Sometimes I can’t believe I started my bookstagram account a year ago. It feels like it was yesterday, it feels like it was a billion years ago. Most if it all, it feels like I still have so many thoughts about what seems to be THE social media to be on for books that I don’t know how to feel, anymore.
So… like I often do, I thought I’d unpack it all here and share my unfiltered thoughts on my bookstagram experience so far. Hoping that some of my feelings might echo with some of you, whether you have an account on instagram or not. Here I go. God, my palms are sweating.
Why I started a bookstagram account
The thing is: I know I started on bookstagram partly because I felt like I had to. In this day and age… I feel like I’m a thousand years old, saying this. I’ve been blogging for over 6 years, so I guess I’m allowed to have this dinosaur kind of talk.
ANYWAY, right now and in the past few years, I’ve been feeling like, as a book influencer, I couldn’t NOT be on bookstagram. Publishers are paying attention to it, readers are paying attention to it, everyone got eyes and ears on this social media.
Let’s be honest, though: I didn’t start it out of obligation, either. After staring at so many accounts for so many years, admiring their incredible photography, I thought it’d be fun to join in, too. My photography skills? I don’t know. My props? I don’t know, either. My aesthetic? I wasn’t sure. But I did, I jumped in.
It’s been a year now…
Let’s get this all down first and talk about NUMBERS. Let’s face it: we’re all concerned about instagram growth, aren’t we? So… here’s what my account looks like after one entire year.
61 posts
546 followers
Ridiculous, isn’t it? If you ask me, that’s the word I’d use. RIDICULOUS.
To compare it with my blog, I KNOW I probably wrote over 110 blog posts in this entire year. Weird, isn’t it, when social media’s supposed to be all fast, quick and easy compared to writing long blog posts? For me, it wasn’t.
I know these are just numbers, but I also know I could have grown more. Hell, there are bookstagram accounts with over 10k followers in the matter of a year. Hell, I know what it takes to grow on social media, too.
Could I have grown more? Could these numbers be better than they are? Yes. Did I do it? No. The reason’s pretty simple.
I have mixed feelings about bookstagram
Please note to anyone taking the time to read this (hi! thank you! I really appreciate you) that I’m NOT in this to offend anyone. These are my personal thoughts and feelings, that’s it.
I went into bookstagram because I thought I had to, but also because I was attracted to the social media as a whole.
After being a silent observer for so many years, I wanted to jump in. I admired so many extraordinary accounts and I wanted to be part of them, too. After seeing the incredible work bookstagrammers did and their recognition, I wanted it, too. Not going to deny that. I knew this could be a lovely complement to my blog and a new place to scream about books on, so I wanted it, as well.
I’m not going to lie: I’m still very much in awe of bookstagrammers. I scroll down my feed every day and admire so many accounts. I’m just not sure I have it in me to be a great bookstagrammer. You know. The ones with lots of followers, lots of interaction, getting incredible opportunities, building friendships through the social media, finding themselves FITTING there so seamlessly.
A lot of work goes into this social media
I knew that getting into it, obviously, but I didn’t know just how draining the work could be. While I can spend hours and hours drafting a blog post or brainstorming ideas here, I don’t feel like I can plan out weeks of bookish pictures. I don’t have the props, I don’t have the inspiration, I don’t have the patience.
I don’t have the books. Right now, I can count the amount of physical copies I have: less than 10.
Let’s not lie to ourselves: bookstagram IS a materialistic place. Pictures with books are more popular than pictures with ebooks. People VALUE gigantic bookstacks, pretty and aesthetics library MORE than ebooks pictures. That’s just the way it is.
But Marie, you’ll say, you can absolutely edit book covers on your books. I know I do. Some people got time for it, some people like doing it. To be honest, I quickly found out that I can’t be bothered. I don’t find all of the work as rewarding as writing on my blog, so I let it slide.
I take pictures when I feel like it and, when I post, I enjoy it. But I’m not keeping a schedule, I’m not putting in the work like I am on my blog because I just often don’t feel like it.
I don’t know what to say in my instagram captions
I know. Me, the eternal rambler writing 2k blog posts, can’t know what to say? How is that possible? I want to laugh at myself right now. Every time I write on instagram, I’m drawing a blank.
The truth is: I don’t read captions on instagram.
Well. That’s not entirely true. The REAL truth is: I can count on my two hands what I read and from who. There are my favorite bookstagrammers (and influencers as a whole). I’ll read their captions entirely. But I won’t do it every time. Captions are long. I’m spending time on instagram scrolling down. I rarely ever read it all.
