Top Ten Tuesday (60) : Top Ten Tips For New Bloggers

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top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Brokeandbookish. This week’s theme is FREEBIE! . I’m certainly no expert on the subject, but I thought I could gather up some tips and things I’ve learned since I started book blogging, and some of these I could have definitely liked to hear when I started…

1 • COMMENT AND TALK WITH OTHERS

The book blogging community is huge, and it might seem a little scary, at first. But once you get over how nervous you are, just comment on other blogs. Share your thoughts. Reach out to new bloggers with CARE. Don’t tell you want them to check out your blog and/or follow, nothing worse to prevent people from doing so. Just be NICE, thoughtful, and be yourself. CREATE FRIENDSHIPS.

2 • TRY OUT TWITTER.

live tweetThat might not be for everyone, but Twitter surely helps me communicate within the community, find new people to follow, to talk with, and there are ALWAYS new bookish chats to participate in, to get to know new people, share the world about your blog and just your thoughts about books in general.

3 •  PLANNER OR SPONTANEOUS BLOGGER ?

It’s not that easy, really, to find what kind of blogger you are. Whether you like to plan, schedule, or just go with your mood and inspiration at the moment. Try it out. See what you prefer.

4 • DON’T LOOK AT STATS TOO OFTEN

blog working

I’m not really one to talk, since I look at my stats page a lot. It’s such a mood-lifter, or downer, at times, and nothing worse to make you feel stressed out about blogging. It takes time to grow your blog, and it doesn’t matter if it takes you years to reach 100 followers, 100 page views or anything. What matters is that you LOVE what you do.

5 • TAKE BREAKS

Not one to talk there either, I’m a bit crazy, yet I do and I WILL step away from my blog when necessary time comes. If you ever feel pressured to produce content, stressed out because you can’t catch up with other blog posts, or just like you’re close to a burn-out, take a step back.

6 • READ WHAT YOU WANT TO READ

reading

There’s nothing like the hype, and whether you’re new or old, you’ll always be amazed at what the hype can do, how it can make you WANT A BOOK so badly. But I don’t think you should feel pressured if you’re not reading what everyone else is, and have no interest in doing so.

7 • RESPECT THE PERKS OF BOOK BLOGGING

I want to talk about ARCs (Advance Readers Copy) here, obviously. It’s so easy to get lost in an ARC requesting frenzy. But it’s a commitment. Be sure you can handle it..

8 • BE RESPECTFUL

This should be a given, really, but be respectful of others in the community. Respect their opinion, don’t bash on one of their reviews, if you don’t agree, there are respectful ways to say so. Respect the authors, the editors, the others. DO NOT include an author’s twitter handle or something when you’re sharing a bad review.

9 • MAKE MISTAKES

common-word-mistakes-sidekick-content

If you could see my old posts, I would cringe at them, and I don’t want to see them at all, anymore, ahah. But it takes time to find your own place, the way you want to blog, your design, your way of writing reviews, discussions, just, your own place. Try out new things, find your voice..

10 • BE YOURSELF
be yourselfDon’t try to be everyone else. Don’t try to “pineapple” everyone when that’s clearly someone else’s way to talk (The FANTASTIC Cait @PaperFury). Don’t try to copy someone else’s way of doing things. Make that blog your own, and find your own voice. Be unique, be yourself. After all, everyone else’s already taken 😉

What are some of YOUR advice for new book bloggers? Is there anything you learned so far in your blogging experience that you want to share? Let’s chat in comments! 💬

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Book blogger, travel blogger, writer. 📚 |🌍 | 💞 Writing & Communications Graduate. French. Living on love, wanderlust and ya books.

125 thoughts on “Top Ten Tuesday (60) : Top Ten Tips For New Bloggers”

  1. This is great, since I’m a new blogger. I especially need to constantly be reminded of #4 – don’t look at the stats page! Oh my goodness I can get so fixated on it, but it’s so dumb! You’re right – the point is that I love it 😀 And so far, what few followers I have are awesome and interactive and that’s what matters, right?! Thanks for sharing this.

