Bookish Thoughts

Let’s Talk Bookish: Blogging Essentials

Dini @ dinipandareads18 Comments

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! Check out all the past topics if you want to join in the bookish discussion fun.

This week’s topic is actually a mid-year reading check-in but since I just posted my Mid-Year Check-In Tag earlier this week, I’ll be doing last week’s topic:

Blogging Essentials

Prompts: What could you not blog without? Do you have to have a posting schedule? Do you rely on a set TBR to make sure you get to all the books on your list? What have you discovered helps your blogging most?

What could you not blog without?

The things I could not blog without are time and my laptop and that’s it! 😂 …Kidding! (I know, I’m not funny…)

Obviously, finding time is essential but there are two main things that I wouldn’t be able to blog without: my reading spreadsheet and Goodreads.

For several years, I’ve used Kal’s Spreadsheet* to track my reads and this year, I opted to get the “automated elite” version and it’s the best $7 I’ve spent. It makes my life so much easier and I love it so much! This sheet helps me stay organised (as much as I can be, lol) and since my memory is practically like a sieve, it helps me so much with remembering when I read things. 😂 I would highly recommend it if you don’t have a spreadsheet and are looking for one to stay organised.

Of course, another essential is Goodreads. I’ve tried countless times to get my act together when it comes to using Storygraph, but I always return to Goodreads for the familiarity and simplicity because it’s connected to my Kindle and I can easily mark books I’m reading. I go to Goodreads for the details of all the books I read and I link back to their Goodreads page in the majority of my posts. I also use it to keep track of my reading progress and rely on my shelves and the available book lists to make most of my weekly meme posts!

Do you have to have a posting schedule? Do you rely on a set TBR to make sure you get to all the books on your list?

Seeing as no matter how hard I try, I remain terrible at scheduling my posts ahead of time, I do find having a few set days as a “posting schedule” helps me to stay motivated and on top of my blog. I participate in the weekly memes: #TopTenTuesday, #WWWWednesday, #FirstLinesFriday, and will always have a #Sundays in Bed with…WeeklyWrapUp post. If I have enough motivation and time to write a discussion post, I switch out my FLF for a Let’s Talk Bookish (like today!). On the other “unscheduled” days, I try to post reviews, blog tours, and occasionally, a book tag or award—although with the limited time and energy I have nowadays these posts have become much more infrequent! 🫣

And if you’ve been around for a while now, you’ll know that I am so far from being a TBR girlie. I’m too much of an erratic mood reader to stick to a set reading list but I do enjoy making “possibility piles” (and can still never read any of the books on them, lol)!

What have you discovered helps your blogging most?

I’ve been blogging for several years now and some may even count me in the “veteran blogger” category. There’s no special tip or trick that particularly helps the most but I think something that has worked for me repeatedly is the reminder that: all of this is for fun and it should always remain fun.

At the end of the day, blogging is a hobby—albeit, one that means more to me than words I can convey, but it’s still just a hobby and something I do in my free time. I don’t need to put added pressure on myself or beat myself up for not sticking to a plan or for falling behind on posting or engaging. I already have enough stress and pressure in my daily life and I don’t need to turn this into something that feels like a chore. 😂

Do I fail to remember that sometimes? Sure. I have a tendency to fall on the side of feeling guilty more often than not. But when I do remember it and allow myself to let go of the pressure I put on myself, I feel motivated and eager to come back and keep this blog going!

This ended up being more of a ramble than I expected to write and that last answer was a bit of a tangent—sorry about that! 🤭 What could you not blog without and what helps you most with your blogging?

18 thoughts on “Let’s Talk Bookish: Blogging Essentials”

  1. I used to have a reading spreadsheet where I kept track of everything, but now it is simpler since I came back from a huge slump and I am trying things out. I did not want to pressure myself with having one, but they are so helpful so I am already thinking of doing one again. And I agree with Goodreads, I have tried other places but I am only consistant there. Groups there are also great, though I like Storygraph’s buddy reading feature.

    You say you’re not but you look really organized to me!

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    • Honestly, keeping things simple is really great! If it works for you, stick with it, right? I love to get caught up in flashy new things but they don’t always stick and I end up coming back to what’s comfortable for me and that’s the simple things. I hope you find a spreadsheet that works for you if you get back to using one though! Kal’s is great and there’s a simple version of that too which I started using first before upgrading this year. Ooh, yes, I used the SG buddy read feature a lot at the start of the year. It’s something I wish Goodreads would adopt too because it would be amazing! At this rate though, GR will never change 😂

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  3. I actually have a few spreadsheets that I use, and I’d be lost without them. And Goodreads is definitely something I use constantly. I have a StoryGraph but it definitely doesn’t get updated as often. I currently have a week’s worth of posts scheduled. BUT, there’s often big bricks of time that pass with no post because I’m behind. Time is definitely a big necessity when it comes to blogging.

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    • Ooh, I don’t know if I could handle multiple spreadsheets but I do like the idea of them! 😂 Do you use them for different challenges or different types of books? I think I’m just so used to always turning to Goodreads (and it’s so easy to automatically mark what I’m currently reading if it’s an ebook) that I always forget about Storygraph and then get too far behind, lol. I feel like it’s been a while since I posted a non-blog tour book review cos I just haven’t been reviewing the books I’ve been reading lately! Time is truly the biggest factor!

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      • I have my book tracker for books I’ve read, but I keep a different spreadsheet for books I want to read with their tropes. And another for the tropes of the books I’ve read. Those are additions I started this year, and they’ve made my blogging life a lot easier!

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    • Oooh, YES! I can’t believe I didn’t note it down but I also use my notes app and I totally forgot about that. It’s usually to start my reviews if I finish a book late at night and I want to dump all my immediate thoughts and feelings before sorting it out the next when I write a “proper” review, lol. It’s so useful, especially since I’m too lazy and unorganised to properly keep up with a reading journal 😂

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  7. I find this post incredibly relatable! I also use a spreadsheet but the one I use is G’s from Book Roast. I am so thankful she created and shared one too because she did everything I wanted to have in a spreadsheet way better than I could have!

    I also tried to use Storygraph in a more organized way but I only use it for the buddy read feature now but use GR to keep track also for familiarity reasons. I simply don’t have the time to manually collect my books into multiple locations haha

    I am also terrible at sticking to lists but love making them to pick within those lists and then get distracted by picking totally unrelated books as well 😂 Great Post!

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  8. Starting last year, around December I think, I started scheduling posts and I’ve learned it’s been really helpful. I never thought that was necessary, but it is! It’s just nice to look at something and now there is a plan, even if sometimes I switch out content. 🙂

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