Books and Dachshunds

Books, Blogging and more!

My struggles as a New book blogger

My struggles as a New book blogger
** This post will mainly be about my experience and feelings; However I’ll include this as a  “conversation post” if yall wanna converse with what YOU struggle with as a new book blogger.

→  This post is a sequel of the other one I did like that; my struggles as a int. book blogger**

So it appears to be monday again, heey y’all ! 😄

Okay, we all know blogging is difficult by now and us bloggers need to be dedicated to keep one (really, my hats off to the “seniors” bloggers out there !). But upon the first, idk, year maybe ? We all get thoses anxiety inducing fears and that constant « WHAT AM I DOING?! ».

I am sure even the seniors have had some too at some point.. and it will surely go away after a while and after testing things, but it may feel a bit better hearing that you know, you ain’t all that bad that you think you are ! (okay … not only on blogging talk ..)

 

⌲ When I first started over here after being from tumblr for a few months, even when everyone was so welcoming and genuine … I didn’t quite felt like I belong ? Now that part atleast resumed itself but like; you just came here, barely no posts done and barely any people following nor interacting at that ..  like, you KNOW you are welcome as much as anybody else but it just … am I really ?

⌲  I chosed the free wordpress to start (so less painful if you can’t keep up… and im a crook), if you didn’t know yet; there’s fairly alot of things you are restricted to ! No pluggins, not many “themes” to choose from.. and you cannot *really* shape your posts as freely as the others. Sometimes it gets you thinking, well… is my blog as good as the others ones i’ve seen ? For some people, if the blog don’t attract to them – they just won’t follow you ! So is this really… coming in my way of things here ?

⌲ Talking of posts .. are mines even good enough ? do people care of what I say ? Or do I post too much of the same things (tags, awards ..) ? 👀 HOW do they gets that imagination for original posts … teach me ! 😂 Sure, I’ve been keeping 2 posts a week (some times three) for more than a month now … but I’ve been looking at them and, I just don’t know? seems alot of the same stuff to me, and may a bit boring 😥 Okay, having anxiety probably don’t help in the long run with this xD but like .. it’s a constant doubt as I haven’t been here for a long time .. so I just don’t know ??

⌲ reviews … you see some who have just LOTS going on on that side, holy ! but as I read slow (and in a sluggish slump right now), I don’t post as many .. Does this matter in our book blogging community ? I somehow feel a little… cheap.

⌲ Okay, so we know it should be fun and it’s our blog ! we shall post whatever, mh? weell … as we join particularly for book blogging, I have a bit of difficulty with integrating something else in the mix. Again refer to the question: “What do I post ?!”

 

Not as long as the other one, and I don’t know if you appreciate thoses “struggles posts” or if it just looks like i’m ranting .. 😅 But it’s not quite a common thing to talk about I find .. and we all have thoses ! It’s kinda comforting to know we ain’t the only one, maybe getting somes tips, and I quite like writting them too as it comes straight from my heart – and I love to let it speak ❤

 

Now, let’s chat ; 

º What was your (new) blogger struggles ?

º Are you done with yours or do you still have a bit of them left?

º If you are part of the seniors, do you have any tips for us newbies? either general ones or how to overcome our little fears?

61 thoughts on “My struggles as a New book blogger”

  1. I definitely agree with your insecurities about book blogging.

    I still wonder if my blog layout and theme is aesthetically pleasing enough, and if my content is good enough. It’s really hard not to compare yourself to others and their successes.

    Great post!

    1. it is.. It does take a while to completely shrug it off … specially when you have been too hard on yourself for years.

  2. The first problem that I had was the fact that I am reviewing backlist/older books and majority of the book bloggers I follow reviews newly released books. At first I thought that maybe no one will read my post because no one will be interested. The only thing that kept me going was some comments and likes from people who found that my thoughts about certain books are relatable.

    1. Yep, i relate! I dont have new releases, as I prefer reading in french – tried an arc so this will be my first when I do finish it. Also eeh I may review some french only books.. 🤷🏽‍♀️ worth a shot if people are learning and wanna read somes like me with english, OR if someone end up searching for that and falls on my blog or something .. not sure about all the other readers that I have but 😂 every book deserve a review, specially if it’s positive – dont you think?

      1. I tried reading an ARC.😂 I almost forgot about those because I tend to focus on my physical TBR shelf and not my ebooks. As for the french book review, I think its an awesome idea. I’m also thinking of reviewing some books that are Tagalog but sadly I don’t know any Filipino authors.😮

        1. woops 😂 as I only read one book at times.. I dont have any problems for now, ahah

          Ah but you dont need to ? as long as you have a book in that language ?
          I just pick which ever I like in my bookstore and.. some are from Quebec, Can while some are in france. I don’t particularly know them nor anything.

