behind the book blog | the book blogger oldie tag (11 year blogiversary part 1)
Hello again, dear friends! I hope all is well for you, and if it’s not then I hope brighter days head your way soon! Todays is a special day, friends, because today I am celebrating my 11 year blogiversary! I’m planning on doing a formal Q & A 11 Year Blogiversary Celebration post soon, but for now, I figured this tag would be a nice way to mark the occasion! I found this tag on Alli’s blog, Alli The Book Giraffe, and apparently the creator is Holly of Nut Free Nerd, who based this tag on the Booktube Oldie Tag, which was created by Ariel Bissett.
the book blogger oldie tagHow Long Have You Been Part Of The Book Blogging Community?
I started book blogging back in November 2014, so just this November I celebrate 11 years of book blogging! I started out over on Tumblr with my “visual book blog” (which is still active to this day), Inspired by Books. I posted (and still post) my book-inspired edits, graphics, and gif sets there. I then started a book review and discussion blog on Tumblr, which I moved over to WordPress in mid-2015. Fun fact for those who don’t know: Hardcover Haven was actually originally called The Bookkeeper’s Secrets, but I later rebranded. I also went self-hosted about three years ago, which was a big change, but worth it! So it’s been a long journey, with no end in sight, and I couldn’t be happier about that fact!
It’s been a great time watching this little hobby and space of mine grow over the years! I am not usually someone who can stick to new hobbies that I try out, so I’m slightly surprised and more than a little bemused that I stuck it out with book blogging. I think what’s made me want to stick around is definitely my love of books and the great community I’ve found among book bloggers—both things that I really treasure!
What Was Your Biggest Misconception Before Starting A Book Blog?
Probably that as a book blogger I’d be rolling in physical ARCs 😂😂😂 Even as a book blogger with a relatively large following, I still almost exclusively receive digital ARCs and ALCs (Advanced Listener Copies of audiobooks). And, I mean, to be fair, I’ve only once ever reached out directly to a publisher to get an ARC (I wasn’t approved), but also, I feel like publishers no longer give book bloggers whose sole platform is our blog copies of physical ARCs. That said, I don’t mind getting digital ARCs and ALCs, and I’ve been approved for most copies that I really want. So I guess in a way I was half right?
How Do You Think Book Blogging Has Changed Since You First Started?
Well there are definitely WAY fewer book bloggers nowadays. And another thing is, with the collapse of Twitter as a viable community centered platform, sometimes it feels like there’s less large-level community connection. Like, when I first started, it was quite popular for book bloggers to hold Twitter community Q & A “events,” as well as blog-a-thon events on their own blog where they encouraged everyone in the community to take part. That said, I think, at the same time, the book blogging community has found new ways to connect that, while different, are still very fun. For example, I’m part of a few big Discord servers specifically for book bloggers, and they’re quite active and fun!
What is Your Favorite Book Blogging Memory?
Definitely the friends I’ve made over the years and how we come from all over the world, but are connected by our love of books. A lot of book bloggers I befriended at the start of my book blogging journey are no longer active and I miss them (shoutout to Ri, Fadwa, Rae, Nori, Reg, Liran, Joey, and all the others!), but I always will remember them fondly. And! The good thing is that even as older book bloggers have left the community, new book bloggers still pop up regularly (even if less frequently) and I love making new friends! Plus, there are a few other older book blogger holdouts who I’m still connected to, and I cherish them just as much!
What Are Some Books That You Were Introduced to Because of Book Blogging?
Pretty much all of the books that I’ve read and/or added to my TBR since November 2014 have been books I was introduced to because of book blogging. I honestly now can’t imagine what it would be like to just pick out a book without having heard about it beforehand, even if it’s still considered “underhyped” or even a “hidden gem” by most readers.
What is Something That Frustrates You About Book Blogging?
Hmmm…I think one thing that frustrates me is how other online book influencers from platforms like booktube, bookstagram, and booktok consistently forget that book bloggers exist, to the point that they don’t credit book bloggers for the tags and events and readathons that we create. I understand that not as many people are book bloggers nowadays, but that doesn’t mean we don’t exist and I think I can safely say that all of us wouldn’t mind being included and/or properly credited regularly.
What is Your Hope For the Future of Book Blogging?
I just hope book blogging will continue to be around in the future, even if we are a smaller community. I think that of all the bookish influencing platforms, book blogging is the most accessible to people in that it doesn’t require any expensive equipment like cameras, editing software, smartphones, and/or aesthetic props. Basically all you need to become a book blogger is access to the internet on a regular basis and the ability to read, meaning the economic barriers are fairly low. I think that’s really important, because it allows more voices from all kinds of people to be heard.
i tag…
Kyrsta and Briana at Pages Unbound
Tasya at The Literary Huntress
Sumedha at The Wordy Habitat
spill the beans, friends!Are you a book blogger? If so, how long have you been blogging? If not, would you ever consider becoming a book blogger (yes, this is your formal invitation to join The Dark Side, lol!)? Book bloggers: what’s your favorite book blogging memory?
