My bookstagram story

In case you are not aware, bookstagram is a community on Instagram that is dedicated to the books and book merchandise; candles, teas or bookmarks. This community is mostly about the book reviews and the beautiful book covers and favourite fandoms but it goes further than that. I have to say that everybody who calls themselves a bookstagramer is such a lovely person. I have not come across rude or mean person within the bookstagram community and that makes it very special. I found friends all around the world thanks to the shared love of books. So if you are thinking about starting your own bookstagram or you are here just because you love books, keep reading. This is the story of my bookstagram.

The first photo (July 2013)

Let’s start with the obvious thing. I love books. I always loved books. My very first photo on my personal Instagram in July 2013 was about a book. I moved to England in that time and I had no time for reading and no space for books so my personal Instagram became kind of a diary not necessarily focused on the books. It was also private but after some time I made it public. I occasionally posted some books but there was also food and fashion and work and some family photos. I had 300 people following me for years and I had no idea who they are and never spoken or messaged them.

In 2017 I moved to the Netherlands and suddenly I had enough space for books. I had a bookshelf in my new studio flat and so I picked up reading and buying books again.

And then… call it magic or luck I found amazing Aleema_s and her stunning bookstagram. I had no idea in that time what a bookstagram was but I started following her because I loved her photos and I started to learn about the community. I found more and more book related accounts and I started posting more book photos to my personal account.

The problem arisen with the private photos. I didn’t want people I didn’t know to see my family holiday pictures or what I had for breakfast. There were things that I wanted to keep strictly between friends and family but I also wanted to share my love for books with the world. So the decision was made…

I started my bookstagram on 1^st of December 2017 under the name of Bookatiepillar. I made my personal Instagram private again and I went through my 300 followers deleting everyone I didn’t know and sending a private message to people who seemed to be following me for the book photos. The message went:

“Hello, I wanted to say big thank you for following me on this account. I made it private for a few reasons and hence I am deleting followers that I don’t know personally. I know you are a bookworm like me and that is why I wanted to let you know that I have a bookstagram that is public. You can find me under @bookatiepillar. I will follow you from that account too. I hope you can understand and see you on my bookstagram. Xxx Katie”

Little did I know in that time what I got myself into…

The first big surprise was @little_dragon_pants who was and still is amazing bookstagramer and influencer and one of the most amazing people I know. She followed me on my bookstagram right after reading the message and it was HUGE! Imagine my little self, starting with 10 followers and 9 photos and a star like Margoe(with 6k followers) hitting the follow button. I still feel that excitement today. So this is a big thank you Margoe. It gave me courage and confidence that I can make it in the big scary bookstagram world.

The ball started to roll…In the beginning, I was re-posting book photos from my private Instagram. I gained 2 or 3 followers a month and I was extremely happy about every single one. There was no theme nor structure, there was nothing that would link the photos together, apart from the love for books. Looking at them now I see how terrible the light was and the setting is not to my liking anymore… but you have to start somewhere.

The big breakthrough happened when I came home to Poprad, Slovakia for Christmas in 2017. I had time to take photos during the daylight (which in winter is always very challenging due to the short days) and that is how I discovered the best tool for the photos. I wanted my bookstagram to look like Aleema_s’ so I copied the style of her photos (not having a clue that flatlay is a thing). I took several photos with the same pillowcase because I loved that fabric and it was my favourite bedding for years. I had them all next to each other on my phone; I loved the way they looked and so my very first theme was established.

My very first bookstagram theme.

But this was not the end, this was just the beginning. I had my favourite prop and I had my colours, I was playing with editing and I feel like the style of the photos is still evolving. I kept my white and blue cold theme for almost a year and the evolution of the photos and my photography skills is obvious.

My second bookstagram theme.

I don’t feel like I reached the end of this journey. I am not sure if there is an end to bookstagram I believe this is an amazing adventure where I develop and learn. Since I first started posting my bookstagram goals changed too. I still love the accounts I loved then, but I have a certain idea about my account and I want it to go my own way and I hope that you all love it and enjoy it as much as I do.

My third theme and finally the one I was happy with. 

For the winter and autumn I decided to change my theme and I played with different background and I decided to give my favourite pillowcase a break and I am using a fluffy blanket. So here is an example of my current theme. I am very happy with the photo I am taking now but I am also trying to progress and I am adding vertical photos in between my flat lays to make my feed more interesting. 

My current theme. 

The following accounts are my biggest inspiration: @booksundays, @bookishbronte, @aleema_s, @foldedpagesdistillery

And these accounts are for some reason underrated, so show them your love by hitting that follow button: @your.ordinary.bookworm, @stardustwrites

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Instagram Stories Questions

Some time ago I gave a space to my fellow bookstagrmers to ask me questions in my stories. I would love to thank you to all of you who submitted a question. I selected five of them that I felt are great for the blog article.


