So I had an idea for a blog post, and went to the one place I knew I could get some ideas. I Tweeted to my friends and asked for some questions for an “Interview with the #bookblogger” post, and boy did you guys come through! I hope you enjoy!
How is an interview done? Where can I find people to interview?
If you were out of milk, would you put egg nog on your cereal?
What does your perfect Christmas Day look like?
When do you typically post your blog posts?
Do you prefer to write longer or shorter reviews? How about reading them?
When it comes to writing a review, I think it comes down to how much I have to say about the book. I have more things to say about some books than others. I do try to keep my reviews balanced, so that if I say something negative, I follow up with something positive. Authors work hard on their books, so I’m not going to completely bash it if I can at all help it.
I love reading reviews, whether they are long or short. I love seeing all the different opinions out there, even about the same book. If you have a lot to say about a book, say it. Opinions are important, especially in the book world. Authors’ livelihood depend on readers spreading their opinions, and book bloggers have a lot to do with that.
How much do you know about SEO?
Not as much as I would like, but I’m learning more every day. I have a self-hosted blog, so I’m able to add some plugins to help with SEO, but for bloggers on the free platform, Pinterest has tons of articles and tips to help with SEO, so I look there too.
How do you graciously decline review requests?
I try not to say flat out “no” if I can help it. Again, authors depend on people getting the word out. That said, I have genres and books that I know I simply won’t enjoy. So when I do decline a request, I try not to make it sound like I’m rejecting the person/author, but that it wouldn’t be in the author’s best interest for me to write a review. An example is of a request I got to review a book of poetry. I don’t like poetry, I don’t read poetry, and I tend to shy away from anything having to do with poetry. But my personal feelings about poetry doesn’t make this author’s book bad, so I would say something like this: “Thank you so much for your request for a book review. Unfortunately, poetry isn’t one of my preferred genres, so I don’t think I would be the best choice for a review. I wish you the best of luck!”
Do you have a post editing process, or do you post and go?
I tend to write like I talk, and I self correct all the time. So I tend to write and go. I’ve done that my entire life, even with papers in school. It’s rare for my first draft to not be my best. If I go back and edit, I tend to second guess myself a LOT and if I do that, I lose my voice, and my blog starts to sound more academic than it should. This blog is supposed to be fun. You shouldn’t feel, as a reader, that you’re stuck in school. That’s no fun.
Do you have a buffer series? Like when you’re exhausted and this will kick-start your motivation again?
I don’t, but I probably should. I keep drafts in my blog dashboard, but I don’t look at them as often as I should.
Do you post reviews for every book you read?
I don’t. I try to only write reviews on my blog for my 4 and 5 star reads. I want my space of the internet to be super positive, and welcoming. I’d rather rave about the books I love, rather than rant about the books I hated. No one wants to read a bunch of reviews about books I thought sucked.
If you’re reading a series you love, and come across a book that you hated and didn’t finish, would you consider yourself to have finished the series, if you read every book but the one?
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@WineBooksand
@BooksCozy
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These are great answers! Nice bits of knowledge mixed in with getting to know you! Lovely post! I had fun reading!
Oh thank you! Those were great questions!