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    1. I’m so, so happy you liked this post and that it can be useful! ❤ It's not dumb at all, I used to do it all the time, and even now I do it a bit too much I think, ahha, but the point is to try not to feel down about it. What matters is interaction, and people talking and sharing books with you, that's the most important, and the most fun part of blogging! 🙂 Thank YOU! ❤ ❤

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  2. YES MARIE, THIS IS THE POST THAT I NEED. I’m not really super new anymore but I still think all of this are things I could use in my blogging life! I definitely plan on interacting more with others… if only life doesn’t get in the way, haha.

    And #6 is so important, so thanks for mentioning that. It’s so easy to get caught up in the hype and force yourself to read “popular books” even if you don’t want to, but reading should be first and foremost of all be for yourself. 🙂

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    1. Aww thank you so, so much Reg! ❤ I love interacting more with the community, but it is time-consuming, and finding some kind of balance definitely is a struggle, at times. But it's all worth it! ❤
      I sometimes get caught up in this "popular books cycle", ahah, and I want to read them all, but I have to remind me that some books don't really interest me, no matter how big the hype around it is, so… 🙂 Thank you!

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      1. Yeah, it definitely is time-consuming, but I feel like it is quite rewarding and kind of the point. I mean, Likes/RTs/favourites are good and stuff but I love comments more, haha. Is that bad? I hope not. 😛

        I know! That’s definitely my feelings about certain books – I’m so bad at ignoring hype and usually get FOMO, for example in the case of Throne of Glass. D:

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      2. Oh no not at all! I completely understand, and I feel the same way. Whenever I’m on a commenting spree, I feel like I’ve accomplished something, and hope that at least one of my comments will brighten someone’s day. Plus, interaction between bloggers is the best thing!
        For now, surprisingly, I resisted the Throne of Glass temptation, but…yeah, I’m bad at that game as well. It’s just SO tempting to see what everyone else’s talking about…

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      3. I’m actually really amazed by how thoughtful the comments you left at people’s posts are! You always seem to take the time to write something specific to the post itself, and I really admire that. TEACH ME YOUR WAYS, MARIE. ❤

        Do you think you'll end up picking Throne of Glass?

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      4. Ohh Reg, thank you so, so much! ❤ Well, it helps that I don't have very much of a social life even though I try to, haha, and I don't think I'm following that many blogs? I will admit, I don't read everything and comment everything thouroughly, sometimes I get tired and I feel guilty afterwards, ahah. But I do love reading and leaving as thoughtful comments as I can 🙂 It just takes SO many times… And I don't really know how to take breaks haha.
        I'm not sure. Right now it's not on my priority list, but maybe I will out of curiosity, if I find a cheap deal 🙂

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      5. I don’t have a very busy social life either currently and I’m struggling to keep up as is! Haha, noooo I know the feeling. I try to write thoughtful comments but sometimes I just get stumped and don’t know what to say.

        Cheap deals are the best for trying out books you’re not too sure about. ❤

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  7. Thanks for the great tips! I’m definitely all for making mistakes, stumbling along in the dark, though its sometimes quite depressing to see posts you think are great being not as popular as posts you think were so-so.

    I feel like I’m stuck in a limbo between new blogger and not as new blogger. On one hand, my blog has been around for almost a year, on the other hand, I’ve only really started posting about two months ago. So I still consider myself new. Haha.

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    1. Definitely agree with you on that, some blog posts I’m working on hard sometimes don’t get much love, whereas others does, and it kind of makes me sad, but we can only learn from this 🙂
      Well, I guess you’re an…almost newbie then, let’s put it that way? It’s the perfect time to try out everything you want to talk about, and not feel ashamed to make mistakes. Whenever I post now, I feel scared that I’d make a stupid mistake haha 😛
      Thank you so much! ❤

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      1. Hmm… I guess it allows us to better realize our biases. Still kinda sad though. Haha.
        Almost newbie, that’s a good term. Yup, it’s a great time to make mistakes. Hopefully I’ll be able to learn something from them. I find that hard to believe, haha, you and your posts are always AWESOME! 😀

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  8. Ahh, yess!! I love this post, Marie!! As a newish blogger this is really helpful 😊😊 Interacting is SO important and I was really nervous when I first started, but the community was so wonderful it turns out I had nothing to worry about. I also love the points you bought up about respecting other’s opinions, reading what you want and especially that it’s okay to make mistakes. That’s something I still need to keep telling myself haha.

