How to Start a Book Blog From Scratch in 2023

Many book enthusiasts dream about running a successful book blog – after all, what’s better than making money from the comfort of your own home, all while engaging both yourself and your audience in your favorite hobby?

While the idea is enticing to many, starting a blog may still seem like a daunting task for those looking to begin.

So, if you are a bibliophile who wants to learn how to start, you’re in the right place. This article will go over the reasons to start a book blog, the definition of one, and provide a step-by-step guide to starting a book blog. Then, we’ll discuss how to monetize your blog and share some characteristics of already successful book blogs.

Without further ado, let’s begin.

What Is a Book Blog

To begin with, a blog is a regularly updated website whose content is typically written in a conversational style.

Think of it as an online journal, where bloggers share their thoughts with the world.

In book blogging, the book blogger is usually an avid book reader who wants to share their passion with like-minded people.

Posts in a book blog may have different purposes, such as to feature book reviews, book critiques, or book recommendations.

Book blogs may be general or focused on a specific niche. For example, one book blogger may choose to start a book blog to discuss all types of books, while another may have a book review blog focused on fiction or even a more specific genre.

Reasons to Start a Book Blog

If you are a passionate book-lover wondering whether to start a book blog, the following reasons may convince you to take the leap:

Reading is your passion. Starting a book blog means you’ll explore books even deeper, making new discoveries in the process.

Recommending books and authors. Share your favorite books and authors – let everyone experience the joy of reading them for the first time.

Having an outlet to express yourself. Start a book blog to write at length about various topics to people who care about the same things as you do.

Improving your writing skills. Being a book blogger will make you learn how to organize and express your thoughts more eloquently. In addition to getting plenty of writing practice done, you’ll also receive direct feedback from your blog readers.

Being a community member. As you go further in your book blogging journey, you will naturally meet people with similar interests. Become friends with people in the book world: blog readers, book bloggers, or book authors.

Making a living off your passion for books. As you gain readers and credibility as a book blogger, you will get the opportunity to monetize your blog through various methods such as affiliate links, ads, and sponsored posts.

How to Start a Book Blog: Step-by-Step Guide

If you have finally convinced yourself to start book blogging, it’s time to learn how to start a book blog.

To realize your dream of joining the ranks of book bloggers, follow the steps of our book blogging guide below.

1. Determine Your Target Audience

Your target audience is the specific group of people to whom you dedicate your book blog, for example, readers of a certain age range, location, gender, or community.

Specifying your target audience will help you determine the niche of your book blog, the style of your posts, and the design of your blog.

For example, if the target audience is younger readers, you may want to consider the following advice:

Focus on more fun and adventurous book genres. For instance, fantasy or science fiction.

Write posts in a more appealing way. Use informal language, and don’t be afraid of slang. Don’t forget to insert some funny photos or GIFs to break up the blocks of text.

Create eye-catching site design. A boring and drab site design from the 2000s won’t get you anywhere when it comes to a younger demographic. Try including dynamic elements and vibrant colors, and make sure your site is responsive on mobile phones.

Alternatively, if the target audience is older people, you may want to consider these completely different tips:

Focus on more serious books. Concentrate on non-fiction literature such as books on self-help, marketing, and business.

Use conversational language, but keep it semi-formal. Use fewer slang expressions in your book blog. However, keep in mind that using humor is not off-limits. Just because a reader is older doesn’t mean your blog should be dull and boring.

Break up lines of text with the occasional picture. But make sure the photos are relevant to your content.

Use a minimalistic and clean website design. It may be more appreciated than a vibrant or lively one.

Keep in mind, however, that nothing is set in stone when it comes to the niche of your blog and its posts, so, feel free to experiment.

With all of that said, it is crucial to take your target audience into account when making decisions.

2. Choose a Book Blogging Angle and Niche

The book blogging angle and niche are the specific segments of the book world your book blog will focus on.

Although there is nothing wrong with a book blog covering all kinds of books, the more specific your niche is, the better.

Choosing a more specific niche and angle may mean less competition and more loyal readers. The more unique your niche is, the more you get to stand out from fellow book bloggers.

Keep in mind that if you pick a particularly rare niche, there is a higher possibility of people seeking out your blog because there aren’t a lot of people running blogs with the niche in the first place. However, a rare niche can mean that there will be fewer interested readers.

Consider the following ideas to pick your blogging niche:

Go even further than fiction or non-fiction books. Cover only specific genres. Create a book blog focusing solely on romance, horror, fantasy, science fiction, or classic books.

Get even more specific than picking a genre. Center your entire book blog around a particular book series or works of certain writers.

Dedicate your book blog to a specific matter. For example, reviewing portrayals of people of color in various books or analyzing books from the feminist perspective.

Blog about certain tropes or character types found in books. Write posts based on how certain books utilize familiar stereotypes. Give your opinion on whether this usage has a positive or negative effect on the story.

3. Select the Right Blogging Platform

A blogging platform is software for building and managing your blog or website.

There are two main types of popular blogging platforms that you can create a book blog with: content management systems (CMS) and website builders.

A content management system (CMS) creates and modifies your blog using a graphical user interface. It requires no programming knowledge, runs in your web browser, and is best suited for blogs with a lot of content.

With a CMS, you’ll need a host for website so it can be found by readers online. Figuring out the exact web hosting plan that you need will be easy with the help of a reliable website host provider. Opting for Hostinger’s CMS hosting is an ideal option for those looking for a CMS-optimized hosting solution.

Examples of popular content management systems include:

WordPress.org. Boasting versatility and ease of use, WordPress.org is the most popular CMS in the world. Originally created for blogs, it now powers all kinds of websites. CMS-optimized hosting for WordPress is the best suited hosting solution.

Joomla. This popular CMS is equipped with extensive user management controls and a multilingual system. It’s highly flexible – users can display many different content types on the site and create custom fields natively. Joomla hosting plans are best suited hosting solution.

Drupal. Due to its fast load time and robust security, Drupal is often used to build government and corporate websites. It offers numerous modules, themes, and distributions for websites with specific niches. Optimized hosting for Drupal is best suited hosting solution.

Besides content management systems, you can also use website builders to create your blog.

A website builder is a user-friendly tool for designing blogs or websites with the use of a front-end drag-and-drop interface instead of coding.

Users simply choose one of the visually pleasing pre-made templates, tweak the customization options, and drag and drop various elements into place as they like.

Website builders are usually paid services, and users typically don’t need to configure their own web hosting as it’s already included as a set with the website builder plan.

Examples of some website builders include:

Hostinger Website Builder. This beginner-friendly site builder sets itself apart from its competitors by providing various useful AI-powered tools, such as AI Writer, Slogan Generator, Business Name Generator, Blog Title Generator, Logo Maker, and Heatmap.

Wix. It provides over 500 attractive site templates. It also has its own app marketplace called the Wix App Market, from which you can download numerous add-ons to use on your book blog.

Squarespace. This website builder’s main selling point is the high-quality and beautiful templates it provides. In addition, there are third-party apps on Squarespace Extensions, its app marketplace.