06 January 2012

Busting the Newbie Blues!

Small Review is hosting a fantastic event called...
In her words,

This event is designed to:
  • Put new YA book bloggers on the map
  • Increase blogger interaction
  • Start a discussion by sharing our experiences as new bloggers
  • Learn about what it was like for established bloggers when they were newbies
So here goes:

When did you start your blog?
I started my blog in the summer of 2009, though I didn't really start posting regularly until 2011.

Why did you start your blog?
I started my blog so that I could have a place to share whatever I wanted to.  When I was younger, I kept a journal, but I liked that a blog could be read by other people, so I could share my ideas.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far? 
I don't know how to get people to read my blog!  My biggest challenge has been getting people to find my posts and comment on them.  I love comments, but I rarely get any.

What do you find most discouraging about being a new blogger? 
Looking at other, more well-established blogs, I wonder if I will ever get as many followers or comments.  It's discouraging especially when some of the blogs with a ton of followers have been around just as long as mine has!

What do you find most encouraging?
As a new blogger, I feel like I have a lot more freedom with what and how I post.  People don't expect certain things from me, such as posts on a certain day, contests, memes, etc.
 
What do you like best about the blogs you read? Have you tried to replicate this in your blog?
With respect to book reviews, I like that most bloggers post a synopsis of the book (such as from Goodreads) before their review so that if I haven't read the book in question, I can still understand what is being said in the review.  In my early book reviews, I just posted a review but recently I did start to add synopses, too!

What do you dislike about blogs you’ve read? Do you try to avoid this?
Bad grammar!  That is my biggest pet peeve with bloggers in general.  Your blog is a published piece of writing, so take pride in it!  I always proofread my posts before they get published.
 
Any advice for other new bloggers?
Don't give up on your blog.  Even if you're struggling to get readers, you started blogging because you liked writing and sharing your ideas.  If you're truly passionate about it, you can find a way to push through the struggles.
 
Any questions you'd like to ask newbie or established bloggers?
Established bloggers:  In your early days, how did you promote your blog to get more readers?
 
Is there anything you’d like to tell us about your blog? Feel free to link a few of your favorite posts or posts you wish had more comments.
Unlike a lot of YA book bloggers, I don't exclusively write about books on this blog.  While books are a large component, I also post other product reviews and write some "personal" posts as well.  So it's quite the eclectic mix here (hence the blog name, which translates to "Randomness" from French).

Here are links to a couple of my recent book-related posts:

A lot more reviews are coming soon in 2012 (my to-read pile is about 10 high!), so stay tuned! ;-)

9 comments:

  1. That's great you're trying to post synopses on your reviews! It really annoys me to come across a review and there's no information about the book. Grrrr.

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    Replies
    1. Me too- I realized I hated that, and then realized I was doing it myself. I think it just makes sense to have a synopsis posted, since you can't assume that everyone reading your blog has read the books you're posting about.

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  2. great list
    still new-ish

    comment comment comment on othr blogs
    be active

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  3. Great question. My only means of promotion was just to visit other blogs and make connections. Best of luck!

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  4. Replies
    1. I have a Goodreads account, but I admit I use it sparingly. Though, it probably would do me well to keep it up to date and use it more often...

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  5. I found commenting on other blogs useful, but IMM and the weekly Hops were where I got most of my readers.
    I also think e-mailing a few established bloggers with questions and/or compliments helped. Not always, because some bloggers are bad about responding to e-mails, but it helped with a few.
    Mostly the blogs I'm friends with were on the same trajectory as me. We started around the same time and all grew together.
    I'm still on the lookout for new blogs. I'm mostly likely to comment on blogs that comment on my blog, because I only have so much time to comment back. So that's what I'd recommend.

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  6. The weekly hops are a great way to promote your blog. I got lots of followers that way when I was starting out. Also, commenting on other blogs and interacting with other blogs on twitter all helps! :)

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  7. Im a new follower , www.thephantomparagrapher.blogspot.com. OMG , I so know what you mean by the grammar. I think it's the librarian in me, but I can always spot the spelling mistake. I think Im more Spelling errors over Grammar.

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Thanks for visiting my blog- I love my readers! Be sure to leave a comment ;-)

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