I’m a new member of The Indie Exchange and thought it would be best to start my monthly column off with a bit of introduction. I’ve been blogging for almost 18 months at Girl Who Reads. My book blog started off as an experiment and learning activity. I was working with a small publishing house start-up and a big part of my job was contacting bloggers for reviews and such. I fell in love with the book blogging community.
I’ve always loved reading, but it wasn’t until graduate school that I discovered that it was the learning that came from the reading that I truly loved. While I enjoyed what I was studying, I wasn’t really passionate about it. My graduate studies taught me how to think critically about what I was reading and connect what I’m reading with other aspects of life. I have taken both of those skills and applied them to my blogging. In doing so, I am now doing something I’m passionate about – exploring new worlds, emotions, thoughts and concepts.
In my college Psych 101 class, we did a big personality test. The results were slightly surprising – I was almost smack dab in the middle. The horizontal axis determined introvert or extrovert and the vertical axis denoted rebel or conformist. I describe myself as an extroverted introvert (however, I could be an introverted extrovert as I don’t remember which term was on which end of the axis). I was ever so slightly more to one-side of the graph. As for rebel or conformist – again I was pretty close to dead center, but slightly more of a conformist. At the time, I thought my results indicated I had no personality. However, now with years of life experience behind me, I know that my personality is one of flexibility (I make an ideal seatmate on flights). I can be outgoing, which is definitely a good thing when called upon to publicize a book or author. But my introspective nature allows me to offer constructive criticism and recognize good writing even if I didn’t particularly like the book.
In the book world, I’m finally finding a place I fit. I’ve often felt as if I didn’t really have an opinion on many things in life – the whole not quite a conformist, not really a rebel thing came into play. The changing publishing industry appeals to that aspect of my personality. We are challenging the status quo, yet maintaining the standards that have defined good literature and entertainment for centuries. My providing my two cents to the discussion, I receive satisfaction in knowing I’m part of something larger working towards a common goal.
By now, you’ve probably caught onto another aspect of my personality – I like to ramble. So before I get off on another tangent I will end this here. I look forward to getting to know you all and hope for some wonderful discussion in the coming months.
**Please note that guest posts and columns reflect the opinions of the individual author and not The Indie Exchange as a whole. Also note, The Indie Exchange uses affiliate links to offset the costs of hosting etc.**
Latest posts by Donna Huber (see all)
- Tips for Choosing a Blog Tour Company - May 8, 2013
- Getting The Most Out Of Your Promotional Pricing - April 8, 2013
- Components of a Media Campaign - February 9, 2013
It's great to know there are still people who do read nowadays, as it's something that seems to be dwindling. From an author – thank you.
Lovely to see you here, Donna! Are you still w/ the small pub start-up? That's how we met at the IBE last year. Love seeing you on Twitter. I'll check in often (I'm no longer w/ the Indie Book Collective — on my own @BadRedheadMedia.)
Grats on the new book and gig here! xo
Julie – Thanks for stopping by. I think are still a lot of readers out there, but perhaps they feel so overwhelmed by the offerings these that they aren't reading as much.
Hi Rachel! I left the publishing house this past December, still do a bit of publicity for authors and really focusing on my blog.