My decision to start a book blog came randomly at me one evening in my student’s bedroom almost 7 years ago, now. I don’t regret hitting that button on the good old wordpress.com back in November 2014 and creating, what would become the blog you know and are reading right now.
Honestly, I can’t even believe it myself that I’m still here after all these years, hanging on to this little platform I poured my heart, tears, soul and some of my dreams into, as well.
I don’t regret it, at all. I’m thrilled to be here, even if it’s though, even if book bloggers don’t get the support they deserve and are so often overlooked by so many people, their potential so invisible to everyone else, somehow.
If I could go back in time, I would really hit myself in the head multiple times and tell myself: Marie, you need to know these things. So… here they are, in the hopes that you can relate to them and/or that they can help you forge your own path, too.
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Start a book blog in 2021: 5 things to know
Self-hosting your blog is amazing. Really.
It took me 6 years to self-host my blog and, to be completely honest with you, I regret not doing this WAY sooner. If you’re serious about book blogging, if you want to really own your blog, if you like to control everything, JUST DO IT.
Let me make myself clear here, though: I understand the costs of book blogging. I know self-hosting isn’t cheap and I know not everyone can afford it. It took me a while to do it because of the costs, too, but when I could and my indecision slowed down, I jumped on that train. I don’t regret it. If you can do it, I promise you won’t regret it, either.
It’s okay to wait. I don’t regret not self-hosting right when I created my blog, because I didn’t know if I was in this for the long run or just trying it out. After a year, though, I knew I was okay.
I kind of regret waiting 5 more years to do it because… I had over 1000 blog posts to migrate and it took a while. I also regret not doing it earlier, because of all the possibilities I denied myself. The plugins to make life easier (Nose Graze‘s Ultimate Book Blogger Plugin is wonderful for my book reviews!). The full control of my website. The way I’m REALLY happy, happier with my blog’s design, brand and identity as a whole now that I control it all.
Why you should self-host your book blog now
- You can do more : you can add plugins, have a custom email address (I have one! It feels so classy and grown-up to have an email address with @drizzleandhurricanebooks.com !), Google Analytics (way more precise to track your traffic), social media feeds, you can do soooo much.
- You have a lot more control over everything. The blog’s entirely yours.
- You can personalize it SO much more, with an incredible range of themes to choose from, both free and paid, add CSS if you know a little bit about design, just, make it entirely your own. I’m using 17th Avenue Designs, which I drooled over for Y E A R S. So much beauty. I also adore Bluchic’s WordPress themes and recommend checking out more WordPress themes here.
- It’s SO MUCH BETTER than any WordPress Plan, really. You can have your domain name (a lovely .com! yay!) and full control of your website, so much more space, plugins and everything else for a great price.
- If you want to monetize your blog, it’s the way to go, really. There are more possibilities and it’s just so much more professional. And yes. I believe book bloggers should get paid.
MY ADVICE: Start your book blog and give yourself a couple of weeks to see if you enjoy it. Then, if you can afford it, self-host because it will make your blogging life AMAZING.
If you’re looking to self-host your book blog, I recommend Lyrical Host‘s services with all of my heart. They migrated my blog for free, they reassured me all the way, answered all of my silly questions, are so quick to reply and so kind, really. You can subscribe to them and get 10% OFF ANY PLAN with my code today: DRIZZLEBOOKBLOG. I’m so happy to answer any question you may have!
You don’t have to write reviews a certain way – or don’t have to, at all.
Ah, book reviews. I used to think I had to write mini novels, essays talking about the good, the bad, the themes and every little thing in between it all to review a book the right way.
Flash news: there is no right or wrong way to write a book review. (Side note: There’s also nothing wrong with not writing book reviews. It’s okay to start a book blog and not planning on reviewing books, at all, too).
It took me a while to be at ease with a way to review and to actually enjoy the process, too. I felt like I had to write all intellectually, but.. then I realized, Marie, you need to write the kind of post you want to read. So, I did. the words come easily, the layout makes me happy and I just feel better talking about books this way, too. All because I told myself I had to write something I’d read.
