Discussion – My Top Five Book Blogging Omissions

~ Stephen Writes


Hello everyone,

Hope you are having a great start to the weekend! I have a slightly different discussion post today, which has been in my mind for a while and reflects some of my recent thoughts as a book blogger.

When I began book blogging, I had very little idea about what to post and the whole social media aspect of it. As I have learned more and discovered more, I have found that there are several things that other book bloggers do that I don’t.

Here is a list of some of those things…

Taking Part in Weekly Memes

Each week, my WordPress timeline is full of exciting memes such as Top Ten/Five Tuesday, Top Five Saturday, WWW Wednesday, First Line Friday and Goodreads Monday.

I have never done one of these posts. Some of the topics have looked really fun, and I might give them a go one day. I guess the reason why I have not done this yet is that I like all of my posts (except tags) to be my own original ideas.

Reading ARCs

Every book blogger uses Netgalley, right? Well, not this one!! I have never been too concerned about getting hold of ARCs and reading them. I like to have as much freedom as possible in relation to what book I choose to read.

I don’t like the pressure of having to read a book by a certain time, and I am very happy to wait for the release date. I must confess, I still do not know a whole lot about receiving ARCs, but my life is perfectly alright without them 😉

Book Review Policy

There have only been a couple of occasions where writers have offered me the chance to read their books, and these requests were mostly through Twitter.

The lack of a book review policy kind of goes alongside not getting ARCs, but for those who receive more regular requests, it is certainly a great idea to draw one up!

Bookstagram

I do not have an Instagram account, and my (rather bad) excuse is that I don’t have time to maintain that alongside my other social media accounts. In addition to that, I probably lack the ability to create great bookish pictures.

A lot of other book bloggers do bookstagram and I love the pictures they create, but I just could not invest enough time to do it successfully.

Booktube

I think have only watched one Booktube video in my life, and that was one that I was recommended by a friend. I spend a fair amount of time on Youtube, but not for the books!

Well, there you have it! I probably no longer have the right to call myself a book blogger anymore after this, but I hope you enjoyed my post 🙂

Let’s Chat

Do we share any of these things in common? Is there a reason why I should take part in weekly memes, watch Booktube, or adopt a book review policy? Let me know in the comments!

Published by Stephen Writes

44 thoughts on “Discussion – My Top Five Book Blogging Omissions”

  1. Thanks for this post! It makes me feel very validated as a book blogger who doesn’t do ARCs or booktube and who occasionally struggles with the pressure of promoting blog posts on all kinds of social media. I do have a bookstagram account, and I have learned that I can enjoy it a lot when I stay focused on what I want to put on it, and what I want to get out of the community, but I also very easily stray from this and get overwhelmed by the amazing photographs some people post and feel very inadequate for not doing the same. I admire the way you are very clear about what you are willing to put your time into :).

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    1. I’m so glad you could relate to this post, Emmie! The fact I don’t do these things has made me feel a little pressurised, but it is good you are enjoying what you put on Instagram and trying not to compare yourself to others. 🙂

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  2. I just have a review policy and I am bad with Instagram. Even with review policy I get offered weird books which I don’t read. So you are not losing anything by not having one, according to me.

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  3. I definitely agree about ARCs – it can be so irritating when you have a deadline for reading. I do ARCs but only from time to time, and I accept only the books that I’m sure I’ll love (though it happens a lot that I’m wrong about that 😂). No Bookstagram or BookTube either. I do like BookTube but think Bookstagram is quite pointless.

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  5. You can definitely call yourself a book blogger still! The only ones that I do that you don’t is NetGalley (I got onto that through Each Random Resources as some of the books are given through NetGalley) and the Review Policy (I was starting to get enough requests that I felt bad for saying no just coz it’s a genre I’m not interested in). You do what works for you.

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  6. The only one I don’t do I guess is Netgalley. I just couldn’t get on with reading ebooks because it would trigger my migraines. But I have a successful bookstagram account – I made that waaaaay before my blog. And I love watching certain booktubers videos 🙂 I was going to try to make my own but I’m too anxious of a person for that!

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  8. Nice post, I am the same as you on everything, except I have an Instagram account (which is partly bookstagram but other stuff too), I only review several ARCs a year.
    Although it’s great that bloggers like to join in with themed posts, I have way too many ideas already 😉

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  9. I used to feel the same way as you did about the weekly memes; I only started doing them last month. Either way, I find them to be a very enjoyable way to get myself in more with the book blogging community, but I definitely understand where you are coming from with wanting to have original content!

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  10. When I started my blog I leaned heavily on weekly memes for content, but a couple of years in and I’m honestly sick of them. I don’t mind creating posts that are inspired by things other bloggers have done, but it starts to feel very repetitive after a while when you keep answering some variation of ‘saddest books I’ve ever read’ week after week. And kind of ditto ARCs – I used to be a lot more into them (mainly for the money saving aspect) but now they’ve become a bit of a chore, so I try not to request ones that I’m not genuinely excited for. I think doing things your own way is the best way not to burn out, so I love this list!

