I’m sure many of you know Cait from The Notebook Sisters, but she has branched out on her own with a revamped and relaunched blog called Paper Fury (and it is looking fabulous!). As part of her new blog launch, and to help spread the word, she is hosting a giveaway and a ‘Bout This Blogger Tag, which I’ve decided to participate in!
Why did you start blogging?
I originally started following beauty vloggers and bloggers in 2008, and even attempted my own at one stage (more on that to follow in the 20 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Me Tag I’m posting shortly!). In 2012, I set my sister up with a blog for her to chat about Interior Design and one night while she was blogging, I stumbled upon book blogs like Jamie @ The Perpetual Page Turner. I was hooked. I’d always loved to read, and yet was never aware that there were blogs out there for all of us crazy bibliophiles to rant, swoon and have feels together. Finally, I’d found people who could sympathise, encourage and even enable my addiction!
What’s the story behind your blog’s name?
The idea of “confessions” has always appealed to me – human nature, nuances and psychology has always interested me, and meshing it with Book Geek just seemed to work. I am regularly referred to as a “geek”, and in recent years this has become less of a stigma and more of a badge of honor. I also really liked the Confessions of a Shopaholic book series, and that title works really well – so I thought Confessions of a Book Geek would be a sound choice!
How many designs have you been through since you started blogging?
Honestly, really only the one. I’m with wordpress.com, so I’m slightly more limited in what I can do, and try to work with it as best I can. I did jump themes at one point, but it didn’t stick for long before I settled with what I currently have. It does most of what I want it to. But, if I did want to spoil myself at some point in the future, I’d go self-hosted and have a custom design done, most likely by Ashley @ Nose Graze. Who else to trust with it than a fellow book blogger?
Have you ever switched blog platforms? What made you move? If you haven’t ever changed…why?
When I started my doomed beauty blog in 2008, it was with Blogger, and honestly looking back I just found that platform so “bulky” and unpolished to work with. I love WordPress, it’s sleek, it’s simple, it works and I don’t think I’ll ever change from it. I also make use of the “like” function a lot. When I visit another blog and don’t feel I have enough to say about a post to comment on it, I’ll often like it to show the blogger I appreciated the post and took the time to visit. That’s a nice option to have.
How long does it take you to write a post? What’s your postly process like?
That depends entirely on what the post is about. If it’s a Top Ten Tuesday, it’ll probably take around 30 minutes to an hour, including linking everything up and doing the pictures. If it’s a review, it could take anywhere from 30 minutes to a whole lot longer – it usually depends on whether I know exactly what I want to say and I’m bursting to say it, or if I have to search the corners of my brain to gather some thoughts. Discussions, author interviews and features take a lot longer, and I’ll probably do drafts up and come back to them again and again. Blogging takes a lot more time than non-bloggers would ever appreciate!
Have you ever been super nervous about a post? Why?! What was it?
I was nervous about all of them when I first started! Now, I’m usually a little more nervous about discussions, because you never know how well they’ll be received or responded to, and I guess until recently I was a little nervous about opening up on the blog. Your personal life and blogging life are really very separate at the start, but as you go along a little more of yourself seems to seep in over time. I wasn’t overly nervous about reviews until a couple of authors commented on them (positively), which means they actually read them! There’s always an element of nervousness there I guess, you’re putting your thoughts out on the web after all!
Do you have a blogging schedule?
Kind of. My only definite posts are Top Ten Tuesday and Monthly Wrap-ups/Stacking the Shelves (which I currently combine), otherwise I give myself free reign to post whatever. When I’m being a good blogger I aim for Monday-Friday posts though, and I try to schedule at least a week ahead.
Do you tell people In-Real-Life about your blog? Their reactions?
At the start I didn’t at all. Then I told some of my family, then friends, then colleagues. It doesn’t come up too often though, and I don’t specifically send them to it or think that they read it. But my sister does (Hi, sis!). Some people don’t quite get why I do it, but I haven’t had much negativity.
Top ten blogs you read/comment on the most! Go! Go!
Just 10?! Ummm… in no particular order we have…
- Charnell @ Reviews From A Bookworm
- Brandie @ Brandie is a Book Junkie
- Joy @ Joyous Reads
- Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense
- Trish @ Between My Lines
- Stefani @ Caught Read Handed
- Ashley @ Nose Graze
- Kelley, Asti and Leanne @ Oh, The Books!
- Andie @ The Book Heap
- Megz @ Whispers of a Barefoot Medical Student.
But I follow, read and comment on so many more!
If you could change/improve things about your blog, what would they be?
