This question has been running in my head for a long time now. As I post and consume bookish content, I have a lot of thoughts. But this is the one that stands out the most, along with related questions.
Are book reviews enough for book blogs? What do people like to see? What posts work better in the long run? What content helps form more relationships?
I've been wanting to write on this topic for several months. Also, everyone talks about reviews getting less traction compared to other posts, but few talk about why. I want to talk about that as well.
So grab a drink and sit down with me for a bit to discuss this.
disclaimer
I've been reviewing and blogging for well over five years now. While I've never had a pure book blog (I never stuck to a niche), my content has always been majorly bookish. And my blog is categorized as a book blog by most people.*
Hence, please don't come at me like "you're not a pure book blogger so you can't discuss this properly". I agree that I may not be the best person to talk about every facet of book blogging, but this post is just me sharing my opinions. It is based on what I think when I post and what I look for when I visit other book blogs. If you'd like to, feel free to write a post on this with your thoughts.
This is in no way a guide or a reference. This is just a chill post where I say things and provide the comment section so that we can have a discussion.
*I actually go through a crisis every month where I feel like an impostor and question this blog entirely, whether I need to stick to bookish content, if I'm even worthy of being in book blogger spaces, etc. but that discussion is for another day.
from a blogger's perspective
Honestly, I question this because of stats.
While I'm generally okay with my statistics and try not to give them too much attention, I definitely look at them and find patterns. I'm a nerd, okay? One of my favourite monthly activities is to look at my blog's statistics and make a report. I write down all the numbers along with my thoughts on what helped and what didn't.
I started questioning book reviews two to three years back when I noticed (on my old blog) that my book reviews got way less traction compared to other posts*. I was considering stopping posting book reviews entirely. Also, I love comments and talking to people over mutual interests. Reviews were not encouraging much discussion.
I paused reviews for a month or so and was focusing on other posts when I realized that my old book reviews were getting tiny bits of traction consistently. It was not a high number to be noticed enough when compared to my other content, but it was consistent. Over the months, they grew due to search engines and ended up being my most popular posts one year after I posted them. Book reviews are evergreen content.
BUT. Though they received more views, they still had very less comments. And while I look at views, I consider comments as engagement. Book reviews still fell short on that.
So, what should we focus on? For a book blog to "do well", what do you look at more? Long-term growth and view count or higher short-term engagement?
*If you're a new blogger and you don't know this, book reviews are known to receive less attention compared to other posts. I got a bunch of comments on an older post where I mentioned this from new bloggers saying they didn't know this and worried about their content. Well, here you go. It's not just you.
from a reader's perspective
I will be very honest with y'all here: I don't read many book review posts.
I try. I promise you, I do. But a lot of the time, I just don't want to read book reviews. I'd rather read discussion posts on the books, book rec lists, or ANYTHING else. The only times that I read all book reviews by a blogger is if I really like their reviewing style.
Book reviews are just not as appealing and interesting to me. They are not chatty and don't feel like a conversation with the blogger. There are very few people whose reviews I like.
On the other hand, I absolutely love other types of content and will read them all. Reading blogs after work or in the morning is a relaxing activity for me. Other blog posts where the blogger chats (which is almost all other types of posts) are what I want.
Another reason that I don't read book reviews is that I don't want to get spoiled or influenced before I read the books. I'm influenced quite easily. The hype and general opinions on social media make an impression on me. Reviews are worse. Either I know too much before going in, or I expect the wrong things because what I notice in a book is different compared to others.
Reading a ton of reviews before picking up a book reduces my enjoyment of the book. So I prefer to read one or two reviews from trusted bloggers (whose review styles are fun or who have similar tastes as me) and go into the book without knowing too much.
I like to read different reviewing styles as well. Instead of regular reviews, I like reading "reasons to read" or discussions on the books. Basically, the formats where the bloggers chat more with the reader. They are less formal.
Another time that I go for other posts is when I visit new blogs. Whether I follow a blog is totally dependent on whether I vibe with the blogger or if I like their voice. It is not easy to discern that through reviews. So I go to any other types of posts and see a couple of them. Sometimes, I don't read any reviews.
