First off I have to say thanks to Octavia for having me on her blog. I was truly honored when she asked me to be a part of her ONE YEAR!!! So thanks lady 😉
I’m still considered a newbie blogger, I think. I just hit my 3 month mark on November 3rd and it’s been a fun 3 months so far. I first considered getting into the blogosphere back in April when I joined Twitter for the first time. I made an account initially just to get online and fangirl with others about the tv shows I’m obsessed with (ahem….TVD…Damon Salvatore) and the books I adore. I quickly found out that you could connect with authors, which I loved, and bloggers so easily. So I did what any normal book lover would do, I started stalking the crap out of blogs!! I started talking to other bloggers and then I attended my first twitter party and that pushed me into REALLY wanting to get into the blogosphere. So one day in August I just went for it, by that evening I had my entire blog decked out and my introduction post up. I then started a twitter just for blogging and I was lucky to have a ton of super supportive blogger friends and authors from the beginning that helped me learn the ropes….if only they had warned me about a FEW things…..*gives all of you the stink eye*
Don’t #1: Don’t go on a request binge
OK so I’m sure most of you were like me and learned of the magical world of Netgalley and Edelweiss and went WILD!!!!
The day I started blogging I got on Netgalley and I requested……*whispers* 35 books…..I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW…..I’m insane. BUT I have an excuse….NO ONE TOLD ME THEY APPROVE YOU SO EASILY!!! So I get the first few approval emails in and I’m thinking HECK YEA, look at me getting some approvals, only to continue to get approvals that lead to a total melt down and full on stress. So new bloggers word to the wise…..REQUEST WITH CAUTION!!!
Don’t #2: Don’t always say yes
I made my pretty little “Contact Me” section on my blog and didn’t really expect much to come of it since I was new….once again…I was wrong. I started getting requests pretty quickly honestly, whether it was from my blog or twitter, from authors. Of course I felt like I HAD to say yes, I was new…I shouldn’t be turning authors down right?! WRONG! This only led to stress because it added to my reading load, which was big because of my previous boo-boo. I also would say yes to books that didn’t even really appeal to me THAT much, which only led to DNFs and not so fun emails to authors. *sigh* Not fun. So just remember….YOU CAN SAY NO…it really is ok…you will still get more requests…you will not be shunned!
Don’t #3: Don’t think that you have to schedule EVERY day
I told you that I did a lot of blogger stalking before I actually started my blog, well I noticed a major trend in most blogs…daily posting. Memes galore, reviews, cover reveals, blitzes, blog tours, etc. So like a diligent blogger I just knew that was what I HAD to do. I made up a pretty little schedule and just knew it was no big deal. WRONG! You really don’t realize how stressful and time consuming blogging can be. (Especially when you have three kids and a husband) I quickly was overwhelmed and stressed trying to do some kind of post every single day. Until one day Christine from Oh Chrys made a statement on twitter about not needing to post daily and that your supporters will be there either way. I thought “you know how less stressed I would be if I didn’t post every night?” Then I got to looking at some other bloggers that didn’t do everyday posts and their blogs were doing just fine, more than fine actually. So I just stopped. Now I post when I want to and how I want to. I kept the memes that I really enjoyed doing and do reviews weekly (when life doesn’t get in the way). This is something I’m supposed to enjoy doing, not a stressful chore. So remember that guys! Quality over quantity!
Also people that do post daily, KUDOS TO YOU! I applaud your motivation and the fact that you can handle it; it just wasn’t a good fit for me. J
So those are my three main things I would suggest to proceed with caution when it comes to blogging at the beginning. Also just remember that there is no right or wrong way to blog. Your blog is a part of you and should fit your style and personality, not anyone else.
Again thanks for having me Octavia! I’m so glad that we have become friends over this short time and look forward to many more chats and gif usage to come. <3