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    1. Aww thank you Lauren, so glad you like this! ❤ ❤ And may I say, you don't look like a newbie, at all, you're already doing this SO AMAZINGLY, I am impressed ahah ❤ ❤ I need to tell myself that it's okay to make mistakes as well, every day, haha 😛
      Thank you<3

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  9. Great advice! Twitter is how I found most of my blogger friends when I first started out. The chats are a good way to meet new people. I plan some of my posts, but most of them are spontaneous, especially my rants. Those usually only happen when I’m in a ranty mood. I took a few days off here and there over the past two weeks, and I got so much reading done that now I don’t know which review to write first. The reviews take a lot of time to write, so I usually drag my feet with them. So agree with you on stats. I’d much rather have 10 people comment, since the whole point of my post is to communicate with people, then have 100 people view it. It’s always fun when you get a new stat notification though. Great post!

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    1. Thank you so much! ❤ Twitter really is a great place to find new bookish people, and for the chats, I love it! 🙂 Oh, reviews are sometimes annoying to write, I agree, it's just, I feel like reading more books, rather than writing a review for the book I just read, and then I end up with a gazillion book reviews to catch up on, haha.
      Thank you!! ❤

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  11. These are all such great tips! Learning to plan out my posts and schedule them in advance has been such a game changer for me. Now I can focus on blogging when I have more free time instead of trying to hurriedly write and publish posts when I’m super busy. Interacting with other bloggers is something I feel like I could still improve on, even though I’ve been blogging for a while. Sometimes it can be difficult to keep up with everyone’s blogs, but I do my best! 🙂

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    1. Thank you so, so much Holly, I’m glad you agree with these 🙂 This is exactly why I like scheduling, I feel like I’m more in control ahah and I feel less pressured as well. You’re right, it’s difficult to keep up with everyone, but I love interacting with the community 🙂

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  16. Fantastic advice!! Especially about reading what you want to read and being yourself. I think that it’s easy for bloggers to feel pressured to use a formula that someone else already has to try and succeed/gain popularity. And I think people pick up on the insincerity and it just ends up turning them away. Not to mention that it can make the blogging experience a chore instead of something fun. You just gotta do you!

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    1. Aww thank you so, so much! ❤ You're right, it's way too easy to feel pressured and to get caught up into all of these popular books you might not even be interested into. Blogging has to remain fun, and we should all read/review what we want and not in any case feel forced to do otherwise 🙂 Thank you so much!

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  17. Great post! I’m a newbie blogger myself so I’m still trying to find the hang of all this blogging stuff and these are some really nice tips. I think I especially need to take #5 into account. I’m already stressing if I didn’t post anything for a few days, but I have to remind myself it’s ok to take a break every now and then 🙂

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  19. Oh yes, great pick for this weeks prompt! Love that this prompt means nearly all our posts are about something different. Briliant topic and you have given some amazing tips, I agree with them all. I especially believe in taking breaks and not concentrating on stats. But my top tip is definitely always be yourself, that is vital! 🙂 You can check my TTT post out here.