  3. Tell your anxiety to shush ( sorry I know it doesn’t listen I get it to) and just do what feels right to you. Yes we will all have insecurities and worry our blog is not good enough but just keep on going and you’re doing great! If you don’t have many books to review then think about other things you could write about. So many great blogs out there

    1. Thank you ! wouldn’t it be SO much easier if it did listen though ? 😂
      That’s true, I have ran of things I wanna write for right now.. but I have the other one for this week & all next one scheduled!

  4. I totally understand where you are coming from, and I like that you talked so openly and honestly about your experience. I started my blog a year ago but I never really started until this year. Before it was just the occasional sporadic book review. At the moment I’m questioning whether to just review a book in a brief style or whether to make it personal and add more discussion pieces to it. It’s hard, huh?

    I think the key to your blog in my inexperienced opinion is to write it the way you would want to read it. Be true to yourself and your own personal voice. There are so many senior bloggers out there who seem to have original voices but I think it’s just because they don’t try to be like anyone else – they are just themselves and that’s what brings the followers.

    1. Thank you ! yes you are so right, I want it to be peaking of who I am and a bit (maybe too much?) personnal. I don’t want it to be a copy/paste of anyone and of course don’t like to read that either ..

      I think you should make it more personnal & add discussion, if youd enjoy that ! how I like to make them now, is linking the Goodread page, explain the synopsis by making my own version – and then make a list of my thoughts/what I liked about it/etc. as im going through the book. With a short overview of my thoughts at the end.
      Your comment is just one of my favorite .. Just saying 💜

      1. Awwww *hugs* Sounds like a good plan! I’m going to try being more personal in my next review. Good thing I finished reading ‘One Dark Throne’ last night 😜

        I’m looking forward to reading your next post 😁

  5. I really get so many of these! It’s harder at the start, since it can feel like barely anyone is interested in what you write 😅 And yes, the free wordpress can be so limitting sometimes… And I only have one review in my blog! I want to start writing a few more soon, ‘cuz it does feel like an issue 😅 Great post!!

    1. Thank you ! And yes, plus you have *no idea* of what you are doing yet xD before you get the hang of it and the hows..
      isn’t it? it’s like eeeh… we are a book community, yet we dont write reviews ?? heck ?? .. (although i’ll say I don’t much like when there’s too much of them, like a bunch in a row ..😓)

  6. My biggest struggle is to post consistently. I chose the personal plan which comes with all the limitations too and I hate it. I heard wordpress.org is better. But I want to post consistently before I switcg

    1. yeah… I had a week of not posting anything but now so far so good ! I’ve been quite consitant 🙂
      As for now, im alright on the free one .. .org does have more but, I dont *reaaally* wanna have to transport all my things over there, you know ? so eh, watever xD

        1. Have you tried scheduling posts? It’s a life saver ! granted, when and if you got ideas xD when you dont – tags are pretty good… it keeps you going

          2. well, it’s a good escuse. specially when you are not quite used to it yet – I have the “luck” to have a part time, where we have odd hours to begin with xD so earlier I get to start is 11am when I open, and 3 or 5pm when I don’t. Which leaves plenty of time before work heheh, I hope you’ll figure something that will work for you ! 🙂

  7. I’ve been blogging for a couple of years now but I’m still hit and miss when it comes to reviews. I don’t often want to write a review but sometimes a book will come along, I’ll read it and I just need to get my thoughts down whether they’re all jumbled or not. I personally think reviews have to come from somewhere so if you’re forcing yourself to write a review you’re not motivated to write, they don’t have the desired response you want. Also, don’t worry if they’re not of the new or most popular books of the moment. Having a variety of old, new, classic, YA, crime etc is great and I believe it makes you more adaptable as a blogger and reader.

    And I know I picked this up from some of the above comments but I would personally love reviews of French books. I sometimes read in French as it was my university degree, and it would be great to discover some more French books whether they be from France or Canada!

    I also struggle wondering whether my blog aesthetic and layout is pleasing enough, yet still clear and usable for anyone who might read it. No matter how many times I tweak it, I never seem satisfied enough and it gets me whenever I browse through other blogs. I don’t mind being limited to themes and design features because I don’t have the income to support an upgraded plan, but it would be nice to have that little freedom sometimes to be more creative and individual.

    This comment might be long enough already but on the topic of being creative, I think it is better posting whatever you want to post, even if it is not book related. I used to have a Disney blog on the side because I was worried that if I combined books and Disney, readers would be put off with it. However, I ended up combining the two last year and it’s worked really well. I even started talking about other things and whilst my book posts do get more attention, I feel more flexible and in tune with myself not limiting my posts to one topic. It’s nice.

