What I’ve Learnt in Three Years of Blogging Book Reviews
Not my reading space but I wish it was
Early in book blogging career, I posted what I'd learnt after six months. Sure, I was but a slip of a thing back then, so now three years later, big boy blogger pants on and stabilisers off, here’s what I've learnt.
Full Time Blogging Book Reviews
If you are earning a wage as a full time blogger - fair play til ye. Because ‘how to make money reading books’ is not a question I can answer. I haven’t come across many bloggers who do this for a living, and most seem to enjoy it as a hobby. Perhaps some have delusions aspirations to rise in the morning, stretch and yawn whilst you listen to the gurgle of the coffee machine, tip toe in bare feet back to the bedroom, nestle back into the plumped pillows, read a book and get paid to share their valuable opinions, but I wouldn’t be overly optimistic of their chances.
I will mention the dreaded subject of income later on, but for now let me say, not for the last time - I do it for the love of books. It’s my passion for reading that makes me lift a book take the time to share my opinions on it. I realise that sounds lofty but honestly it’s what fuels this blog.
I like looking at how I felt about a book, and it’s interesting to see how my thoughts develop over the time I spend reading and it makes me more involved with the book. I don’t read from the perspective of a book blogger who has to form opinions; rather, I’m just a reader recording my thoughts.
The love of it
In 2021 I had no idea of how long this blog would last. I’d just moved house, bought new bookshelves, and set about filling them. It was a new start for me, and the blog became part of that.
Has enthusiasm waned? I don’t read as much as I used to, and I can’t be sure of the reasons for that, but I still hope to hit around 50 books this year. But if it’s only 40, so be it.
Sometimes I make a few notes as I’m reading, but mostly I start typing as soon as I’m finished. Fresh out of the oven, so to speak. I still like writing the reviews, and when I don’t it will be time to quit blogging.
I also enjoy sitting down and thinking about some book blogging ideas. I occasionally have a monthly round up, writes lists of books or just blog. Have fun with it.
Fifty Spins
Fifty spins around the sun, and I knows what I knows and I likes what I likes. Steamy regency vampire sagas set in Tudor times probably aren’t going to cut it for me, and what I have learnt is that a lack of enthuasiasm will show in my reviews.
Don’t feel the need to review everything that crosses your path. Sure, to begin with there’s a novelty of having all these books to review - look at little ol’ book blogger me, surrounded by tottering piles of TBR begging for my attention - best get to it!
There’s a book blogger out there for every genre, so get used to saying no to review requests. And authors - do you need a half arsed review from someone who quite obviously is not enamoured with the genre or subject matter?
I can’t and won’t respond to every request for a book review- and those that demand a response certainly won’t get one. Did I mention this is a part time hobby?
I automatically veer towards positivity in my reviews, as there’s enough negativity out there. But I won’t lie if I don’t like something. I realise it’s tough for self published authors, and I wish you every success in your writing life, but I have to be extremely selective in my reading habits and I just don’t read enough these days.
ARC Requests
Just like ordering too much food in a restaurant because your eyes are bigger than your stomach, I don’t request books I’m not going to read. I try to schedule my reviews as close as possible to the release date, but that doesn’t always happen. Such is life.
When I started I requested every shiny book that caught my fancy. I felt a pressure to read and review, and it showed in my writing. Once I cleared the backlog I started to be much more selective in my ARC requests. I’ve written more about this here.
Hosting
Honestly, I wish I hadn’t went with Squarespace three years ago when I started blogging book reviews. On the plus side, it’s easy to use, I just write and post. No problem including images and links, but there were some issues when I was adding code in the header for Google Adwords. Eventually got that sorted
However, I pay monthly to host the site, and I really wish I didn’t have to. For two of those three years, I met those costs myself (I’m getting to income soon, don’t worry) and if I had went with Wordpress, with all their plugins etc it would have cost me a lot less. I have looked at moving over to Wordpress but honestly, I can’t be bothered with all the technical issues that would undoubtably ensue. I just like reading books and writing reviews, blog posts and list items.
Income
I hate talking about this, because it’s not why I got into blogging. Mentioning money seems to sully the whole endeavour because it’s the books, right? However, it would be remiss of me not to, and I know it’s something that others are interested in, and I want to be honest. But I can’t stress this enough - don’t get into book blogging with the intention of making a living from this. You won’t.
Early on I set up an amazon affiliates account to link to my book reviews. Some months it makes a couple of dollars/pounds, other months literally nothing. If I make enough to buy a newly released paperback, I’m delighted. I don’t get enough traffic for it to amount to much.
Google ads, Mediavine and Journey
I really didn’t ever want to have ads on my site - I find them annoying and intrusive. However, as mentioned above, hosting the site means that this endeavour costs me money (I don’t consider the purchasing of books as a cost) and I thought it was worth investigating to see if I could balance the books, pardon the pun.
