When I first started my life blog back in 2007, I was posting for almost an entire month before someone left a comment. My daily stats were in the low single digits and I was discouraged.
I learned, trial by fire, how integral connecting with readers through my writing, tagging posts, and commenting meaningfully on other blogs was to helping grow my blog. I eventually developed friendships and my stats and comments grew. Blogging became more fun because of my friends, their feedback, and a sense of community.
When I decided to launch Book, Line, and Sinker in early 2009, I contacted a wonderful book blogger who I’d gotten to know through my life blog. I asked her for some advice and she went above and beyond, writing an entire post promoting my new venture.
With her introduction, my neophyte book blog’s stats spiked and I found myself warmly welcomed into the book blogging community. That introduction made all the difference between my book blog languishing for months without an audience and my book blog finding a niche in such a great community. While I do think that it’s marginally easier to break into book blogging than life blogging*, starting a new blog can be daunting no matter what your niche.
Recently, this same blogger tweeted about a new book blog and asked that we pay a visit to welcome the new blogger. All of these things, and BBAW, got me thinking about building community and engaging new (or under exposed) book bloggers who might not have the encouragement (through comments, chats, tweets, and emails) that others in the community enjoy.
I’m not sure how (or if) promoting new book bloggers is a viable idea. While developing Book, Line, and Sinker’s new layout and design, I’m toying with a widget for New Book Blog Promotion. Here are other things I’m considering:
- Have other book bloggers submit new book blog links to me via email and then host the links in my sidebar for a week
- A monthly or bi-monthly post on my site with links promoting new book blogs
- A blogroll on my site devoted to new blogs
- Other bloggers hosting links or adding new blogs to their blogrolls
As the book blogging community continues to grow, I’d love to give back by offering new bloggers encouragement and exposure. If you’d like to be a part of this, please let me know. Have any ideas or suggestions? Drop me a comment or email!
*In my experience, book bloggers are, by nature, avid readers and are more willing to read posts and comment on them.
Book, Line, and Sinker 
I love the idea of promoting new blogs! I wish I had some great ideas – but I can’t think of anything better than what you’ve already come up with.
I do love the idea of promoting new blog(gers), especially when I get something in the mix as well– new friends! I’m totally going to start doing it more myself.
I know a few people have some feature where they promote new blogs. Cathy of Kittling:Books mentions new blogs she’s found in her weekly links post, and I think there’s a couple awards going around that focuses on new bloggers. Maybe a meme would be good? Or some sort of New Blogger Support Group, with fancy buttons and everything. Ooo, I’d like that. I’d love to stick a button in my sidebar next to a featured new blogger, or something.
What constitutes a “new blogger” would have to be decided, though. Is it someone who’s only been blogging for 6 months or less? A year or less? Someone who only has three subscribers and barely any comments?
Being a new blogger, I love the idea of promoting new blogs. It is hard to get yourself into the community, but weekly events and BBAW have definitely helped. Plus, there are some pretty awesome people out there who are open to supporting new blogs.
A New Blogger Support Group would be fun! Aside from getting tips from the vets, it would be great to meet other people who are just starting out.
A question for wordpress users – how can you tell if someone has subscribed to your blog?
I’ll be watching very closely to see if it is something that I can “borrow” for my own. I say go for it! Not only so I can watch you experiment with it, but you can always stop if it isn’t working out.
🙂
I second alitareads, especially since I’m also a new blogger. . . let the support group begin!
Seriously, I love your idea. I think it will really help folks just starting out!
What about having a “featured blogger” from a new blog but have the hosting of this feature could rotate like Bookworms Carnival. Or they could go on a sort of blog tour like authors do. Like a progressive dinner sort of idea where a new blogger visits and is highlighted at a couple of more established blogs who ask different sorts of questions (an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert or something). You’d think I didn’t have dinner or something, wouldn’t you?! LOL! I am just throwing out brainstorms for you but I think it’s a great idea and wish I’d had something when I first started out.
I like Kristen’s progressive idea…maybe this is something can be coordinated with Eva and Kim’s mentoring program?
I am sure Beth Fish does something similar. I think she spotlights new blogs on the weekend. The more that do it though the better. I would certainly have not carried on without all the wonderful people who pop by for a chat.
oh good! My first thought was the mentoring pgm that softdrink mentions. and I’m off to visit alitareads with a suggestion from Jackie at Farmlane. I’ll come back (when I find it) to offer it here, too.
thank you so much for all the great feedback and suggestions! i’m kicking around a few ideas right now, including a weekly post with information for new bloggers and veterans alike–Techie Tuesday (or Thursday). i would give a step-by-step on one (or more) tools that are handy for bloggers. i did a post like that a week or so ago (briefly explaining some techie tools) and the response was really positve.
for my introduction of new bloggers, i might design a ‘new kids on the ‘blog’ button for my sidebar and have a scrolling list or one featured blogger each week.
keeping tossing out the suggestions!!! 🙂
I love the idea of promoting new blogs, but wonder if they get lost in the sidebar. In the past I have promoted a new blog in a post when I discover one that appeals to me. It would be nice if more bloggers did the same thing, as highlighting just one or two occasionally probably has a greater effect than just listing them on one blog.
Yes! Please make new friends so you can naturally get more comments and stop asking questions in every post! I don’t care about other people’s answers; I want to see what they have to say about what you wrote.
i can always count on you to be honest! i’m inquisitive by nature, what can i say?!! and asking all the questions comes from the educator within.
Great idea! I was so happy to have a couple of bloggers that really helped me get started; one was a constant source of encouragement and the other really gave me the tools to start building the blog.
I think it’s wonderful! I was so alone when I first arrived in the book blogisphere and I’m so happy you all came and joined me…so I want to meet everyone.
Thank you for thinking of us new book bloggers. I like to write about books and a bit more on my site. Whatever you end up doing, I would be glad to be a part of it.
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Oh, I love new book bloggers and promoting them. Starting up a blog and getting a dedicated readership is hard work! It’s also challenging to think of a good way to promote them all, though, especially as there are so many. I’m going to keep up with how you’re doing on that, though! 🙂
By the way, I’m sending you an email now… hope you get it soon. 🙂
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I must admit I love the whole idea of book bloggers promoting each other. I am a recent returner to the fold. Although I was beginning to build up a – I’d like to call it a fan-base, but that would be pretentious – a small following, I eventually quit (for the third time) because no matter what I did, the effort of finding inspiration every day exceeded the rewards, and I tossed six and a half thousand hits out of the window. Worse still, upon returning, I find some of those ‘readers’ have quit too, and hits are very hard to come by. Before, perhaps, it didn’t matter how many hits I received, but now that I’ve self-published – it’s the be all and end all. So it’s great to find a community out there, which perhaps I can now tune into.
Tooty
I think that is a great idea if you have the time and energy to keep up with it!!! That is always my problem with stuff like that.
Humm. J Kaye does a great job of promoting new blogs too. I weekly or monthly feature of some sort would be great.
I love the idea of something in your sidebar. If you DO do something like that, I’d love to copy you! 🙂
I *love* the “new kids on the blog” name. If you do a monthly or semi-montly showcase of new blogs you could use that for sure. I really like this idea and think it provides a great way for new bloggers to become more involved in the community.
I’d love to do it!!!