The world of book blogging has grown enormously and sometimes it can be hard to find a place. Share your tips for finding and keeping community in book blogging despite the hectic demands made on your time and the overwhelming number of blogs out there. If you’re struggling with finding a community, share your concerns and explain what you’re looking for–this is the week to connect!
My best tips (and they aren't earth-shattering and are sometimes hard for me to follow!) are:
Twitter - Seriously get thee to Twitter and you will be amazed at how much goes on there and how easily it is to chat with other book bloggers in your book niche.
Follow & Comment On Other Blogs - This one is hard when we are all so busy. So, my tip is to pick your top ten that you check out and comment on maybe 1x a week or so. Then, check out new to you blogs say 1x a month and revise your top ten occassionally.
Start A Meme or Host A Blogger Event - This is something I haven't done yet, but I've seen how well it seems to work for other bloggers on creating a sense of personalization and community. I'm brainstorming ideas now!
Mind Your Manners - Seriously the book blogging community itself might be large, but your blogging niche is a place where if you act like an ass on twitter or constantly complain, etc about blogging, not getting books, etc. other bloggers take notice. And won't be as open to helping you or welcoming you to the community. This is a personal one for me - we should be here to help each other in the name of the love of books, not get catty and create drama. I've unfollowed some blogs and on twitter for feeling like everything that happened was something to rage about. Make sure if you do have a legitimate complaint that you are balancing those posts and tweets with other positive things. No one wants to sit next to negative Nancy.
Now for a few concerns (even those that last tip was also a disguised concern):
Not Every Review Needs To Feature The BIG Releases - Yes, I know this gets more traffic but if you are in it for the love of books then sing the praises of that unknown author or mid-list author who really could use the push. Stretch your reading out to more than just the best-seller list. Otherwise, all the blogs seem to be cookie cutter ads for the same books.
Don't Compete, Be Unique - There are so many books out there that there really is room for all of us and we should showcase each other year-round! I'd love to see bloggers hosting guest posts from other bloggers and Q&A's more than just 1x per year.
FOR PETE'S SAKE DON'T SELL ARCS - Seriously book lover. This is a no. Never. Give these away if you don't want to keep them, but respect what they are: a very special gift you shouldn't try to profit from.
So, if you're a blogger what are your favorite tips or concerns? Readers, what do you wish you saw more of on blogs and in the book blog community?
That's a great point about "minding your manners" and you're the first person I've seen mention it today! I also agree wholeheartedly that not every book review has to be about some big title. I tend to start skipping posts when every blog in my feed reader is about the same book I haven't even read! Great points in this post!
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I think commenting is important, of course, and I'm trying to work on Twitter, which still (after almost a year!) intimidates me. It's so chaotic! I also find that reading with other people is a great way to connect, either through readalongs or through more informal setups. It's one of my favorite things to do!
Thanks for stopping by Erin!
ReplyDeleteTwitter sounded like the stupidiest thing ever - until I tried it. There are really some tricks to getting the best out of it! Maybe I'll do a post on that soon.
Thanks for the comments!
Love, love, love your suggestions here. They are different from many of the others I've seen today yet are so relevant. Thank you for pointing them out.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post!! you are right, we are here because our love for books (in my case audiobooks :D)
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I totally agree with your point about reviews of only the popular releases. I get a bit tired of reading posts about the same best-sellers, particularly because they are books I haven't read and probably never will.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips. Love the idea for a top ten list of blogs to give a bit of extra attention.
ReplyDeleteI like the 'don't compete, be unique' tidbit. It's so true. Competing just gets me frustrated! I really need to get into the whole twitter thing. I've been using it for a couple of months, but I definitely haven't mastered it.
ReplyDeleteOh Twitter, my on-again, off-again lover. :) I go in spurts with Twitter and just can't seem to find my niche there. Is it instant messenger or a status update? Do conversations happen in real time or over days/weeks? One day I shall master this strangeness. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the Twitter thing. I was never sure about it before I had a book blog; I think I just didn't understand the concept. But then I noticed so many other bloggers had accounts that I gave it a try, and it's so useful :)
ReplyDeleteI like your point about featuring older releases. I review whatever I happen to be reading at the time, even if it was posted 150 years ago!
I like the 'pick 10 blogs' and rotate idea for commenting. 10 blogs is doable.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by everyone! I'm loving going to everyone else's blogs to get tips too!
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