change the world with me!Before anything: FREE PALESTINE!!! 🍉 For over half a century now, the Israeli government has been enacting a genocide against the Palestinian people. This is more than something that started on October 7, 2023. It’s not complicated. It’s genocide. And it’s important that we witness, raise our voices, protest, and fight against it in any way possible. Below are a list of resources to help educate yourself on Palestine, as well as to donate to aid the Palestinian people. In addition, I’ve added some Palestinian influencers and journalists you can follow to learn more from and who keep track of what’s going on. Peace to all and keep fighting the good fight!
education & information resources
donation & aid resources
PALESTINIAN JOURNALISTS & INFLUENCERS TO FOLLOW & AMPLIFY
InfoRMATION & resources
inforMATION & resources
Happy blogiversary. I really loved reading your answers,the blogging space definitely has changed
Thank you so much, Dee, I’m glad you enjoyed reading! And absolutely, blogging has MASSIVELY changed over the years—I feel like one day it was 2014 and book blogs were still a big form of bookish influencing and I just blinked and now we’re here with booktok lol!
Ah heck, I definitely remember the Twitter Q&As — it’s how I met some of my friends even though we might not talk anymore (I think nowadays we just have each other on LinkedIn to cheer each other professionally). I’ve definitely seen there are less book bloggers around these days — there’s a lot that have also jumped to socials, too, that I’ve noticed in the 13 (!) years I’ve been around.
The frustration where book bloggers are forgotten — OMG, yes! There was a post I remember reading at some point that was talking about how “book blogging” has changed over the past decade and not one book blogger was featured, and that honestly made me really sad. I know book bloggers who have been around since the early 2010s are hard to find, but we’re definitely out there!
Happy blogiversary, Lila — this was fun to read!
Thanks, Hannah, and I’m glad you had fun reading!
Oh, the good old days of Twitter Q&As, lol! I met so many bookish friends through them and I feel like they really did manage to bring the community together! And blogathons did too—I remember events like “armchair BEA” and when Alexa from Alexa Loves Books held a summer-long blogathon! It was all so much fun! I feel like those kind of community-building events are a big part of what’s missing today, and it makes it feel less like we’re a group of friends and fellow booknerds talking *with* each other and more like we’re just colleagues talking *past* each other.
OMG I didn’t come across that post, but that sounds so frustrating to read! It’s really sad that people seem to forget us bloggers, especially as I feel like blogging is the most accessible platform for bookish “influencing.” I think as blogging has faded a bit, we also have lost valuable voices in our community who don’t necessarily have the money or means (or desire) to participate in more aesthetic and visually focused platforms like booktok, bookstagram, and booktube. but who knows, with the rise of substack, maybe more people will get back into the book blogging world!
Yes! I think there are still community run events but they’re much less often and are still missing something. I remember armchair BEA! I never joined those since I was in HS and the chats were times I was in class (plus BEA was around finals which I’m pretty sure that was when armchair BEA was happening 😭).
I absolutely agree with blogging being the most accessible platform! It’s probably why I still blog today honestly. 😂 I think with Substack there’s been some who have left blogging for that since they feel it’s more low-key and there’s a built-in audience of sorts already, which is absolutely fair! You don’t have to worry about the design of a site or figure out SEO and other things, though the downside is that Substack could take those down at anytime but one could say that about any free platform really. I do hope that it eventually means people will take a look at blogging again and get back into it, though!
Thanks for tagging me and happy blog anniversary! Ugh I totally feel you about early book bloggers not being active anymore… I still remember them all and I can’t bear myself to unfollow their blog just in case they come back 🥹 The collapse of twitter also meant I lost the friends I met there too… I’d love to join the Discord server, that sounds like a really fun place to be! With substack gaining traction, I think I’ve seen more bloggers migrate there too but idk, it doesn’t seem to have the same community feeling as blogging…
Thank you so much, Tasya!
Ugh, it’s so sad, I do the same thing with bloggers who are no longer active—I’m always holding out hope that one day they’ll return!
I see you have a Tumblr, so I’ll send you an invite to the book blogger Discord servers I’m in via DM on Tumblr (my Tumblr main is scionafreynan, so that’s who you’ll see a DM from)!
Substack is a little strange because it’s become so algorithm driven and is partially a social media, so if you don’t interact with people via sharing “notes” and/or if your notes don’t go viral, then it’s very hard to get people to read your actual blog posts. I also feel like the followers I have here on my self-hosted site are not only more loyal readers, but also tend to regularly interact via the comments a lot more, making community building a lot easier. But I suppose for most bloggers and other influencers it’s really just whatever platform you feel you can best market yourself on at this point, which is kinda sad? Idk but I’m happy here for now and the foreseeable future, lol
Happy (belated) blogiversary 🥳11 years is an incredible achievement!
I’m still sad about the downfall of Twitter, because I also feel like Readathons were super active there and it was fun to connect with people 😢 Discord servers seem to have replaced this though!
Thank you so much, Caro <3 <3 <3 I'm kinda split over how I feel about the downfall of Twitter. On the one hand, it feels like towards the end there wwas a lot of bookish community infighting, but on the other hand, if you avoided all of that it was super handy for keeping up with online friends. Ah, well, I really love the bookish/book blogging Discord servers I'm a part of, and strangely enough I feel like they're WAY more chill and relaxed than Twitter ever was (seriously, though, why did Twitter automatically make everyone in the bookish community simultaneously go nuts?! lol!).
Happy blogiversary!
Thank you so much! <3