That being said, I struggle with inspiration for instagram. While I immediately know the blog posts I want to tackle next, the reviews I’d like to share on my blog and more… on instagram, it feels different.
I don’t actually WANT to write long captions, but I sometimes FEEL like I should, to fit in. I have pictures waiting sometimes to be posted, but absolutely no idea what to say.
Some people feel free to talk about their lives and I don’t. Some people like to ask tons of questions, but I’d rather do that kind of discussion in a blog post. I feel like my voice has more space, here. I feel like my voice matters more, too.
So they stay there and I stop posting for weeks, until I get a random burst of inspiration.
I feel like I’m drowning in it
Instagram is a social media. It’s so fast paced, I feel like I can’t keep up. It exhausts me quickly, too.
It’s a game of numbers and I’m not keeping up
The thing about social media is that numbers are RIGHT THERE and I find it really annoying, stressful and it’s making me way more anxious than it should.
Despite trying my best not to pay attention to numbers too much, on instagram, they’re right here in your face. You’re wondering about how to get more likes, asking yourself why this picture didn’t work as well when you personally love it, why you’re not gaining followers as fast as others… That list goes on.
Everything takes time. I know that. If you spend more time on it, if you invest yourself in it, you’ll find your reward. If you interact more, you will find your people, your account will grow. I am aware of these little secrets to bookstagram growth.
I also know that, like on any social media, the algorithms are sometimes stacked against you. There’s nothing you control here. Your pictures are out there, they’re distributed in the best way instagram thinks they are, which means so many of your followers might not even see it. Your engagement might tank one day or the other because why not?
You’re not in control of ANYTHING and I don’t really like that.
You need to be posting on your stories often, you need to get into reels… Like I said it before: bookstagram IS work. To get the numbers, you need to work for it. While I deeply admire people who do, I often feel burned out before I even get started, unfit because I don’t have gigantic bookshelves or physical copies to show off, inadequate because I don’t want to shot reels and show my face.
I often end up prioritizing other tasks. If I have to choose between writing a blog post or taking instagram pictures, I will write a post. When picking between spending time on instagram and on book blogs, I might scroll down a little bit, but I always feel happier when I’m working on this platform.
Related blog post: Time Management as a Book Blogger: my Top 5 Tips
Why I’m still on bookstagram now
Seems like a lot of my mixed feelings are actually bad feelings, but let me reassure you: they’re not all bad. Do I feel like I’m drowning and like it’s superficial, at times? Definitely.
Do I feel a little bit unfit to be a great bookstagrammer and therefore, taken as less relevant as a book influencer? Sadly, yes.
I still like spending time on bookstagram. I often scroll down to see my favorites and watch their stories. When I actually feel like posting, I have fun with it. I might not be using props and I’ll spend time with half old pictures of my books back home and half my 10 physical copies here, but who cares?
I’m not in the business of giving up.
I might be very small, my voice might feel irrelevant on this social media, but I don’t even mind. There’s only so little time in a day, so I’m doing this bookstagram thing on my own time, in my own way.
Let’s see how I feel about it all in a year, shall we?
📌 Pin Thoughts After a Year on Bookstagram on Pinterest!
Are you on bookstagram? Why, or why not? What do you like or don’t enjoy about this social media? I’d love to talk about it all, so feel free to share your thoughts in comments!
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I’m HAPPILY not on Bookstagram anymore. I willingly deleted my account after passing 2K followers. As an international blogger who likes BLOGGING, like you I didn’t have the physical books, the time, or energy for all the picture taking and content planning. Especially so because it barely sent any traffic to my actual love of labor: my blog. After over 2 years away, I never miss it. The noise, the pressure, the STRESS was not worth it *for me* at all. If you enjoy the scrolling, then you can stay for that. But you can totally be a successful book blogger without Instagram. Most excellent bloggers need one good social media account: Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest. Or even Facebook. Pick your poison 🙂 lol
Thank you for sharing your honest thoughts. It’s okay to do you, Marie 🙂
Oh Afoma THANK YOU so much for sharing your insights on this post. You’re honestly one of my favorite bloggers and I admire your work so much, it’s so nice to see that you’re feeling the same way about it than I do. I feel like it’s so energy draining and, ultimately, not the focus I want to keep. I always want to keep my hard work and focus on blogging, too ❤️
Thank you so, so much for your sweet words and support! ❤️
I love bookstagram. I’ve been on it for a while but been fairly active for a year now. I tend to have months of super activity and months of disappearing, but I’m like that here too 😂 I think the thing I can’t stand the most is the “follow/unfollow” games. Like, if you like my account and want to follow it, cool. But don’t just follow to have me follow, and then unfollow. If you don’t like my photos, then that’s cool too! No hard feelings! Just don’t follow me in the first place.
