that they help you in your book blogging journey. What would you add to this list?
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