Reflecting on One Year as a Book Blogger
I recently did a big Q&A post for my 1 year blog anniversary, but I thought it might be nice to write a separate post with some reflections. So I did what one does, and asked on Twitter if people would be interested in such a post. And it turns out: you are! So here we are, (a little later than intended, sorry!) with what might be a slightly rambly post reflecting on one year as a book blogger and some of the lessons I’ve learned.
Worry not, I’ve done my best to structure it well and you can use the handy-dandy table of contents to navigate.
blogging thrives on community but community takes effort or: I suck at building connection
One of the reasons I started blogging was to be a more active participant in the book community. Now, blogging like most of our social media presence feels a lot like screaming into the void. And a lot of the time that’s just what it is! Getting people to find your blog and interact with you is hard!
What really makes blogging fun and sustainable is the connections you build over time with like-minded people. Admittedly, I’m not that great at making connections! Hopping into someone’s replies on Twitter is scary, okay? Finding your people and building genuine relationships might take a bit of courage if you’re anything like me.
But it’s totally worth it. A year into this journey, I finally feel like I’m beginning to find my place in this community and it’s 100% due to amazing bloggers making it a welcoming space!
blogging is a marathon, not a sprint
Book blogging is a long game. It’s certainly not something you do to get rich quick (I wish!). I knew this going into it and it helped me stick with it for this long! I don’t have a super strategic content plan or anything, but I keep a running list and I like to write whatever I’m in the mood for. Some months, I like to plan ahead and spread out different types of content and other months I wing it!
Your blog is a long term project, treat it as such! As someone who famously struggles with investing energy over longer periods of time into any project, I love blogging. Why? Because if I want to, I can take it week by week and post by post. Is this ideal for growth and engagement? Probably not. But being able to imagine this huge project of running a blog as tiny, manageable tasks, makes it sustainable for me.
growth takes time
In a similar vein, for me like most people, seeing any kind of growth is going to take time. Granted, I could invest more of my time into doing SEO research and doing more blog hopping. But I’m a hobby blogger with limited time and energy and at the end of the day, I don’t care enough! It’s taken me about half a year to see a significant spike in clicks and individual viewers and I’d guess that’s fairly normal. It’s only really been the past 4 months or so that I’m getting consistent views with an upwards tendency.
Bbecause I don’t have any specific plans to ever monetize my blog, numbers aren’t super important to me. Of course, it’s nice to have a lot of subscribers and get insane amounts of clicks, but building a real community is more important to me! Oh, and I just don’t really understand numbers so I don’t have a particular emotional attachment to my stats lol. However, I do think it would be pretty neat to one day have a big enough reach for publishers to send me physical ARCs or for libro.fm to finally let me into their ALC program (that rejection still hurts) so I can review all the upcoming audiobooks!
you’re the most important audience
This is very much from the perspective of a hobby blogger who has nothing to sell to an audience. But to me, the most important aspect of blogging and what makes this enjoyable is writing posts that I like. I am my own most important audience. Yes, it makes sense to write content that you know other people want to read, but if you start catering just to what you think your audience or some ominous algorithm wants, you’ll probably burn out. And you never know what content is going to work or not! I wrote my “Books My D&D Character Would Love” post purely for myself because I thought it was a fun idea. I wasn’t sure anyone would care but that didn’t matter because I had a blast creating it. To me, your first thought when blogging should always be “does this sound fun?”. Your enjoyment first, audience and algorithm second.
you can change your mind about anything!
This is my space and nothing is set in stone. I started my blog on a whim, did the minimal amount of research necessary, picked a colour palette and whipped up a design and that was it. Is it perfect? no! Am I going to change it someday? Fuck yeah! But for now, it works.
There’s no point in endlessly overthinking every detail of your blog before you even begin. Mostly, because a lot of what you like and need you’ll only figure out along the way anyway! So make sure you have your basics covered and then just start, you can always grow and change and rebrand. I’ve tweaked lots of little things about my blog over the past year! From little changes to my sidebar to my About Me page, my photo and my fun little bone dividers in my post: my blog will always be a work in progress. I absolutely plan to spend some money to get someone to help me create a more cohesive design at some point, but none of that mattered when I just wanted to get going.
some closing words
One of the reasons I’ve pushed off writing this post has been that I wasn’t sure if it would be interesting! After all, I don’t feel like my blogging experience is very unique, I don’t have a lot of followers and no special expertise to share. But maybe that’s what makes my reflecting on my year as a book blogger even more useful! I’m very much just your average book blogger! Ultimately, this is a post as much for little past me as it is for you. I’m very proud of myself for the work I do on this blog and I hope to continue doing it for years to come while evolving and growing.
If you liked this post, I bet you’d love some of these posts by other bloggers, too! Everyone’s journey is so different and personally, I gained a lot from reading other’s reflections.