Related blog post: How to write a blog post people will read
How to write book reviews
There are many ways you can share your thoughts about a book. Here are some quick tips to help you get started:
- Write all of your thoughts down in paragraphs,
- Write a pro/con list about the book,
- Share all of your likes and dislikes,
- Talk about the characters, the setting, the writing style, the pacing, the length of the book…
- Add images, make a moodboard, a playlist…
MY ADVICE: try EVERYTHING out. Even if you end up not publishing it. Try writing in different ways. It might take some time, but you’ll end up finding which way works best for you. If it’s not one way, it’s okay, too! You can write a review one way one day, then another way the next day. You do you!
You don’t have to do it all and be everywhere all at once: you can’t do it, anyway.
Another lesson I’m still trying to get the hang of.
When I started book blogging, I wanted to be everywhere all at once. Commenting on every blog on the planet, trying social media, as well, blogging as fast as the wind and so on. I felt like I should be everywhere, to promote myself, to feel part of the community, to be considered as a great book blogger.
I still feel like this, that need to be everywhere, to DO everything. Let’s be honest: I can’t do it. I’m working a full-time job and, as much as a dream this would be, that full-time job is NOT blogging. There’s only so much time in a day, in a week, in a year, I can carve out for book blogging.
Related blog post: Time Management as a Book Blogger: my Top 5 Tips
You know, sometimes I just don’t even want to blog anymore. If I force myself, this is the perfect recipe to burning out. To losing myself and never coming back.
I need to remind myself, and my old self that wanted to do too much and ended up screaming way too often. It’s okay to take things at your own pace.
It’s okay to leave comments unreplied for days. This still makes me feel so bad, but I do it. It’s okay not to blog hop for a while, or not at all. It’s okay not to be on social media, or to be on it too often, too. So what if you miss a blogging day in your usual schedule? Is it really that bad if you haven’t been visiting blogs because you’re too tired to do so?
Okay, Marie, but what if people won’t visit my blog if I don’t visit theirs? Honestly, this is like friendship in real life. If no one’s reaching out again because you’re not giving them something back, they’re not interacting with you in a real, genuine way. It’s their loss, really.
Related blog post: Why I don’t believe in fake engagement in blogging (+ tips and tricks to engage and build genuine connections!)
I feel bad, but my mental health feels much, much better. Muting what bothers me, shutting down that little voice in my head telling me I’m not doing enough. I just do me because that’s the way it’s FUN.
MY ADVICE: Do things at your own pace and always put yourself first.
You shouldn’t request or accept every ARC – I promise you it’s not worth it
I didn’t start a book blog to get ARCs, but I’m not going to lie: thinking about getting one just makes my heart burst into a feeling I can’t describe better than: giddy happiness.
What are ARCs, you ask?
ARCs are Advance Reader’s Copies, by the way, a.k.a early copies of a book before they’re published, made for promotional purposes and sent to book reviewers and influencers all around to raise some hype.
Knowing receiving early copies to review them, hype them up on my blog and getting to read books I’m anticipating before everyone else made me excited, yes. I tried it out, I requested books via email, I tried NetGalley -back when it was still okay to be an international book blogger on there, aerm.
I got approved for my first digital copy, received my first answer to an email, my first physical copy, cried, sobbed, screamed and scared my entire family (This actually happened. Sorry, family).
I also fooled myself multiple times thinking I could do it all, read it all, grow some magical powers and become that person that reads 10 books a week and 3042 books a year. Over-requesting is not your friend. I got that giddy feeling and didn’t pay attention as much as I should have and regretted everything. That happy feeling turned into overwhelmed, I felt like I couldn’t read, like I didn’t read what I wanted, over pressured by the fact that there were these made up deadlines to review the book, to make publishers happy.
Fun hobby turned into anxiety town all at once and I wasn’t happy anymore.
MY ADVICE: THINK before requesting anything. Read the synopsis again, think about whether you really want it or not. Don’t think of the giddy rush only, think of your schedule and how overwhelmed you are, too.
