The best parts of being a book blogger and why I love it

When I was seven I wrote a book called The Weather People. When I was sixteen I choose to do an English Literature A-Level. When I was eighteen I was being taught how to write scripts. When I was twenty one I created a blog. I’ve always been a writer, but this blog has opened up so much more than just a place to write for me. Here are my favourite things about being a blogger.

Meeting new friends with the same interests

I can say that in the last few years of blogging I have never felt alone. I have made so many genuine friendships through my blogging, people I have met online and then in person that are now some of my closest friends. YALC is a fantastic way to meet fellow book bloggers in person as well as other publishers I have the pleasure of being invited to.

I’m the type of person that will just become involved in conversations happening around me and honestly, this has helped me meet so many people I now call my friends. Also, the giant group chat I created a while ago for UKYA book bloggers has helped massively.

Finding out about amazing books

I started this blog because I loved books and wanted to express that look online. But now the more I surround myself in this world, the more amazing books I discover. Being given the opportunity to read some books before their publication day is a privilege I very much appreciate. I’ve found so many favourite books through my relationships with publishers and I’m so thankful for this.

A few favourites include: The God Game, A Curse so Dark and Lonely and The Priory of the Orange Tree.

Being invited to amazing events

I’ve been able to attend some pretty amazing events during my time as a blogger. I feel so honoured to be able to attend or be invited to some of the things. Some of the highlights would definitely have to include attending the premiere for His Dark Materials and going to Sketch in London for a blogger’s brunch. If I lived in London I would be able to attend a few more events easily, but for now, I’m very happy to come over to the capital at the weekends and attend some superb events.

Going to things like this really fuels me and fills me with motivation for what I do.

Talking on a panel

This is probably one of my favourite things I’ve done because of my blog. I spoke on the YA Shot Panel at YALC in 2019 about blogging tips and had the best time. I used to do a lot of public speaking at school, so I enjoyed revisiting this and helping fellow bloggers. It was such a laugh to be involved in and I would love to do more things like this in the future.

Having an outlet for my writing where I feel accepted

It wasn’t easy to start this blog and to be so open, but now it is the place I feel I can be most honest. I’ve always felt I needed to hide certain parts of me to other people around me and that I could only share the real me on this blog. But actually, as more and more people that know me for other reasons discover my blog, the more I’m seeing the space has actually taught me how to be myself.

By having this outlet for writing, I have been able to give myself the confidence to succeed and really excel at something. This is more than just an outlet, it is a home for my thoughts and passions.

I’ve found something I’m really good at and learnt a lot about myself

And finally! Since starting my blog I have found something I’m good at, something I have a huge passion for and that gives me drive. I’ve learnt I can be really good at time management and that I am incredibly self-motivated. I’ve learnt that I can write blog posts that people want to read and create social media posts that people want to engage with. This blog has given me so much confidence to be me and know that I am good at what I do. That will always be such a big thing to come out of BooksNest.