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  20. I love the points you’ve mentioned here, Marie! 🙂 Looking at stats can be so terrifying, I know. I’ve learnt to stop looking at them, and I’m a much happier blogger now 🙂 “Be yourself” and “Make mistakes” are very important! I wouldn’t be here now if I didn’t write those embarrassing first posts 🙂 And I think taking breaks is also SO crucial. I’m taking an extended break at the moment 😀

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    1. Thank you so much Fatima! ❤ (and you're on a break, but I already miss your posts, haha). It's so hard sometimes not to obsess about stats, but I'm really happier as well now that I'm not always watching this page. What makes me the happiest is to be able to talk to incredible people like you 😀

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      1. No way haha. I can’t believe you miss my posts! 😛 that makes me so happy! Thank you! ❤

        I know exactly what you mean! I think it's important as well to note that even if your stats aren't great for one post, it really doesn't change the person you are, and in no way defines your self-worth. You are brilliant, with good stats or not. Remember that 🙂

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      3. I’m so glad inspires you! If my writing posts actually make people want to write, then I’m definitely going to continue! ❤

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  23. Thanks for the advice! I’ve been really enjoying it so far (I’ve been blogging for a while, but not on this site and not with a consistent schedule), but I’m worried I’ll lose motivation when school starts, so…I’ll have to get creative. When I first started, I always thought of reviews and other posts as essays, but from what I’ve seen now, not every post has to be that big of a deal!

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    1. Oh you don’t have to put such pressure on yourself about blogging, not everything has to be essays! Some people love, for instance, to write reviews in lists, or make ten reasons to read a book, etc etc. There are so many different ways to be creative, as long as you find what works for you, and makes you happy, and not stressed/pressured to write content 🙂
      Happy Blogging Olivia and thank you so much!! 🙂

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  24. This is great advice Marie, even though I’m not technically a new blogger anymore I still try and follow it. The comment and talk with others is such an important one as well, plus the community is amazing so it’s a perk of blogging too I think 😀
    Most of it is things I’ve learnt as I’ve gone along and some of it is things I still need to learn, not looking at stats too often and taking breaks for example 😀 but most of it is advice I wish I’d been given when I was first starting out so honestly this is a brilliant post for new bloggers!

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    1. Thank you so much Beth! ❤ Definitely! It takes a lot of my time to comment on other bloggers' posts, but sharing and talking about books is the best part of book bloggin, I think. I feel like I need to improve on checking my stats a bit less as well, and the same goes for taking breaks, haha, I tend to be obsessed at times 😛 Thank you! ❤

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      1. That’s all right ❤️ Exactly, I dedicate just as much time to commenting on other bloggers posts as I do writing my own, plus yeah I love sharing recommendations and making friends with everyone on here as well! 😀 I check my stats a lot but I would say I obsess over them or anything, I just like seeing what they are each day/week/month.
        It’s nice that we obsess so much over our blogs but I guess taking breaks is important as well (at the moment I wouldn’t know whether that’s true or not!)

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      2. Oh yes, me too, I love it so much! It takes so many time, but it’s worth it <3. Haha, well I do check my stats a lot as well, but I think I've learned not to put all of my feelings in it, and not to care so much when they're down a little bit.
        Haha, I wouldn't know either, but I'm definitely going to slowly take steps back as the summer and holidays are coming 🙂

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      3. Definitely worth it! Yeah I try not to put too much feeling behind my stats either. The way I see it if people like what I post and take the time to read or comment then it doesn’t matter about day by day or month by month stats so much!
        I may have to do that too, not sure if I’ll succeed but small steps to start off with right?! 😀

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  25. This post is SO SO great, and filled with tons of helpful, awesome-tastic advice. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing, from someone who is not necessarily new to the book community but still loves reading advice from other people. (Wow, ramble-y sentence rambles!)

    Here is my Top Ten Tuesday, if you’re interested. Happy book-ing!

