A year ago, I collaborated with Ariel from One Little Library, Kay from What Me Read, and Tamara from Traveling With T. to survey our readers about what they (you!) enjoy in a book review blog. We had 100 responses, and this is a summary of the results. If you’re interested in seeing the full results, they can be viewed here.
Thank you so much to everyone who participated. It has been fun getting to know you! This helps me understand what I’m doing right, and what I could be doing better.
- What is your age range?
| Under 20 | 4 |
| 20-25 | 11 |
| 26-35 | 14 |
| 36-50 | 32 |
| 50+ | 40 |
- What do you love to do? What is your biggest passion?
The vast majority of respondents love reading, of course. Other popular answers included:
- Writing
- Traveling
- Movies – watching and making them
- Walk/Hike
- Helping other people
- Cooking
- What is your favorite book?
| Pride and Prejudice | 9 |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | 6 |
| Gone With the Wind | 4 |
| Harry Potter | 3 |
| Jane EyreThe Shadow of the Wind
East of Eden |
2 |
- What are your favorite types of books or genres?
| Classics | 57 |
| Contemporary Fiction | 78 |
| Historical Fiction | 66 |
| Nonfiction | 30 |
| Thrillers/Suspense/Horror | 29 |
| Science Fiction | 10 |
| Romance | 17 |
| Memoir/Biography | 4 |
| Mystery | 5 |
| Self-Help | 2 |
| Literary Fiction | 2 |
- Where do you go to find book recommendations?
| Goodreads | 54 |
| Book review blogs | 76 |
| Book club | 5 |
| Amazon | 15 |
| New York Times | 4 |
| Friends | 13 |
- What do you want to do when you visit book review blogs?
| Talk about books I love | 42 |
| Discover new books to read | 98 |
| Make friends with other bookish folks | 45 |
| Hear others’ perspectives on books | 2 |
- What is your favorite part of a book review?
| Reviewer’s Opinion | 78 |
| Synopsis | 41 |
- What is something unique that your favorite book reviewer does?
Readers seem to enjoy when book bloggers draw comparisons of books to their own lives and share their personal feelings/experiences with readers. They want to get to know bloggers themselves—it doesn’t have to be about books all the time. They also want additional resources (related links, etc.) and more book recommendations: “If you liked _____, you’ll enjoy _____.”
- What prevents you from reading?
The lack of time is the biggest obstacle for readers. Life gets in the way: work, taking care of children, social activities, school. I was surprised to see that poor eyesight hinders some readers from reading. For others, absolutely nothing can stop them from reading!
- What would you like book bloggers to write more about?
| Book reviews | 62 |
| Lists of books | 62 |
| Interviews with authors | 37 |
The Bookshelf of Emily J. 
I don’t review books, but I found the results really helpful in knowing what people are reading. I’d be curious to know how many people are reading e-books. I discovered the indie author section of the Kindle Marketplace and have been reading quite a bit from there. Great post!
What a good idea for a future survey. I’m glad you found these helpful!
Thank you again!
I was a bit gratified to find that the most liked part of a review is the reviewer’s opinion. I have always tried not to summarize a book too much, but give my opinion, so I guess that is a good thing! Lists. I’m a bit dubious about lists, however, I have been posting more of them this year and readers do seem to like them. At least you have some valid data now! 🙂
Data is always useful! It is nice to have your own style of blogging reinforced. I was excited to see that readers like the autobiographical experiences.
Definitely that, too! As you know I can usually connect to something in my experience. Of course, I’ve lived a few years! 🙂
I didn’t participate in your survey but I definitely fit the profile-haha! I’d be interested in knowing the number of people who read ebooks as well. I read on my ipad some but really love the feel of a book in my hand!
I love books in my hands too! I have never switched over to ebooks. I tried but didn’t like it as much.
I’ve resisted ebooks for the longest time, but I’ve compromised. I haven’t given up my print copies, but since I travel a lot on public transport, it’s nice to be able to take my electronic library along with me.
That’s a good point. Traveling with books is hard, and e-books make it easy!
This was really interesting to see what people are looking at/for. Great idea for a post!
All of the credit goes to Ariel! Glad you found it interesting. 🙂