And the algorithm is messed. There are some people I adore but don’t end up seeing their posts because of it. I will say, I’ve made so many friends in the bookstagram world though. I love the DM feature so I can chat with them easier than I can on WordPress.
I envy your ability to write big posts like this. I mainly do reviews here now, but I’d like to get the inspiration to write bigger and fun posts again. We shall see
Love this post!
I get that so much. I see a lot of follow/unfollow and “fake engagement” (likes for likes, things like that) happening on instagram and… it makes me a bit sad, because you’re happy about the growth you can suddenly have, then it disappears. It’s not real and it’s very frustrating!
I agree with you about DMs, that’s for sure! It’s way easier to talk to people regularly on social media than on wordpress, that’s for sure 🙂
Thank you so, so much, Jenna! I hope you will feel inspired to write blog posts again ❤️
As much as I take a look into those things, I try not to let it get to me. I have the peeps I’m close to and that’s all that matters ❤️ it’s just more irritating. Like … why spam like a bunch of my photos, say you love my content, ask me to follow you … then peace out? 😟
Now I have Twitter, so we can catch up there!!
YES this kind of behavior is so annoying! And yes, always, well we can always catch up on instagram, I’m there even if I’m not posting often ahah <3
I quit Bookstagram a few months ago. I was so burned out by trying to make pretty pictures with great captions that got little to no interaction, despite the amount of posts I was liking and commenting on. And it’s been great to be honest, it hasn’t negatively impacted my blog views at all because no-one on Instagram visits blogs anyway it seems. 😭
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been feeling so burned out about it. I’m glad you did what’s best for you, social media can be sooo draining. Always focus on what makes you feel the happiest! ❤️
I’m still not on Bookstagram because I’m pretty sure I couldn’t keep up with all the action over there. I mean it’s social media after all and we all known how fast-paced it can get. I don’t feel like I could contribute anything to it with taking my own pictures. I recently started my own BookTube though because I feel like it’s a good addition to my blog. I won’t be able to post a video every week, I don’t have the resources for that but maybe all two weeks or so. As you said: I’m doing it in my own way and in my own time and so far it’s fun. Also I’ll make sure to make a video in which I give bloggers a shout-out because heaven knows everyone who keeps a blog up and running deserves it! ;-P
Ahh I’m glad you’re having fun with this new adventure! I think it’s so hard to feel the pressure to do it all, it’s good to remind ourselves to take things at our own pace and to have fun with it before everything else 🙂
I have a bookstagram but mostly just to keep bookish content separated. I am most in it for the aesthetics and not so much book reviews. I read captions but will never read a long caption on insta containing a review. I read those on blogs 😉
I also read reviews on blogs, I’m not sure why, I prefer to this way ahah 🙂 thank you so much for your sweet comment! <3
I’ve thought about how if I ever do social media, it’d be a bookstagram because I feel like it’s easier or more simple to keep up with. Apparently not lol. I don’t have a normal instagram either so I really just don’t know anything about the site. So this was a very interesting and enlightening post to read.
I’m sorry that it wasn’t the most amazing experience but I am glad that you’re still sticking to it and doing it in your own way, even if it’s not the “right” or popular way to do it. That’s what will make you unique compared to everyone else 🙂
Great post ❤
Ohh well that’s just me, really! Your feelings of it might be entirely different. If you feel like trying out, you really should, who knows you might love it 🙂 I know I do, only, at my own pace ahah. Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment <3
I feel all of this. I struggle with instagram. Partly because I use a desktop and don’t have a phone that takes decent pics to upload. But I also struggle to keep up, take photos, and comment. It’s kind of exhausting. I still have mine up and have some posts that will go up next month. But I haven’t done anything there in months. I feel bad about it, too. No idea why, but I do.
I get that feeling, I feel bad about not being that active, as well. But you need to do what feels best for you and what makes you the happiest, that’s what matters 🙂
I agree. I was letting it stress me out too much for awhile. Now I’ll just do it when I feel like it and sign up for a few posts just so I’m a bit more active.
I hope you’ll have more fun with it this way! Wishing you all the best 🙂
Great post! I’m on bookstagram and have started having some decent pictures from last year but as I have engaged more this year and participated in challenges and being a part of engagement group i can see my account is growing drastically. So all the trick is engagement, be part of challenge, group or follow train and all. It needs as much work as we are giving to our blog.
I started to promote my blog but apparently very few people follow the link we put in profile but now that I enjoy taking pictures it’s totally different reason than when I started almost 3 years ago.
