An Interview with a Bookstagrammer

The word "bookstagrammer" isn't in the dictionary. 

It's not even in Urban dictionary.

There was a funny debate on Twitter on whether the word has 2 or 1 'm's. 

But thanks to a very talented lady, Megan H, I can't stop saying the word "bookstagrammer". 

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I met Megan a couple years ago through a movie we both liked, although I've only met her in person once (thank god for the internet!) and ever since then, I've followed her through her adventure of bringing reading to a bigger platform: social media. 

Megan very kindly agreed let me interview her on what the word "bookstagram" means, her positive attitude towards books, and escaping from reality. 

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When did your love of books start to bloom? 

"Well, I've always really loved to read and I think one of the reasons for that is because my mom always read to me as a child. But I didn't really start to become an obsessive reader until after I read The Septimus Heap series in fifth grade! That series was basically my Harry Potter, and really made me appreciate literature more."

What are your favorite genres?

"I really enjoy reading any Young Adult (and some New Adult) fiction. But I especially love reading thrillers, and romance books! When reading, I love to be kept on the edge of my seat and hooked to every page!"

Do you currently have a favorite book?

"My favorite book (or in this case, series) is probably the Mara Dyer books! The plot line is very creepy and the romance is amazing! Noah Shaw is for sure my fictional boyfriend ;) "

A lot of people find reading to be an escape from reality for a bit. Do you feel this way ever?

"Escaping is one of my biggest reason for loving to read so much. I've always been a big dreamer, and every time I open a book I get to enter into a whole different world than the one I live in! I also tend to be a bit of an awkward person, and through reading I'm able to become someone else for a while and live their adventure. One of my favorite quotes is "A reader lives a thousand lives" because through reading, I can live as many adventures as I want to."

You call yourself a "bookstagrammer". What does that entail? 

"A Bookstagrammer is basically a person who has a passion for reading, and shares that passion through Instagram! The bookstagram community is fairly new, but consists of thousands of people who all get to together to share creative photos of books! There are so many talented people on bookstagram, and I'm amazed by some of the pictures they take!"

Your Instagram is booming! It's so gorgeous, too. What is your favorite part of having platform that reaches out to other people who also love books?

"Thank you so much! I love being able to use Instagram to get in touch with other readers like me. I'm from a small town, and it's hard to find people who are as passionate about books as I am! I think it's so important to make sure people feel that reading is a good thing, and not something to be ashamed of. Being a "book nerd" has been seen as a negative thing for so long, and I want people to know that it's perfectly okay to love to read! The book community is so supportive and uplifting of each other, it's hard to see it and not want to read just to be a part of the community!"

Did you ever think your love of books would bring you to have a website or an up and coming Instagram? 

"To be honest, I never thought it would grow to the magnitude it has already. Reading is simply something I enjoy and have fun with! Being able to find a way to share that passion and get it out into the world is extremely rewarding. I don't have as many followers as some do yet, but I'm blown away by all the support I have gotten in the past four months and all the followers that I have gained already! When I first started, I never would have expected to get this far with my bookstagram account."

What's your advice to people who want to be a bookstagrammer like you?

My first advice to anyone who wants to start a bookstagram is to simply have fun with it! Don't compare your pictures to everyone else, because one of the most important things to bookstagram is to be unique. By being unique, you stand out against all the others out there! Find your own little niche, and work with it. You don't need to own an expensive camera (in fact I actually use my iPhone over my DSLR to take pictures) or put money into an editing software. Anyone can easily create a bookstagram simply by setting down a book, and opening the camera on your phone. Be warned: being a bookstgrammer means you will often find yourself carrying a book everywhere you go to take cool pictures with it haha!

 Your personality is so positive towards books. Have you ever received or bought a book that you didn't like?

"Hahaha I do mostly say positive things about the books I read! But, believe it or not, there are actually a lot of books I have bought and received that I haven't enjoyed. I tend to not post books I completely despise on my Instagram to talk bad about them, because I just don't want any negativity on my account! But when I do give reviews, I'm as honest as possible. I'll never lie about loving a book I actually hate, and I actually find flaws in many books that I love! But I wholeheartedly disagree with just bashing a book in a review. I try to point out both the good aspects, and the bad aspects of the book!"

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I just want to thank Megan for being great and letting me interview her! All the photos are taken by her and from her super cool bookstagram!

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