Thanks to Erica at Erica Robyn Reads for nominating me! This is a fun tag and I like that it focuses on how/ why we started a blog, as well as providing tips for new bloggers. So let's begin, shall we?
The Rules:
1) Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
2) Write a post to show your award
3) Give a brief story of how your blog started
4) Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers
5) Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to
Then comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them & provide the link to the post you created.
I'm going to go with Erica's thoughts on this one- I really don't like leaving a notification in comments, because I know some bloggers might not appreciate that. And to be honest I've done a few of these tags and frankly I can't remember who I've nominated over the last few years and there are so many blogs I love now. So if you want to do this one- consider yourself tagged. I know it's supposed to be a recognition so I am tagging fifteen bloggers below- but really I wish I could tag all of you!
My Start:
I started my blog because I wanted a place where I could talk books. I've always loved to read, but also to discuss the books I love- and like many bloggers, there really wasn't anyone in real life to do that with. So when I discovered the book blogging community, I was pretty excited to jump into it. Who knew there were so many like- minded people? And Goodreads? Seriously? Where's that been all of my life? Although TBH I don't use it nearly enough.
As a kid I always had a book. Even on family trips, I'd read all the way. I'd read books over and over, and one of the joys of life was discovering a new bookstore, or a used bookshop. Man you couldn't drag me out of those places. My early love of fantasy/ SF was probably born in a used bookstore somewhere, with entire shelves full of amazing covers and the sense of- what if. What if there was more to life than our mundane existence? Most of us will never really travel the stars, or go back in time, or face a dragon- but if you read, you just may.
My Tips:
Don't worry about numbers. Every blogger has a unique voice, their own take. The blogosphere will accomodate all of them- if you love books and pour your passion into your blog, people will come. Having said that though, you have to reach out to get noticed. When I started blogging I did a lot of visiting and commenting- I still try to- and it's been rewarded with some amazing friendships and regular visits to my blog- which frankly still blows my mind. People come to read my stuff?? I remember those first few comments- what a rush! And I love commenting on my favorite blogs too (or discovering a new one)- because friendships are two way street.
Be yourself. Again, everyone has their voice. Be yours. There are some bloggers out there with huge audiences, thousands of followers, social media up the yin- yang. That's okay, you don't need to be them. You gotta be patient. Visit, learn, make connections. Share your passions- your favorites. People will follow your unique voice, not someone who impersonates or riffs off another blogger. Your niche is what people come to value.
I tag:
LaLa in the Library
Rally the Readers
So Long and Thanks For All The Fish
Bibliosanctum
The Bookish Libra
The Bookish Daydreamer
My Nook, Books and More
Metaphors and Moonlight
It Starts At Midnight
Musings of a Bookish Kitty
Quixotic Magpie
Books, Vertigo and Tea
Read and Repeat
A Fool's Ingenuity
Lunar Rainbows
It's always interesting seeing how/why people started their book blog. But seriously, who knew there were all these people?! Now that I use GR, I can't understand how I ever didn't know it existed and how I survived without it lol.
ReplyDeleteYour advice is perfect. Just being yourself and being passionate about books in your blog is the way to go. I feel like that's how I blog, and it makes me happy. I might never have the stats some bloggers do, but I'm happier reading the books I want to read and being myself than I would be if I tried to change myself and my blog just to try and get more followers. And putting yourself out there to meet other bloggers and become part of the community is a must. I feel like you're one of the friendliest book bloggers in our community!
Thanks for tagging me :-) Though I have to admit I prob won't do this since I don't usually tend to do the award ones.
I know! And I so agree- who knew??
DeleteThanks. Yeah I definitely think that's the way why not be ourselves, right? There's only one of us. :) I like that you're very genuine, you don't pretend to like stuff you don't. I think that's so essential for us to be happy as bloggers. And I'm the same- I kinda like where my blog is at? And thanks! :)
No prob. I don't always either... :)
Great advice, Greg! It might seem like a good idea to emulate some of the huge blogs, to gain more followers, but like you said, there's a place for everyone and all types of blogs.
