What do you want to know about book blogging? I’m an open book! 😉

Q. How long have you been blogging?

I started Orange County Readers in May 2017 but I have been blogging off and on since 2006.

Q. At what point do you think you’ll stop blogging?

Never! I enjoy writing and interaction with like-minded people.

Q. What is the best thing about blogging?

Creating something that will (hopefully) continue to be a resource for area authors and bookworms. I enjoy supporting authors by posting honest and thoughtful reviews. I like to encourage attending book- signings and author events. Lastly, I love engaging with booklovers from all over the world.

Q. What is the worst thing? What do you do to make it okay?

The worst thing is working on a post and then getting almost no traffic or zero comments.

-I find that it’s really important to cross promote the post on different platforms to get as many people reading it.

Another pet peeve is when pictures and fonts don’t load correctly, or the picture is huge and I’m endlessly scrolling.

-I try to view my site on my phone, tablet and desktop to see how it looks in different formats. Even the WP Reader looks different.

Q. How long does it take you to make/find pictures to use?

Not too long. I make all my pictures using an app on my phone called Over and I enjoy making graphics for Pinterest and Instagram. This is probably my favorite part of post preparation.

Q. Who is your book crush?

Most recently it would have to be Michael from The Kiss Quotient (Helen Hoang). But my standard answer is Alexander from The Bronze Horseman series (Paullina Simons).

Q. What author would you like to have as a guest on your blog?

So many dream authors – Michael Connelly, Karin Slaughter, Diane Chamberlain, Lucinda Riley…

Q. What do you wear when you write your blog posts?

My usual mom uniform is jeans and a t-shirt so…. That’s about as fancy as I get.

Q. How long does it take you to prepare?

From start to finish – a post takes a LONG time. And even longer if you care about consistency and uniformity and SEO.

It’s aLOT of work and I’ve never timed myself. Here are the steps I usually go through:

Ponder. Think. Research. Write. Link. Create graphics. Proofread. Edit. Choose tags and categories in the post options. Think of a catchy title and hashtags. Add links to affiliates like Amazon. After it’s published, cross post on other social media. Use Hoot Suite to repeat the tweet several times over the next week or month.

Q. How do you feel about the book blogging community?

It’s the best! Everyone has been so helpful and encouraging. Despite our diversity in age and background, books bring people together. I’ve even met a few bloggers in real life!

Hi Carol! Hi Tina! Hi Asha!

Q. What do you think one should do to create a successful blog?

Write about what you know. Your passion will shine through. Post consistently and pre-write content. Engage. Blog Hop. Reciprocate. Be open-minded. Be respectful. Don’t worry about the numbers. Focus on “evergreen” content. Have fun!

Want to do the tag? Feel free to copy the questions. Tag me so I can read your answers!

---

QOTD: What is one thing you wish you knew about book blogging before you started?

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive compensation if you make a purchase using this link. Thank you for supporting this blog and the books I recommend! I may have received a book for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

---

Follow OrangeCountyReaders on Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Support Us on Ko-Fi and Amazon. And please, feel free to leave a comment!