If a blog only posts reviews, I'm much less inclined to subscribe. It doesn't give me much opportunity to converse with the blogger or know them. I like to know the people behind the blog. Not just the books.
as a blogger and reader...
I'm very conflicted about book reviews. I understand why my reviews don't receive as much love, especially because of my reading preferences, but it still doesn't feel good!
On one hand, I love reading chatty book reviews and unique formats. On the other hand, I can't execute them myself! No matter how much I want to make reviews less formal and more generic, I cannot. It is a BOOK review. Of course, I have to mostly talk about the book. It's not easy to make them appealing.
This leads to me not wanting to post a ton of reviews myself. As of now, I only review books that I have a lot to say about. Yes, this means that most of my reads are not reviewed. But I don't mind that.
I KNOW that reading ARCs and going with the hype is not a requirement for being a part of the community. But it's a little hard to be able to converse about books when I've not read the same books. Everyone's talking about The Jasmine Throne now and I'm in a corner with my random reads which I don't even review.
Last month, I decided that I wanted to post more book reviews. I felt left out because I was not posting book reviews like everyone else. I was having another crisis with respect to my place in the community, so I reviewed a little more. The engagement noticeably reduced.
And immediately, I felt out of touch with y'all. With my blog readers. There were lesser comments and lesser discussions. Less chatting. Comments on book reviews also tend to be about the books. It's not about the people behind the usernames.
So from now on, I'm going to post book reviews only when I have a lot to say about a book. I'm going to post book reviews for me, simply to let my thoughts out. It might not be fun or interesting like what I like to read. But it's okay.
so, are book reviews enough for book blogs?
For me, they are not.
From both a blogger and a reader's perspective, reviews are not enough for me. I am dissatisfied on both sides.
Reviews don't bring in as much engagement and don't encourage conversation in the comments. Writing book reviews is also not fun for me. I love writing chatty posts like this discussion or my monthly wrap-ups. I love writing how-tos and lists.
These posts take me multiple days to write because I have a lot to say and I need to proofread and cut down before publishing. Book reviews take me days because I have to think about what to say at all.
So as a blogger, reviews are not enough for my blog. Both for satisfaction and engagement.
As a reader, book reviews are not appealing to me. They don't give me enough of the blogger's personality and whether I can see myself being friends with them.
If I visit a new blog and they have no posts other than reviews, it puts me off. If someone I follow posts only reviews for a long time, I may not engage with their content as much.
And as I said before, reading reviews reduced my enjoyment of the books themselves. Hence, it's a no from me.
should bloggers stop posting book reviews completely?
Absolutely not!
I still read reviews myself and like to write them sometimes. There are tons of blog readers who love to see reviews. If you want to post reviews, you should!
The only reason for this post is to share my thoughts and to explain in case any bloggers are wondering why their book reviews don't receive as much attention. A lot of bloggers accept it as a fact but no reader has come forward to say why they don't read book reviews, so I decided to do it.
But don't consider me as a blueprint reader. I'm one in many. Others have very different opinions and preferences.
Don't stop posting reviews on my account or anyone else's account. Do what you want to do, post what you want to post! Your content shouldn't be completely directed by stats. Especially if blogging is your hobby.
The only thing you should be considering is whether YOU like to write book reviews. If you do, go ahead and write all of them! If you don't, you're not obligated to write them. Your blog, your content, your rules.
alternative blog post suggestions
Because I'm me and I try to be helpful wherever I can, I have to include some solutions to the problems that I mentioned.
Here are some blog post ideas through which you can gain more engagement while also directing traction towards book reviews. You can include links to full reviews in these while also keeping it chatty and fun.
- Wrap-ups: This can be monthly wrap-ups, seasonal wrap-ups, or just reading wrap-ups every so often. Write a short bit on every book you've read. This is easier for readers to read as well because they can see all your thoughts without going through a bunch of posts.
