How to Write for a Book Blog

Writing for book blogs requires the author of the blog to walk a fine line between formal and informal writing. In order to be taken seriously, there has to be somewhat of an air of formality to the content of the blog; yet at the same time you have complete freedom to structure the blog the way you want, loosen up on format and grammar, and take on whatever tone you want. This leeway allows book bloggers to form better connections with their readers and to remind them that the bloggers are on the same level as those who are browsing their site.


Book Blogs revolve mainly around their content rather than their writing style. While each and every blogger has a different voice, bringing their personality to their posts, what you find on a book blog generally remains the same: Book Reviews, Author Interviews, Contests, and Memes. It is through these that the writing is unified from blog to blog. Through the spread of this general content, a certain expectation developed of what to find in each type of post. Reviews are expected to have a summary, whether written by the blogger or taken from Amazon, and the blogger’s opinion of the book as a whole, with reasons; some bloggers also create rating systems based on five stars or a numerical scale. Interviews have basic set ups that can be found in most media outlets. The contests must get the reader excited, while giving the rules, the prize, the deadline, and the entry restrictions quickly and clearly. The memes completely depend on which is being written but there is an unspoken rule that you follow the format of the blogger who created it.

As stated before, the voice of the blogger is what makes the writing on your blog distinct since the content and writing format of each is so very similar. There are a few things to keep in mind when finding your writing voice:

Target Audience- The general audience for book blogs tends to be younger, between the ages of 14-21. While the majority of the book blogs I’m aware of are geared toward young adults, there are a number of adult review sites as well, where there will obviously be older readers. It is important to keep in mind the target audience when writing for whichever kind of blog you choose. For instance, most YA book bloggers refrain from swearing on their blogs or reviewing books with adult content that could be considered inappropriate or obscene. Adult book bloggers have much more leeway with the content and language on their blogs.
Topic- Obviously on a book blog your topic is going to be books and book reviews. Therefore it is up to the author of the blog to decide how much personal anecdotes will be included within the content. There are some bloggers who stay completely on topic, not including any personal information unless it relates directly to books or the blog. Others feel the blog is more inviting if there are parts of themselves within the posts.
Tone- As stated before, the author has complete freedom to find their own tone when writing for this type of blog. While your tone is definitely going to depend on your target audience, the formality is your to play with.
length of posts- Blog posts in general are rather short, particularly the blog posts where a reader is looking for information and they want it fast. When someone reads a book review, they want a general idea of what the book is about and whether or not the book is worth picking up. If the posts go on for too long, the reader will get bored and possibly leave the blog.



In closing, here are a few questions for any book bloggers out there!

What do you think is unique to writing book blogs as opposed to other types of blogs?

Book Blogs deal a lot with opinion. How do you go about expressing that in your writing?