A Recap of My Fourth Year of Blogging in 2022

This month marks the fourth anniversary of Laura’s Books and Blogs. I started it at the end of 2018 as a sort of new year’s resolution. It always takes me awhile to decide to commit to a project because I know that once I start, I plan to be in it for the long haul. But I still find four years of committing myself to publishing weekly content on an online platform to be a major accomplishment.

I keep my expectations realistic, manage my time as wisely as I can, and apply all of the tips and tools that I’ve learned over the years in order to work as far in advance as I can and put out as polished and enticing a book blog possible. I’ve reviewed over 100 books, interviewed almost 200 authors, and featured the writing of dozens more in the form of guest posts in an attempt to expose the world to the talent and entertainment that indie authors have to offer.

I feel like that’s a noble cause and one that has helped me to achieve my own personal writing goals, including building a solid platform for the day when my next book is finally published. In the meantime, below is a recap of Laura’s Books and Blogs in the Year of 2022.

The numbers

When I started my blog, I had a very low maintenance job with a lot of downtime to write. Then, the pandemic hit, and I had even more time on my hands. That made the first two-and-a-half years easy in terms of sharpening my WordPress skills, creating and scheduling blog posts, and learning how to promote those posts so that they could reach as wide an audience as possible.

My numbers have always been modest but respectable for a book blog. It’s so crazy to see which posts take off and which ones fall by the wayside. At the height of the pandemic, my numbers just grew and grew. But then they fell a bit in 2021, I got a new job in which not only I write all day but there’s no downtime aside from my lunch break to read or write. So, I had to alter my process.

My process in 2022

I started out in 2022 scheduling my usual eight posts per month. There was still a healthy dose of guest post and book review interest. But the guest post requests began to drop off. Rather than try to fill those spots with original content, I decided to just focus on one new post a week from myself, and if anyone wanted to submit anything, I would just schedule them for the next available Friday.

This definitely helped me with my time management as I fell behind as the year went on and began to struggle to read so many books. Despite my guidelines, I still get book review requests in all genres and of all lengths and topics. And I do consider them all because once in awhile I will make an exception and give something a try, and it often pays off.

When my schedule got too crazy, I decided to limit my reviews to picture books, middle grade, and YA. These are genres that tend to be shorter in length and faster reads. So, it helped to guarantee that I could stay ahead.

The review requests still keep coming for books in other genres, but I just offer them guest post opportunities instead. I’m also working on restarting my author interview series with new questions and more of a rapid fire style of questioning that should make it more appealing for readers who don’t know who these authors are but still want to hear the answers to an intriguing question or find out more from a more creative blog post title.

Monetizing

As you can see, my blog is not covered in ads. I had included some side bar ads in the past that no one ever clicked on because no one ever clicks on sidebar ads unless it’s by mistake. I also don’t charge authors or guest posters for space on my blog. It scares me when authors ask for my rates because I’m afraid they have been or attempted to have been taken advantage of by other bloggers. That’s not what I’m trying to do here.

Instead, I am an affiliate for A Self Guru and Bookshop.org. Those you will find on my sidebar and various other pages of my blog. I earn a percentage of any sales made from purchases of legal pages for bloggers at A Self Guru or book purchases made through my shop or links on bookshop.org. And these purchases pay for my yearly expenses.

I keep costs low so my blog doesn’t cost much to run. All it takes is my time which is more valuable. And I learned a long time ago that I want to spend that time producing a site that I can be proud of, not one full of annoying pop ups and obnoxious ads.

So, if you want to support my blog, consider buying a book or some legal pages. But take comfort in the fact that my content will always be free and focused on the topic I’m writing about, not about taking your money which seems to have infiltrated every other corner of the internet.

My most viewed blog posts

Speaking of content, part of reflecting on each year is to figure out what topics people are reading about. Of course, my most viewed pages are my home page followed by my “contact me” page, mostly from literary agents and indie authors. After that, here are my other popular posts.

My most viewed blog post of 2022: What It Was Like to be a Teenager in the 2000s Part 2

This was a confusing one because part 1 hasn’t done nearly as well, and you’d think readers would want to know what else I was talking about prior to this post. But it let me know that these pop culture essays do well. They’re also fun to write.

My most viewed bog post written in 2022: 8 Great Ghost Story Tropes

I was so excited to see how this post took off because I had so much fun writing it, I love the topic, and it still fits my niche.

My most viewed book review in 2022: Passing Through by Jenny Sundstedt

This is a great book, and it’s not surprising that it was popular because it’s a murder mystery with a supernatural twist. Even though I’m not currently taking adult fiction requests, I still highly consider them when one comes through my inbox.

My most viewed guest post: How to Write Enemies to Lovers by Becca Mionis

I was also pleased to see this guest post take off because it’s so well written, offers readers some really helpful writing tips, and is the kind of guest post I want to see more of on LBB in 2023.

Where my traffic comes from

I don’t know if an algorithm changed, if it’s just that I have accumulated so much content over the years, or if I’m just writing more appealing and SEO-friendly blog posts, but my search engine traffic has really improved this year. Most readers and authors find me via Google which is such a relief because social media is so finnicky when it comes to playing the game.

Speaking of social media, I’m still very active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, and I make a point of trying to post something on all of these sites each day. After search engines, my second best referrer is Facebook followed by Pinterest, WordPress Reader, and Twitter.

I used to just type out robotic posts that weren’t very enticing in terms of coming to my site or encouraging comments. I’m getting better but still have a lot to learn.

Most of my followers are on Twitter, but most Twitter users aren’t clicking on outside links. But Facebook readers will readily click on link outside of Facebook if it captures their interest. As for Pinterest, I keep creating pins and scheduling pins to post every day. And I’m grateful for the chunk of traffic that it brings, but I’m so glad that I’ve never relied on it for views. It’s a lot of work and is too shaky to lean on.

Video posts are a particularly essential social media tool these days. But I’m not comfortable putting myself on camera. Nor am I a videographer or intend to be one. So, while I’ve been experimenting with and am starting to see results with Instagram Reels, I’m nervous about what posting will look like in the future.

Goals for the year ahead

I’ve renewed my domain for another year and look forward to whatever ideas I come up with in the future. My goal is always to grow, to read and share good books, offer writing tips, and come up with good content. Blogging may be a dying breed when today’s content is all about the visual. But I have seen growth in the second half of the year and hope to have something to offer readers in this particular format.

I’ve never gone with the trends. Even the choice of the books I read aren’t on part with the best selling books on the market. But in that outcast spirit, I hope I can bring something more original to the table. I want to start writing more like myself, not being afraid to share more of myself, and making sure that indie authors have a reliable and professional platform to promote their books.

What are your writing/blogging goals for 2023? Leave your answers in the comments below!

Buy it!

Visit my shop on bookshop.org for lists of books that I’ve read and loved, both for my blog and for fun, and consider making a purchase on this site. Your purchases benefit the authors I’ve featured, local bookstores, and my blog! This is an affiliate link, and I will earn a commission on any sales.

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