Reading is Inevitable

Hello, fellow bookstagrammers! Today I'm sharing with you yet another installment of the Navigating Bookstagram series, and it's all about using Instagram's business tools for bookstagram! But what exactly are  Instagram business tools? Instagram has been offering tools and insights for businesses to use since 2014, but more useful, updated tools only came out in the spring of 2016. By connecting a Facebook account to the Instagram page, users can now see analytics on each individual post and their posts as a whole, as well as information on the demographic of their followers. Additionally, if they add the feature, users can view insights on their Instagram stories. Setting Up Business Tools First, you'll need to create a Facebook account and/or page. Once you have a Facebook account, you can create a business page by clicking the down arrow at the top of the screen and "Create Page." From there, choose from the options they give you (below). Wha...

Today I'm sharing with you another installment of the Navigating Bookstagram series! (Yay!) Something that you've probably seen around bookstagram by now are the monthly challenges that some bookstagramers hold every month. (That's why they're called monthly challenges....) Monthly challenges can be really helpful, especially when you're just starting out as a bookstagrammer. A monthly challenge is basically a list of picture prompts for you to continue throughout the month. Some prompts are based on a holiday that might occur on that day (ex. red, white, and blue on the United States' Independence Day). Prompts can be specific or vague, leaving room for interpretation. (Although some bookstagrammers do have explanation of prompts available in their captions or on other platforms such as blogs.) Most prompts are posted by the bookstagramer(s) hosting them in the form of pictures on Instagram, so that you and other participating bookstagrammers can post t...

In my more recent Navigating Bookstagram posts, I discussed SFS's, one way that you can increase the amount of attention your page gets. But another really helpful way to do so is to get featured on a bookstagram feature account. I know, I know: it sounds impossible, but it's worth it. A bookstagram feature account is exactly what it sounds like. It's an account that's sole purpose is to feature other bookstagrammer's work (I say other because, usually, these accounts are run by other bookstagrammers). There are a lot of accounts out there, and they pick pictures/accounts to feature based off of the pictures. Some accounts have certain themes such as outdoor pictures or flatlays. Accounts like these are not only a good way for you to get your content put out there, but also a great way for you to potentially find other accounts with content you like. How to Participate Okay. So how do you get featured on one of these feature accounts? Usually there are in...

Hey everyone! Stressful weekend, but I still managed to get this blog post together for you. Hopefully a March 2017 Reflection will be coming up soon on Friday, one of the new changes to the posting schedule, but I have a somewhat busy week ahead of me, so we'll have to see what happens. (If you missed the details back in mid-March, then be sure to either check out the post here or visit the posting schedule page by clicking the tab above.) For now, though, it’s time to do another installment in the Navigating Bookstagram series, also know as the NBSTFSA series (I’m just kidding; no one says that). Today I will be covering shoutout-for-shoutouts. Ah: sfs’s, as they’re sometimes called. What are they? They’re exactly what they sound like: When one account shouts out another account in exchange for a shoutout from them. But what I specifically want to talk about today is entering shoutout-for-shoutout contests . First of all, what is a shoutout-for-shoutout contest? (Warn...

Hi everyone! Sorry about the lack of posts. I'm trying to get back on top of our bookstagram and our blog, so just hang tight! Speaking of our bookstagram (and also our blog, actually), what seems like forever ago back in December I had promised to make a part 2 for "Navigating Bookstagram - Stories & Tips From a Small(er?) Account - Pictures (Part 1)", since I had too much to say for just one post. Unfortunately, that never happened. But, don't fret, because here it is, only a few months late! (Heh heh...) So, what do I plan to cover in this post? Well, I plan on talking about the following subjects (click the links to jump to that section): Props  - What to use, and when and how to use them Editing - Do's and Don'ts, explanation of tools

Last time (in the introduction to this little blog series ), I mostly did the whole "story" part, rather than giving tips. So, to officially start things off, I'm going to give some tips on the whole post/picture aspect, for those small accounts out there who are new or don't know where to go. It's something we sort of had to figure out on our own, and I'm here to help! So. You have created your bookstagram account. Got a cool name and all that, maybe even a cute little bio. Great! Good! Now what? Well, let's see, of course, you want to follow some great bookstagrammers. Just don't get blocked from following people because you followed too many people in too short of a time, as I mentioned in the intro to this series. (Em got a li'l excited, heh heh.) And now? Well, it's time to consider what you want to post. When it comes to posting, you have to think about your feed. While the individual posts might look good alone, how do they look ...

