Common Misconceptions About Book Bloggers

So I’ve only been blogging for close to a year now but I’ve already come across quite a number of people who have some really interesting ideas about what it means to be a blogger and specifically a book blogger.

It’s a personal journal- no one else reads it. There’s always the question of “Is there really a market for that?” And my answer to that is, “there’s a market for everything. Dating apps, pretty maps, Egyptian cotton sheets- you name it.” I understand where these people are coming from because I didn’t discover the book blogging world until last summer and didn’t think it would be a big thing before I found it but now that I’m a part of it, it’s become a part of me and there’s definitely a demand for us book bloggers!

Not a lot of time goes into it.
I spend A LOT of my time on blogging, whether I’m on WordPress writing a post or not. I am often thinking about blogging schedules, books I need to review, new discussion ideas. It’s  a 24/7 unpaid job.

I get asked if it’s a shared blog with other people and if it’s like an online book club and sure, in a way it is. But I created my blog myself and no one else runs it. I personally haven’t partaken in any book club type events on here. Even though we all just talk about books all the time, it’s not like we’re discussing a specific one at the same time. For example, my mom didn’t realize I created this blog for the first few months she was reading it and she’d ask me which posts were mine and I’d be so confused, like mother. They’re all mine. What are you talking about?

It’s a waste of time.
I can sort of understand the thought process behind this if someone hasn’t grown up with the internet or doesn’t spend enough time on it to know how much the world revolves around connections but really? I mentioned this blog during a job interview to be a teacher’s assistant and I think it really set me apart from other applicants. Platforms like Netgalley rely on a bloggers’ connections to their readers and there are great benefits for both bloggers and publishers/authors. Blogging is definitely not a waste of time.

And more importantly, nothing that you enjoy doing is a waste of time. I wouldn’t spend hours on this blog every other day if I didn’t enjoy it. Even though this blog sometimes feels like it’s my whole career and it’s not always easy, I love building it up to where I want it to be and I love interacting with readers and fellow bloggers, because that’s the best thing about being a part of the book community.

 

What about you guys? What reactions do you get when you tell people you run a book blog (or any type of blog, for that matter)? Is it usually a positive or negative reaction? Let me know down below!