Top Ten Tuesday

Today I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Tips For New Book Bloggers

I'm excited for this week because even though I've been blogging for about a year and a half, I'm always discovering things I didn't know.

1. Carefully pick a name for your blog.  Once people know your blog name it is hard to change it and you will be stuck with it so make sure you like it.

2. Enjoy reading and talking about what you read.  Will you win some free books...possibly.  Will you receive some ARCs...hopefully, but that is not what blogging is about.  Ultimately it comes down to a love of books and reading, and wanting to share that love with others.

3. Find a groove that fits you.  Sometimes memes can get overwhelming.  They are great for bringing traffic to your blog but often times when people start off blogging they join all the memes and don't have any days left to write reviews.  Find memes you enjoy and are a good fit for your blog. 

4. Proof read your posts.  (I'm sure I'm shooting myself in the foot with this one and now because I said that there are sure to be multiple mistakes in this post).  I often find grammatical mistakes as well as just using the wrong word.  I get so excited typing out my post and then I go back and reread it and see a bunch of mistakes. 

5. Comment on other people's posts.  The best way to get people to visit your site is to comment on other people's blog posts.  I try and return the favor as much as possible and if you become a regular commenter on someones site you will get noticed.

6. Be courteous.  Sometimes you have to write a bad review.  For me these are so hard to write.  I feel bad because I know how much a writer's work means to them.  Don't attack the author just because the book wasn't the right feel for you.  Explain why in your opinion you didn't like certain aspects of the story or the characters, and tell the truth.  You don't need to lie about liking a book, but just be respectful that other people may like it.

7. Join social networking sites.  This is something I'm not very good at and I know I need to work on.  Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc.  Sign up and spend some time networking. 

8. Read what you like to read.  The great thing about blogging is that there are blogs out there for every genre.  There are bloggers of every age reviewing different genres and "typical" age categories.  Don't read a certain book because everyone is reading it, read a book because you want to read it.  Look to people who seem to enjoy the same books you do and then if they liked it, maybe you will too.  There are too many books out there to read them all, so read what you enjoy.

9. Be organized.  This is another thing I need to work on.  Set aside some time each week to work on things for your blog.  It may be writing up your reviews or maintenance issues.  Make sure you have the time to not only read the books, but also time to put into blogging.  It is a hobby and you don't want to turn it into work, but like any hobby it takes time and sometimes patience.

10. Be yourself.  People may give you a lot of advice.  Some of it will be great advice and some of it may not work for you.  Everything in this post are things I found helpful or wish I would have known when starting a blog, but ultimately listen to yourself and what you want.