TL;DR - Is this the End?

Every year around my blog anniversary I share some reflections (September blog post). My reflections are usually related to what I've learned and how I plan to move forward. Simultaneously, I've been thinking a lot about whether am I a reader, reviewer, content creator, or influencer (October blog). 

For some reason, my original September blog read negative, and October on its own sounded like I was spiraling. I figured to save you the emotional rollercoaster I would combine both posts. Honestly, this choice helped me gather my thoughts and reign in what I actually want to say. Either way, this post is slightly longer, so buckle up buttercup. 

TL;DR- I'm having a lot of trepidation about my contributions to the bookish community. I'm questioning has the space outpaced me.

The longer version is below...

As mentioned in the opening this will be a very long post. I want to try to put into words how conflicted I feel about being a bookish community member. I've changed and so has the landscape of the book community. So, I'm asking myself, how/where do I fit in, particularly when I think about what it means to be a reader, reviewer, content creator, or even an influencer. I think they all carry different weights and responsibilities (unwritten social contract). Hear me out...I think folks might use these descriptions interchangeably because there's overlap but I think there are differences:

• Reader - read for the enjoyment of reading
• Reviewer - a reader who actively posts reviews of most of the books they've read
• Content Creator - someone who creates information or materials that are often shared on social media platforms (i.e. bookish creator shares about books and reading)
• Influencer - someone who affects the purchases of others (i.e. bookish influencer recommends books with the intention of turning them into a sale)

Some people are one or a combo of these identifiers. I've even referred to myself as a content creator and here's where things began to unravel. Problem #1 I don't think I'm an influencer or maybe I'm delusional. Problem #2 the longer I'm in the bookish community I've become increasingly concerned I've moved away from being a reader. I think this feeling might stem from chasing after the content creator's rewards (gaining followers, likes, and exposure). I have somehow connected my contributions to these arbitrary numbers. Problem #3 more followers = more influence/credibility. And, in order to have more credibility I have to follow certain rules. 

Is that even true? If it is, I'm very uncomfy and need to ask myself- Is it time to move on? After 6 years have I overstayed my welcome? Is it time to let others take up space? What do I call myself and does it matter?

September's post started with Why did I start Weekend Reader? And, at the very core, I wanted to create a space for readers to talk about books and encourage non-readers to read. 

I hope this is still true, but in order to influence humans to read, I have to produce "something".  Personally, to make it to the end of the year, here's my plan. 

Boundary: Find a new cadence

My hope: I don't want reading to be a chore or burnout. I think a lot about reviewers that I started with who are no longer posting. I never thought I would get here but I'm wondering if they also had a moment like I'm having now. So, I'm going to scale my reading projects and finish my prior commitments, in order to reimagine the last 3 months of 2023. 

I posted a few months back how much time I spend on my content. As you can see it's like a part-time job, which means I can't be on all platforms. 

@weekendreader_

To get my footing, I won't be posting daily, or participating in the newest trend or challenge, etc. I want to actually show up in a chosen space as whole as possible, not contort to the algorithm or test run the new social media space. Translation- I will be posting mostly on IG and use other platforms for update purposes.

Boundary: My space isn't intended to be transactional @zoeaustrie post says it more succinctly.  

Alt text: creation out of obligation is a disservice to your purpose

My goal: Just like every book isn't for every reader, my content might not work for you. I'm a one-woman show so what you see are moments of my joy/inspiration. So, if you engage with my space it can't be for the sole purpose of getting something. 

Authors, please don't DM me just so I can read/post your book. I have an entire tab on my blog dedicated to explaining how I prefer to take cold requests (see Review Request tab). And to be clear, at least make sure I'm the most appropriate reader to read your book. 

Tagently, I wrote a blog post about Authors in Reviewers Space in March. I left it open-ended as to where are author spaces on social media. I don't consider my space a reviewer space. I recommend books. I will talk about books. I want anyone who follows me to comment on books that include authors. What this means, I want to try my best to have reviews solely (or mostly) on Amazon and GoodReads. I don't really talk about books I don't enjoy. In my mind, it's a fair assessment if you see a book on my timeline it's because I've enjoyed it or can identify a group of readers to whom I can recommend it to. The tricky part here is my platforms are public. I have no control over the comments. However, I feel a responsibility to moderate comments if I tag an author. One day I will talk about the ethics of reader/author parasocial relationships but not today. All of this is to say is in order to reduce the transactional nature of posting for likes, I want to encourage mutual exchanges with my post. 

This should go without saying but I think I should also be clear that my reviews are my own and are always honest. I try to be objective even with authors I interact with. 

I had a lot of other meandering thoughts but in the end, how I fit still isn't clear to me. Maybe a year from now I will have a more clear answer, but for now, I'm trying to avoid leaning into the anxiety of a hard goodbye. I want to hang in as long as I can make a contribution. Thank you for giving me the space to say this out loud. I appreciate what we've carved out together thus far. 

Happy Reading!