Being a book blogger’s complicated, but it’s not a reason to give up
I wish I could tell my 7-years-ago-self how tough it can be to be a book blogger. How passionnate I will grow, but also how the stress will get to me, sometimes. The anxiety, the fear of not being enough, the constant comparison.
The rejections as an international book blogger, the lack of recognition. The endless hours spent on this blog, the rewarding feeling I get, the deceptions, too.
Book blogging’s a rollercoaster. Like everything else in life, there are good and bad parts to this adventure. The bad parts might seem overwhelming at times, but if you’re passionate about it, don’t let them get you down.
Remember why you’re here. You started because of love and you’ll go on with it, too. Despite its lack of recognition, book blogging IS something to be fucking proud of. It’s complicated, it’s tough, it demands a whole damn lot of skills, time and, most of it all, passion.
Let the passion carry you, always. That’s the best advice I got.
📌 Pin 5 things to know before starting a book blog on Pinterest!
What are some things you wish you’d known before you started your book blog? Do you have any things you’d tell yourself to do better, to give up on earlier or so on?
New and old bloggers: is there any advice you’d like to hear from me, any topic you’d like me to cover? Feel free to let me know!
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I definitely needed this post when I started. I requested everything and it was overwhelming. Great tips!
Ah thank you so, so much, so happy you enjoyed it! 🥺🥺
You’re welcome!
Thanks for this post. It’s helpful and positive. I needed some positivity this morning!
Ahh this makes me so happy, thank you! 🥺
This post is amazing!! I swear to you, I had just opened wordpress and was about to search for blog advice for new bloggers and then I saw this and I was like “wow she read my mind!!”.
1) I wish I could self-host right now, but I haven’t told my parents about my blog yet and since my blog is very new still, I would prefer to have it for longer and then see how everything goes. Your info was super helpful though, because I didn’t know that it gives you so much freedom to customise your blog.
2) Your advice about writing reviews is SO HELPFUL!! I can relate to you sooo much. I’ve been seriously writing reviews for a year now and I still haven’t found the perfect style for me. I really struggle with whether I want to be more informal and fangirl a lot or try to be more “professional” and use really fancy words, if you know what I mean. I will definitely use your advice and try making reviews with different styles before posting them and seeing what works best!
3) I NEEDED to hear (or read, i guess) what you wrote about not having to be everywhere. THAT IS SO RELATABLE!! I haven’t had my blog for a month yet and I already feel that pressure of wanting to comment on everyone’s posts and interact as much as I can, but the truth is that I don’t have the time or energy for that. It’s something that I need to work on because you are totally right on what you said!
4) Over requesting ARCS is such a real thing!! I’ve been working on that lately because I’m so quick to request one just because I find a book mildly interesting and I want to feel that happy, giddy feeling you get whenever an ARC is approved. But then, like you said, it just gets so overwhelming and I end up not being able to read and review the books on time and feel bad about 🙁
5) It’s really frustrating the lack of recognition I see towards international bloggers and reviewers like myself and it can be very demotivating. You talked about Netgalley and yesterday I realised HOW MANY books you can only “wish for” on there if you’re an international reviewer, that are available to request or “read now” if you’re from the US. And even if you can request them, a lot of times you won’t be accepted because you’re not from the US which hurts 🙁 But you’re right, if we’re passionate about blogging, we can push through these hurdles and continue doing what we love 🙂
I’m sorry for this gigantic comment, I just really connected with your post and so I had a lot of things I wanted to say 😅 This is by far one of the BEST POSTS I’ve ever read!! It’s FANTASTIC!!
Ah thank you so, SO much for your comment and for sharing all of your thoughts, I’m so happy this post could be useful to you and that you enjoyed it, thank you 🥺
I completely understand about self-hosting, I recommend waiting a little bit to see how you enjoy blogging and if you see yourself going on with it, too, of course. Once you’re a bit more certain, though, I can only recommend jumping in, because the freedom and plugins are so amazing, I love them ahah 🙂
I hope you’ll find your reviewing style! It took me a while to find mine and I sometimes used to write paragraphs, then lists, and change things up to see how I liked it and depending on what I had to say about the book, too.