Marie @Drizzle and Hurricane Books shared 7 ways her blogging has changed over the past 7 years
Sumedha @ the wordy habitat shared her blogging journey
let’s chat!
What was your first year as a book blogger like? Is there anything you wish you had known sooner?
I hope you have a lovely day!
If you liked this post, you can support me by buying me a coffee!
31 Comments
Sumedha
A lot of these reflections are ones that I relate to! Especially the part about finding it hard to engage in the community. It has taken me until now to feel like I’m doing ok on engagement.
I never had the “I don’t care” phase because I’m a hobby blogger because even though this is a hobby, I need to do my best because I’m a perfectionist. That’s a little sad but also fun. But totally agree that you should not be like me and just have fun, LOL.
Looking forward to being a part of your blogging journey in the years to come, and wishing you all the best for it!
P.S. thanks for linking to my post ☺
bookshelfsoliloquies
Engagement is so hard, especially when you’re new and kinda shy online like me haha! I’m always glad to hear I’m not alone in this though!
And I definitely care, just not enough to stress myself out too much. Like whenever I find myself being down about low engagement or stats or whatever, I think to myself “do I care enough about SEO and marketing stuff to genuinely work on improving this?” and when my answer is no, I know there’s no point in beating myself up about it! That also helps keep my perfectionism in check because I’ve clarified my priorities and values for myself!
I’m so glad you’re a part of this community and made it a welcoming place for me, I really appreciate it 💜
Your Tita Kate
Oh wow, I can absolutely relate to so many of these reflections! Especially your point about blogging being a marathon, not a sprint.
Congratulations on one year as a book blogger!
bookshelfsoliloquies
I’m glad my thoughts and experiences are relatable!
Thank you so much ahhh (not gonna lie, having a tiny fangirl moment here because I love your blog and all the work you do so much!!) 💜✨
Maria @ The Character Study
Congratulations on one year!! Engagement can be hard, but to me personally, is one of the most rewarding parts of blogging. I love creating and participating in conversations and discussions! I also totally agree that you are your most important audience, because if you’re not having fun, what’s the point?
bookshelfsoliloquies
Thank you so much! I totally agree, connecting with other people and some of the conversations that happen in bookish spaces are one of my favourite aspects of this whole blogging thing! And I’m so glad I went into this adventure with that mindset, it was definitely informed by my teenage blogging experience (I used to share my creative writing) which was also mainly for me and my friends and one of the most fulfilling things I’ve done! So I’m happy that I’ve been able to keep that mindset to continue having fun 😀
Maria @ The Character Study
Fun is the priority!
Kat Impossible
I can only agree on so many of these reflections. I also consider myself a hobby blogger and I don’t think I would have stuck around for that many years if it hadn’t been for the community. At the end of the day, I don’t care enough to approach this on a professional level, although a certain degree of growth is nice. Lastly, this is 100% your space and you should always be able to write and talk about what you want!!
bookshelfsoliloquies
I’m glad you feel similarly! The community aspect is definitely one of my biggest “why” that I keep coming back to when I get burnt out or frustrated. And treating this as a hobby has treated me well so far, I can take it as serious as I do all my work but without the crushing pressure of constantly having to perform and fit some professional standard!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!!
Kat Impossible
For me, people are often the reason I do or don’t do things haha so yep, definitely on board with the community being a big “why” on this whole journey! 😀
I feel that as soon as unnecessary pressure is added to something I just want to do for fun, I tend to want to drop that thing and not touch it with a ten foot pole ….
abookowlscorner
Congratulations on making it through your first year of blogging; that’s quite the accomplishment! Especially since you’ve already done things like personalize your dividers, which I always swore I would, but… well, I’m lazy 🤣 Eventually my blog will be getting a makeover, but like you said, this is just a fun hobby, so there’s no rush! I also related to a lot of what you said here – consistently going blog hopping can be so tiring, but in the end, our community makes it so worth it to at least try every once in a while! 😁😊
bookshelfsoliloquies
Thank you! I feel like the first year might statistically be the hardest and the time after which most people give up haha. Glad that I’m still here and onto many more years! My blog dividers are also a fairly recent change but one that I absolutely love! Can’t wait for the day when I have the time and some money to actually get a custom theme and design, that’s going to be so fun! And I totally agree, I’ve been trying to schedule time for blog hopping into my calendar so I always have time for it, I want to find new people (like you, hi!) and give back some of love that others have shown me!
Inah
This is such a relatable post! I still find engagement a little hard even though I’m in this blogging scene for about 7 years technically. But having to re-brand after a couple of years of hiatus, feels like I’m back to square one. I’m having fun though as I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself and just write what I want and what I can so I definitely agree that we are our most important audience!
Congrats on your first year, Lay! I’m excited to read more of your posts!
bookshelfsoliloquies
Oh wow, 7 years is such a long time in the blogging world! And I can totally imagine that, coming back from a hiatus can be tough! I hope your blogging experience is still as fun as the first time around, I bet you’ve learned so much!
