As a senior, I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on my college career and decisions I’ve made. By far one of the best decisions I’ve ever made was starting a bookstagram account. What is a bookstagram? You may be asking. To make it simple, it’s a book-themed instagram page where you post reviews, your to-be-read (TBR) list, or just talk about books! I made my account in January of 2022, in my freshman year.
That January, I saw a TikTok that said something to the effect of, “Make a bookstagram, what do you have to lose?” Truly, there is nothing to lose. Creating an instagram account is free and if you don’t end up loving your new project you haven’t lost anything. But here’s why you should absolutely make that book instagram and take the plunge into the world of bookstagram.
- Find a community
I’ve made lifelong friends on bookstagram! I’ve met people who study the same subjects, who are from the same area as me, who are going through the same things as me but live halfway around the world, and everyone has been so incredibly kind and fun! One of my best friends I’ve met lives in Ohio. We have the same hobbies and she works as a florist. Another one of my closest friends lives in Toronto and we study the same subject and talk about college together. One of my friends lives 20 mins away from my hometown and we probably would’ve never met if we didn’t both make book instagrams one day. You could meet your new best friend! And it’s always nice to have people to discuss that cool new book with you if you don’t have reader friends in your life.
- Read books before they come out!
I’ve been fairly successful in my bookstagram endeavor and I currently have over 2,000 followers. When I had about 1,000 followers, I made a profile on Netgalley.com which connects publishers with book influencers. Publishers need early readers to get the word out about their new releases and there’s something for everything on Netgalley. Now I get about two to three free early release books per month that I read and share with my followers! It’s so fun to get to read books before their release date and then post about them.
- You don’t have to dedicate your life to your bookstagram
Bookstagram is pretty chill! Some people go above and beyond and really dedicate a lot of time to taking super cute pics and having a very aesthetic feed, but you don’t have to. You also don’t have to post every day or anything like that. You’ll find people who like the same books as you and want to follow your account. I post reviews, photo dumps, challenges, and more on my account and it never feels stressful or overwhelming. It’s primarily fun!
- It will motivate you to read more
Most people agree that one of the best parts about reading is having someone to talk about the book with you. Imagine having hundreds of best friends that read the same book as you and want to talk about it! There are also tons of fun challenges going around that will motivate you. Some of these include the Alphabet Challenge (read a book that starts with each letter of the alphabet), Sapphic September (read a sapphic book that fits a specific prompt), and Magical Readathon: Autumn Equinox (by Book Roast on YT, a super cool fantasy readathon). Before I started my bookstagram I read probably one book, maximum, per month. Now I read anywhere from 2-10 books every month, depending on my free time!
I hope I’ve convinced you to start a bookstagram, and if I have, give me a follow at @strawberryblondebookshelf and I’ll be your first book bestie!