Last week I came to the realization that I have been blogging for over seven years now. How did the years get away from me? How have I stuck to this hobby for so long? Even with all of the hard work that goes into blogging and the occasional drama, I don't think I could give it up. Here's why:
I love learning about the book industry
As a casual reader, I used to go to Borders (RIP), pick up a book, read it, and be done with it. Now, of course, I can't say I'm an expert in publishing but I have a better understanding of how the industry works and what we can do as consumers to impact it. Also, I never thought that one day I would be casually chatting with authors on social media and having them recognize me at book events. How cool is that?
I learned hard skills
Blogging isn't churning out review after review. You have to brand your blog, you have to brand your voice and really sell your product. I owe my blogging experience to both of my jobs. I never had an academic focus in Communications or Marketing in school, but because of blogging, I've been able to sell my communications skills to employers.
It gives me something to do
Not that I have sooo much spare time in my busy days, but I'd imagine that I'd grow bored without a chunk of my time dedicated to reading, blogging, and engaging in twitter conversations. I literally cannot imagine what I would do with my time. See my husband more? Meh.
I've got friends all over!
As a dedicated introvert, I don't do well with making friends in person, I much prefer stalking someone's blog and slowly become ultimate besties with them (because that's what we do). Now I've got really good friends that I can go visit whenever I visit exotic places (like Milwaukee). Have I been good at doing this? No. But I want to get better because I love your faces!
The book community is passionate
Honestly, this whole post could be about the book community (maybe I'll do an expanded post one of these days), but I'll try to keep it brief. For all of the talk of YA drama and this or that, I wouldn't want to belong to any other community. The Book Community (in general) is passionate and I love that we come from all walks of life. We want books to be accessible and we fight for publishing to have books and authors that reflect the population at large. It amazes me how much we can accomplish when we use our power for good. I truly think that it's the readers who will make a difference in publishing and the book world as a whole. I love you people.
How long have you been blogging?
What do you love about blogging?
What have been some favorite moments from your blogging career?
