Sophie Bergeron created her blog Sailing Through Books on July 6th 2015.
Hello cupcakes!
Today is a very exciting day because it is my little blog's anniversary! Yep, you read that right, Sailing Through Books is now one! Not gonna lie guys, it doesn't register that I started blogging a year ago. To be frank, I feel like I started last week and at the same time, like it's been five years!
◄◄ Let's rewind a bit ◄◄
Here are some moments that marked my first year of blogging.
- July 6th 2015 : I created Sailing Through Books. Fun fact, I wanted to call my blog Blue Yellow Books at first, but then realized there would be too much confusion with a book sporting a similar name. I also brainstormed ideas with the words "daisy", "dream", "cloud", and "water". I think I made a pretty good choice
- October 3rd 2015 : I got a new design. I started my blog on a whim and I didn't know anything about coding; I still don't to be frank. Thankfully, the amazing Claudia, from Penmarkings, was offering her design services for free and she made the lovely design you are currently enjoying! Because I love you guys, Ill let you laugh at what STB used to look like:
- November 2015 : I received my first ARC. As a book blogger, receiving your first ARC is a big milestone. For my part, I was so lucky that the lovely Cindy from Groundwood Books found my blog interesting enough to trust me with an ARC of Calvin, by Martine Leavitt. Amazing book by the way, totally read it now.
- December 2015 : I created WIFSY. I wanted to make something that would be me own, an original idea that other people could enjoy. WIFSY has gone through some changes over the past few months, and although it didn't grew as fast as I expected, I'm still proud of myself and thankful for the friendship it brought me!
This past year also brought me some wonderful new friends! Without using names in fear of forgetting someone, I am thankful for each and every single one of you lovelies! On top of everything, I got the chance to talk to authors I admire greatly, to participate in Twitter chats, to interview a few people... It really was a great first blogging year if you ask me!
‖ Pause right here ‖
I don't like stats. For me, they don't mean much because blogging is a hobby and I won't let numbers affect my mood. But for the sake of this post, here are my stats as of today:
- Total number of followers (Bloglovin' and e-mail) : 71
- Number of Twitter followers : 209
- Number of pageviews according to Blogger : 11 327
- Number of pageviews according to Google Analytics: 1 756
- Number of posts published : 126
Are these stats remarkable? Not particularly. But they're mine and I'm proud of them!
►► Let's fast forward the upcoming year ►►
I don't have many "goals" when it comes to blogging. I simply go with the flow. But here are some things I want to try to achieve in the next year:
- Write a post every day for a month : Coming to your screen August 2016.
- Host a Twitter chat : Claire from Cover to Cover and I talked about one a while back. Hopefully, I'll be able to tell you cupcakes to mark your calendars for December soon!
- Get back to basics : By that, I mean get back to blogging when I want, about what I want, without feeling pressured to share certain types of content.
- Keep blogging : This one is a legit goal guys. I'll be starting university in September, which means I'll have to adapt to this new routine as well as living on my own. Best case scenario, I handle everything like a pro and you won't even see a difference in my blogging habits!
* Bonus feature *
I might be the one writing the words, but you guys are the ones reading them and I want to thank you for that. Now, what better to thank you than a little giveaway?
I didn't want to give away one particular book because what if you've read it? Or worse, you're simply not interested? I also didn't want to give away a gift card because I'm personally not a fan of those.
So after a long thought process, I decided to give away a candle. Not any candle though, a home-made one that will be personalized for the winner.
The rules are simple:
- You must be 13+ or have a parent's/guardian's permission to enter.
- I am not responsible for the lost of the package.
- Open internationally, and I do actually mean EVERYWHERE in the WORLD.
► Play ►
Get ready, another year is starting and I'm not planning on going anywhere! To many more reviews, discussion posts and bookish shenanigans!
Take care guys!
Sophie