I know it needs as much work as a book blog, of course it does, like everything else, it’s work if you want it to grow. I just don’t find the work as rewarding and I don’t feel as passionate about it as I do on my own blog, that’s all 🙂 I’m so happy you’re enjoying it, yay! 😀
This post could not have come at a better time for me, because I just quit bookstagram lol! But in all seriousness, while looking at other people’s beautiful posts was quite satisfying, I too found it quite draining. I also very much relate to the not having many physical books issue. I get most of my books from the online library, so I can’t simply keep up with the photos I want to take when I have to return books on a deadline. I just wasn’t motivated to write captions, edit pictures, or anything. And like you, my growth was super slow. I didn’t deactivate my account because it would be nice to check in on other users from time to time, but I personally feel like I have a lot more time to focus on my blog now.
Oh I’m so glad you could relate to this, though I’m so sorry to hear you ended up quitting. If you didn’t enjoy it anymore, though, that was the right call for you and I hope you’ll feel better focusing on your blog! 🙂
I hear you on captions – I rarely read them, too! I try to keep mine pretty simple. It can be really frustrating when posts tank and you can’t really figure out why; that’s probably my biggest issue with instagram in general. I don’t understand the whole algorithm thing!
I’m right here with you! I don’t really stop to read long captions, with a few exceptions, so I try to keep mine simple, too. The algorithm always changes, it’s frustrating to keep up ahah 🙂
Aw Marie, I loved reading this! 💞 First, I’d like to say that I think you’re doing a great job so far! 💗 I SO agree with you on writing long captions! Sometimes I read long captions but sometimes it feels so daunting to read them. I don’t like making my own captions long because I like being short and concise. Plus as you mentioned, it’s a fast-paced environment so are people really reading them anyways.
Congrats on 1 year on bookstagram! 📚 I look forward to your posts! 😊
Oh thank you so, so much! <3 I'm with you on that, I'm most of the time here to scroll down, so long captions... put me off, sometimes, ahah. Thank you so much <3
You’re very welcome! 💕
While I enjoyed my time on IG, it was really draining. A lot of my photos were photoshopped to add a touch of whimsy and while I loved doing that a lot, I found that I began feeling obligated to make every photo as fantastical as possible. Also, I could not commit to the materialistic nature of bookstagram.
I do plan on getting back to IG but I’d want it to be as minimalistic as I can make it this time.
I get the feeling! I’m doing the same right now, I don’t want to spend a lot of time with editing or apps, so I’m keeping it very minimalistic. That’s how I prefer it ahah 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! <3
this was so interesting, marie!! even as someone who enjoys bookstagram & joined it for fun, and as someone who generally doesn’t worry or concern herself with growth, likes, engagement rate, and followers, i can still get stuck in that mindset from time to time. it’s frustrating when i know that, out of my hundreds of followers, only a small percentage regularly engage with me. at the same time, i am aware that my engagement rate is enviable by others. it’s really a double-edged sword, but keeping grounded and enjoying the process is key!!
Oh thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed reading this. I’m glad you’re having fun with bookstagram, your account is SO lovely <3
I have a love/hate relationship with IG. And it’s a constant struggle.
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that, but I get it, I’m the same way 😂
Ah, everything in this post really speaks to me and I feel seen 😂 I actually started off on bookstagram before starting a blog and I quickly realised that trying to actively keep up with both, and not just posting but also engaging, would be way too much. Like you said, bookstagram is a materialistic place and it’s so easy to get caught up in having all the physical books and all the cool props to get the engagement. After putting what I felt was so much effort in I’d then post and get half the engagement that other accounts did and it made me feel so… *inadequate*? I also found that a lot of my followers were based in Western countries and so I tried to match my posts to those time zones and it was just A lot! 🤣 You said it right: you’re constantly thinking about what you’re doing wrong, why you’re not getting more engagement, why others are getting more likes and followers and you’re not when you’re ‘following the rules’ just as much as everyone else, etc. It ended up being so DRAINING and it led to a major burn out after which I felt constantly uninspired and tired. 🙈 In the end I decided I got more long-term joy and satisfaction from creating blog posts vs. pictures on bookstagram and although my bookstagram account still exists, I hardly go on there anymore and I’m totally okay with that.
Ah I’m so so glad you could relate to this post so much! <3 I'm so sorry to hear it made you feel so burned out and I'm glad you found it better to stay away from it a little bit more, too. In the end, we need to do what makes us happiest! <3
I love this post. I use my booksagram to keep a running log of what I’m reading. I use to keep a list on my phone but the transition felt right.
I’m glad you’re enjoying it this way! 😀
Just do you. Do what you feel is comfortable. I just try to make my blogs, twitter posts and instagram simple. To the point, how I feel and I like to share what I like.
