Hello to all of my lovely and wonderful fellow bloggers and readers! I decided to start something new today, a little monthly discussion post to talk about whatever the prompt is for that month. It’s a chance for me to get to know all of you better, for you to get to know me, and connect with other bloggers as well. In addition to the prompt, you are free to ask me anything that you’d like to know. I’m a pretty open book so have fun with it but don’t get crazy! 😉
If you would like to use my post and join in on your own blogs, then please feel free to do so. You can borrow my graphic if you would like to or create your or create your own, it’s up to you! Just be sure to stop by and leave a link to your own post so everyone can stop by.
Prompt of the Month… BOOK BLOGGING
I thought I’d start us off with something easy but interesting. Book blogging is such an amazing thing and I am so glad that I decided to start!
Blog Attraction
What do you look for in a blog before you decide to follow them? Great reviews and posts? Clean look? Pretty graphics? Someone who reads the same types of books as you?
For me, I’m not too picky. I won’t choose not to follow someone just because they only read non-fiction. Everyone has different tastes and even if that may not be my first choice when I head to the bookstore, that doesn’t mean that I will hate every book that blogger has read. I’ve found quite a few good recommendations that I might never have heard of thanks to book blogs. I also won’t hate you because you choose not to use graphics. Not everyone is really creative or has great graphic design skills (and by that, I mean myself because I suck). However, I do like my blogs to be easy to orient. If I can’t find what I’m looking for, that is a bit of turn off.
Blog attraction is such a struggle. I’m constantly worrying every day if my blog looks alright to others or if they think, what an amateur, when they see it. At the moment, I’m not really liking the look of mine so I’m hoping to change it up by this summer.
How Much Is Too Much?
What does your blogging schedule look like? Do you have something scheduled every single day? Are you a casual poster, only blogging when you have the time? Multiple posts a day or only once?
I find myself only blogging if I have something to post about. I do plan for the week ahead in my planner though so I can see what I have to do, though we know things change all of the time. Some days I just don’t have it in me to write and I think that’s okay. Everyone needs a break every now and then. I’m not really anal about when I post or whatever. I also hardly ever write my posts ahead of time. I tend to just write mine when I get to work in the morning. (This makes me sound like I’m a terrible employee but I work as a secretary for my family’s business, so don’t worry!) So all of that stuff about analytics and maximizing views and such, yeahhhhhhh, I don’t really do that. We’ve all got to find our own rhythm, right?
Substance & Style
How do you like your review posts? Do you want them detailed and lengthy, bullet pointed and straightforward, or a bit of both? Are spoilers an issue? Do you want them stylized with all of the information or just need the Goodreads link to see for yourself if you’re interested?
I don’t really have a preference, but if you’ve written over 1,000 words then I’m probably just gonna scroll through. I also really try not to talk too much about the plot or give any spoilers because that ruins the book for others and it’s just not needed. I’ve seen some bloggers just bullet pointing the pros and cons for books for their review and I kinda like that idea. It’s straight to the point (literally HA!) and doesn’t really give anything away. I also like the formatted reviews with all of the book’s information at the top. I think there’s an app or something that makes that for you which is really cool.
The hardest part about book reviewing is being able to tell your audience what your feelings are, while also taking into consideration what they actually want to know about. I’m constantly struggling to determine if my reviews are enjoyable and informative. It’s hard to find a balance so it’s nice when you see people respond to your post.
So guys, what do y’all think about book blogging? Got any questions for me? Wanna complain? It doesn’t matter, I to want to hear from you!
Wonderfilled Reads 
This sounds like a great idea!
1. I don’t care too much about what a blog looks like. I usually go through the reviews and if there are only books I really am not into I won’t follow it. But in general I’m not too picky.
2. I have NO schedule. I just post something when I feel like it, which is usually after I have just finished a book I would like to review. When I am tagged I try to put that up as fast as possible, and I try to do a wrap-up at the end of the month.
3. Again, I do not care too much about it, as long as it is not too long. I also would like it to contain a blurb or some form of summary of the story :p And when it comes to writing reviews myself, I could not agree with you more
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Thank you!
I totally agree with this. I’m more interested in the content of blogs, rather than the look of them. If it looks like I might be interested in what you read then I’ll follow.
That’s honestly the best way to do it. Since I’ve started planning out my posts for the week, I always feel guilty when I don’t follow what I had originally planned.
