The prompt
This week’s prompt is “Tips for newbie bloggers“. I’ve researched how to start a book blog and and 101 book blogging extensively before I began my blog and so this topic is very dear to me.
About Let’s Talk Bookish
Let’s Talk Bookish is a bookish meme created by Rukky @ Eternity Books where bloggers write posts discussing the topic of the week each Friday! Now it’s run by Aria @Book Nook Bits. Here are the other prompts of September.
Bookish tips for book bloggers
The following tips are what is working for me, you probably will find bloggers stating the opposite because that’s how they blog best. So take from these what could work for you and leave the rest.
Read other book blogs
Obviously not to copy them, but to see which style fits you best if you don’t know yet how you want to blog. Some bloggers sum up the book, but I stick to the official blurb and put all my energy into the review itself. I’m also not following a strict list of topics to discuss – instead, I write about whatever comes to mind.
Opinion pieces are a great way to be inspired so with a link to the post that inspired your own you can totally write about your own thoughts about that topic.
Don’t be afraid to reach out
I don’t know a lot of book bloggers, because I’m not the most social person (social anxiety at its best)but so far all my interactions with other bloggers have been friendly (a special shoutout to a certain blogger over at queerbooksunbound) – most authors and publishing houses as well. So don’t be afraid to comment on a blog post you liked or ask questions about something the blogger wrote.
Find book memes to particiapte in
Like this one for example. But while they are fun, I advise you not to overdo them to make sure you’re not overwhelming yourself. So far I am sticking to three book blog memes – Top Ten Tuesday, Let’s Talk Bookish, and Book Blogger Hop – but I only write something for those topics that spark my interest. Also, if I’m not up for writing a blog post I originally planned, I don’t. I might come back to it at a later time, either using one of the freebie entries or simply doing it on my own while linking to where I got my inspiration from.
Blog for fun
You can of course try to generate a living from your blogging, but I don’t know if that is doable with book blogging. I’m also not sure if that is something I would want. Of course, it would be nice to be paid to read but that also would mean reading becoming a chore… Even though I already had my book blog when I started working for a publishing house, the books weren’t comparable at all so I was still able to distinguish between work and pleasure.
Now I’m working as a marketing manager for a specialist bookstore chain but again, my downtime reading doesn’t equal the books I’m doing marketing work for. So it all comes together nicely.
Further educate yourself
If you’re interested in blogging or the topics you’re writing about I can’t recommend further reading enough. I own some books about content marketing for example (one reason being my blog, the other my work), but you can also listen to podcasts, watch videos, or read online about it. It’s always helpful to learn new things because the way of things might change over time and there is always the huge chance of being inspired to write.
Don’t be afraid to experiment while being yourself
In the end, you should blog about whatever you’re interested in without obsessing over numbers. I do keep an eye on mine but more because I’m interested in the effect of things I’m doing (and I can use whatever I’ve learned for work which is a nice benefit).
Change things up or relaunch your blog when you feel like it. Write as niche as you want or as broad as you can. As long as you’re having fun (and aren’t stealing someone else’s ideas or doing illegal things) you’re good to go.
The Queer’s personal tip for new book bloggers
Find a notetaking and planning system that works for you. Ever since I put together my book blogging bujo my blogging’s become way easier and more productive. I just have to decide if I want to keep my review notes in that bullet journal as well or if I want to keep them separate. Right now I’m still using Trello but my brain doesn’t work as well if I go the digital route, so I have to change that one. The only reason I haven’t already done so is that my book blogging bullet journal is quite thick and my backpack for work is quite small. But I will keep you updated on that progress.
There also will be an introductory post about my BuJo for book blogging soon.
Which tips do you have for new book bloggers? Are there things that didn’t work for you at all even though many people told you they would?
Categories: Memes
The Queer Bookish 
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