Yes exactly! That’s my goal, just do it at my own rhythm 🙂
I relate to all of this so much! It’s definitely work and it is a completely different platform which works with different rules and requirements. I’ve always struggled with Instagram as well, and I’ll probably continue to, primarily because photography is not my thing. Now I’ve finally moved to posting art and it’s been very freeing. But in the end, I’ll prioritize my blog over Instagram like you. The constant battle for attention due to the algorithm is exhausting. I’m just posting because I want to show my art at this point haha.
I’m so glad you found what works well for you! I think, at the end of the day, it’s important to put what we want to and what we like out there, the algorithm be damned. I mean, we can’t do anything about it, so… let’s just do it our way and try to enjoy it 🙂
I love how in depth and honest you are in this blog, Marie! I don’t think social media suits me as a whole and therefore, I have no interest in creating instagram. But adding the issue of physical books, taking pictures, editing, buying props, and the numbers game… it scares me off the platform tbh.
Oh thank you 🥺 this means so much 🥺 I completely get that. It’s a bit scary and… not going to lie, the social media relies a LOT on physical books to be able to be successful, which is frustrating!
I’m still on bookstagram and genuinely want to keep making content now that I have a new camera, I just feel so discouraged b/c I’m active for maybe one day and then disappear for weeks. What I don’t like about it is the algorithm, if your not active on different ig features then its hard to see posts do well (atleast for me). Agreed about Instagram captions, I just never know what to say and feel like I’m repeating myself a lot sometimes, other times its easier though. I’m feeling inspired to make more bookstagram content, just need to actually motivate myself to log back in a post. If anything, my only other critique about it, is that I see a lot of the same kinds of filters or set-ups and just get bored of seeing the same thing. Wonderful discussions as always Marie!💕
Oh I can understand that, I sometimes have bursts of motivation and will post semi-regularly, then disappear for a while as well ahah, you’re not alone in this. I just don’t feel like keeping a schedule like I do for the blog, though? I don’t know, I don’t feel that same motivation towards instagram than I feel for the blog. That being said, maybe a schedule of some kind could help you? <3
Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts! I hope you'll find your rhythm <3
I was on #bookstagram before I had a blog (and it has been a while since I started my blog… 👀). I think I’m at the point now where numbers don’t mean anything to me, and while it’s nice to see the follower count go up, I’m more there to chat with friends and recommend books to like minded souls!!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying bookstagram that way! That’s my goal, to just enjoy it whenever I feel like it ahah 🙂
I’ve also been blogging a long time and have definitely felt the pull to start bookstagram. You touched on what is probably my biggest struggle with the platform, which is the need to show photos with tons of books in them. For the past couple years, I’ve had to keep my book collection really small because I lived in a small space so that wasn’t really possible and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to have enough variety in my photos. It is also weirdly difficult to write an enticing, interesting caption for photos compared to a lengthy blog post. The algorithm also changes constantly and Instagram is now so demanding if you want to have any growth.
Loved this post!
This is exactly how I feel! I KNOW I won’t be able to have a lot of variety in my photography now and it prevents me from taking too much pictures and posting often as well, because… I just don’t have the books to do so. It’s bothering me, too!
I also feel that way about captions, I don’t really like writing long ones and find it so hard to engage there, too, in a way.
Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts! <3 <3
I agree with SO MUCH of what you’ve said! I’ve actually been on bookstagram for over 4 years now but only been more active the last couple years and it’s really been a struggle lately of a lack of motivation and only ever having ebooks, and constantly comparing myself to other, faster-growing accounts or people who’ve managed to make close friends. I’m finding less enjoyment there so I do enjoy engaging with others’ content, but it might be a place I pull away from more in the future.
Oh I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been feeling that way. If you’re enjoying it less, though, taking some time away for it can only do you good. I hope it will help you <3
I just started 14 days ago – Mostly because I didn’t feel that my blog was sufficient… I’ve felt a bit more connected to people on Instagram than on the blog recently! But I do like the longer format on my blog compared to Instagram, where I’m still figuring out how long I like the posts to be!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying your instagram experience so far! I hope this continues for you 🙂
I really appreciated reading your experience with bookstagram and I relate to so much of your feelings!! ❤ I only have an IG account for lurking, but sometimes wondered what it would be like to use it, though I still feel like it wouldn’t be for me.
