How to create a book blog – What I have learned along the way😊
I decided to take my love of reading books 1 step further by becoming a book blogger.
If you love to read, then you too can create a book blog.
Book Blogging: Why start?
Before you enter this world, I would suggest you first decide what you want to achieve and whether book blogging is the way to go.
· Do you want to connect with your favourite authors?
· Do you want advanced reader copies of books?
· Do you want to connect with other book readers?
· Do you want to just right reviews of the books you have read to share them with other readers?
I started my book blog after I found myself initially stuck reading books by a few authors, although I loved their books, I knew there were thousands more, so I joined a book club to force myself into reading different genres. This was the start, I then, wanted to share with others my honest opinion about the books I had read, and to not just believe the hype surrounding the new best seller, although that opinion was mine and not everyone would think the same. I thought there must be others like me.
Book Blogging: Key steps to launching a Book Blog
Blogs on books range from the hobby blogger to the more dedicated professional blogger. Wherever you fall in this spectrum, there are a few key steps before launching your book blog. But please do not be put off by the professionals as there is room for everyone.
1. What do you need.
This is relatively simple to start with as all you need are a computer and some books…. Oh, and a love of reading them. It is also handy to have a camera, and a good camera on your phone is fine. This is to take pictures of the books you read. You can download pictures from the internet, but you need to be careful of copyright. For my blog I do tend to download the covers from either Amazon or Goodreads but to promote my website through social channels I try to use my own photos using the camera on my phone.
2 Choose a name.
This is the fun bit, but I must say it is also fairly difficult. You need to pick a name that fits the focus of your blog and remember this name stays with you for as long as your book blog so it will pay you in the long run to get this right.
I chose A Page Book Club this incorporated my name A Page and the fact I wanted it to be like a book club where others could give their opinions on books.
Before deciding on a name, it is wise to ask others what they think, provide a few family and friends with your top choices and see what comes out on top. Ask them why they chose the name as their favourite. You don’t have to go with what they have said but it will give you an idea on what your audience will think.
Also check the name out on Namechekr. This is an easy and quick way to see if the name you choose is available as a domain name and if the associated social account names are already taken or available.
3. Craft your main book blog pages
Your book blog is going to have a few main pages:
· Home page
· About page
· Contact page
Layout your design for these pages and draft your web page copy so they are ready to upload on your book blog once your site is ready.
4. Write a few blog posts before you take your book blog live.
This will serve you well for a couple of reasons.
1st What is a blog without content? This will ensure that when you are ready to go live you will be ready.
2nd Is this really what you want to do? Writing a few book blog posts will let you know if this is something you want to do in reality. If after writing just a few posts you realise that this sounded fun, but you cannot see yourself doing this in the long run, then you can stop without having invested any serious time or money.
5. Decide which blogging platform to use
Two of the most popular free ones are WordPress and Blogger. However, there are many more out there for example- Wix, Sitepress. I went straight to Wix as I was comfortable with their format, and it has treated me well, but I know a lot of bloggers out there that use Word press.
6. Have a look at some existing blogs for inspiration
Find a list of UK blogs for inspiration on layout and themes and decide what you want your site to look like. Most blogging software will prompt you to choose a template as soon as you register, but please feel free to play around with different looks until you find one that will suite your style.
7. Set up social media accounts
You don’t have to do this, but I have found it invaluable in connecting with other book readers/reviewers. I set up accounts on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, Threads and Pinterest but don’t forget Twitter now X.
I would suggest you set up accounts with each and every one of them to ensure you get the same name across each platform to make it easier for people to find you. Try them out and see which your favourite ones are and stick with posting on those until you get into a rhythm, as consistency and engagement is key.
8. Go Live
Don’t be afraid to go live, it is a scary time, but you won’t get thousands of people reading what you are doing on go live day, it is a slow process and there is a lot to learn about how to write for the internet to ensure you posts get read, but that is all for another day. Just have fun to start with and learn your craft.
9. How to start a Book Blog Quick Summary
· Look at what you need.
· Choose a name.
· Craft your main Book Blog pages
· Write a few blog posts.
· Decide which blogging platform to use.
· Have a look at some existing blog for inspiration.
· Set up your social media accounts.
That should cover all you need to know about how to start a book blog and get going with book blogging. I will come back to this as I learn more. If you think I’ve missed something or want to know more, drop me a DM on Instagram my contact is https://instagram.com/alisbookstagram_ or send me an email apagebookclub@gmail.com or join the A Page Book Club to get all my latest posts as they become live.
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