Yes! I completely agree with it. I tend to use the Goodreads summary at the beginning of my reviews so you get a little background on the book before I get busy picking it apart haha!
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That’s an awesome post! 🙂
1) I’m not too picky either. I’m more interested by the content than the look but I tend to follow blogs on which it’s easy to navigate. If it’s too messy, I have a hard time making a opinion on the blog. I try to expand my horizons by following blogs who don’t always read the same genres as I do, it can lead to great discoveries.
2) I don’t care at all about stats and all. I only post when I have something to say, I don’t post for the sake of posting. I worry more about having interesting things to say than how many likes I’m gonna get. If I’m tagged, it takes me some time to post because I always spend looooong minutes trying to figure out what to say xD I don’t really have a schedule but I like memes and I try not to miss the Wednesday This Week In Books posts.
3° If they are too long, I’m gonna scroll through too. I avoid spoilers as much as possible, so it’s nice when bloggers warn you beforehand that their review contain plot twists and such. I try to keep mine under 1,000 words and spoiler-free. I often struggle to find the right words to describe how a book made me feel and how to make my review interesting enough for people to take time to read it.
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Yeah, I agree about the organization. It’s nice to be able to find what you’re looking for easily!
I definitely agree with worrying about having interesting things to say. Some days the writing comes so easily and others, I’m just like no one is going to want to read this, so I don’t even bother posting haha. You’ve got the right idea!
Yes! I think you have to let people know if your blog has spoilers, it’s only polite. I agree about struggling with reviews. Some books are so easy to talk about and discuss and others are a bit harder to get your feelings across. I hate those because they take me hours to write it feels like haha.
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I actually don’t mind long reviews, especially if they’re more of a discussion and/or include quotes to help drive a point home. (I’ve done this for a couple reviews). When they’re longer and do this, some times they hit on a point that I’ve been dying to discuss with someone myself. A lot of times, bloggers I follow review books after I’ve read them, so spoilers aren’t much of an issue for me. Writing reviews though, I found it difficult not to include spoilers at first, but I’ve gotten better at that and usually dance around the spoiler-y stuff.
I’m trying to work this out though. I don’t get as much traffic for reviews as do for memes that I participate in, which is frustrating because I work harder on my reviews than anything else I post (believe it or not, haha).
As for deciding who to follow, I almost never look at the actual content they write. I look at the personality and style of writing. If I like that, then I’ll enjoy reading whatever they post, whether it’s reviews, memes, etc.
Great post!
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You make a lot of good points! I definitely agree on working harder for less when it comes to reviews. I’ve realized this too when it comes to reviews of less popular books. It seems like I get less traffic with those compared to popular book reviews and especially memes. I also like that you look more for personality and style of writing rather than content, that’s a really good point! It’s not very enjoyable to just read a cut and dry blog post!
Thanks for your input!
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Great post! I actually have a post about book blogging in my drafts right now, about schedules. I really don’t like schedules all that much – my reader dash is becoming a list of so many people posting the same meme on the same day that I never click on them. I like uniqueness and original thought. I value visuals to an extent – I don’t care whether or not people have fancy graphics, but I do care if the blog looks messy or disorganized. I also like to follow people who have a similar taste in books. So I guess I’m a little bit more picky in who I follow. As far as my own blogging habits, I write what I want to write when I want to write it. It makes me happy that way so I don’t feel pressure. Reviews are always hard for me to write because I feel like I’m very long-winded and that people get put off by that (I also don’t include a summary b/c I enjoy writing my own within the post). But ultimately, blogging to me is about producing something I enjoy writing as a writer, something that I would want to read. I’d be blogging even if no one read it. Phew, long comment. Again, great discussion post!
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Thanks for your comment!
Yeah, memes have gotten really really popular. Sometimes they’re nice because they’re short and sweet, just giving you some book ideas and such. It’s okay to be picky with who you follow though, you just do what works for you. I agree about writing when you want to because I am that way as well. Everyone has such different schedules that it’s important to find one that works for you. Because like you said, blogging is first and foremost for you and having a place to talk about the books that you’re reading! 🙂
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1. For me I read such a wide range of things that I’m not too picky on following anyone as any book blogger will probably post something that would interest me eventually. I do think I lean towards preferring a cleaner look to a blog, some I’ve visited have just been so overwhelmingly full of things that it’s hard to even figure out where to read the reviews that you came to view. Mine is pretty simple but that’s also due to my being HTML illiterate, I’m adding and tweaking all the time while I learn though. LOL
2. Interesting question. I’m probably on the too much end, at least one post a day if not more. I read a ton and just post reviews as I read them but I also got into tours, blitzes, cover reveals etc as it’s not only a way to share books I think followers may like but to find more for myself, what can I say I’m an obsessive reader. 🙂 I don’t have a schedule to follow, I schedule the posts from publisher when they send the materials out on whatever date they’ve asked. My reviews just get popped on whenever I finish and write it up though.