I love the idea of bookstagram, though what bothers me the most is that the timeline is non-chronological and so much depends on the algorithm. Also, the thought of having to post stories and reels to be more visible makes me so self-conscious 😅 It’s really nice that you’ve found a way to use Bookstagam in a way that feels good for you, all the best luck with it! 🥰
Oh thank you so much, Caro! <3 I'm SO self conscious about everything as well, it's terrible 😂😂
Hi Marie,
Love your candid post about bookstagram. I think I’ve been dabbling in bookstagram unofficially here and there, and honestly, I couldn’t get into it. It’s overwhelming for me and also I don’t have enough books lol! I have about 20-30 physical copies, though they’re not even the books that I’m reading at the moment. Most of the books I read are ebooks from the library. I don’t feel like spending hours editing book covers either!
Hi Sophie! Thank you so much <3 I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling that it's a bit overwhelming. I don't like editing book covers either ahah I'd rather write blog posts... or stories ahaha :)
This post was very good for me to read, because I feel pretty much the exact same way (granted, I’ve only been on bookstagram for less than two months). I have a lot of admiration for the people who put a lot of work into bookstagram and have the most beautiful photos, well thought out captions, and cohesive aesthetics…but I don’t think that’ll ever be me. I don’t plan or schedule instagram posts, and I basically just post whenever I’m feeling inspired. And I’m the same way—I rarely read more than a few lines of a caption🙈 Oops!
Ultimately, instagram for me is a fun way of talking about books and finding more people who are excited about reading, but growing a big platform and stressing about numbers is just not something I’m interested in. I think it’s easy to feel like you’re “failing” if you’re not striving for the goals that you’re apparently supposed to want on social media—a larger number of followers, attention from publishers and authors. But if you’re having a good time anyway and enjoy being there, I think that’s okay too!
I’m glad I’m not the only one! I just don’t have the time and don’t want to dedicate more time to it, either. I’d rather stick with my blog as a priority! 🙂 And yes! I feel like it’s so much easier to fall into these traps and feel like a failure there, too.
I too have many feelings about Bookstagram and I am really glad that you shared yours! Sometimes it seems like everyone *loooves* it and I am over here like a grumpy old lady who can’t be bothered hah. I loathe it. For myself, that is. I am quite appreciative of others’ posts, and the work and time that goes into them. I usually scroll through a few times a week, go on a liking spree. I also check in on The 100 cast that way, see what those guys are up to. Otherwise, I could not possibly care less, tbh. Like- it’s exhausting! I used to try, I did. Maybe… 3 or 4 years ago? Went to Michael’s, bought a ton of crappy plastic flowers, hit up the cheepie section at Target looking for props, whatever. But the truth was, I didn;t have a “nice” enough area to do it. My shelves don’t match, my lighting is crap, etc. When I moved it was a bit better, but still not enough to motivate me to continue. I would make such a MESS trying to get one stupid post, it would take hours, whereas I can type out a whole blog post in way less, and feel far more fulfilled, like you were saying. Sometimes I DO feel obligated to do it, for books I get for review or whatever, but I have decided that for those, I will use the outdoors. Nature is a good enough prop for me 😂
Oh my god okay yes welcome to the grumpy club, I feel that way too sometimes 😂 I like scrolling and appreciate the work that does into it so much, as well, but… personally, I don’t feel motivated to do as much work on it. I like it every now and then, but I feel more fulfilled with my blog and other things, too! 😀
Thank you so, so much Shannon! <3
I loved reading this post! It was really interesting to read about your thoughts! Definitely since I related to them a lot, haha!
I started off as a bookstagrammer and while it was amazing the first month or so, it quickly went downhill for me. It’s definitely really superficial and though I’m really happy with my content, I sometimes felt ike it wasn’t being appreciated enough? I don’t know, I have very mixed feelings about bookstagram because there’s the side with lots of pressure, but also the connecting with others part. I love it but I also don’t, lol! But I try not to pressure myself anymore haha! I will always prefer blogging though!
Ah thank you Birdie, so happy you enjoyed this post! <3 I hope that you'll feel less pressure and that you can find your own rhythm to do it all, as well, in a way that makes you happy <3
Great post! I definitely relate to a lot of what you said. IG can be exhausting. Sometimes I’m too drained to post or have something to say. Some things I can’t do because I don’t have the resources. I like looking at people’s post and interacting. And I’ve learned a few new transferrable skills that can be applied to other places. It’s likely I’ll shift to a casual IG user. I mostly just want to repost book reviews there from my blog.
