Happy Birthday, Blog

On October 20, 2005, I posted my first entry on my new blog The Written Nerd (a name I had tentatively floated to the ALP a few days earlier and been encouraged by his laughter). The post was called My Overenthusiasm.

I'd been feeling a little isolated in my book nerdishness at the bookstore where I then worked, where folks didn't seem to share my enthusiasm for the work. I'd been inspired by Robert Gray's Fresh Eyes; I sent myself an email with his URL and the text "Think about doing this yourself." I wasted a lot of work hours reading Jessa Crispin's Bookslut (yep, she's an inspiration too in some ways), and I was getting excited about the possibilities of talking about books on the web.

A week or two after my first post, I sent my new blog address to almost my entire email list. That list included NAIBA Executive Secretary Eileen Dengler, who sent it to the entire NAIBA listserve, which is certainly how people in the industry started to hear about it.

In the whole year since then, I've been encouraged and inspired and challenged by your comments. I've been flattered and invigorated by hearing from people who read the blog at conferences and trade shows and in my own bookstore, and I've made more than one virtual friend who turned into a real one. Opportunities have arisen that would never have occurred without this exposure. And I've developed my own ideas about independent bookstores and what I want to do in this world.

James Frey, J. T. LeRoy, and Opal Mehta scandalized us. Orhan Pamuk was arrested, then won the Nobel. David Mitchell, Mark Binelli, Richard Powers, Sam Savage, Brian K. Vaughan, and dozens of others made us remember why we read. I've moved to a new bookstore (where there's lots of enthusiasm) and joined the NAIBA Board of Directors. Emerging Leaders has, well, emerged. I've discovered Bookdwarf, Bookseller Chick, Conversational Reading, Ed Rants, and dozens of other tantalizing litblogs. I've joined the Litblog Co-Op and had my own standards of reading and writing and supporting underdogs raised. We've debated the degree of independence that being an independent really means, and how we can effectively work together. I've learned, and thought, and written a heck of a lot more than I did in the year before.

So, this is one of those birthdays where everyone else gets presents, even if it's just a big old cyber THANK YOU. I really just want to say thanks to everyone who's read, commented, excerpted, linked, talked, and emailed in the last year. Despite my desire to talk, I probably would have quit long ago if I hadn't felt that you were listening, and talking back. You're my community, and you rock.

Not everything has changed -- I'm still pressed for time, running off to my paying job and tearing myself away from this most addictive and productive of free-time hobbies. Hope you're all enjoying the Halloween season this time around. Thanks so much again for your support. Happy reading!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Happy Birthday, Blog!!! May you grow to be old and cantakerous.
Anonymous said…
Happy Birthday! I've only discovered you recently, but it's opened me up to a whole new addiction to litblogs. It's great to hear what other book nerds are thinking about. Thanks for putting your voice out there, sticking up for us indies and staying "overenthusiastic" about books =)
CRwM said…
Happy Birthday Book Nerd's Blog!

And wishes for many many more to come.
Von Allan said…
I, too, just recently discovered your blog and I've been enjoying it quite a bit. Partially because there's a part of me that strongly misses retail (I used to run Perfect Books here in Ottawa) and also because embarking on the creative side of things (working on my first graphic novel) is somewhat scary. Your blog is quite a fun read but it's also a passionate one; for what it's worth, I really appreciate that.

I just wish I had stumbled across it earlier.
Anonymous said…
Happy BDay WritNerd. Good to be reading you.
Happy Birthday, Written Nerd.
I found your blog through Bookseller Chick, and your work is really solid and from one independent to another, all the best.
Unknown said…
Happy Blogging Birthday!!!
Happy one year Blogiversary! Keep up the good work. I just hope you enjoy your blog as much as I do.
Anonymous said…
Bloggorrhea!! Happy anniversary...YOU rock!
Sarah Faragher said…
I enjoy checking in at your blog from time to time - keep up the good writing and happy 'versary from another blogging bookseller.
Anonymous said…
Kudos. And -- don't look back, somebody might be gaining on ya!

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