Thanks so much for being here and taking the time to comment, it means a lot!💜
May @ Forever and Everly
i love this post and all the points you brought up! i absolutely love what you said about blogging being a marathon and not a sprint—as someone who’s been doing this for a long time and feeling a bit burnt out, i’m definitely taking it step by step like you said lol. and i’m so glad that you’ve realized that you’re the number one audience with your blog! i took some time to get to that realization, but it’s so important in order to enjoy yourself in blogging <3 fantastic post!
Jayati
I absolutely loved this post and hearing about your journey, Lay. I agree with all the points you made – especially that the most important audience is you. I think it really shows when you write a post you’ve put your heart into and I’m a firm believer in write what you want and your audience will find you! And yes about changing your mind and it always being a work oin progress! My blog, and I, have changed so much since I began and I am excited for all the changes we will go through as time passes!
bookshelfsoliloquies
ahh, thank you so much, Jayati! That’s honestly one of the “lessons” I’m most grateful for and it’s an attitude I’ve brought with me from my time running a blog for my creative writing as a teenager! At that time, I wasn’t really on social media, the whole influencer thing wasn’t really that big yet and I didn’t really know much about the professional side of blogging, so everything I did was determined by how much fun I thought it would be! I couldn’t have wished for a better start in blogging and it has served me so well with this blog, too!
I’m excited to be there for your blogging journey and watch you grow and change, that kind of evolution is so fun!
Anjali S
I relate soo much!!! Blogging got to be so hard that I abandoned it for almost two years but now I have somehow been inspired by all the amazing bloggers around and have got back into it. And yes to making yourself the most important audience. I believe if we give it our best and create something we ourselves can enjoy then somehow or the other it will show results.
bookshelfsoliloquies
Welcome back! I also stopped blogging for a few years (mostly because I stopped writing as much, my first ever blog was for all my creative writing haha) but seeing all the amazing work that my favourite book bloggers do made me want to join the community and I’m so glad I did!
And I totally agree, my benchmark for “success” is always “am I happy with the work I’ve done”. If other people see the work and like it too, that’s great. But that way my feeling of success and self-worth isn’t overly dependant on other people’s opinions, which is really nice!
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linesandlifemiriam
I love love reflection posts – and I love your blog! I‘m so glad you joined and even though I am super bad lately with comments, I have my notifications on and always have so much fun reading your posts!
So happy you‘re here ✨
bookshelfsoliloquies
aww, thank you so much my friend! I’m so glad I joined this community as well, it’s been so rewarding and you’re a big part of that!!
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Alice Myles
Love this! I especially love the ‘You’re your biggest audience’ one because I this is something I very much feel – I just think that people are always going to engage more in your content if it’s content that you love whether it’s relatable to them or not!
bookshelfsoliloquies
Thank you so much! Totally, it’s so easy to get caught up in statistics and trying to please other people when what makes blogging fun and valuable is actually enjoying our time doing it!
Della Driscoll
I love this and all your reflections! I love how you say that ‘you’re the most important audience’ as you need to be writing what you enjoy xx
bookshelfsoliloquies
Thank you, Della! That particular point seems to resonate with so many people so I’m glad I’m not alone in prioritizing my own enjoyment, really it’s what is making blogging sustainable for me. Thanks for taking the time to comment! ✨
Clo @ Cuppa Clo
I was nodding within the first point Lay! I agree that the community is one of my favourite things about this community but finding your place within it, can be super scary and daunting. Replying to people’s tweets at first can be terrifying but now I just sort of reply, then close the bird app. I can overthink it later haha. Yesss thinking of posts that you will enjoy writing for yourself is such a wonderful approach to take, particularly when it comes to creating content. It’s something I’ve been able to slowly discover about myself and my blog, what content do I genuinely love creating? What topics make my heart sing with love?
When I first started blogging, I think I shoved myself firmly into the ‘book niche’ to the point that it began to become suffocating. I was thinking of what types fo content I could create that would appeal to the audience I had been growing, to the book niche. Now, I focus on planning and prepping content that I wish I could read/see. If I want to see it, chances are there will be other people too who want it. Some may be friends I’ve made who will stick by you and your blog, regardless of how your content evolves and others may find your blog because you’re suddenly aligning with the content that makes you truly happy.
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Kal @ Reader Voracious
I relate to so many of these reflections, especially the community aspect. It’s sad a lot of my pals have quit and moved on to better things, so I still feel like I am shouting into the void and nervous to make the friendships that I want so much. It’s an endless struggle and lifelong lesson; but the great thing is the book blogging community is so welcoming!
bookshelfsoliloquies
Yeah, I feel like the blogging landscape keeps changing and people come and go, which makes it even more important to build those connections! It’s taken me a literal year to feel like I have even the tiniest sliver of community but without all the amazing bloggers being so open to a newbie like me, it wouldn’t have been possible at all!