I am thinking about starting a book blog, but I'm unsure if I would ever be able to find readers in this day and age of AI Overviews. I currently run a bookstagram, and I am having fun with it, but I find that the caption length is a bit prohibitive when writing reviews, and I sometimes struggle to form my thoughts into a format appropriate for instagram (which info to put in the caption vs. image, designing carousels, etc.). The part I like most about bookstagram is having more impetus to write my book reviews and reflect on my reading. The photography and graphic design aspects are more of a challenge, and although I often have fun with them, sometimes they also feel like a chore. I also like the idea of owning my own place for these ideas and not having to be beholden to the social media algorithms as much. Lastly, I sometimes feel a bit restricted on my content on bookstagram. I am also an avid gamer and love to find niche indie games, and I feel like I would feel more free to have a mix of content like this on a blog than on my bookstagram page.
However, I can't help but wonder if anyone really reads book blogs anymore? And with Google going more and more towards AI over being a search engine, I wonder how easily people will even be able to find my content. Although this would be for fun, I still would like to not feel like I'm just shouting into the void if I go through the work and money to build a blog.
Would love to hear thoughts and opinions from the book community on whether you read book blogs at all or know of creators who run a bookstagram and book blog together?
by Ginkmo852