February 13th I read a post by Trish from Just a YA Girl saying that she would stop blogging. She has been a steady blogger for months and I was one of her first followers and remember the transition of her blog, from beginner to an awesome book blog.
Her decision to stop blogging really got me thinking, I have many times felt the pressure of Blogging and having a book club and have taken some hiatus to focus on school and such. Never once did it actually crossed my mind to stop blogging completely. But when I saw Trish's post I thought about it, it would be easy to drop everything and just focus on school and reading, but, for me, it would also be sad.
When I started blogging I had no idea what this world really was, I was way over my head in this: Blog tours, review requests, keeping up, the pressure to have a lot of followers, deciding whether you are a Book Reviewer or Book Blogger [there seems to be a difference o_o]. I started blogging at the same time as many others did - A Cupcake and a Latte, A Work of Fiction, NightlyReading - These girls are just a few examples of who continued to blog steady, but many others decided to stop. I decided to continue. because even thought it was/is hard, it's worth it.
One of the things that took longer to understand was that I don't need a million followers to feel encouraged. I review books hoping that it will help someone decide whether or not to read something, to showcase less known titles and such, and if I am helping just one person, that's more than enough. I would rather have only three followers and know that the content of my blog is of value to them instead of six thousand followers that never visit my blog. Understanding this took me A LOT.
That you don't get review copies. You earn them. you have to earn the right to receive ARC's and such, you need to blog steady and prove yourself. I didn't understood this until the beginning of this year, which is when I started reviewing more steadily and also I have started to receive constant review requests. I'm still working very hard on this part. I want to proudly claim I'm a good book blogger, I don't think I'm bad now, but I can improve more, and I'll get there :)
It's hard work. it takes time to sit down and make a post, write down your review and also make time to read. Because we can get so caught up in blogging that we forget the main reason why we blog. What's the point of blogging about books if you are no longer reading them? It isn't and easy thing, it's not just some light hobby. It's a compromise. Anyone that blogs will agree with this, I'm sure. Not easy, but worth it, which is what keeps us going. Never underestimate a Blogger, we're seriously tough. Totally hardcore x)
I won't stop blogging anytime soon, I Love it. It has become a part of me and also one of the things that make me more happy. My Bloggoversary is this March [YAY!] and after a whole year of blogging, it wasn't until this January that I found a steady and comfortable blogging pace. I have time to study, read, blog and to have a life and I am not planning on stopping now.
To all the Steady Blogs out there: My respects and I admire you, I seriously do.
To those debating whether to continue blogging: If It makes you happy, do it. If it doesn't, then don't.
To those who stopped blogging: I understand :/
To Trish: I'll miss you along with many more of your followers.
Trish's Goodbye Post