- Recommendation lists: I absolutely love reading rec lists because I get a bunch of book recommendations while not being told too much about each book.
- Themed book lists: these are so fun to read! Pick a trope or some general things and make a list of them. For example, scientists in romance books.
There are many more ways to make engaging posts to talk about books while not being restricted to book reviews. Try different types of posts and see what works for you!
be wordy with me
What do you think? Are book reviews enough for book blogs? Do you like to read and write book reviews? What types of bookish posts are your favourite? Discuss with me in the comments!
And if you want to, feel free to write a discussion post of your own in response to this! I'd love to hear all that you have to say.
Sumedha spends her days reading books, bingeing Kdramas, drawing illustrations, and blogging while listening to Lo-Fi music. Read more ➔
Be wordy with me!
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My old blog only consisted of book reviews and other bookish content and it just felt so monotonous for me as time went by. Five years worth of book reviews and to be honest, it felt exhausting. Now I just post whatever I want without any pressure, although it's still mostly about books, save for other TV recaps I do. Though it's fun bringing back my old reviews!
This is such an awesome post!
Thank you, Inah! I'll agree with you—years of book reviews is exhausting and quite monotonous, especially when we're only talking about books. Mixing it up with other types of content keeps things fresh and fun, both as a reader and a blogger.
This is such a good read I completely understand where you are coming from! Personally I love book reviews as I find so many gems I never would have found before!
Amber x
Thank you, Amber! Glad to hear that you enjoy book reviews ?
I love this post! It really does take me back to a lot of the feelings I used to get when I was a book blogger. I always found my book review posts never did as well as "other" posts - bookish or otherwise. I didn't stop reviewing for that reason but it was definitely an observation I noticed time and time again. I think it's really personal preference. I wouldn't review books ever again. Reviewing them for so long made me lose my love for reading for a while and I'd never want that to happen again. Plus I'm not a book blogger any more. I still love reading reviews though!
Thank you, Jenny! I agree, it's a personal preference and as long as one loves reviewing, it's fine. But we don't HAVE to do it to be in the book community.
Very nice post. I noticed too that depending on the book especially if it is not hypped I don’t get alot of traffic. However I recently started doing recommendations themed list and those get even less traffic ? so I’m very conflicted.
Thanks, Natacha. I'm surprised you're getting lesser traffic on recommendations! Maybe your readers like your reviewing style more? This goes against what I've experienced and have heard of, so unfortunately I can't be of any help ?
I probably just the exception that confirms the rule, hehe. To be honest I was quite surprised myself, I was really expecting to have more traffic for my recommendations ....
I agree with you Sumedha that reviews don't get big stats numbers but that they're evergreen posts. I still get views on reviews I posted 4 years ago!!
I used to take part in a couple of weekly memes that always boosted my stats. However, I found having that schedule became too stressful after a year of posting.
True! Reviews are evergreen.
Oof, I get you on that. I could never keep up with the memes honestly so me not doing them anymore was an easy decision.
This is so conflicting for me because I honestly love writing reviews because I love analysing the plot and the writing, and the reason I started blogging was because someone on GR told me I had too much "personality" to be a reviewer on GR. And honestly I understand that. My blog provides me with that space to be myself. But at the same time, I understand where you come from from a reader's perspective because I honestly find most reviews boring as well. And I know that that is what my readers probably thinks of my content too. I've been trying with other types of posts recently, and definitely there have been more interaction, which is always cool to see, but it's so different from where I started that its a hard switch?
Okay so I actually love reading analysis etc. as compared to the regular reviews like "I liked this, this wasn't good, this was okay"! If your reviews are more of discussions and analysis, you can just break out of the "review" post and do a discussion on the book? That would be very appealing to me, and I'm sure a lot of readers too. And it'll be pretty much the same for you.
Also, who said you have too much personality?? wth. They can take themselves out of Goodreads, no one asked them to read your reviews if it is "too much" for them ?
The switch, if you're going for it, will take time. If you still love reviews, I'd say keep doing that? It's better to post content that you love for less engagement than content you struggle with for a short-term stats boost. After all, blogging is a hobby. Don't need to make it something you don't like ?