Oh thank you Christina! I hope you’ll find your own way to have fun there 🙂
I love this post so much, Marie, and you’ve outlined a lot of my own feelings about bookstagram. I deleted my bookstagram years ago, because it wasn’t worth it for me. I really respect bookstagrammers, because this shit takes TIME – setting up the books, taking the photos, editing the photos, putting away the books, writing captions and then posting the pictures took up way too much of my time. And I’m going to be honest, the fact that the account wasn’t growing the way I wanted it to was frustrating. I think the worst was that I hated the algorithm. I started out with a tiny following and Ruzi (my old co-blogger) and I were able to grow our account slowly, but the growth was visible. I was also proud of myself because back when I started the account on my own my skills were terrible and then my friend (who studied photography) helped me with the pictures while I also got better on my own. Long story short, it felt like *I* was improving while the account was also getting new followers and more likes.. until the algorithm changed. (This was years ago, I think it was the first BIG change, but I heard it’s gotten worse since.) It was disheartening to be putting out better quality pictures, spending more time on them (and involving my friend) and somehow getting less likes than before, and our growth also slowed to a standstill. :/
It took me some time to realize that I shouldn’t force myself to use instagram if I dread it as bad as I did, so I don’t now. I’ve thought of going back, but I’m not sure it’s worth it. I actually have a lot of pictures I never got to post, but my issue is that these are all older titles, as I read mostly digitally now + listen to audiobooks, and like you said, it’s physical books that people want to see on instagram. Such a great post, Marie! 🙂
Oh Veronika thank you so, so much, I’m so happy you enjoyed this post! <3 I get that, it has to be so frustrating when you're starting out greatly and then everything seems to fall apart. It's so bothering! That's why I don't like not having any control on here haha. Thank you so, so much for sharing your thoughts! <3
marie, this post was so painfully relatable i can’t even tell you. i literally had a discussion planned for next month where i talk about why i gave up on bookstagram, but you pretty much already covered every single spot, lol. i really don’t like the way we create content and interact on social media and i can’t keep up with it. i find so much more comforting and nice to engage when i’m reading a post, and then commenting, and being able to leave as long of a reply as i want. on instagram, i always feel limited because i know no one reads long captions (I don’t read long captions, so why do i expect others will? lol) and it feels so awkward to interact because of that.
i wish i had the perseverance you do, because i do enjoy the process of taking pictures & editing them, but the captioning/publishing and just overall the SOCIAL aspect of instagram burns me out completely. i’d go days avoiding opening up the instagram app just to then feel guilty about it, because with the algorithm, the longer you go without posting, the less relevant you become.
i definitely think i’ll just stick with blogging for now on, as i feel *infinitely* more comfortable here. your post is FANTASTIC, seriously!
AH LAIS thank you, you’re too kind! 🥺🥺🥺 I agree with you, I don’t really have the patience to read long captions and I don’t really want to craft some, so interacting sometimes feels awkward, too.
I hope you’ll end up doing whatever you feel is best for you! If you miss takkng pictures, you can still continue on with it and maybe use them for your blog, if social media is bothering you? <3
yes, i think that incorporating more photos into my blog would be a good idea – and also a good use of some pictures i’ve already taken but didn’t feel like posting lol
thanks for the input, marie!
Of course! I hope you’ll like this new way of blogging, too and that it will keep you inspired 😀
Great post, Marie! I really enjoyed reading it. I have mixed feelings about bookstagram too. I used to use it daily and post pictures almost every day. But then over the years I just didn’t have it in me anymore. It was hard coming up with what pictures to take and yes, what to say in the captions! Now I only hop on once in a while to look at my feed or post a picture. Some days I want to get back into it and other days I don’t even want to bother with it. So right now I just do it whenever I feel like it.
Oh thank you so much Ashley! I’m doing just the same. I feel like I need to do more, but I don’t have the time or patience, so… for now, I stay like that ahah. <3
I actually started on bookstagram, then made my blog lol. But after 6 or 7 years my growth is soooo slowwww. And now that the algorithm is SO DIFFERENT from when I started, I’ve kind of given up on looking at my numbers. I just like posting pretty pictures and chatting people about books. I don’t use Twitter at all, I find it stressful, so bookstagram is a nice place to go when I can’t sit down at my laptop and comment on blogs (which isn’t instant conversation either). Instagram is so much work though…lol
I’m glad you’re enjoying instagram even if the algorithm is being sooo annoying ahah. It IS a lot of work, though! It’s fun how easy we think those things are, at first, then once we’re into it… 😂😂
I initially enjoyed bookstagram until I started to grow my account more and it just takes SO MUCH TIME liking and commenting. And the worst part was that it wasn’t actually helping my book blog grow. Right now my current strategy for bookstagram is if I’m already taking pictures for the blog, ill go ahead and throw it up on bookstagram but thats really it. Ill spend like 5 min max per day just looking at my fellow booksta friends accounts and then get off the app. Its just gets to be such a huge time waste.
