Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. For more information and a list of past and future topics, go here.
I do not claim to be an expert on blogging but here are a few tips from me for new book bloggers (and maybe some old book bloggers.)
1. Read and review what you like. Don’t feel like you have to read a popular book if you don’t think it will appeal to you.
2. Pay for a professional blog design. It will be money well spent.
3. Don’t be afraid to talk to others bloggers whether it be through emails or on Twitter or in comments. Interacting with other bloggers is one of the best ways to get traffic to your blog (although that totally should not be your motivation.)
4. Don’t immediately expect a ton of comments and followers. Both take time and hard work.
5. Utilize social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. They help you connect with other readers and authors.
6. Make your blog your own. Start a unique feature, do vlogs, throw in random personal posts. Just do something to make your blog different from all the other blogs out there.
7. Don’t overdo memes. Memes are a great way to get traffic but there needs to be a balance to your blog between memes and reviews. Pick a couple memes to do each week or alternate which ones you do each week.
8. Don’t get overwhelmed feeling like you can only read review books. Take some personal time every now and then to read whatever the heck you want.
9. Feel free to express yourself on your blog. People may not agree with what you have to say but who cares? It’s your blog and you should never feel censored.
10. Have fun! Don’t get too serious about blogging or it won’t be fun to you anymore and you won’t want to do it. Blogging is something that you don’t get paid to do. It’s something you have to choose to do all on your own. If it’s not fun, why would any of us do it? Just keep that in mind!
I agree with all of these, but especially number 6 and 9. It is my own blog, so I need to remember that I am doing this for myself, not for everyone else, and that I can do whatever the heck I want to:)
I wish I had the money to do (2) but I’m too much the book-binger and instead learned PHP and CSS and customized a theme I liked already. XD
Anyway, great list! 🙂
Patricia // My Post
I am still new with blogging so I didn’t post a blog for this but thought I would check out everyone’s advice. I have reviewed books on Goodreads for a about 3 years now and can say that you do need to read what you want to read often. Don’t burn yourself out on books that you are sent b/c it will get you in a funk or turn you off to reviewing (at least I have to be careful of this). So I probably read more of my choice then what I request or get handed.
As always 9 and 10 are a must. Enjoy what you do and others will see that and want to be part of it.
Thanks for all of the advice.
Amanda @ Sisters Unedited
Definitely agree about all of these! #8 in particular struck a chord with me because I’m feeling a little bit overwhelmed right now with all of the books I have for review. It’s so great to be reminded that I can always just pause, take a break, and read for “fun” and not for the purpose of reviewing a book after :). Great tips!
My Top Ten Tips @ YA Books
Definitely agree with 6 and 9 – and also that people shouldn’t overdo memes and features. They’re a good way to generate some traffic through your blog, but I don’t think I know anybody who wants to be overloaded with them on a daily basis!
Tara @ Hey, Tara
Love these! Especially nubmer 6. I just started a new feature on my blog (Looks From Books) and I’ve had SOOO much fun doing it!
Great tips–I completely agree! Make your blog your own, and the reviews as well. We don’t want to read a book report or a computer, we want to read from a fellow reader!
And taking time to read your own books is crucial, otherwise not only will you get a bit frazzled from all the pressure, but, lets face it, somedays you want ‘X book’ and ‘Y book’, though it’s next in line, just won’t cut it! 🙂
Enjoy,
TBQ
TBQ’s Book Palace
Thanks for the tiops and encouragement!
Ellen @ Always YA at Heart
agreee
//pooor do 2do blog designs
Above all, have fun. I love that. We get so hung up on meeting deadlines and posting content regularly that sometimes we forget why we even started blogging in the first place. Great advice!
JJ iReads
Check out my Top Ten Picks This Week
Terrific advice. Thanks so much for sharing, I’m learning so much from this week’s Top Ten.
Angela @ AJ Arndt Books Blog
You know, I don’t have the money for number 2 and I really don’t care that much about designs.. If it’s readable and it looks okay, it’s fine for me 🙂
http://thedailyprophecy.blogspot.com/2012/04/top-10-tuesday-6.html
Thank you for the great post! As a newish book blogger, I definitely appreciate the words of wisdom and am more motivated to dive into my blog head first now.
While I can’t afford to pay for a site design right now, I’ve been working on a personalized image for my header that I hope to have live within the next week or two. I also want to learn coding so that I can design my own site, buttons, banners and whatnot else.
I’ve also been thinking about including a couple memes on my blog that I’ve liked around the blogosphere and have even thought up an original one that will require a bit of work, but I think will be pretty entertaining. Your tips are appreciated (I’ve written them down LOL).
1. I agree. I don’t keep up with what’s new and what’s the hype. I review what I read at the moment, whatever I feel like reading.
2. My blog design is free and I like it the way it is. It was designed by another blogger and I’m glad it was free.
3. I love chatting with other bloggers, esp when a discussion is started.
4. I appreciate comments a lot. If I could get more, that would be great. As for followers, I don’t mind how many I have as long as people enjoy what I post.
5. I like to tweet my post daily since I post something new daily.
6. I have unique features on my blog like Quarter Quotes…
7. I’m only doing one meme. The others I just don’t like, haha.
8. I’m a bit overwhelmed with review books but I’m catching up. I think I will take a break after I’m done though. I want to get through the actual books in my TBR
9. Sometimes I rant on my blog. It’s my way of expressing frustration or just whatever.
10. I love blogging esp when I meet new people to talk to!
Excellent tips you have here!
#2 was very important to me when I started my blog. I knew I wanted to have a unique look and I wanted to look professional so I got Hafsah from IceyDesigns to design a blog design for me. Best money I have ever spent on the internet! I also like your #8! I have not yet received any books for review but when I get the experience under my belt to start asking I will probably need to remind myself of that sometimes!
Darlene @ Leather Bound and Lovely
I need to focus on #8– I so often feel like I can’t read a book when my TBR for review list keeps growing, but sometimes I feel like I’ve missed out on things before I got into book blogging! Great great list!
Helpful list! I think number 3 & 5 are totally tied together. Using social media helps me interact with the book blogging community in a way that I didnt/couldn’t before I was on Twitter. 🙂
Definitely agree about making your blog your own! I’ve been working on some unique features for my blog, but I haven’t perfected my ideas yet. Also I definitely agree about the professional blog design, I don’t have one on my blog but I’m saving money for one!
My Top Ten Tuesday
I definitely agree about getting a professional design. It’s really important to have a good look so people will be immediately drawn in.
Hi thank you for posting your tips for blogging, I’ve been trying to increase the amount of people who see my blog. Whilst I enjoy blogging it is also a lot nicer when people are able to read my posts. I have just started a new feature to include with my book reviews called “Let’s ponder …”
Are there lots of bloggers who also do professional blog designs as their job? I wonder if they began as bloggers then learned how to do the computer stuff or if they began as designers.
Great tips!! 🙂
Thank you 🙂