And you’re so right, international bloggers have it even harder at times… I wonder many times why I didn’t give up already 😂 but in the end, I love what I do and this makes me go on and on every day ahah 🙂
THANK YOU so much for your sweet words, you’re the kindest ahh <3
This is great advice! Writing about books is one part of my blog and then I have about 3 other areas of focus. One challenge I have come across is staying consistent with my content production. I have an editorial schedule but how do you suggest I get ahead so that if I miss a week of writing I will still have content to post?
Oh thank you so much! So happy you enjoyed this post 🙂 I get that, consistency is one of the hardest thing to keep as a blogger, especially when it’s not a full time job at all. I have some tips on time management in this post if you click here, I think these could help you! I really suggest always having ideas close by, carving out time when you can and… don’t beat yourself up too much if you can’t make it one week. It’s okay to take a break, too! 🙂
Thank you so much! I will definitely check out your time management tips!! 🙂
You’re so welcome, I’m happy if I can help!! 😀
Ugh yes I so wish someone had told me ‘you don’t need to have book reviews to be a book blogger’ because I just was never passionate about reviews. They stressed me out, I hated them and the thought of needing to review the book I was reading was enough for me to lose the joy of reading. Hmmm I think I’d also say it’s ok for your blog to change both structurally with the content and the overall navigation as well as aesthetically. The longer you blog for, the better you get to know yourself, know how the kind of content you want to create and put out there. There’s this fear I think of branching out (a fear I still struggle with) in case people suddenly lose interest in my non bookish content. It’s ok for us to experiment, if the content isn’t bookish but makes us happy post it. Someone out there will adore it and it may have made there day! That’s something I’m still trying to remember as well as the whole ‘not being everywhere’.
Definitely feel like the romantisation of working and being in ‘cute cafes’ contributed to us wanting to be everywhere and do all the things. Particularly when instagram was this relatively new thing and then stories were a thing and everyone was sharing pics of being in cafes, working in pretty locations but like…it’s not life. It’s a slice of life and it’s the slice that’s prettier than the rest of the cake if you know what I mean. Anyway I loved this post and the tips were so helpful Marie! <3
I soooo get that. I think that, when I first started, there were a lot of book reviews on blogs at that time, so… it was natural to write reviews, too. Now it’s less frequent and some book blogs don’t even review books, either, so it’s really not a ‘must’ and it’s good! It’s great to know we can talk about books and recommend books in different ways, too! 🙂
YES exactly! I love that you said that. It’s scary to change your blog, its identity and everything, but it’s okay to do so! It’s your platform and it should grow along with you into something you’re always happy and comfortable with, as well 🙂
Thank you so, SO much for your sweet comment, I appreciate you SO much <3
Ahh! I loved reading this! 💕 I have to say, all your talk about self hosting has my brain thinking about it! We shall see! I loved how you touched on reviews and the “proper” way to write them. I totally felt that when I first got started that I wasn’t writing long enough reviews, that the 100-200 words I wrote wasn’t adequate, uhhh the things I thought when I started… now I care a little less haha! I feel like if people like what I put out, then that’s good enough for me! 😊
Thank you so much, Meghan! Oh I’m glad I could make you think about it, please feel free to reach out if you have any question about it at all, I’m always happy if I can help! 🥰
I agree with you on that! I used to care a little too much – sometimes I still do, can’t help it😂. It’s been lovely to relax a little bit and write what I really want to write before anything else! 🙂
This is exactly the post I needed 5 years ago when I started and, even now a lot of your points are so applicable to my current standing with blogging. I’m still trying to reconcile the “you don’t have to do it all” part, and I always feel terribly guilty for not making more of an effort. I feel like looking at the skills, the friendships, and community I’ve found along the way is a great reminder of why I started blogging in the first place. As always, amazing post. 😀
Oh thank you, Lois, this makes me so happy! <3 I'm always struggling with the "do it all" part of it, I need a reminder every day to chill 😂 Thank you! <3
Before my blog was about books it was mostly general lifestyle posts, but either way I wish I would have known the time commitment! While I do love blogging, I do wish I would have gone into it more organized, especially with the frequency that I like to write posts.
