Book Blogger Confessions is a meme that posts the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month, where book bloggers "confess" and vent about topics that are unique to us. Feel free to share, vent and offer solutions. Just keep it respectful - no bashing authors or other bloggers!
If you want to participate just grab our button and include it in your post with a link to either Tiger's All Consuming Media or For What It's Worth. We will be providing a linky at the end of our posts so people can "hop" to see all the participants answers.
Question: We have created a blogging time machine! Pretend you can start over. Knowing what you know now about blogging – what do you wish you did differently when it comes to creating/running your blog?
I can really only think of one major thing but it’s something I wish almost every day. I wish I started my blog with a partner.
Of course at the time I didn’t know anyone who read as much as I did or wanted to talk about the same books I did. That was the reason I started the blog but I still wish I brought someone else aboard early on.
Blogging is so much harder than I ever thought it would be and having someone to share some of the stresses and posting burden with me would have helped while I was growing this blog.
Now all the people I respect & trust to partner with have their own blogs. No one wants to give up ownership of their blog – their baby - which I completely understand.
Aside from that I think I wouldn’t have taken on so many book review requests early on – mostly from indie authors. I was so flattered, but it’s so easy to get overwhelmed and then feel guilty when you can’t keep up. My advice is to go at your own pace – whatever that is and only take on reading books you love (or at least think you will love) You don’t do anyone any favors reading books you don’t enjoy or worse – never getting to them at all.
What about you? What would do you wish you could go back and change about your blog?
Upcoming questions:
July 2nd: Blogging controversies? How do you address them? Do you join the Twitter frenzy? Write a ranty post? Stay on the sidelines and hope they go away?
How do you think we should address plagiarism scandals? Bad author behavior? Negative comments on our blogs?
July16th: What do we owe publishers and authors? If we accept ARC’s do we “owe” anything to them or just an honest review to our followers? As book bloggers are we obligated to do more than just review books? Post covers – participate in book tours – host guest posts - promote authors?
That is a great answer. I think it would be awesome to have a partner...or how 'bout a clone? I think with a partner you could brainstorm and go to events together, etc.
ReplyDeleteI like the cloning idea! I wonder if I would disagree with myself though lol
DeleteYou can still get a partner! Just put out the word, and I bet a lot of people will respond. I'm sure there are a ton of people who want to blog, but don't have the time or energy to do the whole thing. You might be surprised.
ReplyDeleteAnd I did the same thing you did - accepted review requests for books that I would normally never read, just because I was so flattered they asked! Lesson learned.
You are right but it's hard to share that creative control now that I've been on my own so long. An additional reviewer would be nice though.
DeleteIf I could turn back time ... (oh hell, now I've got Cher stuck in my head) ... I'd start blogging two years before I really did, so I could've learned more from other people's experience and done a few things differently when my first book was published.
ReplyDeleteA few people said that. I don't think I knew about blogging long before I actually did it. lol
DeleteWhat was nice is that book blogging was fairly new back then so you could make mistakes without it being so public. There also wasn't a lot of pressure to grow fast.
Now and again I think about getting a partner but as you said everyone I would ask has their own blog already so I will continue to strive on alone. Looking back I would have definitely planned better.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great meme. I loved your answer to today's question though I can't personally think of anything much worse than having a partner. Anyway, looking forward to your replies to the other questions, there seems to be quite a lot of talk about the problem of plagiarism recently.
ReplyDeleteYeah I find it hard to share now lol It's my baby after all his time.
DeleteI've contemplated having a blogging partner so many times, but like you say, everyone that you'd really want to blog in tandem with has their own blog. Usually if someone is passionate enough about a subject to blog about it in depth and longterm, they're already doing that! Maybe the trick to blog partners is is finding a baby bookworm fresh out of high school, or something like that. :-) It could be like a bloggy mentorship!
ReplyDeleteI often wish for a blogging partner as well. (sigh) Blogging is more stressful than I ever imagined it would be.
ReplyDeleteI have been toying around with the idea of putting out a help wanted ad, but honestly it scares the bejebus out of me. I have a certain way of doing things, and I'm afraid of trusting someone else with that. It really scares me to see my blog's name associated with anyone else. I'm A Book Obsession.. for better or worse. I just am afraid to see someone else associated with my blog. I mean what if they behave badly? Perhaps I'm overreacting, but honestly it's just still too scary.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you're overreacting at all. Those are my concerns as well. Your name is at the top of the blog and we've put a lot of time into building our blogs so you don't want to do anything that might ruin your reputation.
DeleteEasier blog name ;) That I do think about a lot.
ReplyDeleteI was really lucky that the peeps I asked to join Bookish were already trusted online friends. I'd like to get one more submissions reviewer, but it has to be the right person.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is stressful. I don't think most people have any idea of the time, effort, and dedication it takes to do this.
Great question as always Karen!
That's an interesting and surprising answer, Karen!!
ReplyDeleteThe control freak inside me can't deal with the idea of a partner, and when I started I didn't know anyone I could even ASK. I recently took on an associate reviewer instead - I keep creative control, but she is getting the opportunity to post her reviews to a bigger audience.
ReplyDeleteBut cloning would be a GREAT idea!
My blog started off purely for me and my friends. I wasn't keen to grow fast or make money, so I haven't felt any of the stresses about blogging that I'm hearing from some of you.
ReplyDeleteThe only anxieties for me are to do with self-doubt & lack of confidence (why would anyone want to read something I've written?)
Blogging takes a certain amount of bravado!
I had that feeling (still do). It scares me a little every time I put a review up. I wonder why anyone cares or if it is horrible.
DeleteBlogging definitely takes bravado! lol