ReplyDeleteThanks Angela! I so agree- it's more fun to be ourselves. Not to mention authentic. I used to think it would be fun to be one of the "big" blogs but now I'm not sure- in fact I like knowing my commenters more, having friendships, rather than zillions of just generic comments.
DeleteIt took me a while to find what worked for me and my blog. Luckily I've never been greatly bothered by blog stats or trying to be more like someone else. I think this advice to be yourself is very important. My regret is not currently having the time to reach out and find more blogs to like! Hopefully that will happen next year!
ReplyDeleteI think it does. Same here- I look at stats occasionally but not a lot? I'm not super techy either, like I could monitor and tweak a lot more- but I just like to post stuff and read the comments. lol
DeleteI like this tag! Great advice. I’m always curious about why other bloggers blog. I think I’m the opposite of you: I spend way too much time lurking on Goodreads. I don’t post a lot on that site, but I read a lot of stuff on there.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
It's fun! Consider yourself tagged if you want to :) your blog is always unique and fun to visit! And I do lurk Goodreads a bit, but I always feel like I should be cross posting more, commenting over there, etc.
DeleteI love, love, love your tips. So true.
ReplyDeleteI've found over the years that the more I stay true to myself the happier I am and I don't suffer from burnout like I used to.
At this point I'm only in to chat with other bookish people and have fun with it all.
For What It's Worth
Thanks Karen. I feel the same way. PArt of the fun of making book friendships is the authentic voice each blog has- you can tell right away who's real and who's not. Although to be honest I don't come across a lot of "unreal" ones, for lack of a better word.
DeleteSame here. I love to chat books and it's become my favorite hobby!
Yes be your own voice :) Great advice
ReplyDeleteThanks!!!
DeleteReally enjoyed your answers. Isn't it great how so many of us just wanted a place to talk about books and didn't get that satisfaction in real life. I agree about now worrying about numbers. I see people with tons of followers, etc. but then I think that I have a better connection with more people since my numbers are smaller than if I had tons. And to me, that's what it's really all about.
ReplyDeleteThanks Barb! I agree- it's amazing to me how many book bloggers there are! The community is huge and I discover new ones all the time- one of my biggest challenges as a blogger now is keeping up with everyone!!! Somehow RL is lacking in that regard. And I also agree- the size of my blog right now I feel enables me to have a personal connection with friends and commenters. If it was huge how would I ever do it?
DeleteGreat advice and it makes me feel better about not really blogging like most everyone else. I don't watch my #'s, don't have affiliate links, and am really haphazard about what and when I post but it works for me. I'm more about connecting with like minded readers and finding blogs like yours that are fun to read. I do want to reach out and discover new to me blogs but I always seem to run out of time!
ReplyDeleteThanks for tagging me :) I completely agree with your advice for new bloggers.
ReplyDeleteGah! Blogger ate my comment. Well, thanks for the tag, and all I basically said was I agree with you, but with a lot more words. Ha!
ReplyDeleteThat seems to be a common Blogger problem! Why can't we have a platform that works? Ha ha you're welcome!!
