Zehen Shorey

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 have been a reader since I was introduced to my first book at age 7. Since then my love affair with my books has seen its ups and downs, however, when the pandemic hit I went back to my books. Soon enough, I started watching Youtube channels related to books and it was a slippery slope from there. I started my page on 22nd February 2021 on a complete whim. I wanted a space where I could have a creative outlet and share my love for books! I can safely say that I haven’t looked back at all since the day I started “theunfoldedchapter“!

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

Looking at the recent trends and the increasing use of social media to promote books, I would have to say – Twitter, Instagram and GoodReads are definitely the best apps to use to reach a wider audience. Bookstagram and Book Twitter has become a whole separate space for book lovers and I think it’s also a great way for authors and publishers to directly get in touch with a large crowd of readers.

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

In my opinion, a mix of both would be great. Providing reviewers with advance reading copies can be a great way to create some buzz about your book especially if you are a self-publisher. Author meet and greets or interviews and giveaways are also great and pocket-friendly ways to promote a new book.

Having a strong number of reviewers on platforms like Amazon and Goodreads are also extremely beneficial and are definitely platforms to be kept in mind while publishing a new book. 

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

Thank you so much! If I had to list down a difficulty or two, I would definitely say that Natural lighting plays a huge role in my photographs. So for me, it is extremely essential to stick to a particular time of day. Apart from that, the struggle remains to make each picture unique yet use similar elements so that my feed is maintained. I love adding nature shots and some greenery to add to the cozy effect I am aiming to create with my page. 

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

In my opinion, the biggest pet peeve of book reviewers is when an author approaches them and refuses to pay for a review or expects a positive review just because a review copy was provided. Avoiding these two mistakes could prove to be extremely beneficial in creating an authentic audience for an author’s work. 

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

The top three things I like to keep in mind while reviewing a book would be – 

1. Pace – I think most readers have a very specific taste when it comes to the pace of the book. I find many readers get daunted by books that have more than 500 pages and are wary of the fact that the book would be too slow. So mentioning the pace is a great way for readers to gage whether they would want to dip their toes in the water, so to say.
2. Plot – Something that I find essential to the book reviewing process is to find the right balance between giving out the plot of the book and giving spoilers. No reader wants any part of the book spoiled! It is extremely essential for me to maintain that balance and make sure that I share the essence of the book but don’t give out details that could spoil the reading experience for my audience.
3. Personal Opinion – I definitely like to add a personal touch to my reviews, if the book reminded me of a personal experience in life or I am able to share a personal anecdote, more often than not I will. I believe it helps my audience understand my whole experience of a book. I also like to mention certain bullet points and main themes when suggesting a book that might appeal to a certain part of my niche! I believe that also gives a unique spin to my reviews that could coerce my audience to pay more heed to what I write. 

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

Book tours, Advance Reading copies, Author interviews, or using Lives, Giveaways and video content creation (reels, since the Instagram and Facebook algorithm, are pushing these modes of content to a larger number of people) are definitely a few ways, in my opinion, to use social media to promote a book. 

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

If this question is with regards to reaching out to certain influencers to promote their book I would definitely say sharing the synopsis of the book and having the reviewer go through it so they can ascertain whether they would be the right reviewer for the job is key. 

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

I can safely say that bookstagram is a space that is a huge part of my life today. I have met some wonderful people on here who understand me and my love for books that have failed to find elsewhere and I am introduced to new literature every day that I wouldn’t have found otherwise. 

With anything, there are both positive and negative sides and the same applies to bookstagram. Hate and judgement on the part of others for certain reading choices and plagiarism of content are two negative sides that stick out prominently. I believe the best way to manage a bookstagram account is to be authentic to yourself and your readers, to create content that truly represents who you are and your thoughts also to never forget that everyone there is united by the common love for literature and each person should be respected equally for their thoughts and opinions!

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.

As a fairly new bookstagrammer, I would like to say that my reviewing experience is not as vast as many others out there. I started this page with a mission to share my personal views on the books that touched my heart and to meet like-minded individuals. I believe in promoting and sharing the work of authors with who I connect on a personal level. The books I review are mostly the books I pick up however I have recently begun to receive requests to review books by a few authors.

My biggest vision for this page is to provide the reader’s community with a space where they can come and feel heard and hopefully view content that they can both respect and relate to. I will only review and read books that I believe I will be in a better position to understand. 

So far this space has been very kind to me and my content and I hope to keep it like this for the future as well. 

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.

I absolutely adore this question. Earlier this year I read a rather popular book, The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune and for more reasons than one, it has stuck with me. I have made this statement before and I will say it again, it’s a book I would love to read to my own children someday. So that would definitely be my top answer for this question – the book infuses many life lessons and realities of human relationships which I feel are essential for younger readers. I would also recommend the 39 clues series that was co-written by many famous authors. I believe that a fantasy genre is a great place for the younger audiences to begin their reading journey with – it helps expand their imagination and this series, in particular, introduced me to a lot of world history and geography and I didn’t even realize while I was reading it!

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