Sunday 25 October 2015

How I Dropped My 'Book Blogger' Label and Why


I used to sell myself as a 'book blogger'. I told people I met that I worked closely with publishers, that I worked hard as part of the marketing team behind releasing a book. I help promote particular books, and sometimes, my name even ends up in them. Sure, not everyone understand that those kind of things existed, that people actually did things like that, but that was how I referred to myself as.

Months down the line, a brand new blog later, and I'm no longer a 'book blogger'. I still work closely with publishers, and I still review books, man, I read less but I'm still reading, but I'm not a book blogger anymore. I dropped my label and realised I didn't want to pick it back up again. For the first time in what felt like a long time, I felt free.

Maybe free sounds harsh, I was hardly being kept, locked up in a tower until I'd finished reading every book I owned - if so, I would have been there for a looooooooong time, but by dropping my label, I definitely felt as though a weight had been lifted. I enjoy writing reviews, no matter the format, and I appreciate that I've found so many fabulous friends along the way, but I wasn't as passionate about it as I am about other things.


Rather than push through with something I wasn't feeling quite as enthralled by anymore, I stopped pressuring myself to focus on it, and put my attention elsewhere. I started putting that passion into my discussions, into conversations I had so much to contribute to, into issues that needed to be talked to, into advice, guidance, support, teaching, into slowly building myself up to what I am now.

I was asked a few weeks ago how I dropped my 'book blogging' label, and the answer is simple.

I stopped blogging exclusively about books.


Simple as that. If you blog about a specific topic and you've labelled yourself in relation to that, the idea of dropping that label can be scary, especially when you already have a following that quite like your current content, but if you're not passionate about it, don't do it. Stop blogging about the subject you're no longer feeling, and blog about what you love instead.

Your following might not be impressed by the change, and it's important to consider to them in the equation. For example, I used to be all about the books, and my followers appreciated that about me. As time went by, I blogged less about the books and more about the blogging, and I've found a few followers, in response to my survey have said they'd like to see more book-related content, and man, it sucks to have to say this, but that probably isn't going to happen. The book-related content I post is more than likely the maximum you'll see on Nellie and Co. and for those followers, they've got a choice to make. Do they like my current, more blogging related content enough to continue getting enjoyment out of following me, or are we parting ways? That decision is entirely in their hands, but it's something I thought long and hard about when I started switching my content.

I didn't want to post half-hearted content. I didn't want to sit there, uninspired and unmotivated for a handful of people. I didn't want to produce content I didn't like, and wouldn't read elsewhere. To be pouring so much time, and hard work into something, I wanted to enjoy it, and catering for the few didn't, and doesn't allow me to do that. Creating content I'm passionate about means I'm never going to be lost for something to say, or something to write, and I'm likely to lose followers along the way, people who no longer like what I have to say, and that's a-okay.

Question is, was the label drop worth it?


Without a doubt yes. I know I've lost a few followers since I dropped my label, I've unfollowed people myself, but the traffic I've gained instead of has been, wow. My traffic as almost doubled on Nellie and Co. in comparison to Bookish Butterflies, my social media referrals has sky-rocketed, my Organic Search Results makes up almost 15% of my actual viewing figures, and almost 40% of my readers in the last two months have been new visitors. Pretty amazing for a 4 month old blog, am I right?

I don't for one second regret dropping my 'book blogger' label, in fact, I'd do it again. I'm free to explore avenues I could never have considered under my old label, and I'm once again passionate about my topics of interest. I'm creating content that I love, that my followers love and enjoy too, and I'm seeing Nellie and Co. grow huge amounts from absolutely nothing - all because of a label drop. I'm no longer a 'book blogger' although I still talk about books from time to time, but I refuse to doane a new label in place of. I'm a passionate blogger through and through, what else matters?

Are you a 'book blogger'? Do you like or loathe the label?



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21 comments:

  1. I definitely think changing your blog can be a risky move with your current followers as you said, but you definitely have to evolve with the times and to blog about what's right for you! I can tell you've really found your place here at Nellie and Co, and I'm so glad to hear that it's doing really well!

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    1. Thanks Jeann! You're right, with a following already, it can be difficult, but if it's not good for you, what's the point in it? You've got to love what you do!

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  2. I'm kind of in the same position as you.

    I still market myself as a book blogger, mainly because of my name, though I struggle to write ANY book-related content. I'm definitely moving away from that label, mainly because I want to feel free to write different types of content.
    I think it's the right decision to change the direction of a blog, even though it might lose you followers, because in the long run you'll gain more readers simply because people will be able to tell you're ENJOYING writing your posts, and not just writing stuff because you feel you have to.