Oh I get that so much, it takes so much time to interact for sure. It’s not something you should do if you feel like it’s bothering to you and/or doesn’t bring you anything personally, as well. It’s always good to reevaluate our presence online and make choices depending on what we like doing the most 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, Alice! <3
Thank you!
marie !! a year and over 500 followers!! that’s pretty dang cool <3 i'm very proud of you. also, complete agree about how much work social media is and the whole numbers game omg… i just recently came back to twitter and do i feel insecure already? absolutely! it really sucks when you see so many more popular people doing so well!! i need to… take a break from twitter (it's been like two weeks) LMAO. anyways, yeah i agree that bookstagram is def a big place of privilege… it's Not Great when you don't have as many books as others (and i am speaking from a place of privilege myself) :/
Ahh thank you so much 😭 I get that, I feel so overwhelmed by social media, I don’t even participate that much in it and… I feel so nervous to do so anytime? I don’t know ahah.
This was such an insightful post and you captured my thoughts perfectly! I also struggle a lot with Bookstagram, despite it actually having been my first bookish platform. I love it a lot, and I love getting creative and taking pictures, but then there’s always some kind of drama or competition going on, and ofc it’s so hard not to compare ourselves to others. Lately, I haven’t been posting much, and I’m trying to get to terms with it, reminding myself I have a life outside it and it’s okay to just *not* be there 24/7. It’s a work in progress!
Oh thank you so, so much Marta <3 I hope you'll be able to take it at your own pace and do it whenever you feel the happiest, too! <3
I was on instagram first with a personal account before I then went through a phase of having a personal and a bookstagram to merging it into my bookstagram. Now I’m at the point where my bookstagram is more of a personal account with books included where possible. I definitely resonate with feeling like I’m unfit for bookstagram mostly in the reading department because I’m consuming books at a slower rate. I don’t have as many books I could share and talk about. Particularly since I realised I want to be sharing books I’ve read and not just…every book that’s pretty that I’ll say I’ll get round to reading.
I’m more active on stories there than anything though, I love seeing other people’s stories too and I rarely scroll through my feed anymore. It feels never ending and i just get so disheartened at never being able to catch up :/ There’s my friends and fav book bloggers who I follow on there who i do my best to keep up with their posts and engage with them. Otherwise I’m mostly lurking on stories haha. I have decided to just call my instagram an instagram now because I don’t engage with the bookstagram community. The times I do they’re pretty much all book bloggers/friends so yeah…I dislike how fast paced and never ending social media is.
One of the many things I adore about blogs is when we want to consume other people’s content, there is a definitive end. We will eventually reach an end of blog posts from the blogs we follow and that means we’re up to date. The fast pace of social media makes having an end in sight darn near impossible. I also agree with you on the more materialistic nature of bookstagram, I think that side comes with the visual territory of the platform. It’s prevalent in bookstagram, booktube and booktok I feel because you are able to physically and visually see the things. It naturally makes people want to buy things that interest them so they can have the things unless they’ve already established their own rules/mindset on how they go about buying things.
I’m basically on instagram for my friends and to allow people to get to know me better, I’m not there for anything else at this point and it took me a while to get to this stage of accepting I just do not enjoy posting bookish photos and nothing else. Also the amount of effort and energy that goes in for little reward? No thanks, I’d rather put that energy into a blog post. Adored this post Marie! 💜
I’m so happy you found a way to share whatever you like on your instagram and be happy about it, too! I often take a lot of time watching stories and don’t scroll down the feed too much, as you said it can get overwhelming and you’ll never ever catch up haha. I’m just like you though, for the amount of energy it takes, I’d rather pour it into a blog post, too!
Thank you so, so much <3
I was on the fence about having a bookstagram, and after reading your blog post, I have realized that I am not cut out to be a bookstagrammer. It’s not sad at all! This way, I can spend time reading more books and writing more blog posts instead of thinking about the props and photos of my books. And just like you, I read more e-books than physical books (for many reasons), and I didn’t know the photos of e-books get less attention—one more reason not to start a bookstagram account.
Finally, I love writing for my personal blog and started reviewing books there, too, but as you said, my voice matters more in my space and is bigger.
Oh! I’m happy that my post could help you make a decision like that! I feel like bookstagram isn’t made for everyone and that’s alright. I also feel like it’s a very materialistic place: I’ve noticed that pictures with lots of books or gigantic bookshelves work better in terms of engagement than e-book pictures or simplistic pictures, so… yeah.
I’m so happy you’re enjoying writing on your blog! It’s such a lovely platform to have, I personally love it always so much more than any kind of social media 🙂
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! 🙂