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  26. I wish someone would’ve told me all of this when I got started 😧 but luckily it wasn’t to big of a struggle and I eventually figured it out, like most of us out there haha!
    Though this is a great idea you came up for this week’s TTT, it will help a lot of new bloggers out there which brings me to this: YOU’RE THE BEST 😁💖

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  27. Marie! I wish I had a post like this when I was first starting out; it would have been such a huge help. The stats page really is a gift or a curse depending on the day. It can either motivate you to post, or motivate you to completely give up, pack up and leave your blog for months, like it did for me in the beginning. 🙂

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    1. Aww thank you Aimal, I’m really glad you like it. So many times, my stats page made me want to give up, it’s crazy. I think we could all use reminders at times, that stats aren’t everything, and that before everything, we’re doing this for ourselves and because we love it 🙂 Thank you! ❤

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  30. Such great tips. I think it’s really important to be yourself, and read what you like. I know I can’t make myself read something if I’m not into it, so that one’s big for me. Lots of good advice here!

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    1. Thank you so, so much Greg, I’m so glad you liked it 🙂 Definitely don’t force yourself into reading something, that’s the worst. Sometimes, it’s tempting to see what everyone else is talking about, though, haha. Thank you so much! 🙂

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  31. I love the post! I did the same post but even so I am struggling with planning as well as not stressing about not putting up posts in a timely manner.

    I like you take on it, though, that I can choose if I want to be a planner or be more spontaneous. I am still trying to figure that out. In fact, I am still trying to figure out if I should even have a plan at all. Like what to post on particular days. So far I am just posting whatever I feel like whenever I feel like.

    Also, I have a request. I suck at Twitter so if you can make a post about how to use twitter and how to find new people and participate in conversations, that would be a blessing! 😀

    Also, did I mention I love you post? ❤

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    1. Aww thank you so, so, so much Sush! so glad you like it ❤ I was struggling with planning / spontaneous blogging at first, as well, and then I found out that planning my posts for the week makes me feel less stressed and pressured. I like being in control and knowing what's coming next, but I do know lots of bloggers who'd rather write when inspiration is here, and it works perfectly for them 🙂 The important thing is never to feel forced to write something. Trying out planning, and spontaneous blogging, definitely is a great way to find out how you'd like to blog.
      Ohhh, (I'm sure you DO NOT suck at twitter <3!!!), well I'll try and think about a post like that, yes, for sure! I'd be so happy to help ❤

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      1. You’re welcome! Your blog is one of the few that I ALWAYS stalk! 😛
        I am trying to figure this mess out. Hopefully I find something that works for me soon *fingers crossed*
        I hope I don’t, but I would still like to know how to be better at Twitter. Let me know if you do post something along those lines. I will be stalking the blog, but still. ❤

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      2. Awww, well I’m so, so glad that you’re stalking me ahah, I wouldn’t be if if wasn’t you, but it is YOU so I’m glad 😛 I am sure you’ll find out something ❤
        And I think I might work on a blog post about that, I'll let you know for sure if I'm doing something soon! ❤ ❤

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  32. Love this! I needed to read this! I mean it’s all very logical but it’s still a very good reminder from time to time. Although I wouldn’t call myself a new blogger…but we always benefit from good advice 😁 I love comments…more than likes and more than retweets…although im occasionally guilty for not leaving any comments, but that’s usually coz I have nothing insightful to say 😂! ugh the hype….I’m always worried about the books I read because sometimes I lean too heavily on one genre due to my moods…but ure right read whatever I want to read! Don’t force myself! ARCs….I feel they’re a benefit and sometimes a con to blogging…because if we get a good book it’s great but if I get a book which ends up being terrible I’m stuck with it through to the end…and prolly suffered through it just so I can do right by the published and at least review it. (OR perhaps they don’t wish to see negative reviews…and hence prefer we didn’t?)…be yourself…love that last one the most…👍

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    1. Thank you so, so much, I’m so glad you liked it ❤ Advice are always welcome, if you ask me, I'm always in for some advice as well, ahah. Oh no worries, I do feel guilty not commenting at times, but well, if there's nothing to say… it breaks my heart a bit, haha 😦
      The best thing really is not to force yourself, right, and read what you like, in order for it not to become a chore, really. that would be the worse! I agree about ARCs, lately I haven't been requesting and reading ANY ARCs, and despite loving this perk, I am glad that I feel less pressured to read those books 🙂
      THANK YOU so much! ❤ ❤ ❤