1.) If you could read one book again like it's the first time, which book would you pick?

This is one of the hardest questions I was ever asked. It took a long time for me to make the decision. I was thinking about Harry Potter but I actually love to re-read those books because it feels like coming home. So the book I would love to read again for the first time is Uprooted by Naomi Novik.
I will never forget how this book made me feel and if I read it again it will have a different impact so I wish I can forget I read it completely.

2.) What does your Instagram name mean?

I wanted some kind of fun name or pun. I was thinking about combining my name "Katie" in the word "literature" but that was of course impossible. So I tried other words and then I remembered that my university mates used to call me Katiepillar (caterpillar). So I decided not to be a bookworm but a Bookatiepillar. Maybe one day I will become booktterfly.

3.) Why did you pick the blue colour for your theme?

To be honest I love brown nude or orange bookstagrams but there are just so many of them I wanted to be different I wanted to stand out. So I took several photos with different colours and I liked blue the most... The fact that I had blue bedding on the day I started my account made it easy and then I just decided to stick with the blue.

4.) Who is your favouite character from Throne of Glass?

I have to say my favourite character is Manon and her dragon. I like how confident, passionate and strong she is but also cares about Abraxos. They communicate and have a relationship as a human and a dog. I love to read about both sides of her personality.

5.) When will you be home? (Aka Slovakia where I come from)

I usually go to Slovakia for Christmas to spend time with my family. But this year I am staying in the Netherlands and my mum is flying to see me for a week. So this year Christmas will be unusual and unique for us or maybe a beginning of new tradition? We will see...
So I am probably going to visit Slovakia next year in summer.

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5x5: Five bookies answer five questions.

For today article, I decided to reach out to my favourite bookish friends and ask them five book related questions. I am very happy they agreed to do this and joined my little project. I hope you enjoy this article and if you like their answers check these beautiful people on Instagram.

Sjmtrash - Lisa, 19, the Netherlands, University student

1.)  What is your favourite book genre and why?

My favourite genre is Young Adult and fantasy. It is because I can relate to the character but still have my escape to an amazing new world. 

2.) What is the book that everyone should read and why?

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas because it relates to current problems in the world. This book offers a different perspective on police shootings and helps you to understand what the problem is and why it is so important that we do something about it. 

3.) What are your reading habits or what kind of reader are you?

I can read in most places but my favourite place to read is on the couch or in bed with (biiig) cup of tea. That's my ultimate way of relaxing. Sometimes I light some candles during reading. I also try to match my bookmark with my book. So satisfying. 

4.) If you were granted one bookish wish that will come true, what would it be?

Ah! This is a hard one! The best thing would be to have a magical key with which I can travel to bookish worlds and meet the characters within them. But maybe with a safety function in it that I just return to this world again when I die. Characters can be so reckless... 

5.) Why do you think reading is important? 

Reading can be important for so many reasons. in general it makes you richer. Books can help you understand important matters in life better or can make you feel understood. Or it can help you forget this world for a while (in a healthy way). I also love that there aren't any limits in the books, let your imagination go loose and you can do anything you want! Books also help me to be less stressed in my daily life. 

Shelvesofya - Michelle, 20, the Netherlands, English major at university

1.)  What is your favourite book genre and why?

My favourite genre is Mystery/Thrillers! I like to try and solve the mystery alongside the characters and I love being surprised by a plot twist.

2.) What is the book that everyone should read and why?

I think everybody should read the Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater! I kind of cheated because it is a series but it's honestly so good. The writing is phenomenal and the plot is well thought out. Most importantly the characters are lovable and amazingly written.

3.) What are your reading habits or what kind of reader are you?

I read whenever I can! I'm a university student so I don't have as much time as I used to have but now I read in the train on my way to Uni or whenever I have some time off. 

4.) If you were granted one bookish wish that will come true, what would it be?

My reader's dream has always been attending Hogwarts. It's a very common dream but I mean who wouldn't want to attend classes and be sorted and have magic in general?

5.) Why do you think reading is important? 

Reading is important for the mind. I've learned so much by just reading and it really trains the mind to become more active. Besides that, I think readers have a better feel for other's emotions because, well we read about them so we learn to recognise it in real life as well. I also think while books can give me stress sometimes, it is a good activity to get your mind off of other stuff that is happening in your real life. 

Sophiia_san - Sophia, 23, Austrian living in the UK, employed in aviation. 

1.)  What is your favourite book genre and why? 
Currently, it's definitely Young Adult and Fantasy. There are so many different amazing authors out there that created incredible worlds to indulge in.