Ahhh right, the time commitment is… gigantic, I never thought it’d take SO much time 😂 I understand that, too. It took me a little while to find my rhythm and, over the years, it has changed to fit with my changes in life, too. It’s never set in stone! 🙂
this is such a well-thought out, brilliantly written post! these are really fantastic tips💜
Oh thank you so, so much, so happy you enjoyed it 🥺🥺
I’m definitely scared of going the self-hosting road! xx
I get that, I was terrified, too, but I regret nothing! Always here if you have questions or need tips or anything! 🙂
This is such an amazing post, Marie! I agree with all of them, especially about there’s not a right way to write a review. I love to write reviews, but sometimes I feel like what I write is inadequate or not informative enough. Over time I got easier with myself and in fact, let myself have fun with writing them by trying out different formats- my favorite is definitely using gifs review! 😀
Ahh thank you so much, so happy you enjoyed it! <3 I'm glad I'm not alone. Sometimes I feel like I should analyze more, sometimes like I should talk about this, or that more... now, I just go with the flow and where my inspiration takes me and that's it 😂 changing formats can be so fun, yay! I'm so glad you're having fun with it :D
Honestly, these are such great reminders even when you already have a blog! Great post ☺️
Ahh thank you so, so much Erin! 😀
Oh this is such a great and informative post, Marie!! ❤ I haven’t quite had the courage to go self-hosted though it is certainly an idea for the future! I also agree that doing things at your own pace is so important, ever since I paid attention to what posting schedule worked best for me, things have been going more smoothly 🙂
I get that, it can be a bit scary! I’m always here if you ever want to ask me about self-hosting or anything, I’d be happy to help! <3
Right here with you on that! I'm trying to beat myself up less for missing a day and just going with the flow and I've been feeling a bit better about it, lately, too, it's nice :)
That’s such a wonderful & helpful guide!! And I agree so much with the self hosting part! All the possibilities I’ve missed for years because I didn’t host myself!
Ah thank you so much, Kat! Yes, I love all the possibilities and freedom we can have now 😀
Yessss, I connected with this SO much!! I definitely still do beat myself up for not doing ALL of the things, between not having book-related platforms on every social media outlet (instead of doing only my blog and Twitter) to not blog hoping enough or responding to comments fast enough to not growing my platform enough to not reading enough; it’s a vicious cycle that I have to check myself a lot of the time to make sure I don’t burn out, because that pressure is self-placed and undeserved! Thanks for putting these feelings into writing!
Oh thank you so, so much Nicole, I’m so happy you enjoyed this! <3 I agree with you, I always have to make sure that I'm pacing myself, otherwise I will burn out ahah. Thank you!! <3
You’re welcome! 💕
Aw, thank you so much, I will keep that in mind! 😊
Yes, exactly! It’s good to care a little, but if it starts to effect my review then I know I have to dial it back a bit! 😃
Exactly! <3 <3
I thought I had to write full-on book reports/analyses when I first started reviewing books. Like, I felt like I was back in creative writing class and expected to note what not to do and basically treat it super formal and show intellect.
Now, I prefer to review books based on how I related to them and/or how they relate to current events. I just…do my thing.~
ARCs actually stress me out a lot. Getting books to review without having to personally pay for them is cool and all, but I like choosing what to read and not feeling like I’m under a deadline to read and review it. I deleted my NetGalley account, after not having used it for at least a year, because I just…didn’t care anymore.
There’s a lot of pressure to get caught up on the hype, but the important thing is to be yourself.
