Jayatri

How and when did you come up with the idea of being a bookstagrammer? Tell us about your amazing journey as a Book Influencer.

I always had a love for reading. But it was always very mellow, like, reading a few books a year but I was always buying books. And then during my college years, my leisure reading increased ten fold. I started writing short reviews on my personal facebook and instagram page and recommended them to anyone who had even the slightest interest in reading. My Dad, a few of my cousins and friends always used to tell me to start a blog or to write something about the books I read. I was way too afraid to start an actual blog, still am! I used to follow a few well known Bookstagram accounts and was in complete awe of their reading, the pictures they took, everything! And then on December 25th 2020, on a complete wimp, I decided to start my Bookstagram journey. I felt this need that my books and my thoughts about them needed their own separate platforms. And, I also would get to know more about books! And I have been loving this space more than anything! 

What are the top social media platforms available in India and the USA for book promotions?

I feel India and the USA have the platform of Instagram, Goodreads, Twitter and Strorygraph common! If any good publisher or author wants a good platform for promotions, these are the go to places! Goodreads has the largest reach I feel, after Instagram!

At what stage of my book publishing journey should I consider social media promotions? Pre publishing or post and How?

Book promotion can start at any stage. But, personally, I feel it should start during the pre-publishing stage. It helps generate more buzz about the book and gets the audience excited. At the Pre publishing stage, a platform like Instagram comes in very handy! Constant updates on the manuscript and how the writing is going keeps the followers excited. After the publishing, the author or the publishing house can contact reviewers on social platforms for paid promotions, or can give out ARCs for the review! Word-of-mouth reviews are very big on social media. If a notable Bookstagrammer spreads the word that the book is worth the read, publishing houses will get more requests for it and it will get more online time!

Your feed looks aesthetic!  What are the difficulties faced while shooting such artistic portraits?

That is very Kind of You! Thank you! I think, and most of the bookstagrammers will agree with me here, that natural light is everything. Sunlight can make a simple picture very vibrant! But, it takes an effort to take pictures that go with an account’s theme! The struggle I face most of the time, along with hunting sunlight, is a very neutral place to shoot the portraits. Which helps in enhancing the book’s features and doesn’t get too in your face! 

What are the common mistakes made by first-time authors while promoting the book on social media?

The most common mistake which I see and personally puts me off is, keep nagging the blogger/reviewer with comments and messages to review their books. Emails or just a DM with their book details and a request to review their book, I feel is enough! Also, not promoting their book enough with the bloggers. The line between hounding and earnest promotion is very thin. On social media, you need to know the trick to communicate with people to establish a repo, so that it works in your favour.  

You are doing a pretty good job in your niche. What are the 3 top things you consider while reviewing a book?

Thank you! I feel the flow of the writing, the plot of the story and the character development is very necessary! I have DNF’d (did not finish) quite a few books because the flow and plot of the story is so slow and staggered, that it feels like I am wasting my time. A semi-good plot with a fast-paced narration and good character development has the potential of being the book which the majority of the book community is talking about.

What are the 5 most effective ways to promote books on social media?

Live promotions with any of the known bookstagarmers, sending out review copies to bloggers, giveaways, doing a book hunt and then leaving clues for it on social media, constantly being active and commenting on book reviews posted by reviewers. These are the a few things I feel are the most effective. 

What are the things an author should be cautious about before finalizing a social media handle (page) for promoting their book?

I honestly feel an author should always double-check a reviewer’s work and page for plagiarism from various sources. That is the make-or-break criteria one should absolutely have. And also, whether a particular page/handle has an authentic following or not. Because, an account with fake or paid followers will not help the author with his promotions, but a genuine account with less followers will help the book’s sale and word-of-mouth promotions. 

What impact does bookstagram have on your life? Are there any negative sides to it?

Oh my goodness! Bookstagram has had such a great impact on my life. Because of this platform, I am more aware of what I am reading. I have discovered so many underrated books and fell in love with them. My writing skills have improved! I can express myself better. Everyday I am discovering new books and new people to connect with! I have made some pretty awesome friends here, who share my love for books and writing. But like any other platform, this place too has a negative side. There is a constant race for growth. More followers, more review copies from publishing houses, having an aesthetic feed, having a theme for the feed. This creates so much more pressure on new bookstagramers! Even I get entangled in algorithms and number games off this platform. It takes a toll on one’s mental health too! So many people end up quitting this space for not being able to keep up with demands. It becomes quite a hardship to produce content when you are not reading that much sometimes because life takes over. 

What is the Vision & Mission of your social media handle? Tell us a bit about, the Kind of books you promote, your biggest strength as a book influencer, popular authors promoted so far, years of experience, any testimonials, etc.

My vision and mission for my page are simple, just be and do what I like. This page was created with a vision to represent me and my reading to the world as honestly as I can. The reach and the benefits come with it when you create a good space to show your creativity and love for books. I like and will read any book apart from the self-help genre. I haven’t read any classics yet, so I really can’t comment whether I’ll like it or not! I will promote all those books and authors, which do not bring down a community or are offensive to the world.
I feel my biggest strength as a book influencer would be my outgoing nature. I can have easy-going conversations with the people of the book community, without hurting their respect or jeopardizing mine.
I am still a newbie on this platform, so I haven’t had the pleasure to promote or collaborate with authors or any publishing houses yet! But i guess, that is what I and many others like me are working towards with the help of Bookstagram!

At Sharing Stories, we have an ongoing campaign ‘Let’s Empower Our Kids’. Please suggest some books here that you would want your child to read before the age of 15 which could help him in understanding certain dimensions of human life like empathy, sympathy, relationships, etc.

No one has ever asked me this question before and I never thought of it myself too because no one ever recommended anything to me during my adolescence. I started my reading straight with Sidney Sheldon, which in hindsight, I would not recommend children of 15 and less to read!
I feel anything by Ruskin Bond or Sudha Murthy is a very safe and good place to start, these books have a very specific audience and teach great lessons. A little later in life, a diary of a wimpy kid, Agatha Christie or for that fantasy genre, offers a more diverse platform for a kid’s Imagination to grow! 

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