Monday, July 21, 2014

BB Buzz Tour - Parajunkee & her Book Blogger Survival Guide!




For today's Book Blogger Buzz Tour stop, I am honored to have the unstoppable Rachel from Parajunkee on my blog today.  Rachel has not only helped me personally with her features and advice,  I would say she has helped the entire Book Blogging Community. Today she gives tips on how to navigate the sometimes murky waters of staying sane in the blogging world.

Are you creative or just depressed?  A mental survival guide for bloggers. 

A Book Blogger Survival Guide from Parajunkee

  1. Stay organized. Among the top things that I recommend to any blogger is to keep on top of organization. This is the main reason we stress out. Forgetting posts, forgetting to read a book in time for a release date, flaking on a blog tour. If you stay on top of your calendars, this is a good way to keep the stress level down and keep your mental state nice and happy.
  2. Read for you. Pick your own ratio, but I would say for every 5 review books, read 1 book for you. Make it an event, like you go to the library every three weeks and pick 1 book just for you. The reason I say one book, is that more books will lead to stress.
  3. Be honest. No matter what, write honest reviews. Don't EVER worry about what other people (author, publisher, fans) will think.
  4. Keep a journal. Write in a journal, long-hand and write out just fun things, or jot down notes about the books you are reading.
  5. Pros & Cons If you are feeling the pressure, make a pros and cons list. If your cons are outweighing your pros, maybe take a blogging hiatus. It doesn't have to be a forever hiatus - just maybe a week.
  6. Keep "real life" hobbies. Make sure you have other hobbies that are not online. I like to garden, make really crappy crafts, paint and sketch. It gets me away front the computer. And destresses me after a day online.
  7. Keep your priorities straight. Never put your blogging above your personal relationships. Unless your personal relationships really suck. Then you might want to reevaluate them. :D
  8. Ignore the stupids. Every now and again a negative trollish comment comes through, or someone sends you a crappy email that just ruins your day. The best thing to do is ignore it, mock it or laugh it off. Hard to do, but it saves mental anguish.
  9. Stop criticizing yourself You are your worst enemy. Stop basing yourself if you don't meet your blogging goals, don't like a book you really wanted to like or get negative feedback from a publisher or author because of a review. Don't blame yourself and don't let it get you down.
  10. Try something new. If you are feeling rather repetitive. Switch up your review style or try a non-book related post. Keeping things fresh can sometimes change everything!
  11. Own it. It is your blog. Do whatever you want with it. Don't let anyone tell you to blog, or how to post, or what to have on your sidebars. You can use tips and tricks as a guideline, if you want, but basically do what you feel works for you!
  12. Chug along. Move at your own pace. You do not have to blog every day. You don't have to read every day. If you can't read a book an hour, like some reviewers claim - who cares. I couldn't imagine having to write a review for all those books! Be happy you can't read that fast.
  13. Support Staff. Make friends with other bloggers. If you are feeling a little bit off, maybe discuss it with another blogger. Don't be afraid to bring up a controversial topic, especially if it is in confidence. Take to emailing back and forth, or chatting in a private message, instead of twitter convos.
  14. Keep your nose clean. If something is going on, especially drama - the best thing to do is stay out of it. Stay away from the RANT posts, or the opinionated posts if you are not prepared to to deal with the repercussions. Because there is a 50/50 chance that those repercussions might be negative. Unless you have a really good reason to post about a hot-button issue, maybe keeping your nose out of it is for the best.
  15. Delegate. If blogging chores become too involved, think about taking on a co-blogger or part-time reviewer. You might be surprised at how much of a help they can be.
About the Author:
Rachel, whom you might know as Parajunkee, is the blog owner of parajunkee.com and the design blog parajunkee.net. Rachel has been blogging for over five years, designing / web programming for over twelve, but her real love, reading, has been her favorite hobby since childhood. Rachel has won numerous awards for her writing, the blogs she has created and her design work. You can find Parajunkee on her blog or Twitter.



July Buzz Tour Schedule:

  • 07/01/14 Mama Kitty Reviews appearing on Me & Reading.
    Topic: Reading for Enjoyment vs. Reading for Reviewing - the difference in reading for enjoyment and the toll that reading review copies has done to our hobby. 
  • 07/10/14 Second Run Reviews appearing on Bibliognome.
  • Topic: Books you feel need more attention. A top ten list. Tell why you think they need to be read by everyone.
  • 07/14/14 Bibliognome appearing on Chapter Break.
  • Topic: You've been asked to write a short story starring a gnome character, what would the gnome be named and how would the story go?
  • 07/17/14 Reading Black & White appearing on My Midnight Fantasies.
  • Topic: What are those wonderful things you see in other blogger's reviews and think are wonderful? Or what do you like to see in other blogger's reviews?
  • 07/21/14 Parajunkee appearing on Midnyte Reader.
  • Topic: Are you creative or just depressed? A mental survival guide for bloggers.
  • 07/24/14 Janelle Reads appearing on Parajunkee.
  • Topic: What trends do you want to see next in book blogging? 
  • 07/31/14 Harlequin Junkie appearing on Janelle Reads.
    Topic: Dealing with your first negative review from an author you've enjoyed connecting with on social networks.


6 comments:

Kate @Midnight Book Girl said...

I remember talking to you about how helpful Rachel was to you as a new blogger. I love this list! I do need to do more on this list (like keep organized!), and these are lessons I've learned, tips I've picked up, from my fellow blogger friends. Love this event! <3

Unknown said...

Tip #15 is probably the best decision I ever made as a blogger because I couldn't run a blog on my own. I stopped blogging because it became too much work, then with a friend we made a new blog and everything is SO much more manageable. :)

Great list as always, Rachel!

-P.E. @ The Sirenic Codex

Julie S said...

Ooh great list! Lots of great tips that people can keep in mind. I especially like that you are reminding people to balance this blogging thing to avoid making it a stressful job. Also, I love that photo Rachel :)

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Unknown said...

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