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I created my book Instagram-“bookstagram”-account in June 2020 during the pandemic. And it’s honestly one of the best decisions I’ve made. Since then, I’ve found a wonderful community of fellow book lovers, met some of my closest friends, and shared my love of books with others around the world. It’s also been a great creative outlet!
As much as I love bookstagram, there are times when it feels more like a chore instead of a hobby. I feel pressure to keep up with publication dates, post every day, try reels, join book tours, and the list goes on. And sometimes I get way too caught up in those things. For 2023, I set goals that are a bit different from previous years, so I can get back to enjoying bookstagram and making it about the books and friendships, not stylized book pictures, stacks of book mail, and followers. With that, here are my 5 bookstagram goals for 2023!
1. Don’t Stress About Follower Count
I know, I know…it’s easier said than done. And does this mean I’ll never get frustrated when I’ve been stuck at the same number of followers for a few months? Nope. But I’m going to try and not let it be my primary focus. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since I started my bookstagram account, it’s that you cannot predict the algorithm, or even if you do, it’ll change again. I realized I need to focus on having fun and posting the photos and book reviews I want, even if they aren’t popular and might not get a ton of engagement (shares, saves, likes, and comments).
2. Stop Feeling Pressure to Post Daily
One of the biggest cycles I get into on bookstagram is getting motivated, posting daily for two weeks, then feeling burnt out and not posting for 3-5 days until I feel guilty (why?!), and then starting that process over again. It can be really draining and burdensome to feel like you “have to” post, even if you’re swamped or stressed with other things or just don’t really have anything to say. So, with that, my second bookstagram goal for 2023 is to try and stop feeling pressure to post daily. Now, if I have posts prepped and I genuinely want to, then sure! But I have a habit of forcing myself to post just because I think I should. I know it’s only a few weeks into 2023, but I’ve already had some success with this goal, and took 3 days off because I was tired and didn’t feel like posting. and I didn’t feel bad at all (okay, maybe a little, but I still consider that progress).
3. Read When and How I Want
Something else I’ve noticed since joining bookstagram is that I feel a constant need to be reading, whether it’s reading a physical book in my reading room or listening to an audiobook in the car. And that can be great-I’ve gotten through so many books I’ve wanted to read since I made reading a priority and also started listening to audiobooks (and I shouldn’t even have to say it but just a reminder that audiobooks are reading!). However, there were times I didn’t want to read, but I felt self-imposed pressure to keep up my pace and finish books. Or I’d feel guilty (again…why?!) if I took “too long” to finish a book. I even rushed through a few books just to finish them…and I regret it because I didn’t get to actually appreciate the story. So, my third bookstagram goal for 2023 is to read when I want, whether I read 3 hours one day, 3 minutes a day, or decide not to read for a few days. I even set my Goodreads goal to 1 book this year, so I can still keep a list of what I read, but I hopefully won’t feel pressure to read a certain number of books, especially after reading 243 in 2022. That number isn’t sustainable for me in the future.
4. Post More of My Memoir and Non-fiction Reads
If you know me at all, you know that I love to read non-fiction, especially memoirs. And if you look on my Instagram page, it’s clear that I read a lot of non-fiction because I do post non-fiction books a few times a month. But, I actually read a lot more non-fiction than what I post. I just haven’t posted reviews or features of it all because I was worried about limited engagement on those posts and not getting as many likes, comments, and shares. But I don’t want to focus only on mainstream fiction and books that everyone else is posting about (which is great…a lot of those just aren’t my preference). So, my fourth bookstagram goal for 2023 is to post more reviews and features of the non-fiction and memoir books I’ve read, whether they’re well-known or not. I want to share my love of reading non-fiction and show my followers that there are so many fascinating non-fiction books out there to try.
5. HAVE FUN
Hopefully this one is obvious, but my fifth and final bookstagram goal for 2023 is to have fun! I’ve loved my last 2.5 years on bookstagram, and I’m excited to continue my bookstagram page this year. I just don’t want to focus on follower counts, number of books read, engagement rates, and other similar metrics that stress me out. I have to remind myself that this is a hobby! So, for 2023, I want to continue co-hosting my memoir bookclub, cultivate friendships with other bookstagrammers (some of my closest friends are folks I met on bookstagram; we literally talk on an HOURLY basis), and post creative, fun book reviews and photos when I feel like it.
Here’s to a great 2023 on bookstagram-If you’re also on Instagram, feel free to send me a message and say hi!
Did you set any book-related goals for 2023? If so, let me know in the comments!