My experience with Bookstagram
If any of you stay active in the book community, then it is pretty likely by now that you've heard of Bookstagram. But just in case you don't know what Bookstagram is, let me give you a short explanation of it. To put it simply, Bookstagram is a community for book lovers to come together and share creative images of the thing they love most- books.
Bookstagramming isn't so simple, though. Many people will spend extended periods of time to position and capture that perfect shot. All the props need to perfectly align, and represent the overall theme of their account. Some Bookstagrammers will use white backgrounds, blankets, wood flooring, or really anything that will set off the look of the picture and give their account an aesthetically pleasing theme.
Bookstagramming isn't so simple, though. Many people will spend extended periods of time to position and capture that perfect shot. All the props need to perfectly align, and represent the overall theme of their account. Some Bookstagrammers will use white backgrounds, blankets, wood flooring, or really anything that will set off the look of the picture and give their account an aesthetically pleasing theme.
Bookstagram is growing at an extremely rapid rate. Everyday new users are joining, and taking up more creative usernames.
So I figured why not make one myself?
And so FictionalBookGirl was born!
2. Interact
The best way to get followers is to first get friends. By interacting with other people and commenting on their photos, you open yourself up to the community. Someone who is closed off and doesn't interact much, will be hard for people to find. Making friends also helps you if they mention you or generously decide to help you out and give you a shoutout!
3. Don't spam
The title pretty much says it all. Don't post too much, and especially don't just overload your account with shoutouts. be patient, the followers will come if you put in the time and effort.
4. Choose a theme
It's important for every bookstagrammer to have a theme to their account, or something that makes them stand out against the thousands of others out there. Your theme could be lighting, backgrounds, props, or really anything! Just make sure to try and stay consistent and close to your theme as much as possible. As you can see from above, I chose to stick with an old wood background for my theme.
5. Have fun!
Bookstagram is an awesome way to share you passion for reading, and make friends along the way. If having the account stressed you out, or you are only looking for followers, then don't have one. The most important part to being successful on booktagram, is to make sure you love doing it, and that it's not a chore.
If you've been wanting to start a bookstagram, just do it! It's so simple and a whole lot of fun. If not, then make sure you follow a few bookstagram accounts to fill your feed with new book recommendations!
So I figured why not make one myself?
And so FictionalBookGirl was born!
I've had my account for a little over two weeks now, and I've already gained almost 500 followers. And i'm still gaining at least 10-20 new followers everyday.
So how did I do it?
1. Quality over quantity.
Sometimes it can be really tempting to just take as many pictures as you can, and then post them all right away. But, in bookstagram this is just a bad idea.The point to bookstagram is to have eye catching and appealing pictures, if you only take a few moments to snap a picture wherever you may be, it most likely won't be the best of quality. Really make sure you plan out your shots beforehand, and take pictures from multiple angles and different lighting. No matter what picture you are taking, lighting is key.
Here is an example of a picture taken in good lighting, versus a picture taken in bad lighting.
As you can see, the picture on the right is shadowed and unclear, while the picture on the left has even lighting. I took the picture on the left in front of a window and the picture on the right in my room with the curtains closed and only my room light on.
2. Interact
The best way to get followers is to first get friends. By interacting with other people and commenting on their photos, you open yourself up to the community. Someone who is closed off and doesn't interact much, will be hard for people to find. Making friends also helps you if they mention you or generously decide to help you out and give you a shoutout!
3. Don't spam
The title pretty much says it all. Don't post too much, and especially don't just overload your account with shoutouts. be patient, the followers will come if you put in the time and effort.
4. Choose a theme
It's important for every bookstagrammer to have a theme to their account, or something that makes them stand out against the thousands of others out there. Your theme could be lighting, backgrounds, props, or really anything! Just make sure to try and stay consistent and close to your theme as much as possible. As you can see from above, I chose to stick with an old wood background for my theme.
5. Have fun!
Bookstagram is an awesome way to share you passion for reading, and make friends along the way. If having the account stressed you out, or you are only looking for followers, then don't have one. The most important part to being successful on booktagram, is to make sure you love doing it, and that it's not a chore.
If you've been wanting to start a bookstagram, just do it! It's so simple and a whole lot of fun. If not, then make sure you follow a few bookstagram accounts to fill your feed with new book recommendations!
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