17 April 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Tips For New Book Bloggers

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish Every week focuses on a different topic and you make a top ten list from it! This week: My Top Ten Tips For New Book Bloggers

I've been blogging for about 7 months now (this still makes me new, right?), but I've definitely learned some things even if I sometimes forget them, myself. I could only come up with seven, but these seven I chose are what keep me going everyday.

1. Don't freak out about numbers. I still do this at times, but then remember that I'm blogging because I enjoy it. If other people enjoy what I write then that's great! Sure, it's nice to have tons of followers, but I think it's also nice to have people who truly appreciate what I do. Besides, those bloggers who have a lot of followers and hits...most of them have been around a while. I think any of them can tell you that building a following takes time.

2. Don't compare yourself to other bloggers. Just don't. For reasons, see numbers one and three.

3. Be who you are. Your blog is yours, so make it yours. If you end up trying to be like your favorite blog, it may not work out in your favor. I love visiting blogs and being able to get a peak inside the personality of that blogger.

4. Comment. If you want to gain followers and readers, I recommend commenting on other blogs and talking to others. Be sure to make your comments thoughtful and not just "hey, great post! Follow me!" If you feel you have nothing to say on a most recent post, go find one where you can add an opinion. I love it when I still get comments on something I wrote months ago. Also, posting a genuine comment makes people more likely to check out your own blog. Or so I think. How else will others know you're there?

5. Talk to other bloggers. This can be done through email (no spam!) or Facebook or Twitter or even in their comments sections. I can't recommend Twitter enough. I think that's really where I've built my audience and pulled in readers. Plus, it's fun. :)

6. Ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask other bloggers questions. I still do this and have yet to have anyone treat me with condescension or not be helpful. Don't be scared! We're all in this to help and support each other. I know I'm not scary, are you?

7. Don't put pressure on yourself to post everyday. I say this and yet I still do it. You'll burn yourself out and blogging will no longer be fun. You started doing it because you like it. There was a point a while back where I'd been forcing myself to read so much I couldn't read anything for two weeks. Take your time. No one should expect a book review every single day. I try to post 2-3 book reviews a week, but have been lacking on this recently because of...wait for it...burnout.

What tips do you have?

11 comments :

  1. i agree with all of these points. i love it when i can see something of the blogger's personality through their reviews and the content they post. and i think the pressure to post a lot and read a lot is hard to ignore but i always remind myself that i started blogging because i love reading and sharing that love. once it becomes a chore or obligation vs something i love, i know it's time to take a step back.

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  2. Yes. I am a very competitive person and I always worry that my numbers aren't as good as others. It makes me feel bad. Then I remember that I'm not blogging for a living; I'm blogging for fun. That helps.

    Thank you for these great tips. You've learned a lot in a short time.

    Here's my
    Top Ten Tips for New Bloggers.
    I love to have you stop by and comment!

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  3. Very true! I read a lot but I only do one review a week and I try to do one giveaway a month. Thats the post that works for me, and I figure being regular is more important than pushing myself too hard! I def don't want to burn out, and I love books and want to keep it that way :)

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  4. Number three is so true! My favorite part about my favorite blogs, is that they are all different. When you are who you are it shines through your blog and makes it more interesting :0)

    I definitely agree w/ you on the burnout. I think it happens to all of us from time to time, but I'm slowly accepting that I don't need to have something posted every single day. Life doesn't really allow for it and we all want to have time to read and enjoy it!

    Thanks for the awesome list, Angie <3

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  5. 2 is such a hard thing to do. I see other blogs and see their depressingly high stats, see that they get more comments than I do, read more ARCs and books in general than I read, and sometimes I do wonder if I'll ever get to that point. *sigh*

    Probably something almost all of us do. :/

    Patricia // My Post

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  6. Great tips, thanks so much for posting. I'm totally guilty of obsessing over my numbers :(

    Angela @ AJ Arndt Books Blog

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  7. I do 3-4 reviews per week, but I've taken on another blogger to help with that. I am also sceduled up on reviews for a few weeks so that I only read when I want to. I don't want to get burnt out and reading is fun for me. I don't want it to ever not be fun. There is a balance.

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  8. Love this Angie! I sometimes still get nervous when I've missed a day or two of blogging, but then I try to remind myself that it's my blog and my choice haha :)

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  9. Be who you are & comment are definitey the most important things I learned. Nobody wants to read a blog from a fake person, pretending to be someone else. And commenting (if they are truly useful and meaningful) is fun ^^ I always like to return the favor.

    And I'm a new follower! Your blog is cute.

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  10. @fishgirl182: They're not called book review blogs for nothing. I think this is why people sometimes feel the need to post so much or read so much. It should be no pressure. It's our blog and we should be able to post how often we want to post.

    @Deb: I still worry about numbers, as well. Thank you for reading Deb!

    @confessionsofacommonreader: I'm glad you've found a schedule that works for you! I'm still working on that. :)

    @Sarah: Thank you for thinking my list is awesome and thanks for the agreement! ;D

    @Patricia: Number 2 is very hard. It took me a while to learn this. And the numbers and ARC thing is hard to not be jealous of. The only reason I have access to ARCs is because I work for a bookstore. I won't be working there forever, though...you'll get there! It just may not be as fast as we want it to sometimes.

    @Angela: We are ALL guilty of number obsessing. :)

    @Mary-Sweet: There should always be a balance and I'm glad you found it! Also, having another reviewer isn't so bad either. ;)

    @HayleyAG: YES! I'm the same.

    @Mel: Aww, thanks!! I always try to return the favor, as well. The only downside is it may take me a few days to do it. I always try to be on the ball, though.

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  11. I still freak out about numbers :-) And I compare myself to others all the time. I do think commenting is the key thing. I don't comment on as many blog as I'd like, but I do try.

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Thank-you for commenting! I always appreciate and read each one! I also try to reply to each one, but I'm really bad at this, so I apologize in advance for one (or any) I may miss. Please note, I love all of my commenters. In fact, it may be more like "in love." Comment at your own risk.