“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination and the journey. They are home.”
– Anna Quindlen
The story we brought to you today is about a person who took her passion for books to the next level, Vidhya Thakkar, 25. A Mumbaikar by soul and a reader to the core. Vidhya is a graduate in Advertising and Digital Marketing freelancer and Book Blogger and Bookstagrammer.
Reading books is an escape route from all the problems in life as if it’s a portal to the world of fantasy! They take us to a world where everything is possible and which comes in every genre. The facets of this realm encompass the most dreadful creatures that could shiver the very bone of you to the purest form of love that would take you to the world of romance. From mysteries, myths, real-life experiences to supernatural fantasies, books can take you anywhere.
A majority of humankind read books. Books have always been looked up to as the source of knowledge, inspiration, enlightenment, a way to relax, and more. Many people are passionate about books and give their precious and honest views about the book they read. But have you ever thought one could take this passion to a whole new level?
Many of us are familiar with the concept of Book blogging, so let us know what it is exactly.
Well, the word book blogging gives away an impression that people post about books, and to be very honest, it is valid to some extent. But that’s not the entire truth. There is a lot more to the process behind posting about books. Whenever book bloggers post about a book, it includes reading the book, reviewing them, writing reviews, and recommending them to the audience in such a way that they would illustrate the joy of reading them. Book blogging is all about recommending books, reviewing them, and spreading the pleasure of reading.
We asked Vidhya about how her journey began, and it is an exciting story! So it all started with a hashtag I discovered when I was on a flight. During my trip, I was uploading a picture of a book, and at that time, I came across a hashtag called “Bookstagram.” Even after I uploaded that post, the word ‘Bookstagram’ was stuck in my head throughout my tour.
So as soon as I returned to my home, I searched about that word, and I came to know about book blogging. I was already a blogger and used to post my poems as well as my personal experiences. After researching book blogging, I started adding reviews of the books I had read.
Initially, I uploaded the reviews on my photography account. As I continued doing it, I became friends with many bookstagramers, which is when they suggested I change my username. And so, ‘reader_viddh’ came into being. Initially, I used to review the books for free, then on a barter basis, and then slowly and steadily, I received my first paid review offer, and since then, I have started doing paid reviews for about 4+ years now.
After hearing about this field, there will be many people interested in entering this business. Being in this field for about 4+ years, Vidhya tells us about the skills or qualities needed to be in this field.
The first and foremost quality one must possess while entering this field is ‘Patience.’ It is the most important quality one must acquire because paid review offers don’t come that easily to a book blogger. It took me almost two years to get my first paid review. Start slowly with the books you have, preferably your favorites. As you do so, your platform will gradually grow and once it is considerable enough, then approach the publishers.
Another skill that matters in the book blogging business is a good writing style. Each of us has a different writing style. Make sure your reviews are unique, accurate, and honest. Also, your photography skills are something that makes a difference. Better photos result in better presentation. The promise I made to myself the day I decided to step into this field is to write honest reviews no matter what. Even though paid, the reviews should have honesty in it.
Hurdles are something that is bound to appear in everyone’s life, in every field. What are the hurdles in this book blogging business?
Yes, there are many hurdles in this field as well. As I already said, patience is something you must have! Things might go real slow, and you might lose your hope, but remember, slow but steady wins the race! Also, you can’t trust everyone and consider a friend here. One has to think twice before spilling the beans to anyone.
There were times when people questioned me for my grammar, sometimes for doing many giveaways. You see, criticism is everywhere, but there are two ways of criticism. The 1st type is constructive criticism, which points out your flaws in search of betterment, and one can use such criticism to reach excellence. And the second type of criticism is to push you down. My only word for such criticism is ‘ignorance.’ Always take the good and learn from the mistakes, and give a deaf ear to such pushdown criticism.
Inspiration is a driving force that can fuel us enough to cover miles on our journey. When Vidhya was asked about her inspiration, she gave us an impressive response.
My inspiration comes from my parents and plants. My parents have always taught me never to give up. The more you grow, the more people will try to pull you down but don’t give up and continue doing what you love and follow your passion.
And plants! They have always been an inspiration to me. Plants teach me patience because they symbolize growth, and it takes time to grow.
Achievements of @Reader_Viddh.
Since I started doing paid reviews, the moments of achievements were when I got featured in MidDay, Outlook India, Buzzfeed, Social Ketchup, Amazon Book Bazaar, and India’s top 3 bloggers’ feed spot.
But the cherry on the cake was meeting Sudha Murty and Somali Bendre! I can still remember those days crystal clear.
Vidhya is also a co-founder of another platform called ‘MumbaiBookstagram.’ Let’s hear what it is.
The MumbaiBookstagram was another impromptu idea that popped up in my mind. It is a platform that is for all the book bloggers based in Mumbai. We hold meetups, discuss books and visit events such as literacy tests, book launches, etc., together. We even did a blind book date.
The most uncertain period of everyone’s lives. The Covid-19 pandemic. It resulted in a lockdown and affected almost every industry.
Did the lockdown have an impact on the book blogging industry as well? And how did Vidhya deal with it?
Of course, the pandemic times have affected this field in many ways. One of the essential upsetting things was, the paperback version was not delivered, and thus we had to use the ebooks. Ebooks are tough to read for someone so used to paperbacks. The promotions budget got lower.
But then every coin has two sides, and so was here. To deal with this uncertain happening, I firstly gifted myself a kindle. From there, it went pretty well, I would say. Also, I was working on a different section of my blog, which is intended to help the other authors. It is an author-speaking column to share their journey and experiences, just like an open mic.
So far, we have come across what Reader_Viddh does. We want to know what Vidhya Thakkar does in her free time?
Well, I am a big-time foodie, so food is something I always crave for. I love to travel. Just tickets in my hands, visiting a place and trying different cuisines, I feel content! Other than that, I love planting as well.
What difference has @Reader_Viddh created in your life?
It has taught me patience! After this @Reader_Viddh came into being, I’ve become more patient, and life has been different from back then. Before this, I was an impatient person, but the book blogging thing has changed my life a lot.
Upon asking about her plans, Vidhya again amuses us with her answer!
As of now, my goal is that I want to have my marketing agency. But if you ask me about a plan. The plan is that there is no plan. I want to walk down the path life will show and enjoy this beautiful adventure.
Word of Wisdom:
Vidhya Thakkar, a well-known book blogger, has been in this business for many years, and thus her experience is worth knowing! Here she has some wise words for our readers today!
The critical factor in any business or even life is to believe in yourself. Unless you have that belief over yourself, you can’t do anything. So have faith in yourself. There will be times when you would feel stagnant, where life seems just stuck and not moving. Remember, growth is a steady process, and patience is something that could eventually reveal the path to reach your destination. Since we all know that humans are social animals and must live in harmony to survive, some people would try to pull others down. Never be one of those! Always appreciate others and support each other!
Books are one of the best creations of humanity. Those are the actual treasures one must cherish! Not just informative but also entertaining, scary as well as intriguing, puzzling as well as enlightening. They are the portal to the world of fantasy that one must live at least once in a lifetime. And trust me, once you enter this world of books, you will never be the same person you were before! As the saying goes:
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin
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