YES! That’s exactly how I felt about it, too, like I had to write something so… profound and complicated. It made me not enjoy the process, at all. It’s so much better to write about your feelings, in the way that you want to, I agree! 🙂
Oh I understand that so much! It can be a little stressful to deal with them. I’m happy that you deleted your account if you feel better without it, now. Reading should always remain fun 😀
Thank you so, so much for your sweet comment! <3
this is going to be so helpful for all the future book bloggers out there!! & lyrical host are the literal BEST; i adore them, and their customer service is out of this world. i especially loved your point that book bloggers can & should write whatever kinds of bookish posts their hearts desire!! that attitude is held by many of my mutuals, and they are so freakin talented & creative with what they write & create–this community really is quite incredible x
Ahh thank you! <3 I so agree with you, Lyrical Host are the kindest out there, really. And yes! It's so much more fun to see what you can do and how creative you can be with everything. :)
This is such an awesome guide with great tips!
Oh thank you so much, so happy you enjoyed it!! 🙂
It’s really interesting to think back to what we thought blogging would be when we first started, right? I agree with so many of the points you made here, especially about not trying to be everywhere and do everything. You’re right—it’s just impossible.
It’s so much fun to see what we expected and… what we ended up with ahah 🙂 Thank you so much, Nicole! <3
Honestly, I WISH I had also known all of these sooner or when I started my blog. I struggled so much organizing my reading life because of the ARCs I couldn’t let go of, and even reviews. I felt like I was supposed to review, being a book blogger. Now, it’s so much more peaceful when I can only write reviews of things I want, or the ARCs I now read (and I’m so much more mindful of it), or even write in bullet points. It’s great! 😀
Same here! It felt so nice when I finally learned to let go of all of this and just do it my way, too 😀
Great post! I did self-host a long time ago with a previous blog but the experience wasn’t the best, maybe because I didn’t do it correctly, so I’m glad to have read this post [I also got your resource and tool pdf which looks amazing!].
I have some question regarding self-hosting, if I were to migrate my blog to say to lyricalhost, would people with wordpress blog be able to follow me, will I be able to follow them with a self-hosting site? Also, wordpres includes the Reader section to see recent post, would self-host have something similar or would I have to go through every site to read new content? If people from wordpress follow me, would my content appear on their Reader? Does self-hosting includes a way to track statistics? Sorry for the million questions! I just want to be able to still connect with readers/bloggers using wordpress 🙂
Oh thank you so much for your sweet words and I’m so happy you enjoyed my resources pdf, I hope it can be useful to you! Thank you SO much! 🥺
I’m happy to answer any question you may have! People are able to follow your blog even if you’re self-hosted, yes, and your blog posts can appear on the wordpress reader as well and you can track statistics, the very same way that you are right now with your wordpress.com blog. All you need to do is to install a plugin, called Jetpack, on your self-hosted website. With it, you will be able to see the statistics the same way you do now, to check out your reader and appear on it, etc. You can also install Google Analytics, which is perfect if you’re looking for in-depth stats a little more. Hope this helps! 😊
I’m currently working on a blog post about self-hosting, which I’m hoping to publish in a couple of weeks. I’ll probably answer more of your questions about the process and everything on it, too, if you’re interested!
I’m so happy to read this reply! It makes me feel more comfortable with the idea of self-hosting. I will wait for your post, meanwhile I will do a budget for this – surprisingly I have most of the tools you recommended in your resources pdf! 🙂 I’m liking more the idea of self-hosting vs a plan here in WordPress, I currently have Premium plan but in reality it doesn’t cover much 🙁 so I will definitively read your post 😁
I’m so happy to hear that! I’m currently working on the post and it should be up next Wednesday, I hope it will help you make a decision! 💛 and I get that: I grew tired of WordPress plans, too, the possibilities with them are really limited, especially when you want to do soo much (I know I did, ahah). Thank you!! 💛
As per your usual, a wonderful post. I wish I had read this before I started my blog some 5 years ago. At least, better late than never.
Oh thank you so much! 🙂
I am so glad that I found your pin. I am in the process of building my first book blog and am constantly trying to push away the negative thoughts. It’s nice to find a bit of incite. It can be very overwhelming at times to the point where I just have to get up and walk away from my computer for a few hours or even a day. Thank you for writing this post. It’s nice to know I don’t have to be on everyday and worrying about a bunch of things at once.
Have a wonderful day! Thanks again! 🙂
Oh thank you so much! I’m so happy that this post could be helpful to you, thank you <3