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  12. This is a great post, Stephen! We are definitely alike when it comes to Booktube and Instagram as I have never had much interest in either. However, I must say that I love the feeling of receiving an ARC! I do agree with you though that it’s great to have flexibility to read what you enjoy and when you feel like it and ARCs are often limiting in that respect.

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  13. Wonderful post Stephen! I used to take part in the WWW Wednesday meme, but it eventually was not worth the effort every week to craft the post. I don’t watch booktube or have NetGalley either. I honestly don’t even have a reason, I just don’t. Haha. I do have a book review policy, but I rarely accept ARCs because I’m terrible at making time to read. I also have bookstagram though and I enjoy taking pictures. Though it is a lot of work.

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  14. I’ve never watched a book tube video! I don’t even know any book tubers! I don’t have time to watch videos along with everything else and it’s not something I would ever consider doing myself! I do love bookstagram though!

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  16. Terrific post, Stephen. I don’t do Bookstagram or Booktube, as I don’t have the time or inclination to do such things. Weekly memes: nope. Book review policy: yes, if only to clarify for myself what I am willing to read.

    I do love Netgalley and ARCs. It can be a bit of a pain to try to read & review a book before publication. I feel pressure not to let the author & publisher down, as I know getting positive reviews is helpful for them. But getting free books is cool and has helped expose me to works I never would’ve heard of otherwise. This past year, almost all of the authors were new to me. I’ve gotten to try a lot of different types of books in the mystery/suspense genre, and that’s been helpful for my own writing and for giving feedback to my critique partners. I can see more readily what works & what doesn’t, plus what the trends are, etc. Having to articulate my thoughts in a review is also helpful for me, so I am forced to think about WHY something does or doesn’t work and apply these ideas to my own fiction.

    But just like every author has his/her own way of telling their story, every book blogger has their own way to blog about books. That’s what makes the book blogging world so interesting! You’re a great book blogger. 🙂

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    1. Thank you very much, Meredith! I can imagine that it is a great feeling to receive ARCs and it’s really interesting to find out how they have helped you as a blogger and reviewer. I’m so glad it has 🙂

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  17. I started taking part in weekly memes a couple of years ago and found that they increased my engagement with fellow book bloggers. When it comes to ARCs, I’ve realised it can get a little overwhelming to read them by a certain time. I try to only request books I am really excited about. You definitely have the right to call yourself a book blogger, Stephen! 🙂

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    1. I do enjoy reading the weekly meme posts, and I’m glad they have helped you gain more engagement. I have considered taking part several times but have always decided not to in the end! Thank you, Shaz 🙂

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  18. This little space of the world that you have carved out as your own? It is just that. Yours. And as long as you aren’t personally attacking anyone with hate speech and the like? You have a right to do with it what you see fit. And anyone who says otherwise, ignore.

    I goof around with people about things but when it comes to bottom line of it all? Everyone has a right to their feels, opinions and what they do with their site… yes even those who worship vampires that glitter… just because I don’t doesn’t mean I’m better… just that my soul is more pure… I kid. I kid.

    Anyhow… you do you and never feel the reason to apologize for it. We all put too much time and effort creating these corners of the world for whatever the motivation is to do so.

    💕😽

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  19. I found this post through The Write Reads on Twitter. Great post! ♥️
    What I love about the book blogging community is the diversity. Yes we all love reading but we are not carbon copies of each other.
    I started using NetGalley as a sneaky way to read some free books by new-to-me authors and only request one or two a month.
    Like you, I love looking at all the pretty pictures on Instagram but don’t have the time (or talent) to post much myself. I haven’t ventured into YouTube.
    I read a blog post earlier this year that advised focusing our time on quality social media: I chose to spend my time on my blog and have fun with Twitter.

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    1. Thank you, Flora! I agree, the diversity among the book blogging community is wonderful, and that’s one of the reasons why I love it so much.
      I’m glad you enjoy Twitter – I don’t really have the time for any other social media platforms! 🙂🙂

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  20. Here is what I have to say about these topics and me.

    Weekly Memes: Nope, these are not for me.

    ARCs: I have read a few and have been approached but there is nothing like choosing your own timeline to read a book because I may be in the mood to read when the request was put in but moods change.

    Bookstagram: I have one instagram account which I use for more than just bookstagram and even with that it takes me ages to post because there is just no time.

    Booktube: I have yet to get the hang of things tech to even consider this.

    Lastly, you have given me a good idea for a blog post where I can talk about these things in detail.

    http://www.hinalovestoread.wordpress.com

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