I started my book blog back in May 2015, and it’s still going strong. Creating my blog was one of the best decisions I ever made, and it’s something I’d definitely recommend. So why should you start your own book blog? Here’s the facts.
1. It’s a way to put “I read a lot” on a resume or college application.
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I’ll admit, I originally made my blog when I was a high school junior trying to figure out who to turn all the time I spent reading books (and not doing organized, college application-worthy activities) into something I could put on my college resume. And it must have worked because here I am at Agnes Scott! I also want to enter the publishing industry someday, so my book blog might be helpful there, as well.
2. Ever had one of those moments where you’re like, “I know I read this book but for the life of me I can’t remember anything about it”? Just check your blog’s archives!
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Look, some books don’t make much of an impression. It’s super handy to be able to enter the title into a search bar and get 300 words or more about what I thought when I first read it.
3. You get to rave about the books you love.
When I read an amazing book, I feel compelled to share the good news. Book blogging gives me an outlet other than my friends and family, who probably get pretty tired of my monologues about the latest read. And sometimes with book blogging, I actually convince other people to read the books I love, and they love it too! That’s a wonderful feeling and something I bet every book nerd craves.
4. You get to rant about the books you hate.
I’m sure everyone has had the experience of reading a book that’s just offensively bad. Maybe it’s so riddled with plot holes that it resembles Swiss cheese. Maybe the prose is cringeworthy. Maybe the characters are stereotypical. Maybe it’s got yet another exasperating love triangle. In this case, writing a review is a cathartic experience. I get to lay out absolutely everything that’s wrong with the book, and there can be that external validation of commenters saying, “Well at least I know to avoid this one.”
5. You can interact with a ton of other book-obsessed people.
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One of my absolute favorite things about book blogging is the community of fellow book nerds. I can always use more bookish friends in my life, and I’ve found some great ones through blogging. Plus, there are all sorts of community events that I had no idea about before I started my blog. Now I regularly participate in group reads (sort of like an online book club), and next month I’m participating in a blog event focusing on science fiction. Sure, there’s drama in the book community, but on the whole, it’s an incredible group of people, all of whom passionately love books.
6. You can interact with your favorite authors.
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About a year ago, I started contacting authors about doing interviews and guest posts on my blog. I might have gained more experience with this, but I still go into a fangirl meltdown of excited shrieking whenever one of them responds to my emails or shares one of my posts on Twitter.
7. Free books!
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That’s right, as a book blogger you can get access to ARCs, Advanced Reader’s Copies. These are free copies sent out to reviewers before a book’s officially released. So not only do you get a free book, you often get it before everyone else does. Most of my ARCs come from Netgalley, a website that connects reviewers with publishers, but I’ve also had authors and small presses contact me directly. While ARCs are pretty great, they also require a lot of commitment and discipline. It’s so easy to get swayed by a promising synopsis that I can end up with a lot on my plate. But at the end of the day, who doesn’t love free books?
8. You become a better writer.
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Since making my blog, I’ve been writing every week, and it’s definitely improved my writing skills. It’s actually made writing academic papers easier because I have a lot more experience with that feeling of “I don’t know what to say, but I need to say something.” Some books I just don’t have a whole lot of thoughts about, ya know? But regardless, I make myself sit down and come up with at least 300 words.
Book blogging isn’t for everyone. Even if you’re a totally committed book lover, it’s still a pretty big time investment, although you can always do it at a scale that suits you. While I’ve sometimes found it stressful (so many books, so little time!), it’s one of the best parts of my life and not something I’d want to give up.