    1. Thank you so much for this long comment! I appreciate 🙂

      My main issue with reviews is not that I don’t wanna do them; but rather that i’m a really slow reader so .. I do take maybe a month or more on a single book ? so I cannot write one per week kinda thing .. HOwever I agree with how diversity in genre and old/new is nice!

      Neat! That’s interresting ! I reviewed one so far from a Quebec author already if you wanna check it out in my “reviews” category 🙂 it’s called “Un homme, S’il vous plait”, I have quite alot more on my tbr that i’ll attack after im done my arc so no worry, I got you covered ! I also include when I read it as a translation & what was the title of it, I’m quite new in reading in english soo … ahah

      yes, same! I’ll tweak the different writting, add a widget.. working part time can only cover so much -I *could* invest if I really wanted to, but I feared not sticking to the habit and losing that much money you know? Id like a plugins or two but otherwise .. the free plan is pretty okay for me.

      absolutely ! this is our playground – we are free to add or remove topics if we ever wanted to ! I’m thinking of planning a post all about dachshunds in general as I have two myself heheh … I’d add it as a “off-topic” sunday to start and, we will see if I feel like adding something for real later !

      1. I think it’s best to write reviews when you feel like it, no matter when you read the book.

        And thanks for the recommendation! It will be nice to see read a book from a Canadian French author because I’ve only ever read translated works or those directly out of France. I’ll be looking at it extra closely to recognise the differences in language as I’ve heard French and Canadian French do differ a little.

        And that sounds fab! I hope it all works out for you!!

  8. I’ve been blogging now since 2016 and I can say that I had and still have a lot of the same worries as the ones you listed. Going to other blogs and commenting / interacting on twitter and goodreads seems to be the best way to get traffic and followers, but it’s so exhausting to keep up with sometimes. Then when it comes to posts, I’m the opposite really that I read and write reviews a lot, but don’t feel creative enough to write tags or top lists and I feel like my blog is boring since it’s mostly reviews. ^^;;

    Don’t worry so much though, I only stumbled on your blog and it looks nice so far and your posts are thoughtful. Keep it up and have fun with it! 🙂

    1. Aww thank you so much ❤️

      It’s nice to know we are not alone in this! And other does have them aswell ; I think you should try them. Whenever I do a tag i SO feel like my answers are boring 😂 buut my readers do like them.. so i think we are just conditionned to find ourselves less interresting? As we hear ourselves everyday ..

  9. I perfectly understand all your predicaments. Even after so many years of blogging, I am not able to stick to a schedule. So it is ok if you feel overwhelmed once in a while.

    And more than all, you are doing great!

  10. It’s been a few years for me, and sometimes I go through the same anxieties when I see my numbers. I try not to look and just do this for me, but I am really wanting the interaction so I continue to try and find new blogs and new connections. It’s an ongoing process. There will always be ups and downs, but as long as you’re enjoying it, that will show through to your readers.

  11. Honestly, I still feel like a new blogger, even though I’ve had my blog for almost two years now? I think it’s because I went into a blogging slump very quickly after I started blogging because of my pregnancy. I was very inactive that first year, and then last year I followed a schedule, but it was a slow moving one. I’m trying to up it this year, and trying to up my interactions, but real offline life has a way of making it difficult for me to be as active as I want to be on my blog?

    And comparing myself to people I know started blogging after me but have way more followers and interactions doesn’t help. It is a spiral I am clawing my way out of slowly.

    1. it could be, yeah .. no matter what, comparing ourselves will always draw us down – others might get more “luck”, or do something different than us .. which, we possibly cannot see from the outside.

      Goodluck to you & your blog xx

  12. I understand these struggles so well! It can be so difficult to feel like you really fit in, and then you’ve got the whole blog design thing to struggle with. But once you’ve got a design you like you can keep it forever which is really really nice 😀 And I always struggled with finding the balance in the types of posts and all that. In the end I just do me and hope people like it??

  13. I started my blog recently, mainly for my own entertainment. I haven’t given much thought to struggles and so far I’m just enjoying it 🤓.

    I think there’s a difference between blogging for fun and blog as a form of income. The first case should just be fun, not a source of stress.

  14. My best advice is don’t compare to other blogs, don’t look at their ‘success’ as to how you are doing.. just do your own thing the way you want it and readers who like your style will come and stay, it’ll be a natural thing and you won’t feel forced to do something ‘like the others’. Your blog has to be really YOU,it must feel personal, it’s what other readers like most of all.

    1. Totally ! that’s what I like the most aswell; however.. it’s easier said than done.. specially if you are still in the “idk what im doing” zone xD I definitely feel much better and more comfortable than what I was when I wrote this post 🙂

  15. Pingback: Who Am I (and other mildly mysterious things) – bookstormgirl
  16. Pingback: My tips for new Bloggers ! 😘 – Books-and-Dachshunds

  17. I’ve been around for over 5 years and I still get some of these! Lately it’s more since I’m moving my blog to WordPress finally and testing things out has either been painful or painless with nothing in between. 😭

    I think one of the things I struggle with the most is commenting back – I’m really busy so it’s harder for me to comment back. Plus with blogger being horrible on the phone it’s HARD commenting on a site that isn’t responsive to my phone and I end up skipping out on their site.

