This November we bring to you five book lovers and content creators from Southeast Asia and beyond, and talk to them about their passion for reading, their penchant for creating content and learn how they built a community online. Join us as we explore their journey, understand the platforms they prefer to talk about books and get some tips for building a digital presence.
Meet John Lloyd Canlas Dion, a bookstagramer from Philippines
1) How did your bookstagram journey start?
During the pandemic, I started using bookstagram. I created an account as I had been stuck at home for a few months with nothing to do. It was one of my best decisions since I got to know other readers and make new friends, learn about their culture, and also grow as a person.
2) How long did it take to grow your audience on Instagram and connect with the reader’s community?
I had to wait over a year to see my audience grow. It is a difficult thing to achieve as I have to actively interact with my audience on the platform.
3) What is the best thing about bookstagram?
It is a place where you can meet friends who consider you as family.
A tip for fellow bookstagram influencers – Be active and interact with your audience. Make an effort to publish a post every week. Additionally, share your opportunities with them.
Your most recent read from our list – My most recent read was Vincent C. Sales’ The End of All Skies. I truly liked reading it since the storyline was so original and meaningful to me as a Filipino – it blew my mind.
Meet Sonia Singh, a book blogger from Malaysia
1) How did your blogging journey start?
During the pandemic, I was in my last semester at university and had nothing much to do, so I decided to rekindle my childhood hobbies such as reading and writing. Naturally, it made sense to put the two together and start book blogging!
2) How long did it take to build your platform and grow your audience? Do you have a preferred platform to create content?
When I first started, I knew nothing about the blogging world. I spent my hard-earned money on courses to learn more about getting readers to my blog. It took me a year and a half to finally achieve my first 50,000 readers because there were times I was not consistent in publishing. Imposter syndrome kicked in and made me feel like I’m not good enough to run a book blog because I can’t read hundreds of books a year like other book bloggers.
Soon, I realized it’s not about how many books you read a year but how helpful your content is to other readers. In all honesty, I prefer book blogging over booktok. It is the right platform for me because I do not like creating videos as I’m not comfortable being on camera.
I must admit though, I started off my book blogging journey with bookstagram which gave me the initial push to create content and be comfortable with putting myself out there. It has helped me meet like-minded readers in my country and make some friends! I will always be grateful to those who supported me in my early bookstagram days.
A tip for budding book bloggers – Create content consistently, have patience and be kind to yourself. You’re not going to go viral overnight, you might not even get 100 readers when you first start book blogging. It takes time to build a good bank of content to attract readers. Also, not everyone will like or agree with what you write and that’s okay. Finally, you are more than your blog metrics.
Your favourite from our list – My favourite would be Prisna by Princess Vibhavadi Rangsit. It was a heart-warming historical fiction romance written by a Thai princess during WWII. Fun fact, it was my first book blog post!
Meet Sandra Kleppe, a booktuber from Norway
1) How has your journey on BookTube been so far?
I started my channel 7 years ago because I wanted a place to talk about the things I love. That later grew into just being a booktube channel. I think I have grown the most in the last 2 years. It took a long time for me to be brave enough to engage more with the community. The best thing so far has been making friends who also love books.
A tip for fellow BookTubers would be – Talk to people! That is how you will feel like you are a part of this amazing community. Don’t be scared to reach out and make friends.
Your current read from our list – The book I read the most recently is My American Sister by Judy Tham. It is a touching story with a lot of heart.
Meet Puty Puar, the founder of Buibu Baca Buku Book Club in Indonesia
1) How did the BBB Book Club start?
BBB in BBB Book Club stands for ‘Buibu Baca Buku’ which means ‘Mothers Read Book’. It was started in 2018 as a movement on Instagram because I thought, “Okay, we all want our children to be readers, but how would they do that if there isn’t any role model in the family?” I hope more mothers will read and enjoy it for themselves. Also, we realize that reading books is a habit that sharpens literacy skill, which is crucial for gaining knowledge. And knowledge is power. In short, we’re trying to empower women and more families through reading! 🙂
2) How has the journey been so far?
At first, we started posting book-related content on social media. When the pandemic hit, we started to engage in virtual discussions. To engage more people with a relatively small team of volunteers, we collaborate with other communities, publishers, and institutions to create awareness. It has been almost 4 years now and we have an audience of 30,000+ readers on social media, mostly women but not limited to mothers. We regularly create book-related content including book recommendations and reviews, we do discussions, competitions and also reading challenges. We hope that we can continue creating impact while spreading our love of books!
2) What is the most amazing part about leading a book club/being a part of a book club?
I think it is when someone said, “Oh you know what, it’s been a while since I read a book. After I discovered your content / joined your discussion, I started to read again.” Or when participants of our discussion said they got a new perspective. It feels amazing! I might be biased but I feel energized by the interaction sparked with curiosity and insight every time we hold a book discussion.
3) What’s a book from our list that you are excited about introducing to the book club?
The First Decade by Vivy Yusof. Personally, she’s a woman-crush, a fashion blogger who turned into a successful entrepreneur and a mother. Not to mention a funny one! So, yes, can’t wait to read everything from her POV!
Meet Jessica Tay, a bookstagramer and budding booktoker from Malaysia
1) Tell us about your book blogging and booktok journey so far.
I started book blogging journey around 2016 but I wasn’t very consistent as I had just started picking up reading at that time. Soon, I discovered bookstagram in 2017. I was attracted to the visuals and the aesthetics that bookstagrammers provided. Plus, the community projects positive vibes. That’s how my bookstagram page was born. Over the time, I begin to focus more on reviewing books on my book blog and bookstagram. I’m still trying to figure it out BookTok! If you like to talk in front of camera and deliver brief yet compact book reviews, it is definitely the right place for you. Instagram is where my reading journey started and it the platform where I feel most welcome and find comfort in interacting with other readers here.
A tip for fellow content creators – I’ve made many good friends, who are all book lovers, from around the world. I think being genuine with others, creating honest content, reading at my own pace and not feeling the need to follow the trends all the time or stick to certain themes has given me the best time on these platforms.
Your current read is – I’m currently reading My Lovely Skull & Other Skeletons by Tunku Halim. So far, everything has been described vividly which helps me to visualise the gory details even better! (Not sure if this is entirely a good thing, especially for those who are faint-hearted.)
That’s all for today, folks! See you next time with some book recommendations for #NonfictionNovember
– by Garima Bhatt, Senior Executive – Digital & Marketing
