Blogger Recognition Award

I am honored to have been nominated for this award. I love being tagged in awards such as this one, though I tend to lose track of which ones I have been tagged in and how many times. I am thankful for each and every one. First, I would like to thank Michelle for tagging me. She has an amazing blog which tackles many things I enjoy. She not only reviews books, but she also reviews movies and anime! If you know me, you know I love Asian culture, including anime. I have been watching anime since I was in middle school. I love how Michelle is not afraid to branch out and discuss more than just books on her blog. If you are not already following her, you should check out her blog and read some of her great reviews.

Secondly, I would like to thank all of my followers. All 294 of you…though I am hoping to make it 300 by the end of the month! Please share the word! Anyway, thank you all for reading and liking my posts. Thank you even more for commenting and interacting with me both here and on Twitter or other social media accounts. It really means a lot to me. I do this for me but I love the bookish friends I have made! Well…now onto the award!

Rules

• Thank the blogger that nominated you
• Write a post to show your award
• Give a brief story of how your blog started
• Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers
• Select 15 other bloggers you want to give this award to
• Comment on each blog and let them know you’ve nominated them, and provide the link to the post you’ve created.

How It All Began…

Well, I guess my journey should go back to childhood and my love of books but I will avoid boring you all more than I already have. A few years ago I began helping Kevin James Breaux pick fonts and images for his book cover based on various choices he provided me. He liked having another keen eye for detail. One day, after a disappointing proofreading result, he contacted me asking if I would be interested. From then on out he gave and still gives me advice everytime we talk. He convinced me that I should start writing actual reviews for books I had read. So…I thought about a platform where I could review. I instantly thought about a blog. I began researching for weeks, hours each night. I looked at numerous blogs. I created a bookish twitter account and gathered all the information I could. One day, I finally took the plunge.

I created The Bibliophagist. I already knew that was going to be the name of my blog. Ever since I had heard the term, it stuck with me. Now, starting this blog was for me and me alone. I wanted a place where I could gather my reviews, express my love of reading. Especially since the number of bookish friends in my life that truly understand my love for these bound pages are far and few between. I was really only hoping to make some friends who really understood me. To my surprise…people actually began following me. I was incredibly happy! I have more followers now but I still blog for me. Book blogging makes me happy. It is an outlet that also allows me to connect with amazing people and publishers.

Advice to New Bloggers

The first thing I have to say is that you should check out my Book Blogging 101 posts. In each post I give one tip or piece of advice, hoping that I might help even one person. So…here are two of my tips or pieces of advice:

Do not start a book blog for free books

Yes, book bloggers are often given free books in exchange for an honest review but that should not be a primary reason you begin a book blog. Even as a small blogger, authors will approach you and ask you to review their novel. You accept all of these books because…well, they are free. But before you know it you are laying on the floor stressed out beyond belief because you have a huge tower of books to review and not enough time to do so. Being a book blogger comes with a lot of responsibility.

Learn that it is ok to reject review offers

When you being, you will want to accept every book that is being offered to you for a review. I know because I did it. If the book does not sound interesting, say no. Authors and publishers would rather someone in their target audience read it and love it than someone such as yourself who knows they will not like it push through and leave an awful review. Aside from not liking a book, accepting everyone adds a lot of stress when they begin piling up. It is ok to say no. Authors and publishers will not get angry and lash out at you, you will not lose followers. In the end, put your well being above all else.

My Nominations

1. Books in the Skye
2. Kaleena (Read Voracious)
3. Beth (Book Nest)
4. Jordan (The Heart of a Book Blogger)
5. Andrea (Andrea reads a lot)
6. Megan (Megan Mansano)
7. Hannah (Hannah’s Bookshelf)
8. Katie (Melting Pages)
9. Eram Rizwan Khan (Musings of a Confuzzled Reader)
10. Clarissa (Quirky Lady Bookworm Reviews)
11. Laura (Unicorn Quester)
12. Tahia (The Brown Review)
13. Eliza (InvokedReverie)
14. Pauliina (The Bookaholic Dreamer)
15. Jaiden (Moonlit Reads)

Since I was only allowed to tag 15 people, do not feel left out if you were not included. If you were not listed here and would like to be tagged…by the power invested in me as a book blogger…I now dub thee tagged! Have fun with this! I really look forward to all of your responses. Also, be sure to check out these amazing blogs! I hope that you have all enjoyed this and I want to thank you all again for reading as well as your continued support!