The Library Vault

By Briana G

I know what some of you may be thinking: what the heck is Bookstagram? A Bookstagram is simply an Instagram account dedicated to books/bookish topics. Those accounts share giveaways, book reviews, book challenges, and general posts about their love of books, reading, and libraries too! I created mine in February of 2023 because I wanted a space to talk about books outside of my personal Instagram account. Over a year later I’ve gained over 2,700 followers and created over 100 posts. Bookstagram can be as high or low maintenance as you want it to be and it allows you to express your love of books to people from all over the world! I’ve received free books from authors and made so many new friends! It’s even paved the way for me to be on Russell Library’s social media team.

So … Do I have you hooked so far?

Now that you know what a bookstagram is, I’ll give some tips on how to get started creating yours.

Setting Up Your Account
1. Download the Instagram app if you don’t have it already and pick out your username. Make sure that your username reflects what you’ll be posting about on your account. Mine is @brianaandherbooks because I post about all of the books I review from the library or my own personal collection at home. Keep it simple.

2. Add a profile photo and details
You should add a profile picture to your account. Mine is just the name of my account, but many bookstagrammers have actual photos or cartoon renderings of themselves. Do whatever you’re comfortable with. I also suggest adding in a bio that catches other users attention but isn’t too wordy. Mine is just the state I’m from, a simple tag line, and my current reads. I also have a professional account, with which I’ve listed myself as a ‘personal blog’. Through the professional account type I can track stats for engagement to see how well my posts do.

3. Props (To Get or Not to Get)
Props are objects you use in your post images to make them more interesting. I use props here and there, but my account is pretty minimalistic. Common props I see on other accounts include flowers (real or fake), candles, wooden boards, trays, lights, mugs, bookmarks, shelves, and other bookish items. You can even use your pet as a prop (of sorts, see my post below as an example). I think you can go as simple or extravagant as you want … that’s entirely up to you. Amazon and Etsy are great places to look, but definitely keep a budget in mind. Ideally, you’ll want some sort of theme/aesthetic/color scheme for your feed, but not everyone does that. One thing that is important to remember is to post what makes you happy even if it’s not “aesthetic”. Do you.

4. Taking and Editing Your Photos
Good lighting is a must. Natural light is the best, so look for a sunny spot outside or by a window. I recommend taking posts around the same time of day for consistency purposes.

I just use my iPhone to take all of my pictures and at work I use an iPad Mini/my iPhone. Your phone and good lighting should be enough to start off. I wouldn’t go out and get anything fancy or expensive. If you find you want to invest in a professional camera as time goes on, go for it! My cousin took this on my iPhone at a bookstore we visited for my birthday.

Editing apps are essential. I use Canva exclusively and love it so much. I’ve been able to make some great content using it. There is a free version and a paid version, so start with the free version first.

5. Posting
Be consistent! I am the actual worst at this, but I try my best to post two to three times a week, usually on the same days each week. A helpful way to remain consistent is to pre-plan posts and then schedule them to go up on a certain date/time (done in advanced settings with a professional account only). Below is part of what my feed looks like. I use the same filter and use my comforter as a background for most of my book reviews. Is it perfectly aesthetic? No. BUT it’s consistent and has variety! (I happen to be very proud of it!)

That being said, vary your posts! Posts can range from book reviews, shelfies (pictures of your bookshelves if you have them), a reel of you going to the library and looking for books, etc. A good caption with a #QOTD (question of the day) will definitely boost your engagement. I would stay away from a super long caption and opt for short to medium. If it’s going to be long, make sure your thoughts are most of your caption as opposed to a giant summary. I always include a QOTD because it allows my followers and I to engage, be it a question in relation to the book or even just asking how their week is going. Here is an example of a recent post of mine (yes the caption is a bit lengthy BUT it’s primarily my thoughts versus a summary that can just be found on Goodreads):

Hashtags are fine to use but I personally don’t use them anymore. A very slim percentage of my posts got engagement from them, so I’ve moved away from using them. In regards to tagging other accounts- I tend to tag the author (if I’m doing a positive book review) and a few engagement groups I’m in. In these groups I like other user’s posts the same day I post, or all posts for five days a week regardless if I post. This tends to really boost engagement, but they can be hard to keep up with, so try joining just one first and see how manageable it is. PSA: Please don’t tag an author or publisher for any book review under four stars. It’s rude and makes you look bad. You can still post low star reviews, just don’t tag the author or publisher!

6. Gaining followers
Follow accounts similar to yours. Don’t just follow to unfollow (believe me word gets around and people will NOT be happy with you). Many accounts will do bookish follow parties, which do help with gaining followers, but a lot of accounts that do those tend to unfollow almost immediately. If you participate in something like that, make sure there is something in the guidelines from the hosts that states that type of behavior doesn’t fly. When you follow accounts you actually like, you’ll find you’ll build followers more organically and actually enjoy engaging with your fellow bookstagrammers.

Always ALWAYS respond to comments on your posts and leave comments on other people’s posts. I also recommend participating in challenges you see other bookstagrammers doing, especially if they tag you!

Another thing I’ve seen is other bookstagrammers hosting a giveaway and requiring participants to follow them (and actually stick around) as part of what needs to be done to enter the giveaway. Up to you if that is something you want to pursue! Giveaways overall tend to raise your follower count.

All of this being said: DON’T FOCUS ON THE NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS YOU HAVE. It can become an unhealthy obsession. Your goal is to have fun and hopefully make some genuine connections with fellow book lovers. If all you care about is gaining followers, you’re joining booksta for the wrong reasons. Yeah it’s cool to have like 20,000 followers BUT it shouldn’t be your be all end all.

My Final Thoughts/Advice:
I know BookTok is a thing, but I find that the content I really love is on Bookstagram (very not Gen-Z of me to say, I know). I personally am not on BookTok, but think it’s another great avenue to talk about books on a huge platform.

Never be afraid to ask other bookstagrammers questions. Everyone I’ve reached out to has been super sweet, helpful, and encouraging. A simple DM is all it takes. That’s also a great way to make connections!

I think that everyone has a place in the Bookstagram community, so take this blog post as your sign to actually make an account and join! Feel free to DM my account with questions/concerns. Happy bookstagrammin’ besties!