I think the longer you’ve been blogging for, the harder this is to answer as you need to be able to see your blog through fresh eyes, and we spend quite a bit of time on our own blogs. I really admire bloggers who do their own photography and do it well, I think that takes the blog to a new level. And I would love to be more skilled in design and PhotoShop to be able to do more graphics and what-not.
Are you participating in the ‘Bout This Blogger Tag? Link me up to your posts in the comments and make sure you stop by the all new Paper Fury!
Confessions of a Book Geek 
I totally agree with you! Blogger was just not working for me and after switching to WordPress.. I was so much happier 😛
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Now though I want to go self-hosted and have my own design so, so bad!! Haha. I’m holding off a little while, as it won’t be cheap. But I’ve a feeling if I hit my one year blogging I’ll think about it more seriously. R x
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Ahh well I can’t say I know what you mean .. yet! I’m not so sure about being self-hosted but it sounds way cool and looks twice as amazing! But you’re right – it will not be cheap but maybe after a year I would consider it more seriously too! 🙂
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I was speaking to Ashley at Nose Graze about it today actually and it’s not as expensive as I thought, but there is still an expense, so I’d need to know for definite I want to do it because I don’t make anything from this wonderful hobby! 😀 R x
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Sadly neither do I 😛
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I heart you!! I am so glad you decided to start a book blog – your blog is one of my favorites to follow. It’s scary putting yourself out there sometimes, I agree. I have started adding more personal things with my weekly wrap up posts. I enjoy getting to know you outside of just our mutual love of books!
Keep the posts coming – I love them! 🙂
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Aww! ❤ 😥 thanks, Brandie! It's because of people like you in the community that I'm glad I did!! I still try to keep a balance when it comes to personal things – events like the stalking scandal remind us sometimes that we need to be careful, but it can be difficult to when you actually bond with someone, even if it is online!! I've no pans to go anywhere 😀 R x
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I love the like function on WordPress as well!
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It’s nice to be able to show you were there, right? As a small way of keeping in touch 🙂 R x
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Your schedule habits sounds like mine. XD HEHE. I think a really flexible schedule can be the most fun, anyway! And I do like your blog name. 😉 It’s totally awesome hearing all the behind-the-scenes stories from everyone. I LOVE KNOWING THESE THINGS. Um, yes, I have a curiosity problem. *ahem*
Thanks for doing the tag and spreading the word! x) *offers you cake crumbs because has eaten mostly everything else*
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Flexible means there’s slightly less pressure and weird bloggy-guilt when you don’t post what you’ve said you’re going to post! Lol Thanks for dropping by! R x
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I love tags far too much, and I love this one because it gives you a chance to get to know the bloggers better. I don’t really have a schedule either, I tried to but it doesn’t really work. I think I put to much pressure on myself to post almost every day but it’s not realistic for me. So I’ve started to miss days and sometimes two days in a row. I feel better being more flexible with it and doing it when I can and have time.
I love your blog name!! 🙂 I kind of love most people’s blog names because they’re all better than mine ha. I don’t really draft anymore because I am so behind. So I’ll sit and write furiously for an hour and then just kind of have to post it straight away, haha. Not the best method but it’s all I’ve got to work with at the moment. I need a break over Christmas so I can schedule more posts. I would switch platforms if and when I can afford to pay someone to do it for me, I definitely couldn’t do it by myself. Blog design is something I suck at and struggle with, I feel I should have a sleeker design and less colour but I’ve gotten used to it. But all my favourite blogs are a lot plainer, I think mine might be a bit too bright.
I am so happy you decided to start a book blog because yours is awesome!!! 🙂
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I’m a big fan of tags too! I think you feel a pressure to blog every day if you get into the routine of doing it, but once you break that and the idea that you have to, it all becomes a little less stressful, I know for the month of December I’ve been pretty absent, and for once I’m OK with that!
LOL your blog name does exactly what it says on the tin, nothing wrong with that! I’m really hoping to use the Christmas break to get ahead with scheduling for 2015, but of course that also requires getting the chance to read lots of great books so I can review them and not just do lots of other lovely filler posts! 😀 Trying to view your own blog objectively to make changes to design is hard, there’s so many varying opinions and I guess you can’t listen to them all, as long as you’re happy I think that’s all that matters. Though my only major pet peeve is a black background with coloured/white writing, it really does make my eyes do funny things!
Thanks, Charnell!! That means a lot! ❤
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[…] month I also interviewed author Iris St. Clair, took part in the Bout This Blogger Tag, signed up to the Reread Challenge for 2015, was tagged for the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers […]
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