    I guess another one is interacting with other bloggers. I’m not a people person so it’s really awkward for me to go up to someone and say HI NICE TO MEET YOU I’M SOPHIA WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING, etc.

    I think posting consistently is another thing I struggle with. Granted I do have my cobloggers so the blog is almost always updated at least one a week if not more, but I feel I could do more?

    Currently I struggle with writing reviews – where I used to have fun with them, I don’t have as much fun now. 😶

    I think someone else has already said it, but be yourself! Write what you would want to read if you came across your own site. And it’s okay if you don’t find your blogging voice right away – sometimes it takes years, sometimes it’s instantly.

    1. Thank you !
      yeah, I can see how this is much of a problem .. however, if it’s the same on the .org, the app is actually really neat ! I do reply and comment back on blogs on my phone when I can, like late at night or something xD

      yes, same also ! even if I work in retail .. which erm .. kinda doesn’t match. but there’s a difference in trying to sell something to someone and talking with another blogger – specially if you think is more “up there” than you are .. much different feeling .. and what if you don’t connect with each other ?? In terms of book taste or opinion and etc ? will they judge ?

      for this point .. scheduling would be an answer. but also you can try one post a week and then go up if you like – but if you wanna go “too much” at once, it will almost always flunk .. I went for 2, and added a 3rd on every 2 saturdays, and then off topics sundays .. you get to adapt to one at the time and you get to see “Oh, okay .. so I can do this quite alright now.. I can go up and see !”

      yes, also very important !

      1. Oh. God. Service is a nightmare. But I can’t keep my mouth shut if I notice someone using the word retarded. I’d rather deal with a whole group of bloggers I don’t know than that! 😅

        So far the .org site has a responsive mobile site but to use the app you’ll have to use Jetpack, which I’ve definitely enabled. I just can’t use it until I redirect the blog which is in the near future. 😂

        I’m a huge fan of scheduling – I used to wing it but over time I realized that wasn’t working too well but now I try at least a week in advance if not more.

        1. hahaha well, im the luckiest of all – as I work in an adult store 😂 so people are more kind and less frustrated rather than in many other retail jobs .. and, unlike at the grocery store I worked at, they’re not in any rush whatsoever..

          ooooh yes, true xD so until then you have to keep the odd way .. ahh yes ! I have a week and sometimes two ahead aswell. Like on here I am good until the first of march, still better than nothing planned, eh ? 🙂

  18. I’ve been blogging for almost six years now, and so I feel more confident about what I’m doing. But I think the feeling of belonging (or not) is something all new bloggers go through. It’s kind of like you’re changing schools or jobs, you have to make some efforts to get to know people. And also to let them know where your blog is.
    It’s OK to not post reviews all the time – it’s your blog, right? And these discussions posts seem to work well for you, Kristina. You have a lot of interaction, and that means that people see your posts, and they feel like they have something to say, too 🙂
    I’m sure you’ll find the right way for you, and that’s the only way to do it. There are a lot of good advice out there, but you’re the one who knows what will work for you, personally.

    1. Thank you so much !
      Yes, definately! I feel alot more confident and like I belong since I posted this -and it has been more than a few days or so since this posted, and people still comment on it today (granted I just linked it .. xD) but yeah ! I’m pleased my reader seems to like thoses 🙂

  19. I started my blog in December. I’m not too worried about the fitting in, as I was on Twitter talking to book bloggers and about books for a while before I actually started my blog, so I was already becoming part of the community. I’m pretty confident in my writing too.
    My biggest challenge is making it look ‘pretty’. I feel like it looks really basic compared to most of the blogs I read.

    1. yeah.. that depends also what plans you have – as the free wp is more limited .. and if you’re not artistic like me, well we are in trouble ! hahah

  20. I am, in general, a mess. I’ve been wrestling with Intense Debate for two years now and still haven’t switched to another comment system (…I don’t like change).

  21. It’s only recently that I’ve started to fit in but I struggle with the views and likes I get and also, ARCs. International ARCs are so difficult to get!

    1. yep .. so true. being bilingual I can pick in both pots of netgalley France & US. However, thoses are only e-books – so if you wanna get physical ones .. that’s where the challenge is ..

  22. Pingback: Converse post ; my struggles as a Mood reader – Books-and-Dachshunds
  23. Pingback: My tips for new Bloggers ! 😘 - Books and Dachshunds
  24. Pingback: My struggles as a Mood reader - Books and Dachshunds

Comments are closed.