Books

Bookish Newsletters Are a Throwback to Book Blogging And I


master mentalism tricks

It was somewhere around 2006 when I first learned what blogging was, and it didn’t take long for me to set up my very own, learning in the process all about HTML and coding before I knew what coding was. My first site was a book blog, one I maintained for nearly a decade through the early blogging days, the great migration to social media platforms, and the surge in popularity of book content creators.

I eventually made Instagram my main platform for “blogging,” by then no longer a side social media promoter for my longer articles, but as a main way to showcase books I was excited about. Over the last five to ten years or so, creators have seen explosions across BookTube, Bookstagram, and BookTok, with the content seeming to stray farther and farther from the original text-based book blogs. And though the content is now more video-focused, “blog” is a vague enough concept that all this book media could actually still fall under that umbrella, even without all the pieces we think about when we think about blogs of 2009. Book Riot’s very own Danika has an excellent video on why book blogging isn’t actually dead, even though people think it is.

This brings us to 2020, in the throes of a global pandemic, burnout beyond repair, and general feelings of everything being too much and too loud and too overwhelming. There are too many platforms and too much to see on the platforms. 

But I was sensing a change in my own media consumption, and it seemed like others were too. I found myself, instead of scrolling through socials to see the same five books promoted again and again, seeking out creators whose work I admired and opinions I valued. I began to notice many of them had newsletters, something I previously would have wrinkled my eyebrows at and ask, “Why would I voluntarily sign up for more emails?”

But then, against all odds, I found myself signing up for newsletters, particularly bookish ones. It felt like going back in time, reading my blog roll-up of all the new posts I’d missed since the last time I logged on. I loved how thoughtful and carefully the content was constructed. While I am just as much obsessed with TikTok as the rest of the world, I really loved that this simple format — an email — was giving me both a new window into books and one that felt increasingly familiar and cozy in a hard and scary time. 

Book Deals Newsletter

Sign up for our Book Deals newsletter and get up to 80% off books you actually want to read.

Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

By signing up you agree to our terms of use

I eventually started my own book newsletter, Reading Under the Radar, a brand-new venture that has me excited about books and writing for the first time since the pandemic began, focusing on books that likely are not on popular online lists or featured all over BookTok, books a little more under-the-radar than the bestsellers. I was personally enjoying longer, more carefully thought-out pieces rather than lots of quick bursts.

And I’m not alone. 

Substack, one newsletter hosting platform, has interesting infographics on how the popularity of newsletters has grown and continues to grow, but most notably, in September 2021, Substack alone generated nearly 25 million visits, not even mentioning any other hosting sites. The popularity is growing exponentially, with more and more people finding their niche interests represented by newsletters they can subscribe to without all the hassle of the other things they don’t want. People are setting rituals much in the same way people would sit down with a cup of coffee in the morning to read the newspaper, only this time, they’re reading their newsletters. The Cut, in an article from July 2021, declared email newsletters a “new literary genre,” both in describing traditional newsletters covering pop culture, politics, and more, and in those that are serialized fiction newsletters, presenting one new chapter of a story at a time to readers. 

With the slow movement lifestyle becoming more popular, the rise of #CottageCore, plus the burnout everyone is feeling from never-ending work cycles, something that feels slower and like a bit of a throwback is not only enjoyable, it’s refreshing and needed. Evolving back to a longer piece of text-based content does seem strange, especially in the age of TikTok, but the numbers don’t lie, and millions of people are finding joy and comfort in creating and reading newsletters, just like they used to with blogs. 

Find some other bookish newsletters to sign up for or choose from some of the many newsletters written right here at Book Riot!

Read The Full Article Here


trick photography
Julia Stiles Shared What Julia Roberts Once Said To Her When She Was Struggling With Body Image, And It's Wisdom I Needed
Julia Stiles Shared What Julia Roberts Once Said To Her When She Was Struggling With Body Image, And It's Wisdom I Needed
Michael Shellenberger Exposes How Biden Administration Labeled Anti-Mandate Americans As Terrorists
Michael Shellenberger Exposes How Biden Administration Labeled Anti-Mandate Americans As Terrorists
90 Day Fiance Tragedies: Saddest Deaths Through the Years
90 Day Fiance Tragedies: Saddest Deaths Through the Years
Where Is Lester Holt Going After ‘NBC Nightly News’? His Next Job – Hollywood Life
Where Is Lester Holt Going After ‘NBC Nightly News’? His Next Job – Hollywood Life
Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 Episode 3 Release Date, Time, Where to Watch
Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2 Episode 3 Release Date, Time, Where to Watch
Highest Grossing Movies Released Memorial Day Weekend
Highest Grossing Movies Released Memorial Day Weekend
Woman and Child – first-look review
Woman and Child – first-look review
Where Was The Man From Laramie Filmed & Shot?
Where Was The Man From Laramie Filmed & Shot?
What to Watch and Stream the Week of May 25, 2025
What to Watch and Stream the Week of May 25, 2025
Stars Tease Intense Mystery and New Department Dynamics (Exclusive)
Stars Tease Intense Mystery and New Department Dynamics (Exclusive)
Kyle Fraser Reveals Deleted Scene From Fire-Making Challenge, Explains Rules and Eva Encouragement
Kyle Fraser Reveals Deleted Scene From Fire-Making Challenge, Explains Rules and Eva Encouragement
Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 17’s Jolink Wedding Brings the Romance as Other Ships Crumble
Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 Episode 17’s Jolink Wedding Brings the Romance as Other Ships Crumble
Jody Blaine Watson’s “Living It Up Down in Mexico” Brings Country Vibes to the Coastline
Jody Blaine Watson’s “Living It Up Down in Mexico” Brings Country Vibes to the Coastline
Justin Bieber Makes Onstage Return With SZA In Los Angeles
Justin Bieber Makes Onstage Return With SZA In Los Angeles
8 Most Cringeworthy Rock + Metal Songs About Sports
8 Most Cringeworthy Rock + Metal Songs About Sports
Bob Dylan, Billy Strings Perform “All Along the Watchtower”
Bob Dylan, Billy Strings Perform “All Along the Watchtower”
Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for May 24, 2025
Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for May 24, 2025
Loved Netflix’s “Ransom Canyon”? Here’s 8 Western Novels to Keep You in the Saddle
Loved Netflix’s “Ransom Canyon”? Here’s 8 Western Novels to Keep You in the Saddle
The Buzziest Books of May | 2025
The Buzziest Books of May | 2025
Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for May 8, 2025
Book Riot’s Deals of the Day for May 8, 2025
What to Wear to Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball Tour
What to Wear to Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball Tour
Nikki Glaser Told Us 3 No-Fail Tricks for an Instant Glow-Up
Nikki Glaser Told Us 3 No-Fail Tricks for an Instant Glow-Up
21 Best Memorial Day Clothing Sales 2025
21 Best Memorial Day Clothing Sales 2025
6 Chic Parisian Interiors Trends I’m Adding to My Home
6 Chic Parisian Interiors Trends I’m Adding to My Home
Filming Begins for Dragon Studio’s Return of the Living Dead: Trash’s Revenge
Filming Begins for Dragon Studio’s Return of the Living Dead: Trash’s Revenge
UNTIL DAWN (2025) – Peliculas de Terror ⋆
UNTIL DAWN (2025) – Peliculas de Terror ⋆
FOUND TV Announces FOUND Original with Alternate Ending Only on DVD/Blu-ray
FOUND TV Announces FOUND Original with Alternate Ending Only on DVD/Blu-ray
It Feeds (2025) – Pelicula de Terror ⋆
It Feeds (2025) – Pelicula de Terror ⋆