I thought I would answer a question that has been spinning around in my head for a few days; why do I book blog? I thought this would be an easy question to answer but the more I think about it the more I realize there is more to it. This is why I thought I’d turn this into a post. The short answer is that I’m obsessed with books and like to talk about them but that is only scratching the surface.
I started blogging about in 2009; this was when I started becoming a reader. I was reading a book called Hey! Nietzsche! Leave Them Kids Alone! by Craig Schuftan which took half a year to read. Not because it was a hard, big or boring book but because it just sparked a passion in me and I spent so much time doing my own research and reading the books and poetry mentioned within this one book. With one book my passion for learning, reading and blogging was born. Knowledgelost was a blog that I still maintain (even though I’m slack with writing new posts) where I would take what I was learning and tried to explain it to myself in a post. I found this a really effective way to learn and enjoyed doing it, I was surprised that I was getting readers; I wasn’t catering to them.
As my passion grew, I decided I was going to start a book blog just so I had a place to talk about my interest more and it is sort of like a diary of my reading journey. While I did transfer some of my literary posts from Knowledgelost over my intention with the blog was just to document the books I’d been reading as well as any bookish thoughts I’d been having. I know that I did lose focus and ended up with (at one point) over 15 book reviews waiting to be posted. So I did have to play the catch up game, but now that I’m relatively up to date, I want to refocus.
My goal for this future will remain to be the reading journey model and while I would love to have other contributors to share their thoughts or books they enjoy; I don’t hold my breath. I consider myself a literary explorer and I feel like I’m still playing catch up with the people that have been serious readers most of their lives, but I like the path I’m taking with the blog and just have to remind myself what I’m doing so I don’t lose focus. There are posts like First Steps and Top 5 that might not seem to fit into the reading journey model but I like lists and if I’m thinking about a certain genre or theme it’s a way to talk about it. I write the First Steps post as if I was recommending books to someone asking about those topics. There are also literary news posts, that are not consistent but I do like to keep a record of them. Most news items are long/short list or prize winner announcements.
This is probably a boring post and there is no need to post this but I’ve been thinking about this and want to keep a record of my goals as a reminder of why I book blog. I know it might make this blog seem very selfish and me-focused but that is how I approach blogging. I write for me and what interests me and if people want to read that or add their comments, that is just a bonus. I hope this blog is still going in five, ten years from now and I hope the focus doesn’t change. I would love to be involved in a big book blog with multiple contributors and multiple bookish posts going up a day but I don’t know how that would work and personally I think that would be a completely different blog. But maybe that’s a post for another time.
It’s good to have a clear idea of why you blog and what you want your blog to be. You’ll have an excellent record of your reading history, which will be interesting to look back on a few years from now.
I like to make sure I always have a clear idea of what I want to do with this blog. In reference to my reading history it already been useful. I look at my progression in review writing and I can see how much I’ve grown as a reader
My reason for blogging started out as being desperate for somewhere to talk about what I was reading but over the years has evolved into more than that, and continues to change.
As for group blogs, it really depends. When it is going well, a group blog is loads of fun and is a vibrant environment to blog in. When it is not going well, it is incredibly draining. I am involved in one where in theory there are six contributors. In practice, two of us are maintaining it and have been for months and months.
That is a bit of a problem and something I would have to remember
Definitely not a boring post! I love to hear about why people blog about books as much as I like to hear about the books themselves! It is all about sharing – that is why we do it.
Thanks
I find it interesting to know what motivates someone to start and keep going with their blog, thanks for sharing yours!
Thanks, I’m glad; it worked out better than I expected
I loved reading about your journey to books and becoming a blogger 🙂
That’s what I do, and don’t plan to stop
Like you, I wish one day to have a blog with multiple contributors 🙂
Could be fun
I ask myself why I blog often, usually when I’m contemplating quitting. haha I think it’s easy to get so involved in ARCs and deadlines from publishers it’s good to take a step back and remember why you started doing this in the first place and that it’s meant to be fun. And besides, I think blogging should be a bit selfish. Sure, you’ve got your readers but you should be blogging for you and because you enjoy it.. not for anyone else.
As much as I love ARCs, I think they can be book blog killers. I don’t want to focus on reviews and coming soon books. Blogging is selfish and it should always be like that, if you are blogging for anyone other than yourself then you are going to end up feeling like its time to quit
Yeah, I buried myself in ARCs when I first started blogging but I’ve cut back majorly. Not only to save my sanity but because I realized there’s a lot of shit being published these days. haha
I still feel like I’m playing “Catch up” in my reading journey so when I first started I didn’t go for any ARCs. Now I do and sometimes I go overboard but I never want them to become a priority. I’ve got heaps of ARCs that I’ve not read and in my review policy I say that I accept ARCs but that doesn’t mean I’ll read them.
I do try and make them a priority but I don’t drive myself crazy if it doesn’t happen. I spent so much time reading nothing but ARCs and following a calendar that it just became a chore. Not allowing myself to read what I wanted was dumb and almost stopped me from continuing to blog. I’m a bit smarter when it comes to blogging and how it works for me though. Just took time. 🙂
As long as you are doing what works for you and not falling into that trap again. I know I have to continually remind myself that I’m doing when it comes to blogging and ARCs
Yep, constant reminders do help. 🙂
Being selfish is essential for bloggers! I’ve taken a bit of a break from my blog for a while because I felt as though it was moving away from what I wanted to achieve from it. I definitely write my blog primarily for myself–it’s a bonus if others enjoy it. 🙂 Given the amount of time and energy that blogging takes, you have to love what you do!
As much as I miss your blog, I completely understand why you would take a break. I hope you do return soon with a focus on what you want to achieve but don’t feel pressured.