I want to scream; I want to scream so loud because I achieve my goal. I went from 0 to 100k page views. I started my blog in March 2017 just for time to pass. I rarely post anything; until December, I had only four or five posts. A few people know, at that time, my blog name was Simple Living High Thinking. I never thought of writing reviews. I barely had 12 novels (which I read), and I got to know about Goodreads. I create my account there and start posting reviews that automatically publish on my blog. Soon I received my first e-book to review by Sneha (book promoter) on Goodreads.
I worked hard so hard; I didn't receive a single penny for a whole year. Things started to change in late 2018 because I made some contacts at that point and worked with lots of amazing authors. Still... still I was shy, not ready to ask for money for my hard work. Until a day, an unusual thing happened. A US-based author contacts me on LinkedIn; she asked me how much I charge for the review? I was blank; I sent a message to my boyfriend, Prateek, asking, what am I going to do? What should I reply to? He was in the office and says calm down, let me check on Google first. He is the one who constantly pushes me for paid reviews, but I never listened to him. Now he takes credit for it. LOL! So, what I am saying is that I send a PayPal invoice to the author and wait... After that, I received one or two reviews, but I never stop. Whether I get the money or not, I buy and review books non-stop. Because I loved it. I don't want to stop; I want to keep going and going.
Things took a magnificent shift in 2019. I work harder, I got numerous projects. I stop tutoring entirely and rely on one source of income generates by my blog. I am sharing some of the things that got me here; I hope you will find them valuable.
WordPress vs. Blogger - People will tell you that WordPress is better than Blogger, but it is unreliable. I listen to them, and I create a WordPress blog, too; it didn't work for me. I don't like its setup. I don't even understand its plugins. I saw blogs with millions of views on both platforms. So, choose the one that works for you.
Content - Consistency is the key. If you post ten articles a month, then try to post more than that next month. Do not copy. Be original. When I start writing reviews, I used a format (I found it online). It helps me to talk about the plot, the character's struggle, what I like or don't, then never give a spoiler, etc. With time, I made changes, and if you read my articles, you'll know that I loved to do experiments with every review. Give yourself time and read reviews of other bloggers as well. It helps a lot. Edit your previous posts, make necessary changes from time to time.
Editing - A few newbies or established ones don't spend time polishing their work. I knew a few people who don't bother to re-check before posting; there were silly mistakes like small I. We all know that I wrote in the capital. But they don't, I guess. I don't want to sound like some grammar Nazi because I know mistakes happened. Try to avoid it. First, check with MS Word, then use Grammarly. If you still not sure, there are so many online editing tools available in the market. Use them.
Blog Template - Never afraid of doing experiments. When I start blogging, I used the default templates; I switch them from time to time. It is time-consuming. But it is worth it. For a very long time, my friend told me to use or purchase an SEO-friendly template. I am glad I listen to him. Before that, I tried 9-10 templates until I found the current one. YouTube videos helped me a lot. Whenever I create mayhem, I just resolve it by watching videos; damn, I learned a lot.
Social media - Create an account on every possible social media, and post your blog links there. I started my Instagram account too late but picked up fast. Most of the traffic on my blog comes from social media. Don't skip adding social media sections to your blog.
AdSense - You'll find numerous videos and articles on this stating that you'll earn quick bucks from it. It is not true at all. AdSense didn't approve my blog three times. When it does, I was on cloud nine. I place ads on my blog, but it didn't work the way I want it. I made some rookie mistakes by clicking on the ad. Google didn't appreciate that. With time, I understand that my blog looks much better without ads. Also, if you think that you cannot generate money from AdSense, you are not alone.
Help Others to Grow - It is the key to my success. I start author interviews, blogger interviews, guest posts, book tours, blitzes, cover reveals, and giveaways to reach more viewers. I simply believe and follow Bill Clinton's word - We cannot build our own future without helping others build theirs.
Feedback - Always ask for it. You'll understand your strong and weak points. Have an attitude to never quit learning. Feel free to post testimonials on your blog. It will create a great impression on other authors and readers. Being a book promoter, I worked with so many people; a few were highly professional, others were damn bad in replying, writing reviews, don't care about the deadlines, and many more. And I keep a record of that, so I won't contact them ever. Do not be that person because once you lose your reliability, you won't get work. No work, no money, simple is that.
Google Analytics and Google Search Console - Create an account on these two right now. Track your readers, session times, and many more things that will help you. If you don't understand how this works, just watch videos on YouTube, like I do all the time. Optimize your content.
Backlinks - Add a link to your previous article into the recent one. So that readers will click on them, and it will count as another pageview. It is imperative.
GoodReads - For the last two years, I am on one of the best reviewers and most followed list. I contact all my friends and send them messages regarding my blog. I asked them for their feedback, and they all were supportive. I worked on their suggestions and improved a lot of things. What I gain? New visitors, great contacts, and very unique ideas.
Blog Directory - I used Blogarama, IndiBlogger, IndiBlogHub, and Book Sirens. Not only do I receive new visitors from there, but some projects too. I grew my network. You'll find tons of directories on Google. Use them and see the changes.
Email Marketing - This is the thing I start this year. I prepare a list of all the contacts I work with or come across. It is currently in a trial phase, but I saw some significant changes after that. So, prepare a list of your own.
