Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits, and it’s where we get to discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! If you want to join in the bookish discussion fun, check out the September 2022 prompts!

Now without further ado… The topic asks us about:

Tips for newbie bloggers

(SUGGESTED BY ARIA @ BOOK NOOK BITS)
Prompts: What have you learned since you first started blogging? What advice would you give to new bloggers? What is your favourite thing about blogging? What is the hardest part of blogging for you? Is there anything you wish you’d done differently with your blog?

WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT BLOGGING

I’ve been blogging since March 2019 so I guess I’m no longer considered a newbie, even though sometimes it feels like I am! 😂 But what haven’t I learned about blogging since then? There’s so much but I’ll try to keep it short. I learned that…

• Blogging can be very time-consuming and even if you’re writing about something you’re passionate about it can also be overwhelming and tiring sometimes.
• There’s no right or wrong way to blog. The comparison game will not make blogging more enjoyable for you. You do you and whatever makes you enjoy writing about the things you love!
• Weekly memes are the best! It’s okay to not have super creative and thought-provoking “original” content on your blog and it doesn’t make your blog any less than!
• Blog hopping and engaging with other bloggers, although time-consuming, is absolutely worth the effort. The book blogging community is super kind and supportive and you can make great friends doing so!
• You don’t need to be on every platform to spread the word about your blog.

A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT BLOGGING

There are so many things I love about blogging. As an international blogger that doesn’t have reading friends IRL, it’s been a great way to meet fellow book lovers, engage in bookish talk, and basically grow my already endless TBR _{(because who doesn’t need more books, amirite?)}! I also love having a space that’s all mine and where I can really let my weird hopeless romantic self loose without fear of judgement _{(and even if someone on the interwebs judged me, I wouldn’t care cos who are they, lol)}!

THE HARDEST PART OF BLOGGING

I think the hardest part for me has been time management! 😂 I’m not the most organised person (though I try to be) and I don’t usually write posts in advance (case in point being this post right now, lol), so sometimes it can be hard to balance writing posts and doing other things like responding to comments, blog hopping and engaging with others on their blogs. I try to make a point of picking one day to catch up on everything I’ve missed but it doesn’t always work out because life!

A FEW TIPS

I don’t consider myself an expert or anything and I think others probably have much better advice than me but here are a few tips that I think I would’ve liked to know at the beginning:

• Don’t be afraid to start. I know that sounds really vague but I remember when I first started blogging I was scared to jump in on weekly memes, like Top Ten Tuesday, or leaving comments on posts, but you shouldn’t be! Following weekly memes is a fun and easy way to make content and engaging with others is a fantastic way to meet other bloggers, get inspiration and find new books to love!

• Don’t compare your blog to others. Whether it’s about engagement stats, follower count, blog design and content—don’t let yourself get stuck in the comparison game. I know it’s easier said than done _{(I mean, we all do it…)} but doing this just makes blogging less enjoyable for yourself. We all do things differently so, as long as it makes you happy, just do you!

• If you can, schedule as much content as you can in advance. I know I’m being hypocritical since this is something I confess to not doing (often) on my blog, I am trying to get better at it and trust me, having posts scheduled ahead of time takes so much pressure off! Maybe it means spending more time on the blog for one or two days but at least you won’t have to scramble at the last minute to get something sorted.

• Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you can’t do ✨all the things✨ that you want don’t get yourself down about it. We’re not getting paid to do this and we’re all here to have fun with a hobby that we’re passionate about, and putting more pressure on yourself because you can’t or don’t do ✨all the things✨ takes the fun away. We all get it, so don’t stress it!

• Taking a break is 100% okay. I’ve felt the blogger burn out a time or two since I’ve been blogging and I used to feel really guilty and, if I’m being honest, a little scared to take a break but then I told myself I was being ridiculous—especially when I came back from said breaks _{(one hiatus even extended from one month to four months!)} feeling fresh and so eager to dive back in again! 😂

SOMETHING I WOULD’VE DONE DIFFERENTLY…

I think what I would’ve done differently is paced myself better and probably been a little kinder to myself. For several years, I would sometimes post twice a day because I wanted to take part in ✨all the things✨ and as a result, I burned out pretty badly. This kind of links to the imposter syndrome I feel every now and then, especially when I’m seeing others churning out great ‘original’ content, and it took me a while to feel okay with my blog content but I’m glad that I got there because I like my blog the way it is!

What advice would you give to blogging newbies? Is there any advice that you wish you would’ve received or seen as a newbie? Is there anything you would do differently now?

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