There are a ton of amazing blogs out there, but this is one of the top ones I visit.
Enter in Jen @ Jen Ryland/ YA Romantics
Eliza: How and when did you get started in
blogging?
Jen: I started blogging about ten months ago, in October 2011. I
had had no idea what I was doing. The reading and writing part came pretty easily
to me, but the tech stuff didn’t. My early posts have no photos at all!
Eliza: You blog almost,
if not, every day. Is that all pre-scheduled?
Jen: I wish! I pre-schedule posts when I can, but I also write
plenty of posts at the last minute. What helps me is having a routine: Sunday
is news and a recap, Tuesday I highlight new releases, and Friday I often host
Freebie Friday, where I draw a winner and let that person pick a free book. The
rest of the days I usually post reviews.
Eliza: You review a ton
of books. On average, how many do you read a week?
Jen: It depends. On our annual beach vacation, I can read two (or
more) books a day, but in an average week I read about three books. I’ve always
loved reading!
Eliza: There’s a few
things I love about your blog: the daily posts, the reviews, the upcoming
releases, your comment responses and of course, Freebie Friday. Since I’ve only been following a few months,
has it always been this way?
Jen: That’s so nice of you to say! My blog is a work in progress.
I like to try new things. I try to balance having fun with growing the blog by
setting small goals. Posting daily and trying to respond to as many comments as
possible are two of my 2012 goals.
Eliza: What are a few of
your favorite blogs?
Jen: Ahh -- I hate picking favorites! I love book bloggers who
make me laugh, and Ashelynn at Gypsy
Book Reviews, and Steph at The Fake
Steph always crack me up. Heather at
The Flyleaf Review has such an
amazing passion for books – her reviews are works of art. Andrea at Overstuffed Bookcase and
I often have the same taste in books. But there are SO many other great blogs
out there. Every day I find a great new one to add to my daily to-read list.
Eliza: What are your top
five favorite YA books? (I’ll be doing a giveaway with these for followers of your blog)
Jen: Wow – that is SO nice of you, but oh no –I have to pick favorites
again! (Disappears for a week.)
That was hard! If you ask me next week I might have new
answers. Some of the books on my YA keeper shelf are: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, Paper Towns by John Green and every book ever written by Melina
Marchetta.
But if I were giving away books, I’d want to offer books published
in 2012. So I chose five summer releases that I really enjoyed -- and I also tried
to pick different YA genres. That way there’s something for everyone: romantic,
suspenseful, tearjerking, gory…Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas
Survive by Alex Morel
Eliza: Thanks for
stopping by. Any advice on newbie bloggers or people looking to increase their
followers?
Jen: I’ve learned so much in ten months and I’m still learning. I
think my best advice is to keep blogging fun. If you’re enjoying yourself,
people will be drawn to your blog. Mix things up, challenge yourself to read
books out of your comfort zone, or try out a new feature. I love how you
incorporate your love of video games on your blog!
My second tip is balance. You don’t have to read every book
or post every day. Pace yourself so you don’t burn out. I also think it’s
important to balance outreach with content. Giveaways and blog hops draw
traffic, but often those end up being one-time visitors. The hard part is finding
the right followers and keeping them coming back for more. When someone new
finds my blog and writes to tell me how much they enjoy it, nothing could make
me happier!Finally, be true to yourself. If blogging every day puts you in a terrible mood, don’t do it. Someone I know in real life recently read my blog and said, “It’s so you.” That was a great compliment … I think.
Thanks so much for hosting me, Eliza. This was fun!
Eliza: Thanks for hanging out Jen!
You can follow Jen's blog here
Twitter here
And now onto the giveaway! All you need to do is be a follower of Jen's blog. Extra points for tweeting. Fill out the form below. Contest runs until 8/11/12.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks so much for hosting me!!
ReplyDeleteLinking to your giveaway on Twitter and my round up post tomorrow!
: )
Deletethanks for sharing, I just followed! I love reading book blogs -- hers looks really well put together.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved to read, too, but since I started writing I practically devour books. I've just learned to read faster and I'm far more selective of what I pick up. Lately I've been using Saturday mornings to get up early and finish books. It's such a great way to start the day.
I think I'll take your advice and finish my current read since writing this am is just not happening.
DeleteGreat interview. I really like Jen's blog schedule. I'm following her now and looking forward to the posts. And thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
ReplyDeleteShe does great reviews and keeps things fun and light. You'll enjoy her.
DeleteThank you for the giveaway! :) :) I like Jen's blog also and now I'll check yours too! :) :)
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! Following Jen's blog now, too, and I love her blogging schedule. I tend to write super sporadically, and I could definitely benefit from organizing myself somehow. Glad I stopped by!
ReplyDelete