    I'm glad to see Nellie and Co is doing so well! :)

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    1. I do have an idea about your blog name actually and your direction, I keep meaning to mention it to you, I shall say on Twitter, but alas, it opens up options when it comes to content. It's better to gain followers who love what you then keep followers who love what you don't.. Thanks Harvey! :D

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  3. I totally agree it's important to be passionate about your blogging label!! And I mean you changed your name and layout along with your content, so we followers got fair warning. ;) I guess it's risky...but then if blogging is a chore, why do it anyway, right?!
    I personally love book blogging. I have a wider niche, though, since I blog about writing too and I'm happy to squeeze in a few life-y posts as well. x)
    And I also think you can book blog without doing all the "required book bloggy things"?! Like there seems to be this massive checklist of what's required to be a book blogger and GAH. I don't think we HAVE to do them all, right?! I barely ever read eARCs. I don't do blog tours. I don't even really interview authors or do tons of giveaways. *shrugs* I just blog in a way that makes me happy and I think everyone should be doing that. XD

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    1. Exactly the point Cait, you have to love it, simple as that you know? I do think 'book blogging' as a type has changed a lot, and there does seem to be this whole 'you're not a book blogger if you're not doing tours or talking to authors blah blah blah' because as long as you're talking books, does it matter? Blog for yourself Cait, you do a fabulous job, and I'm sure others would agree with me! :D

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  4. Amazing post dear! You have a wonderful blog:)
    What about following each other on Instagram, Bloglovin, Twitter?:)

    www.bloglovin.com/blog/3880191

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  5. I would consider myself a book blogger and I guess I'm okay with that title but there are plenty of things I would like to talk about on my blog as well, such as more personal stuff and anime and TV shows. I'm really happy that you're happy with the change, and I enjoy your content anyways so ;)

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    1. I think that's the thing, some bloggers think they can't blog about one thing because they market themselves as talking about another, I say go with what you love Alise! Thanks so much though, that means a lot :)

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  6. Really happy to hear that dropping the book blogger label has worked for you, Amanda! It's great to read about bloggers finding their directions. :D I'm still very much fond of being a book blogger but should I ever feel otherwise, I'll definitely do as you did. I think I'll be sticking for this for a long while though. I love books and feel more passionate about talking about them more than anything. It helps that I have another outlet- my photography blog, where I share my travel and personal posts.

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    1. There's a feel that comes with finally finding where you want your blog to go to, and what you want to achieve with it, and it's so exciting, but also sad. I still blog about books and read them, but I'm not a book blogger - have I alienated people because of it? Maybe.. Having a second outlet works for you, and I love it Hazel! :)

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  7. Go you!

    I also ditched the "book blogger" label a while back. I decided to just call myself a blogger rather than a {something} blogger.

    And historically, my blogging/coding/tutorial posts have gotten way more traffic than my book posts. I'm not saying you should ditch the book blogger label for the sake of page views, I guess I'm just pointing out that my results line up with yours.

    Blogging about what you want and love is far more important than any label or how many page views you get. I think ditching labels all together gives me a lot more freedom and less stress about what to write about.

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    1. I couldn't agree more Ashley! You have to love what you're blogging about. Sometimes I'll post about books, and that's okay, because at that time, it's something I want to say and feel strongly about, most of the time it's blogging, and that's fine. We've both found direction in something other than 'book blogging' and that's what works for us, so we stick with it. Freedom is the thing I love most about it all :)

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  8. That's really awesome! I admire you for it, and it seems that overall it has had positive consequences. :D I only call myself a book blogger because I keep my posts book-related; even so, I try to avoid MAKING myself read books - it's more of a "I like this because it's fun and I enjoy it" rather than something mandatory for me. And in the end, I really don't care about page views (that much), sharing the love with the book community itself is worth it all. <3

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    1. As long as you're happy about what it is you're doing Aila, than that's the most important thing. If you love book related posts, stick with them, and don't be afraid of where blogging might take you! :)

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  9. I still call myself a book blogger, I don't really care what label I'm in. Sometimes my blog becomes a lifestyle blog, photography blog or a journal entry. As long as its my blog, then that's fine. But I think if you asked for a label for my blog, I think calling it a personal blog would be suitable HAHAHA Lovely post <3

    www.lite-rate-ture.com

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    1. Thanks Chyna! All blogs go through changes and change their direction, it's only to be expected, so don't worry about your label, better still, don't have one, blog whatever you like, whenever you like! :)

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  10. This is exactly what I'm going thru right now. I didn't start out as a book blogger and somewhere down the line, that's all my blog was about and I just wasn't happy with it. I'm slowly transitioning away from it and I couldn't be happier. I definitely need to focus on more content that will benefit people though instead of just my random ramblings, but yeah, I needed to make a change.

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    1. A random rambling here and there is good, it's nice to catch up and get a bit personal, so don't fear it Vi, but hopefully you're finding your feet and where you want to be, and best of luck :)

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  11. I'm a book blogger, and I totally love it. Before I started blogging, pretty much all I did in my free time was read. Now, in my free time, I read and blog! Reading is my passion and I never get tired about talking about it. But it's definitely important to blog about what YOU'RE passionate about, and not what you THINK you should be. You don't want to write posts about books all the time, and your followers most certainly don't want to read posts that you didn't enjoy writing.
    -Amy

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