3. For me when I began I found it easy to use the Goodreads coding to format a post and I still use that just for a simple review if it’s not for a tour or anything. It has the book image, the rating and review all formatted nicely enough to not have to fight with HTML doing it myself. I may decide to go on my own someday but it works for now. As for the content, I try to keep them all spoiler free. I give a general synopsis in my own words to start out then post whatever my opinions or feelings were on the story to explain my rating. I don’t plan out any certain length or anything, some can be rather short or some a bit longer it all just depends on what I thought at the end. I have found the shorter the book the shorter my review tends to be because there’s not too much you can say without it ending up a spoiler.
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Great points! I’m pretty HTML illiterate myself so my blog is pretty basic as well. But this is actually a good thing for me because I know I tend to get overwhelmed when reading some blogs because there’s so much going on in them and I don’t want my readers to feel that way when they visit mine.
Oh, how do you like doing media blitzes and such? I’ve thought about starting but haven’t made up my mind on it just yet.
Yeah, I’ve started seeing the Goodreads format a lot recently and I really like it. It’s a really clean look. I’m the same way about my content too. Mine widely vary in how much I have to say. But I think that totally makes sense to adjust according to the book. I think I read one review for Kindred Spirits, a novella, that was over 1,000 words which to me was total overkill.
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Exactly what I was thinking setting mine up. Some blogs just seem a bit too cluttered and hard to navigate that I really wanted simple and easy to use. Really all just a matter of taste though so if they like theirs then they should do it how they like. 🙂
I’m actually really enjoying doing the tours, blitzes and reveals. It’s a good way to learn about upcoming things yourself plus share them for other readers that may be interested. Usually very easy to post too, most will send premade HTML to just copy and paste for use. Always fun to get an early look too as you usually get the things sent a few days in advance 🙂
I have to admit i’m one that will skim a really long review too if it’s way too long but I love reading what others think and keep in mind I may not agree but I do like to know what it is they loved or didn’t like as I think when I go into a book knowing some faults then I may actually enjoy it more being prepared for them.
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Yeah, exactly!
Oh, that does sound really cool. I may have to get in on these blitzes and reveals now haha!
That’s a great way to look at them. My favorite part is finding out what someone disliked about the story, rather than what they did like. It’s interesting to see how different everyone’s viewpoints on stuff can be.
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Oh I know, I would never say that something is just plain terrible or that an author shouldn’t be writing either. Usually my 1 or 2 star reviews have a “this was not for me” in them and then explain why. Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean others wouldn’t but I feel like it’s good to know what bothered those that didn’t enjoy something.
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I completely agree with you! 😊
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This is a really great idea!
I’m not super picky. Basically my only requirement is that they post things that I’m interested in to at least some degree haha I prefer if they post mostly YA, but if they post about other types of books, that’s ok too as long as I can see myself being interested in at least some of them. Their blog doesn’t have to be super fancy or anything, but I do like when it has a clean layout and things are easy to find. I will admit that if the layout looks really old (meaning it looks the way websites did when the internet was first invented lol) or uses a lot of colors that are harsh on the eyes, it can deter me from following.
Most of my posts aren’t scheduled. This week I started doing some weekly meme posts, which obviously are posted on certain days, and I do post a weekly recommendation every week on Sunday, but other than that I post reviews when I finish a book and occasionally do other posts when I feel like it. Oh, and I do monthly wrap-ups around the end of the month. I sometimes post more than once a day, but not usually.
I do like when reviews are fairly detailed/lengthy simply because the whole point of writing reviews is to allow other people to see what you thought about the book and if it’s too short, your readers may not really get to see your thoughts. But at the same time, if the post is too long I’m probably not going to read it :p I will say I HATE when reviews contain spoilers. If the spoilers are only minor things that you find out early on in the story, that’s okay. But anything more than that irritates me because when I’m reading a review, I’m doing it to find out if I want to read the book and I don’t want to know everything that happens!
