The last few weeks

Well, I’m 3.5 weeks into this book blogging thing. [Side note: what is the etymology of the word “blog?” Because it looks and sounds weird.] And already I’ve done a few things right, a bunch of things wrong, and learned a whole lot.

I’ve had a personal blog for a bunch of years, but this book blogging thing is a whole new beast. The personal blog is, let’s face it, mainly for my mom. It’s about my kids and how they’re weird, and is really only entertaining to people who know me.

But this one is for…well…anyone! Or at least anyone with a similar taste in books and a tolerance for my long-windedness.

[I had a dream the other night that people were commenting/complaining about my long-windedness. I woke up relieved (that it was just a dream) and somewhat abashed (since I am long-winded).]

Anyway. In the last few weeks, I’ve had my eyes cracked open to the world of book bloggers, and it’s pretty neat. Book bloggers are cool. They’re a whole tightly-knit community that I never was really aware of. I’ve had a lot of fun reading their posts, drinking in their wisdom (The Broke and the Bookish just had a Top Ten Tuesday on Tips for New Book Bloggers, and I lost several hours of my life skipping from blog to blog, soaking up knowledge), and “meeting” several of them via comments, email and Twitter. It’s strangely exciting to start to slooooowly crack my way into this new society of awesomeness.

I’ve also emailed a few publishers/publicists with a “nothing ventured, nothing gained” mentality. And guess what? They also turned out to be actual, friendly human beings. No, they’re not tripping over themselves to send me review copies yet, but they made me feel a lot more comfortable about asking in the future.

I’ve tried to keep an active presence on Facebook and Twitter to gain readers and followers, and also just to be social to the world at large. It’s trickier than it sounds, since I can only hit up my personal social circle so many times before they’re going to start blocking me (who knows, maybe they already have). No wonder companies hire social media specialists.

My biggest error: posting multiple reviews the day I launched the site. I should have kept some in reserve while I got my feet under me. Now I either have to:

A) dig way back in my memory and my library to find new (old) stuff to review,

B) take time off to read new stuff, or

C) neglect my “real” life so that I can read fast and review immediately.

Since my family would frown on option C, and since taking a hiatus immediately after launching a new blog doesn’t seem wise, I’ve been going for option A. I figure even if a book’s been out for a few years (or decades), it’s probably new to someone, right?

So anyway. That’s the update on my little 3-week-old blog. If you like it, great! Follow the blog, leave comments, tell your friends, etc. It would make me do a little happy dance.

And if you’re an established book blogger and have some words of wisdom for me: I’m all ears!

Or eyes. Since technically I would be reading your wisdom, not hearing it.

I’m having fun. Here’s to THE FUTURE.

 

3 thoughts on “The last few weeks

  1. i appreciate you correcting yourself here, to give the PROPER “sense”, hahaha:

    And if you’re an established book blogger and have some words of wisdom for me: I’m all ears!

    Or eyes. Since technically I would be reading your wisdom, not hearing it.

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