We Need #DiverseBookBloggers

DIVERSITY AMONG REVIEWERS

Most readers including myself, read book reviews before making a purchasing decision. Simply put, book reviews drive sales.

But does it matter who reviews the book? Definitely.

Readers, are you likely to make book purchasing decisions based on reviews by bloggers or trade reviewers?

Pls RT!

— Nuzaifa (@wordcontessa) July 9, 2016

I regularly buy books solely based on the recommendation of trusted bloggers and reviewers. And I'm more likely to add books to my to-read list or go out and purchase a book based on the review of book blogger than trade reviewers like Kirkus Reviews.

However, libraries and bookstores are likely to choose which books to stock up by looking at trade reviews since they are long established and are high on the credibility scale when it comes to the book publishing industry. Similarly, readers who aren't active on Goodreads, social media and the blogosphere/booktube community are more likely to go to trade review sites for recommendations.

Either way, there's no doubt that reviewers (both trade or independent) have a direct influence on what readers buy. End of story.

So what happens when these reviewers aka influencers are largely white cishet, able-bodied women?

Word Contessa - A Rebranding Story

People change. Passions change. So it's only natural that your brand evolves too as times goes on. I have been blogging for over 3 years at Say It with Books and I loved it.

Until I didn't.

Have you ever felt that way? Have you felt that your blog's theme/name/niche does not fit you anymore? That you have outgrown something that you previously loved?

THE WORD CONTESSA BLOG BRANDING STORY

In the months leading up to my third blogversary, I realized that I was simply not feeling it. This wasn't just a blogging slump. I considered spicing things up a bit and tried numerous things. I flirted with the idea of self-hosted WordPress which I tried and HATED (loved the bazillion plugins but it was not for me!). I soon realized that my issue was not going to be sorted by a simple font change or migrating to WordPress. After a good two months of going back and forth, I decided to rebrand my blog. It was incredibly liberating and motivating to rethink my content, my blogging voice, blog design and blog name.

Apart from the obvious name change and design overhaul, I have decided to clean up my categories to identify my ideal niche and to bring in topics that I like to write about.

• Book Reviews: Pretty self-explanatory. I will be looking at switching up my review style a bit and I hope to also review more adult novels along with young adult fiction.
• Book Talk: I like the idea of discussing the portrayal of real life in fiction so you'll be seeing more posts like my recent discussion Redefining Strong Women in YA Fiction.
• Blog Talk: During the day I work in PR so I'd like to share my experience in blogging, social media, marketing and brand management along with some organizational tips.
• Flash Fiction: I hope to sit my ass down and start working on my book this year so I'll be sharing some snippets, short fiction pieces as well as any anecdotes about this whole process.
• Life: Everything non-blogging, non-writing, non-reading goes here! I hope to get to know my readers and fellow bloggers better this year so this category is the first step towards that.

Shoutout to some incredible people who helped me through this process:

• Misaki at Three Words who helped with all my hosting + domain change queries! She was patient and brilliant during my (temporary) move to WordPress was super smooth despite me not liking the whole WordPress interface etc.
• Adele, the super talented tumblr artist who created the gorgeous header artwork!
• Hazel at Designs by Stay Bookish who helped with the blog layout and all my coding needs.
• My real life besties + blogging besties + my mum who helped me throughout my blogging identity crisis, helped me pick color palettes and gave incredible feedback! Love y'all! :)

MOODBOARD + COLOR PALETTE

Recap: Blogger Positivity Campaign

As a blogger returning from a hiatus (albeit a short one), Jillian's Blogger Positivity Campaign was a great reminder of why I love blogging. This campaign helped me to reflect back on my 3 years of blogging and understand why I started out in the first place. Today's post is recap of the campaign and I will be highlighting some of my favorite moments from the event.

WHAT I LEARNED

• We need diverse blogging voices so don't be afraid to be yourself. While I understand that finding one's blogging voice is much easier than done, it is possible so we just need to keep working on it. 

5 Lankan Book Bloggers You Must Meet

Three years ago when I first started my book blog, Say It with Books I was looking for local book bloggers who might be interested in collaborations and whatnot. So of course, like all normal people I reached out to our trusty friend Google with a quick 'Sri Lankan Book Bloggers' search.

ZERO. That's how many bloggers I found.

A Letter To (Magical) Readers

Dear Unicorn,

At the time I was drafting this letter, there were 7,383,852,034 people on this earth. Among these roughly 7 million people, there's a bunch of people that I consider my tribe.

They are a weird bunch. Some would call them crazy. Some would shake their heads at them. 

I call them magical.

By day, some of they are quite ordinary. You might encounter one on your daily commute. At your workplace. At your school. Even in your very homes. They are everywhere. 

But by night (Some do manage to sneak in during the broad daylight - How Scandalous!) they are wizards, superheroes, debutantes, super sleuths, dragon slayers, vampires, undercover agents, soldiers, werewolves and even villains. 

They are time travelers - twirling into the Regency Era, spying their way through the World War II, volunteering as a tribute beside Katniss, whipping up love potions and charms, immortalizing the French Renaissance in their paintings, falling in love in space, racing around on hover cars in 2056 or saving the universe from hostile alien life forms.

2 Things That Have Changed In Book Blogging

The Blogger Positivity Campaign organized by the Jillian of Jillian’s Books aims to spread love and bring back some much needed positivity to the blogging community. Today's post is an extension of the campaign and I have chosen to share a few things that have changed (for the better) over the course of 3 years in the community!

D I V E R S I F I C A T I O N 

Blogger Positivity Campaign

The Blogger Positivity Campaign hosted by the lovely Jillian of Jillian's Books kicks off today and I'm incredibly excited to be a part of this uplifting campaign! To kick of the event, the participating bloggers are doing an introductory post so here we are. I hope there's a little something for both the new and old readers of Word Contessa! ;)

HEY, DARLIN'

For those of you who are visiting for the first time, my name is Nuzaifa and I am the blogger at Word Contessa (previously, Say It with Books). I am a 20 something feminist working in branding and communications at a local fashion retailer. When I'm not reading, I can found binge-watching Empire, HTGAWM or The Mindy Project, gushing over pretty typography, or volunteering.

I blog from Sri Lanka, a tropical island in South Asia. Think gorgeous beaches, stunning forests, magnificent wildlife, super friendly people and drool-worthy spicy cuisine. Don't take my word for it, check it out here.