TIPS: Book Blogging

December 13, 2014


Lately I've had quite a few people asking me for help on starting a blog. I am by no means an expert at all, 2 and a half years and I'm still learning. But I've complied a list of tips and links that any future bloggers might find helpful. To anyone thinking about taking up blogging, GO FOR IT! This post is for you and I hope it helps but if you have any more questions, drop me a message or comment.
Firstly, you need to come up with a blog name, which I know some people find difficult. Try and come up with something you know you’ll be content with in years to come. Because whilst you can always change your blog title, it’s always easier to stick with the one name so your blog is easily recognisable. Can’t think of anything? Here are some tips.

  • Think of something memorable and recognizable.
  • Something that incorporates both you and the theme of your blog.
  • Something fun and quirky. Maybe it’s got a hidden meaning. Have fun with it!

Once you’ve got a name, it’s time to choose a platform for your blog ie. Blogger or Wordpress. Being a user of blogger, my personal opinion is that blogger is really easy to work with, it’s free and allows a range of different customizations. On the other hand, a self hosted Wordpress (wordpress.org) is great if you're willing to add some dollars to your overall blog look. Also make sure to get a blog header and button! You can design them yourself or like me, get someone else to do it.

Once you’ve got your blog up and running, it’s time to write a post! Your first post can be anything you want. But when I'm reading new blogs I enjoy seeing introduction posts, so that I get to know about the blogger. Which is always nice!

Some really useful links:
http://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/teenagers/writing-tips/tips-for-starting-a-book-blog/
http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Blog-on-Blogger
http://www.bloggingbasics101.com/2008/07/here-is-the-new/
http://www.bloggingbasics101.com/2008/12/blog-advice-for-design-and-goals/
http://smallreview.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/how-to-get-arcs-step-by-step-guide.html
http://xomisse.com/blog/blog-tips-ultimate-guide-to-bloglovin/
http://www.mommymentionables.com/blog-button/

How to get followers?:

When you begin blogging, it’s hard to get followers and views. It can be a slow process. But the best way to further the process a long is to BE SOCIAL. I can't stress how important and essential it is. By being social, the whole blogging this is a lot better for you, your blog readers and your blog! It's also how i've developed some awesome blogging buds, I am so grateful for the blogging community! Everyone is there for the same reason, to talk about their passion and it’s actually really easy to make friends via blogging.

How do I  ‘Be Social’?:
  • Comment on other blogs: It's important to visit and follow other blogs and make sure to leave the some sweet messages. You'll soon find out that receiving comments is really exciting, it reminds us that we aren't talking to a wall, that there are people out there actually reading our posts. Crazy! It's also great to have feedback and its always interesting hearing whatever your followers might have to say. But, comment like you care! Don’t skim the post, read the post and let them know why you liked it. Because comments really are mood brighteners. PS. By commenting on other blogs, not only does it let them know you exist but, usually bloggers will return the favour and comment on your post. Comment and you'll get comments back. 
  • TWITTER: This is the best way to be social! Cos if you talk to other bloggers on twitter, they are gonna wanna check your blog out. But I'm pretty sure in this day and age, most of you have got this whole twitter thing down. Also you can tweet links to your posts.

Once your blog is up and running...
  • Make sure to update frequently, because fresh content is always exciting
  • Don’t ditch your blog without notice, let your readers know what’s going on.
  • School before blogging, find the correct balance. It’s something we all struggle with. (Sadly we can't choose blogging over school, I really wish we could).
  • Make your blog visually appealing: There are a few ways to customise your blog look and I know that personally I love visiting pretty blogs. I got my header and blog button designed for me.
  • Be yourself, it’s really the best thing to be. Your blog shouldn’t be a model of everyone else’s, it should be yours. 
  • Make a blog button 
  • Get Bloglovin
  • Have fun! Blogging should feel more like a hobby and less like a task. 
I'm really lucky because as a book blogger I'm in contact with awesome book loving publishers who send me ARCS (advanced review copies). They mail books to me so that I can review them prior to or during release and spread the word, generate buzz! That's been really cool because it's meant i've received lots of cool free books and also been to blogger events with publishers, authors and other bloggers. But it also means you have to keep organised with books and release dates and sometimes things pile up and it gets stressful. It can get like a job when there's so many books with so many deadlines. So it's important to remember that blogging is time consuming and hard work, but it's worth it! It's something I love to do and i'm so grateful that I'm in the position I am. If you wanna know more about ARCS, I linked a great post earlier on with the other links.

But more importantly, it's important to know that the good thing about blogging is.. there's no wrong or right way. Everyone has their own blogging style, so run your blog the way you want to.

Fellow bloggers, what advice would you offer to those interested in blogging?

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4 comments

  1. I remember when you helped me out when I first started. You were the biggest help, I don't think I could have ever done it. How did you do it is what I wanna know! I had help for almost all the way.

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  2. This is a lot of great advice! Wish I had gotten more of this before I started my blog.

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  3. Wonderful post with some fantastic advice Sunny! It took me a year and a half before I found out that commenting was the way to go in getting my blog out there. Because of that I've met some wonderful bloggers like you!

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  4. I'm pretty new to book blogging (started just before christmas) and I found this post super useful! Thanks so much x

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