Sorry this ended up being pretty long, but I really liked this idea and I guess I had a lot to say hahaha
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Thanks, and don’t apologize for you comment, that’s the whole point of my post!
I agree with pretty much every thing you say. I’m the same way when it comes to following other blogs, all I need is a clean look and easy to navigate!
I need to start doing a monthly wrap-up! I try to plan ahead each week but it never goes completely as planned haha. Some days I feel really lazy.
Yessss, I’m so glad someone else feels the same way I do about spoilers! They are so annoying. While I do appreciate detailed reviews, I have found that the lengthier they are, the more about the book that they give away. They’re a double edged sword unfortunately. But I agree that it’s important to get your points across! 🙂
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What a great post! I tend to follow those who read similar books to me, that way I can hear about new books and take part in a discussion. I’m always looking for more blogs to follow! I will say that if a site has too many popups/ads or takes forever to load or is too busy, then I probably won’t go back. This is one of the main reasons my own site is so basic (plus I really have no idea what I’m doing and the thought of changing my theme has me a little worried …). I sometimes stress out about how many followers/likes I get, but I really try hard to just be myself and give honest feedback and I figure likes/followers will come eventually. I actually enjoy reading reviews where bloggers do NOT like the book instead of raving over it. I find myself drawn to those books and wondering if I would feel the same after reading, so now I don’t stress out about giving something a bad review. But I do sometimes end up reading a book because “everyone else is blogging about it/raving about it”, and I want to get away from that. I really enjoyed reading your post and all of the other comments. 🙂
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Oh, I really like that you find yourself drawn to books that others gave bad reviews for! I find myself doing that sometimes too. Like I want to see for myself just how bad this book is or maybe I’ll actually connect with it more than that person did. That’s a great way of look at reviews! I know there’s a few really popular reviewers on Goodreads that tend to dislike most of the books that they read, especially when it comes to really popular ones and how everyone comments that they’re so glad that they read that review because now they won’t bother to read it. I think that’s a bit silly because everyone has different opinions and by doing that, you could be missing out on something that you really enjoy… There’s nothing wrong with a basic blog! Mine is the same way! 🙂 I sometimes worry too much about views and likes, but then I remember that isn’t why I started my blog in the first place. Just have fun with it!
Thank you so much for the comment! 🙂
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I tend to follow book blogs that review the type of books I like and read myself. Because of this, I always feel a little awkward when a blogger follows me, I go check out their blog and it’s all horror or fantasy (stuff I just don’t read…ever) and I’m like…do I follow or not and there’s just no point really as I know I’ll never read it.
I’m also less inclined to follow if the blog is on Blogger…I find it difficult to interact with. Great post 🙂
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Yeah, I totally get what you’re saying. I feel the same way when it comes to followers and I think you should just do what works for you and people shouldn’t get upset about that. And yes, I feel the same way about Blogger. It never lets me comment using my WordPress login and that annoys me to no end haha.
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I really enjoyed this post! As someone who’s only been blogging for about a month now, these are all points that I wonder about pretty much every time I check my blog. lol
I know for me, when it comes to following, I basically follow any book blog whose posts I find enjoyable, regardless of whether they read the same types of books or not. I’m also more likely to follow someone if their blog is clean and easy to navigate. 🙂
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Thank you! I’m on the newer side to blogging as well so I totally understand what you mean haha. I can definitely agree with preferring clean and easy to navigate blogs. I think that’s something that everyone has said is important! 🙂
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I agree. I like my layouts clean, simple and easy to read. I prefer nav buttons on the sidebar or in the header so I can view older posts. When choosing a blog, I look at the books they’ve reviewed to see if they match my tastes. If they read YA and NA I usually follow. I also look for style and voice of the author. I’ve found that most blogs I’ve visited have a unique voice to each of them and for that reason I provide the links to all of the blogs I follow at the bottom of my own blog site to help promote followers for other bloggers. We should organize a Twitter chat with all of the book bloggers. I’m also new to blogging and I’ve really enjoyed the chats online. It’s s good opportunity to meet other people with the same interests. I’ve also found really good blogs this way, yours included. Great post!
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Oh, I have a Blogs I Follow section in my sidebar as well! I love connecting with so many different book lovers too! It’s one of my absolute favorite things about the book community, everyone is just so nice and welcoming. I agree about the Twitter chat! Twitter is a great way to find new blogs. I’m so glad it brought you to mine! 🙂
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