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  33. AHHHHH I LAUGHED THERE WHEN YOU MENTIONED PINEAPPLES. XD *gives you pineapple cake* Omg this list 1000% perfection. ABSOLUTELY YES. I totally agree with all these points! Taking breaks is crucial. Reading what you want is neeeeded, or you get burnt out so fast. AND OMG YES TO BEING YOURSELF AND NOT COPYING. Also I love how friendly the bookworm community is, which must be really helpful for newbie bloggers too! WE AIN’T GONNA BITE (well, not too much ahhahahhaa.h #kidding) and it’s so fun just to mutually fangirl over books.
    Not gonna lie. I think the book blogger community is the BEST.

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    1. I HAD to mention this, and you, I mean, pineapples is basically your trademark haha. And I love how you pour all of your personality and everything in your blog posts, it really makes you stand out from other bloggers’ feed, and definitely is THE strong suit about you, your blog, everything. It’s that you’re being yourself 🙂 ❤
      I agree, despite all the drama there are SO many friendly people on here, I just love it and want to hug everyone ❤ ❤

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  35. Thank you so much for this wonderful post! 🙂 I am a new blogger, so these points have been really helpful. I have interacted with few blogger and they all seem great. (that at least made me less nervous :P) I love your blog and looking forward to your posts! 🙂

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    1. Oh you’re so welcome Jenny, I am so happy if I could be of any help! And if you need anything, well don’t be nervous, just ask! 🙂 Everyone really is friendly, I was nervous at first as well, but now I am so happy to have met such fantastic people 🙂
      Thank you so, so much! ❤

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  36. THIS. I completely agree 110%. Commenting frequently would probably be my biggest tip too. For me personally, I made most of my friends in the blogosphere through commenting. And making mistakes and reading what you want are great tips too. Thanks for sharing Marie and, as always, fabulous post! ❤

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    1. Ohh thank you so, so, so much Zoe! ❤ I agree with you, commenting is the number one advice I would give. It takes time and effort, but it's all worth it, really ❤ And you're always leaving thoughtful comments as well, that's so good to do that, and it always makes me happy. thank you ❤

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  38. Excellent advice- particularly like the one about making friends with the blogging community 🙂 and I agree about not linking an author to a bad review by using their twitter handle- that’s just bad practice and rude. I also agree about the ARCs thing- the commitment issue is one of my main reasons for not doing them- I’m also concerned that as I don’t review most books I read, I might not have anything to say, and then I’d be really stumped

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    1. Thank you so much! <3, oh, I get it completely. I stoppped requesting ARCs for a few months, actually, mainly because I knew I wouldn't have too much time, and I actually am surprised at how great I feel by reading what I want and not feel pressured about it all. It's kind of a relief, to be honest, even if there's such a thrill about reading Advanced Copies as well 🙂 thank you!!

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  39. This is all really useful! And I THINK I do this, but not always, and not all of them. Your advice is really good though, and I’d consider you an expert ❤

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  40. This is all so true! Especially the one about the hype!! I have been let down so many times by books because of the hype that has surrounded them, it is unreal!! Some books I still haven’t read yet because of the hype – *talking about you here, TFIOS!!*

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  41. As always you’ve captured the blogging essence perfectly (as almost everyone has told you in the comments before me, but I am super late with blog hopping because this was the week from hell for me hahahah) GREAT POST!

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  43. I think you’ve said it all perfectly! At first I was so scared of commenting and talking to other people but after I loosened up a little, I was so excited to talk to new people! It took me a while to get used to blogging and finding the way I wanted to do everything, I guess my advice would be to take things a little slow at first and adventure to find what suits you! Wonderful post AS ALWAYS 🙂

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  44. Such a lovely post. As a newbie blogger, I’ve encountered this community with teeny tiny baby steps. There are so many of us! But I have noticed that most of us are kind and that gives me the boost I need to keep going. I’m still figuring out my style of blogging but it’s been so much fun so far.

    x Camila

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