I've been feeling a bit unsatisfied with posting only reviews lately. While I love reviewing books, it feels mostly like I'm speaking a lot and I can't help but sound too formal. It's just how I write and I've been looking for options to make blogging more exciting and engaging. I still like reviewing, but it's becoming more monotonous and I'm planning to try rec lists and theme based recs. I'm glad that you made this post, it's giving me new ideas and I'll have to try it. Great post, Sumedha!
I totally understand feeling that way with reviews, I went through that too! I used to love reviewing but it has changed over time. Do branch out and try new posts, and also try new reviewing formats! Switching up your reviewing format may help make it seem less formal ?
I've changed my reviewing style, but I can't help being formal. I'm working on that and will branch out more in the future.Thanks a lot 🙂
This was such a great post, Sumedha! I agree with pretty much everything you said here.
As a reader, I also rarely read reviews for books I haven't read myself ? I'm terrified of spoilers and want to go in as unbiased as possible! And I love interacting with people, and what could I possible say about a book I haven't read other than "Wow, this sounds interesting, I'll have to check that out!"? And then I probably won't, because there are about a million books out there that I'm interested in... But if I've already read a book, there's nothing I love more than a long and detailed review, and you can be sure I'll give you my two cents on it - especially if I either loved or hated the book ?
And those extremes are pretty much also the only books I write full reviews for. I need them to vent my emotions! Although I still usually don't love writing them as much as other posts because they tend to take me forever ? I just have so many things to say that organizing my thoughts and putting all of them down in the first place is a tedious process. So I'll usually only write one a month, if at all.
I do write pretty detailled wrap-ups, though, so that I have at least some record of what I've been reading.
And yes, my reviews also don't get many views initially, but they do get read a lot more consistently over time. You're not alone!
The part about what to comment on a book review! Like, yes we want to read (maybe) but we already have a 1000 books so ??
And I totally relate with you on the two extremes. I feel like I should have a lot to say (which is only during those two extremes), otherwise I won't write a review haha.
Wrap-ups are the way to go! And the fact that you have detailed wrap-ups is good ?
Glad you liked the post!
Aaah, I love this post! I've been thinking about ALL of this recently. I'm actually in the middle of some non-review posts right now because of it ? So this post is perfect timing for me personally ?? Ive also been thinking book reviews are good also to help new bloggers gain their footing and feel out how this whole blogging thing is going to work for them! Finding their voice and whatnot ? Great post! So much fun to read ??
Thank you, Amanda! Ooh you're right, it can help bloggers find their voice, especially if they're not up to talking about themselves or talking casually in written form. It's a good generic area to explore.
Great discussion! I agree with your points, and I think it really comes down to what the blogger wants out of blogging. If you want super high stats...just reviews probably aren't going to do it. If you just want to share your thoughts and talk about books, it's fine!
I do think people sort of like to *see* reviews even if they don't read them, though, which is its own interesting thing. Like, would people "trust" a book blogger who doesn't post reviews? Would they believe that person actually reads a lot, or that they think in-depth about the books they read?
Ooh that’s a good question! I personally don’t look for reviews for credibility, because one can enjoy and love a book to pieces but not be able to talk about it (calling myself out lol). But I can see that being the case. Interesting!
Yeah, I think the blog just needs some way of coming across as personal and knowledgeable about books, and that can be from reviews but doesn't have to be. I wouldn't want to read a blog, for instance. that looked like a bunch of lists that the blogger clearly just compiled by Googling other lists, but I'd read a blog with no reviews but that had a lot of discussion posts or lists where they clearly were recommending the books because they'd read them themselves.
I agree with that! While lists are fun and all, I don't fully trust bloggers who recommend books that they have not read, unless the list is a TBR or "upcoming releases." One way to understand that is if they add personal anecdotes or even a couple sentences about their thoughts during rec lists. Tooting my own horn but because I like seeing that, that's what I do in my rec lists. It is a way of recommending & lightly reviewing but also not a full review.