The Book Blogger Anniversary Tag: 2024

The Gist: Celebrate the 5th anniversary of Talk Nerdy Book Blog with reflections on blogging milestones, favourite genres, and future plans.

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Today is officially the 5th anniversary of the Talk Nerdy Book Blog! I decided the best way to celebrate would be to complete the Book Blogger Anniversary Tag I recently found on Corinne’s blog, Paladin’s Place (although the post is from 2020).

I hope this gives you some insight into why I blog and some of the changes I’ve been making recently. Now, let’s jump into the tag and explore some of the memories and milestones of my blogging journey!

What anniversary are you celebrating?

I’m celebrating my fifth year of this iteration of my book blog on July 8th (today)! I’ve had some sort of book blog since 2014, but it wasn’t until 2020 that I really settled into this template and style. Realizing that my fifth anniversary was coming up inspired me to do this tag!

What genres do you usually focus on?

What are you most proud of on your blog in the last year?

Do you receive ARCs to review?

Not anymore! In the last six months (excluding June), I’ve fallen off the face of the planet when it comes to blogging. So, it didn’t make sense to accept advance reader copies. Also, I have so many books on my Backlist (190+) that I want to prioritize this year.

What types of posts do you most like to do on your blog?

What types of posts do you read on other people’s blogs?

I love reading other people’s monthly TBRs—I’ve found the best books this way. I also like reading book tags because they’re a great way to concisely understand people’s reading tastes.

Was there anything you tried on your platform last year that didn’t work?

My monthly wrap up! I’ve been struggling for a long time to find a method and template that gave me the space to review the books I just read, the content I created, and what books I’m looking forward to the following month.

In 2023, I didn’t post one monthy wrap up from May to July and ceased posting them after September. And then, I found a perfect template but didn’t feel like it worked as a blog post. Until I realized that the long-form content I wanted to create would best suit a newsletter.

Yesterday (July 7th) was my first post on my Substack, which is how I’ll be sharing my monthly wrap ups from now on!

Is there anything you tried last year that you won’t do this year?

I was trying to take on too much at the same time. I missed blogging but spread myself too thin by trying to create content for Instagram and my blog while juggling school and an internship. Then, I would be stuck playing catch-up (e.g., posting my February Wrap Up in May). I learned that I need to get into a rhythm of planning content, following through, and getting comfortable before branching out into new forms of media.

Is there anything you plan to do more of this year?

Posting more consistently! Even since I started blogging more this past month, there have been times when I skipped a day here or there. But I’m really hoping to get in the habit of being consistent before I start my job. I also want to post more book reviews. As a blogger, I find the list-type posts more interesting to create, but I read a lot of books, and I have a lot of thoughts about them, so I should be sharing them on my blog, not just talking about them with my friends and family.

Is there anything you plan to add to your blog next year?

I’ve been thinking of starting a blogging series like YouTubers do video series that build upon their previous posts. But I need to brainstorm more about what that would look like in text format. If you have any ideas, please share them in the comments!

What are some of the challenges you face on your blog?

I think every blogger’s challenge is time management. It feels tough for me because this is a hobby and won’t be prioritized before my other responsibilities. But I also blog because I love having a way to share my thoughts on books, so it’s all about finding a balance.

What is the best piece of advice you could give to a fellow blogger?

I would start with a simple template on a free blogging platform (I use WordPress, but there are so many new ones now, like Substack). This will allow you to figure out your voice and what posts you want to create and give you time to determine what you want your website to look like.

For example, I’m a massive fan of spoiler tags (look at all my reviews on Goodreads), as they allow the reader to decide whether they need to know information about content warnings or the ending before reading a book. Once I realized how important providing this information was for me as a reviewer/blogger, I started looking for website templates that would allow me to create a hidden spoiler tag and maintain the aesthetic I was going for.

What is the best part of having a book blog?

The best part is having all my thoughts about these books preserved on the internet and being able to look back through them like a memory box. It’s wild to see how far I’ve come with my writing, but it’s also great to read my thoughts at that time. Eventually, when I stop blogging (if I ever do), it’ll be nice to look back on all the thoughts I’ve collected on my blog over the years.

Conclusion

Completing the Book Blogger Anniversary Tag has been a great way to look back on the last five years of Talk Nerdy Book Blog. It’s been a journey of exploring different genres, trying new formats, and finding what works best for me and my readers.

Thank you all for being part of this community and supporting the blog. Here’s to more reading, reviewing, and sharing our love for books in the years to come. Happy reading!