After two years, I made the decision to at least try ads, and went with GoogleAds. I found it a bit footery (there’s a bit of Ulster Scots for ye) to begin with, and having to manually include ads in each post somewhat irksome. But I got used to it, though I have no control over the content of the ads.
Worth it? Slow to begin with, but it did begin to accumulate, and most months I began to make my hosting costs. I’m literally talking about $1 or $2 dollars a day.
Fast forward to a month ago, and I applied to mediavine, an ad management company. I didn’t and still don’t have enough traffic to meet the threshold, but I did apply for ‘journey’ which is for smaller publishers.
Honestly, it’s been much better. It was easy to set up and the company inserts the ads; again, I have no control over that. In the month it’s been set up I've easily met my hosting costs and been able to buy not just a new paperback but a hardback as well! As mentioned previously, money goes back into my book buying addiction, which is a substantial one, but there are worse vices out there.
So there ya go - a happy ending in that I now meet my costs and can buy more books. My ultimate aim of retiring to a villa in Tuscany to live the idyllic life of a book blogger should be achievable by 2131.
SEO
I have been offered a couple of opportunities to guest post but as I didn’t see any connection my site and theirs, I haven't bothered. That’s not to say I won’t in the future, but nothing suitable has arisen.
Backlinks is another one - I’ll only accept sites with a book connection. Perhaps I should concentrate more on backlinks, establishing authority etc but I just want to read books.
SEO is something I’ve looked into but again, it just takes me away from reading. I found myself spending more and more time visiting forums etc but while it was interesting to learn about, it’s not something I want to spend all my spare time on.
Community and Connection
Far more important than money, is community and connection. When I began book blogging, I honestly felt that just like reading, it would be a solitary activity, and I was happy enough with that. Like I say, it’s just a hobby where I combine my interests of reading and writing.
I began visiting other book bloggers, like I’ve always done, but this time with an eye on what they were reading. I have a few favourites who I’ve subscribed to and I enjoy their emails landing in my inbox with details of their reviews. Some of them had reading challenges which I signed up to - thought it would be nice to meet the neighbours.
I’m not one for social media, don’t have a FB account, rarely use twitter, but I had heard bookstagram was a thing. I signed up just to see what everyone else was reading but soon I was posting my own book pics.
And I’ve really enjoyed it - especially the interaction with others. It’s a great place to talk about books and see what everyones reading. I don't take part in any of the reading groups or challenges, but maybe I will in the future. I do take pics and I keep my photos simple, but I do enjoy seeing how others do it. Amazing some of the arrangements people place their books in.
As well as the lovely interactions, it’s informed a lot of my reading. I’ve gotten so my recommendations from other readers - some bookstagrammers you just chime with, and I enjoy reading their reviews. And you can tell when a book is going to do well - it just keeps popping up in your feed, and it’s the modern day equivalent word of mouth (which I also rely on from the book lovers in my offline life).
Audiobooks
I’ve learnt to enjoy audiobooks and I sometimes have two on the go. Fiction demands more of my attention, whilst others I can enjoy whilst washing the dishes. I listen to some when watching the sun rise, and others when I wake in the wee hours. There’s an audiobook for every mood and need. The narrator is also important, as is your choice of subscription service.
Take a Chance
Although there are some genres that just aren’t for me, there have been plenty of books along the way that I’ve taken a chance on because of the review of others. Almost always, I’m glad I did.
Go with your intuition - it’s all you have. Don’t think you have to review a book because it’s worthy and on some prize list. Read plenty of blurbs or reviews of others and see what resonates.
I’ve learnt that when I grow weary of reading and reviewing and enter a bit of a reading slump (it happens) I go back to the source. Usually Stephen King or some page turning thriller that gets me going again. Not every book has to be a worthy one - read for enjoyment.
Don’t take it too seriously
My book thoughts are just that - my own opinions that don’t amount to a hill of beans. Just thoughts, nothing else. They aren’t written in stone and who cares what I think? What are thoughts anyway and why do we identify with them (been reading books on this list again). Thoughts are passing and I grab them and share them and then they’re gone.
Perhaps to begin with I was overly conscious of sharing my opinions and identifying as a reviewer, but honestly - who cares what I think? Feel free to say whatever you want.
I like reading books and recording what I felt about them. Perhaps someone else will see a review of mine and think that it looks interesting. I think my subscribers have a fair idea of what I like to read and maybe a recommendation interests them. I’m grateful to everyone who visits or subscribes.
Summary
So there you have it. As long I’m still enjoying reading and reviewing I’ll continue to do it. When it becomes a chore it’ll be time to stop reviewing, but I’ll always be a reader. That’s one identity I can’t shift.
I’m heading away on a break now and am thinking about the books I’m bringing with me. I don’t get into a panic if I don’t have a book, but it’s always better to have one. Being relaxed and lost in the pages is for me one of my holiday pleasures.
Thanks for reading this far, and if you’re thinking about blogging book reviews, go for it. My advice is to read what you enjoy and connect with others.
Drop me a comment below and I’ll come say hi.