The art of blogging

Random House Children's Books Bloggers Brunch

I’ve never been the best blogger and I doubt I ever will be. I’ve often wondered what the big deal is, if I’m honest. Perhaps that has something to do with the blogs I’ve seen in the past – random ramblings about all manner of crazy things from people who think editing is optional rather than vital, and correct spelling something that ‘posh’ people do. But then, until this past weekend, I’d never really thought about how important blogs and their creators are for the teenage/young adult book market. So when my lovely publishers, Random House, invited me along to a ‘bloggers brunch’ (read all about it here), I thought I’d go and find out what I was missing. Boy, am I glad I did.

The internet is fast becoming the most important sphere in which to get books reviewed and recommended. As authors, particularly authors of fiction for young adults, my peers and I have noticed the ever-decreasing amount of space we’re given in newspapers. There was a time when our books might get a half-page spread, in a number of papers, almost every week. Unfortunately, it seems that those days are long gone. Now, I’ve never paid much notice to reviews anyway. Give me a great review and my head won’t grow to the size of an iceberg. Give me a bad review and I won’t retreat into my shell like some suicidal tortoise. However, I do realise that, good or bad, reviews generate interest and exposure, which is how books gets sold. So, even though I couldn’t care less about the quality of the reviews I get, it’s important that you, the readers, hear about my books at the very least.

And that’s where the lovely people I met at the brunch come in. Fantastically dedicated bloggers who are passionate about books and reading and want to share that passion with the world. Every genre you can think of, every type of book – they are happy to review and highlight them all. And there are so many of them too. The brunch was a lot of fun and I’m really pleased that I decided to accept the invitation. It’s made me realise that blogging is a wonderful way to promote books and reading, and that it is important too. No longer am I going to sit around thinking ‘Oh I’ll do it tomorrow’ or ‘what does it matter’. Meeting all those lovely people has hardened my resolve. From now on I’m going to make the time to blog regularly, and to talk about what I do and why it’s so important to me. Maybe people will be interested, maybe they won’t but I’m going to do it anyway. It’s far too important not to.

The brunch also got me thinking about you, the readers. The thing about blogging is that anyone can do it. It’s so easy to set-up your own and make a contribution to the world of literature (see fellow author Luisa Playa’s top tips on setting up your own book blog  and reviewing books). Maybe you’re an individual who loves books and wants to share that love with others. Perhaps you’re part of a reading group or a book award reviewer with your school. If you aren’t blogging about those things, you should start. I love to get feedback from the people who I write about and most other author’s I know feel the same way too. How great would it be to set up your own favourite author book blog? I know there are many out there already but the internet is big enough for many more. In fact, if you read this and do set one up, then find me on twitter and I’ll happily promote your blog (even if it isn’t about me!).

As writers, publishers, sellers, lenders and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, readers of teenage and young adult fiction, we need to ensure that we find a space in which to talk about our favourite reads, to encourage others to read and to promote reading for pleasure. Writing about young adults and teens is vital in my opinion, which is one of the reasons I do it. I’ve now realised that talking about it, online, is just as important too. For that, I’m very grateful.