I worked hard so hard; I didn't receive a single penny for a whole year. Things started to change in late 2018 because I made some contacts at that point and worked with lots of amazing authors. Still... still I was shy, not ready to ask for money for my hard work. Until a day, an unusual thing happened. A US-based author contacts me on LinkedIn; she asked me how much I charge for the review? I was blank; I sent a message to my boyfriend, Prateek, asking, what am I going to do? What should I reply to? He was in the office and says calm down, let me check on Google first. He is the one who constantly pushes me for paid reviews, but I never listened to him. Now he takes credit for it. LOL! So, what I am saying is that I send a PayPal invoice to the author and wait... After that, I received one or two reviews, but I never stop. Whether I get the money or not, I buy and review books non-stop. Because I loved it. I don't want to stop; I want to keep going and going.
Things took a magnificent shift in 2019. I work harder, I got numerous projects. I stop tutoring entirely and rely on one source of income generates by my blog. I am sharing some of the things that got me here; I hope you will find them valuable.
WordPress vs. Blogger - People will tell you that WordPress is better than Blogger, but it is unreliable. I listen to them, and I create a WordPress blog, too; it didn't work for me. I don't like its setup. I don't even understand its plugins. I saw blogs with millions of views on both platforms. So, choose the one that works for you.
Content - Consistency is the key. If you post ten articles a month, then try to post more than that next month. Do not copy. Be original. When I start writing reviews, I used a format (I found it online). It helps me to talk about the plot, the character's struggle, what I like or don't, then never give a spoiler, etc. With time, I made changes, and if you read my articles, you'll know that I loved to do experiments with every review. Give yourself time and read reviews of other bloggers as well. It helps a lot. Edit your previous posts, make necessary changes from time to time.
Editing - A few newbies or established ones don't spend time polishing their work. I knew a few people who don't bother to re-check before posting; there were silly mistakes like small I. We all know that I wrote in the capital. But they don't, I guess. I don't want to sound like some grammar Nazi because I know mistakes happened. Try to avoid it. First, check with MS Word, then use Grammarly. If you still not sure, there are so many online editing tools available in the market. Use them.
Blog Template - Never afraid of doing experiments. When I start blogging, I used the default templates; I switch them from time to time. It is time-consuming. But it is worth it. For a very long time, my friend told me to use or purchase an SEO-friendly template. I am glad I listen to him. Before that, I tried 9-10 templates until I found the current one. YouTube videos helped me a lot. Whenever I create mayhem, I just resolve it by watching videos; damn, I learned a lot.
Social media - Create an account on every possible social media, and post your blog links there. I started my Instagram account too late but picked up fast. Most of the traffic on my blog comes from social media. Don't skip adding social media sections to your blog.
AdSense - You'll find numerous videos and articles on this stating that you'll earn quick bucks from it. It is not true at all. AdSense didn't approve my blog three times. When it does, I was on cloud nine. I place ads on my blog, but it didn't work the way I want it. I made some rookie mistakes by clicking on the ad. Google didn't appreciate that. With time, I understand that my blog looks much better without ads. Also, if you think that you cannot generate money from AdSense, you are not alone.
Help Others to Grow - It is the key to my success. I start author interviews, blogger interviews, guest posts, book tours, blitzes, cover reveals, and giveaways to reach more viewers. I simply believe and follow Bill Clinton's word - We cannot build our own future without helping others build theirs.
Feedback - Always ask for it. You'll understand your strong and weak points. Have an attitude to never quit learning. Feel free to post testimonials on your blog. It will create a great impression on other authors and readers. Being a book promoter, I worked with so many people; a few were highly professional, others were damn bad in replying, writing reviews, don't care about the deadlines, and many more. And I keep a record of that, so I won't contact them ever. Do not be that person because once you lose your reliability, you won't get work. No work, no money, simple is that.
Google Analytics and Google Search Console - Create an account on these two right now. Track your readers, session times, and many more things that will help you. If you don't understand how this works, just watch videos on YouTube, like I do all the time. Optimize your content.
Backlinks - Add a link to your previous article into the recent one. So that readers will click on them, and it will count as another pageview. It is imperative.
GoodReads - For the last two years, I am on one of the best reviewers and most followed list. I contact all my friends and send them messages regarding my blog. I asked them for their feedback, and they all were supportive. I worked on their suggestions and improved a lot of things. What I gain? New visitors, great contacts, and very unique ideas.
Blog Directory - I used Blogarama, IndiBlogger, IndiBlogHub, and Book Sirens. Not only do I receive new visitors from there, but some projects too. I grew my network. You'll find tons of directories on Google. Use them and see the changes.
Email Marketing - This is the thing I start this year. I prepare a list of all the contacts I work with or come across. It is currently in a trial phase, but I saw some significant changes after that. So, prepare a list of your own.
I hope this article will help you, and let me know your thoughts about this article or if you have some amazing ideas regarding book blogging, then feel free to share. Always remember success will comes to those who sweat continuously.
A huge thanks to my loyal readers; without you, I won't be able to accomplish this. A huge thanks and love to Aastha and Prateek, you guys are my backbone. You helped me a lot, and I know I can rely on you for anything. So, thank you for being a part of Books Charming's journey. Lots of love for every reader and person who helped me.
My next goal - 200k Views and stays on the top on the Goodreads list and improve my ranking.
It was really helpful. Thanks for sharing ��
ReplyDeletePleasure is all mine dear :)
DeleteGreat info! I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have.
ReplyDelete