Hello, everyone! How are you all today? As most of you probably know already, Em and I have a bookstagram (bookish Instagram account) where we share pictures of books and our love for reading! The bookstagram community is actually pretty large (the largest account I have found so far has 200k followers), and while it’s full of great and wonderful people, it can also be a bit intimidating and scary for newbies and smaller accounts alike. We’ve been on bookstagram for about seven months now, give or take, and have gotten more used to the swing of things on bookstagram. While there’s still so much for us to learn, we do know quite a few things that should prove to be useful to beginners and fellow smaller accounts. (I know that we have 1.1k, but if an account with 3.8k followers I was talking to considers themself small, then I think we count.) That’s why I’ve created this little series of posts where I plan to share some of my own stories every other Monday. Us smaller guys have t...

Something I think that us bookworms or really anyone who is reading a book is that sometimes we aren’t really prepared to read a book. Not in the sense that we don’t know some words or the subject/events of the book are not what was expected. What I’m talking about is bookmarks. We never can really seem to find them when needed, or we don’t want to use that special bookmark we made or bought for $20. Whether it’s because you decided to start reading a book you found at a library/bookstore that you didn’t intend to get, or because you lost your bookmark or some other reason, we all face that big imposing question: Should I try to remember the page number, or should I dog-ear the book? If you’re someone who deeply cares for all books - your own and others’ - then the last option isn’t really an option at all. So here is a solution that might come in handy at school. Do you have a regular-sized square sticky note? Have a few seconds? Well, this little trick might save your book’s...

Hello! What I have noticed around the book-loving community is that a lot of you like to purchase handmade bookmarks. Not that there's anything wrong with this, but I don't really think that I want to spend 10 dollars or so on a bookmark when I could make my own! That's why I created my own bookmarks. They're cheap and I can easily do it myself. In this post, I will show you how I made these beauties. (One is shown above.)

I know I haven't written a blog post in a while, but all of a sudden I really want to share stuff with you guys. Today I'm going to share with you something that I have been only doing for two days, but I feel is very useful. Now this idea isn't ground-breaking; you might already do it, but maybe in a different way. Recently I have been creating To Do lists. I know, this is life changing (not). But that's okay. Instead of putting "Get milk", or putting other reminders that aren't what you really would like to do, make a To Do list of things you want to accomplish in a year, day, or week. If you feel that you don't get time to enjoy yourself, this will make sure you do.

When I got out of school this summer, I was excited for a lot of things. One of the things that I was the most excited for was getting the opportunity to read more often. I have a lot of books that I want to read and the thought that I would (hopefully) get to read more of them was thrilling. Only, there was one problem: I wasn't in the mood for reading. We all have these times. They're awful. During these periods of times known to us as "reading slumps", we usually experience a lack of motivation or desire to read. You might find yourself picking up your book, thinking about how much fun you're going to have, and then - bam! - after a few words you feel bored to tears.  I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate it when this happens. So, after quite some time of dealing with this problem, I tested out a few solutions to "curing" a reading slump. Check them out below.

Only a few months ago, I stumbled across the idea of a "bullet journal". At the time, I had no idea what it was, so I did some investigating. What I found out was that bullet journals were a relatively new way for organization in a simple way. The basic bullet journal includes a yearly planning log, a monthly planning log, and a daily planning log. In these spots, you write down things to do and events planned in a bullet format. (Hence the name bullet journal.) That's basically it, and there's always room for personalization. I decided that I would try to make my own bullet journal. There are a lot of different articles and bullet journals that you can find on the internet, so it was difficult for me to start. Everyone had their own systems and styles of bullet journals, and it was all very confusing. That's why this post is dedicated to those confused and curious beginner bullet journalers. Don't worry: you aren't alone.