I’m fast approaching the 2 year anniversary of starting this blog.  It’s fair to say that it has evolved significantly in that time and branched out into facets I wouldn’t have imagined when I started up what was, at the time, mainly a facebook based promo wagon. I wanted my blog to be something different and had delusions of grandeur about what my following would be.  That has really come home for me this week and whilst I have been lamenting my perceived lack of following I decided earlier against a wine induced pity post and decided to focus actually on what has made blogging great for me so far this year.

At the start of the year I decided to change everything up a gear, I’m committed to my vision and set up this website rather that the blogger mess that I had before, I also set up my review team.  Now setting up a review team is actually really hard.  Not only did I have to find reviewers but also find reviewers who shared my ethos.  Whilst I had lots apply I found it easy to whittle out those who didn’t have my mindset and I feel overwhelmingly blessed to have found my team of 4 fabulous readers and reviewers.  They have made the website launch all the better, for they are helping me fill the page with amazing content by way of their truly fantastic reviews.  Fleur, Katrina, Beverly, and Stephanie – you are all fabulous!  I’m also humbled to be offering reviews for a large indie PR company and also to have been approached to officially bookstagram for an indie small press publishing house, these achievements still blow my mind.

A couple of weeks ago I posted a tweet to authors to let them know not to underestimate how much a comment or like by them on a post will make a readers day – I have been blessed this year to have authors of both traditionally published and indie works comment on and like my bookstagram pictures and tweets about their books, to have that endorsement makes me ecstatic and sets my fangirl to overload!  It’s not just authors, but bookish crafters too – to have my favourite merchandise companies comment is such a joy and i’m working hard to build up a following worthy of becoming a rep for some of these companies.

The main thing for me this year though that has made me feel so utterly humbled as a reader, is to have been asked to become critique partners for 2 amazing friends and authors.  These are authors who I have met whilst on their indie journey through their books which I have adored and I now have been asked to take part in their journey to become traditionally published. They have both written mind blowing retelling’s and are both totally deserving to follow the next step. I feel so strongly about this endorsement of me as a reader and I love them both so hard for taking on board my thoughts.

It’s these things that make me realise that whilst, no, I don’t have a huge following, I have built up some solid friendships that have helped me keep this blog the place I want it to be.  A place to find great reviews which are thoughtful and kind, a place to discover your next great read and a place for me to ramble away to anyone who wants to listen. Yes blogging is tough and sometimes really quite lonely – (I love you Bibliogal blog for always being there, though) but each time I fret I just need to remind myself that really it’s actually all good and I have a lot to be thankful for!