Reflecting on 9 years of book blogging

11 months ago 36

In late November, it�s been 9 years since I started this blog. It�s funny, because I never thought I�d forget about this milestone. Worst: I never thought I�d intentionally leave this post to the side and� not celebrate this...

In late November, it�s been 9 years since I started this blog.

It�s funny, because I never thought I�d forget about this milestone. Worst: I never thought I�d intentionally leave this post to the side and� not celebrate this milestone.

Turns out that�s what I did, this year.

I�ve had this date, this anniversary, written down on my Notion blogging calendar for ages. I hoped that, when the time came, I�d have this little spark of inspiration, of creativity, this idea to make this blogging celebration fun.

I didn�t, so here I am, rambling instead.

Blogging has been ups and downs this past year. I�ll admit it: mostly down. I haven�t been feeling this slumpy about blogging in� well, 9 years. I haven�t been feeling my best personally, either, but that�s another story.

I genuinely still enjoy blogging, but I also haven�t felt like blogging.

I let so many other things in my life come first in the past year. Like, writing my book. Especially writing my book. I�ve been hyper focused on this project of mine, something I honestly want to talk about more, even if I feel crippled by anxiety about being perceived with my writing.

It�s something I want to do, something that I feel like I need to do.

Coming & going

In my 9 years of blogging, people came and went.

People stopped blogging, people stayed on social media, people disappeared to live their lives. I never thought I�d become one of these people.

I�m not one of these people.

I�m still here, a ghost, a reality, haunting this place, posting reviews, letting inspiration take me wherever, whenever.

I think I�m trying to be okay with coming and going, now.

From an excessive posting schedule to a I-can�t-relax-about-blogging mood, to this, now, I�ve gone through every emotion in the blogging spectrum, I guess.

That�s growing up, maybe.

Goals & dreams

I�ve been looking for inspiration by scrolling down my old blog posts and blogging celebrations. I stumbled upon this 6th year of blogging celebration.

So, three years ago, I wanted to reach 15k followers, 10k pageviews and get mentioned in a book, basically. I kind of wanted to be paid to book blog, as well.

Full transparency here: some of these dreams came true.

I reached 10k page views a month, at times. Not regularly, but some months, I do. I�m forever amazed and grateful about that.

Some incredible people actually clicked on my affiliate links and allowed me to make a little dime. Not enough to pay for my hosting fees (these cost 120 euros a year, for full transparency), but it was something pretty cool.

The other dreams didn�t come true� and I don�t know if I care.

This sounds very negative, but hear me out. It�s not that I don�t care. I�d still be amazed and forever grateful at finding my name quoted in a book or something. I just don�t feel like putting out more energy towards these goals.

I�d rather focus on some other goals, maybe.

Hint: writing my book, maybe. Books.

Social media & presence

In online bookish communities, your presence and worth seems to be determined by algorithms, now.

Let�s face it: I suck at bookstagram. I�m trying every now and then, but I�m struggling with my identity, my presence, my feed, everything on there. (Let me tell you a secret, though: it�s one of my biggest project for 2024.

I�m not on Tiktok (another secret: yet).

Most of the friends I�ve made in over 9 years of book blogging have left the blogging ship. They moved on to social media, or just moved on, quitting book blogging altogether.

I�m still here, not moving on, even if I�m a bit invisible. I�ll still here, but deeply thinking and reevaluating my presence on this blog, on social media, everywhere to match my current, my new, my dreams I�ve had for ages, back at a time where blogging didn�t even exist. (I�m 30, I�m not that old, but still, I guess blogging wasn�t a thing when I was 9, okay).

So� this year kind of feels like a bittersweet celebration, I guess.

I�m here, but not really, I�m trying, but I�m thinking (too much, as always, if you ask me), as well.

So�what�s next?

This is not a goodbye post, even if it might seem like a sad little rant. I�m still having fun, sometimes. I lost bits of the spark here and there, but sometimes, I find it back. I�m still here, nine years later, and I think that has to count for something.

I don�t know if I�ll ever blog like before, if some of my old blogging dreams will come true.

I know I�ll keep on going, seeing where inspiration takes me. I�ll keep on promoting books I love, I�ll make lists that are hopefully helpful, I�ll keep doing my best to connect with bloggers I love, because I genuinely LOVE that, even if I�ve neglected it, lately, a lot. I�m sorry about that.

I�ll see what happens next, if the spark gets back here permanently, if I become some sort of social media wizard, eventually. Who knows.

I�ll keep on following other dreams, too. Maybe try talking more about writing here, or in my newsletter (which I desperately need to revive, someday). Hopefully try my best to be more active on social media and talk about books and writing, more, too. I hope you�ll meet me there, too.

Forever grateful for you for being part of this adventure, for reading this. For checking out this little corner of the internet I�ve poured my heart out in for years, now. I hope, I�ll try to keep on doing just that and I hope you�ll still be there, too.

Words aren�t enough, but: thank you. x