So I had the chance to interview Amber, of The Mile Long Bookshelf, and I guess this is how it went! Haha
Amber, for the few people who haven't heard of you, how about you tell us a bit about yourself and your blog?
Hello, thanks for having me on your awesome blog! My name is Amber and I'm 15. I love drawing, writing, painting, playing guitar, listening to music...basically anything creative. Oh, and I'm obsessed with Twitter, I seem to be on there all the time! My blog is called The Mile Long Bookshelf and I review books, start discussions, host giveaways (a LOT of giveaways...) and anything bookish!
I know you've been blogging for quite a while now, how did it all get started?
I actually started blogging when I was 7 years old, which means I've been blogging for over half of my life! That first blog was like an online diary, I guess, and it started because lots of stuff was happening in my life at the time and I needed somewhere to publicly express my thoughts. I've set that blog to private, now - it's so embarrassing!
How has blogging changed, for you, in those years since you started?
Book blogging has changed so much in the last four years since I started. It used to be a lot less competitive, for a start; now we all seem to be competing for ARCs (advanced review copies) etc. And it seems way more stressful!
I think we all know it can be hard to get a blog started. What advice would you give to new book bloggers who are considering giving up because they feel like nobody's reading?
Don't give up. A lot of the time it will seem like nobody's reading, but it's likely you will have a few 'silent' readers - the ones who read, but don't follow or comment. Or, if you know for certain that nobody is reading it, think about why that might be. Something new bloggers need to know from the start is: No one is going to read your blog unless you get the link out there. So, you could get a Twitter account and interact with other bloggers (we don't bite!), or you could comment on other blogs and make friends that way instead. Readers will be flooding in, soon enough!
How did you feel when you received your first review request from an author?
I remember it so well! Leila Rasheed emailed me out of the blue and offered to send me her latest book in return for an honest review. I was just sat at the computer, my mouth open in shock. I was probably shaking with excitement, too. It was such a cool moment!
You're a big reader, that's obvious. What's your favourite book or series at the moment?
I love how you added 'at the moment', because my favourite books change all the time! At the moment I am loving The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, and I also just finished A Boy Called Hope by Lara Williamson which is out in March 2014. It's a stunning book!
What book would you like to be adapted into a film, or if it has been already, what do you think of the adaptation?
That's a hard question! I would love Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher to be made into a film, but that book is written in the format of letters so I'm not sure how well that would adapt for the big screen. I'm really looking forward to The Fault in Our Stars movie - not long to go now!
You recently celebrated your Blogoversary Festival, what was that like?
It was so fun! It was my 4th blogoversary and usually I'll just celebrate with a giveaway or something but this time I decided to go all-out and schedule a 2-week-long celebration with a festival theme. There were guest posts from YA authors Emma Pass and Cathy Cassidy, a couple of blogger interviews and some massive giveaways! I'm actually really proud of myself for sticking with book blogging. Hopefully there will be many more years of it to come!
What's the best thing, blog-wise, that has happened to you this year?
There are two things that instantly stood out for me when I read that question. Through my blog I managed to get a paid job working for a magazine! I can't say anything more about that for now though, but that is basically my dream job so to get that before I'd even turned 15 was amazing! I also got to interview David Levithan over Skype which was nerve wracking but really cool because he's very well-known and I adore his books.
And to celebrate the year's end, you hosted a huge giveaway. How long had you been planning it?
I'd been planning the giveaway since July! I got a bit carried away and gathered way too many prizes together...that's going to cost a lot to send to the winner. Oops!
Huge thanks to Amber for taking the time to answer my questions! She's a fellow blogger, been blogging for half her life, bit of a professional really! You guys should really check her out, if you haven't already, her blog is awesome!
See you guys tomorrow with day 20!
(Wow Christmas is getting really close!)
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