what makes a book blog unique?

Now I know my blog isn’t  exclusively about books but it used to be and for the most part, I still tend to publish more posts about bookish things than not. And I also thought it would be fun to approach this from the perspective of a book blogger. 

If you’ve been book blogging for awhile, you’ve probably asked yourself: what makes my blog unique? Everyone wants to stand out (and not just in a ‘we’re-all-special-snowflakes’ type of way)! So sit down & let’s have a chat!

Oh and I just want to preface this by saying there’s no point stressing about things like your blog theme when your blog is young. If you have the time/energy and you can afford to, go right ahead & invest in your blog. But if you can’t, then that’s fine too. You’re already halfway there if you’ve made a blog and there’s no point worrying about whether you’re doing it ‘right.’ I believe in fate and I believe in things falling into place. That said, I’d like to identify some things that have made certain blogs stand out to me! 

THEME 

There are so many blogs with stellar themes that leave me wishing I could code myself a theme just like that. *sob* Now, I’ll be the first to admit that a ‘good’ blog doesn’t necessarily need a fancy theme but it’s like the icing on the cake. And if first impressions matter, you definitely know people will stick around and appreciate your effort. (If you bought yourself a great theme, good on you! Perhaps I will do so too in the, hopefully, near future!)  

I love The Book Bratz‘s theme  because it’s simple but pretty. Everything about it screams effortless. Chiara Sullivan’s blog theme is (slightly?) fancier but I love the recurring images of the quill pen. 

CONTENT

It is hard (but not impossible of course) to come up with something that is 100% unique. Most often, us bloggers, prefer to build on ideas or topics. For example, book tags are still pretty popular in the blogosphere. But does anyone know who created the first book tag? Most likely, no. But we do know of bloggers who created a ‘type’ of book tag (ie. The Coffee Book Tag). This is just one example of how bloggers each bring a different perspective that makes their version of the feature interesting. Being opinionated makes our blogs interesting! Another great example are discussion posts which tackle various issues in the community. While some are very lighthearted, others are more serious and address drama in the community. In the end, there are always ways to make your blog stand out in your niche.

Some blogs with great content are: The Devil Orders Takeout, readbynicka, and Princessica of Books.

WRITING STYLE

When I think of bloggers with a unique writing style, Cait immediately comes to mind! Her writing style is very quirky and leaves me with the feeling that she’s talking to (or in some cases yelling at) me. However, there’s no point trying to develop a writing style that has the sole purpose of making you stand out. It’s better to simply infuse your writing with your personality and the results are more likely to be both authentic and satisfying. Other bloggers with a great writing style are: Claire, Of Wonderland, and YA Romantics.

GRAPHICS

Bloggers like Aentee @ Read at Midnight who designs all sorts of things (including bookish wallpapers & themes) are making a name for themselves in the community. The cool thing is that anyone can throw together a blog header or a simple graphic introducing a discussion post. But over time, readers come to associate a certain style of graphics with a specific blog. They know what to expect when they visit that blog and they return because they like what they saw the first time. 

Blogs with great graphics: Written Word Worlds,  Book Nerd, Bookish Whimsy

 

So these are just some things I’ve noticed. But what do you think makes a (book!) blog unique? Have I missed anything (important)?