DeleteAw, thanks for tagging me! This is fun, I love hearing how bloggers got their start. I was the same way as a kid, always loved books. And I totally agree with your tips for other bloggers. It can be hard to see someone who is crazy famous and has all the followers, but really, if you have people you enjoy talking to, and are having fun, that is definitely all that matters. And you're so right about being yourself- no one wants to read the same voice over and over, that's boring! From time to time I'll see that, someone clearly trying to emulate someone else, and it's just... no, we already have THAT blogger, be YOU.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! Exactly- everyone has to be theirself. See I just made up a word. But yeah, it was inevitable that I would be a book blogger I guess- how not to be after discovering this community? I didn't know anybody who read as much when I was growing up, and it's nice to see that there were plenty of others. :)
DeleteI totally agree, Greg, Goodreads and blogging fills that need to talk about books because in my circle of real life friends I don't have that many that are as passionate and addicted to reading as I am. With book bloggers and GRs friends, they totally get it. And I agree, don't worry about the stats and numbers, that sucks all the fun out of it. :)
ReplyDeleteSame here. I have friends that read but we're all so busy and scattere all over, and it's nice to log into the blogosphere and have this awesome community. And definitely- when I started I was like okay how do you get followers anyway lol? Now I just like connecting with book friends and having fun, discussing books. Growing the blog doesn't really bother me anymores!
DeleteThanks for the tag! I always struggle to find time to do these because I'm just so swamped, but I'll try my best and thanks for the though regardless! :) My post would sound very similar to yours anyway, from how I got started for the love of books, and those are also some excellent tips!
ReplyDelete~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum
~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum
You are welcome. And don't feel obligated at all! I know how it is, I actually have several tags backlogged that I just haven't had time to do.
DeleteAwesome!! Wonderful tips. Patience is definitely key when it comes to book blogging!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for participating! :)
Thank you Erica!!!
DeleteThank you for the tag Greg! I have to admit, I will probably have the same tips haha. I could not agree more about avoiding numbers and just being real :)
ReplyDeletenice tag! I also wondered where GR and Book blogging had been all my life. Now I can't picture my life without it! Be yourself, best advice ever!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the tag! :D Discovering GR was life-changing, and it was thanks to ASoIaF that I found it, LOL. I'd just finished binge reading up to A Feast for Crows and was on a fansite looking for similar books, and GR was mentioned in several posts. I've never lacked book recs ever since, LOL.
ReplyDeleteI agree 1000% with your blogging tips! When I first started, I focused a lot on numbers, but then I thought about why I started blogging in the first place, which was to connect with other readers. If I'd continued worrying about gaining more followers and pageviews, I definitely wouldn't still be blogging today!
Thanks for the tag!! We both started our blogs for the same reason. I also didn't have any friends who I can talk about books so I was jumping for joy when I discovered the book blogging community. I agree with your tips. It is hard at first not to worry about numbers but stressing over it makes you lose focus on why you started blogging.
ReplyDeleteThe book blogging community is why I started blogging again. I was still reading books, but I missed those friendships and like-minded people. I tried joining a local book club, but I don't want to read books that I have to force myself to read. Blogging allows me to do things that make ME happy, and then share that with others. I'm only here to have fun, make friends, and discuss great books. You gave great advice!
ReplyDeleteI would totally miss it if I left. It's amazing how much I talk to other bloggers about books, or get recs or whatever. What would I do? lol And I always thought a book club would be fun, but there are so many books that you're right, who wants to read a book we're not interested in? Blogging gives us a chance to read what WE like!
DeleteAnd thanks!
This is a great award and thank you for picking me (give me a year and I might manage to get my own post up for this).
ReplyDeleteI love seeing why folks started blogging because everyone seems to have a similar reason - they love reading but no one in their real life to be able to share that love with. I know it was the same for me, no one read the same books as me so how was I meant to flail and rave?
Great blogging advise. It's so easy to get caught up in the numbers so it's always good to remember that's not all that blogging is about. And being yourself goes right along with not worrying about the numbers, when you're worrying about keeping others happy you're less likely to be yourself. Hopefully, being yourself works but we'll see.
You're welcome, and I understand- ha ha don't feel obligated, I know how it is. :)
DeleteI've noticed that too- you see that same reason over and over. It's kind of amazing how many of us have had that same experience?
And yes- it can be easy to worry about numbers or look for a magic formula, but I do think being ourself is best in the long run. :)
Oh my gosh. I know on Goodreads! I sit back and go what in the world did I do before I found that?!! I'd be lost! lol
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ReplyDelete