2.) What is the book that everyone should read and why?
Children of Blood and Bone, as it is such a beautiful world Tomi Adeyemi created. It is based on imagination, but it also carries such an important message about our world and it really made me think about the inequality out there and how important it is for us to open our eyes to it.

3.) What are your reading habits or what kind of reader are you?
I love reading before bed, which is why I generally don't tend to read scary books. I will curl up in bed, with a cup of tea or hot chocolate, a hot water bottle at my feet and read for ages (which is usually why I end up being really tired the next day).

4.) If you were granted one bookish wish that will come true, what would it be?
I would love to be able to meet George Orwell, I feel like he had such a great understanding of the world and the way our society would develop over the years. So I would love to discuss his book 1984 over a cup of tea with him.

5.) Why do you think reading is important? 
When you read a book you live someone else's life, it's like experiencing what they experience without being there, my dad always called it 'a cinema in your head', but it's so much more than that, you don't just see what the characters see, it's like you are there with them. Books were always a big part of my life and definitely helped me in my own development and gave me the strength to be who I wanted to be.
A lot of writers out there create worlds so that they can take people away from this world and give them the feeling that no matter what difficulties you face, there is always a way and I think that's something we all have to keep in mind.

Laurajfairburn - Laura, 28, UK, employeed in HR

1.)  What is your favourite book genre and why?

Fantasy/Magical

2.) What is the book that everyone should read and why?

Memoirs of a geisha - beautifully written book, and shows a different (and normally very hidden) culture in great detail.

3.) What are your reading habits or what kind of reader are you?
Casual reader, I listen to audiobooks when walking and read physical books when I can.

4.) If you were granted one bookish wish that will come true, what would it be?

I would love for Hogwarts to be real, and to receive the letter! 

5.) Why do you think reading is important?
Reading allows you to take your mind to another place and to experience the world through different eyes. In the words of George RR Martin, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, The man who never reads lives only one.”

Tomdruil - Tom-Erik, 34, a freelancer in the book industry

1.)  What is your favourite book genre and why?

This one would have been easy to answer five years ago: Fantasy. However, these last five years I've come to love Contemporary novels as well. That being said, I mostly read Young Adult novels, and I suppose those books share enough in common to maybe be labelled a genre in and of itself? I usually read Young Adult and the Fantasy (Mostly Urban Fantasy) and contemporary genre. I also love a good horror story. Stephanie Perkins' There's Someone inside Your House comes to mind. 

2.) What is the book that everyone should read and why?

Can we turn a book into books plural? Yeah? Okay. I am currently reading Jessica Townsend's Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow and the hype is real! Loving this Middle-Grade Fantasy so much, and I think everyone should read it. I will of course also campaign "Simon VS the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli til the day I die. That book kinda changed my life and was my ticket to contemporary novels. Now I can't get enough. I should also mention "This Book is Gay" by Juno Dawson. This is a non-fiction with life-saving information about being LGBTQ+ and should be in every school library. Please also check out "The Dangerous Art of Blending In" by debut author (are you sensing a theme here?) that I loved this year was "The Wicked Deep" by Shea Ernshaw. My gothic heart fell hard for that one! And of course, everyone should read "The Lord of the Rings" and all the "Harry Potter" books. Duh! 

3.) What are your reading habits or what kind of reader are you?

I'm the worst kind of reader. I wish I could say that I had this neat TBR pile sectioned into months and what I would read that month based on, I dunno, whether or book content but no. I have the unfortunate luck of being one of those readers that read based on my current mood. Which is why there are eleven books on my bookshelf right now that I haven't finished yet this year. I'm waiting for the right mood to strike. haha! Reading also makes me super tired, for some reason. even if the book is great! So usually I can't read for too long before I get tired. 

4.) If you were granted one bookish wish that will come true, what would it be?
You said this could be anything so I would transform this planet into the Middle-Earth with all the elves and hobbits and wizards and orcs, and places that exist in Tolkien's Legendarium. I would just wipe everything off the face of the Earth to be able to live in the Middle-Earth. And then I'd do get myself a really sharp sword. And some Lembas. 

5.) Why do you think reading is important? 

To quote the great RuPaul "Reading is fundamental". In reading and especially in reading stories, we find out who we are (or who we wish to be) and discover truths about ourselves, our friends and family and society at large. This is why diversity in novels is so important. Everybody deserved to see themselves reflected in the pages of a story (as well as on the screen) and I'm so happy we're making great strides toward that happening for many people. Still, we have a long way to go and there are still marginalized groups of people that still need books about them. I think diverse books are especially important in those formative years where you're a curious kid, teenager or young adult, which is why I'm doing my best to spread the word about those kinds of books in the Bookstagram community and elsewhere. As a gay man, I never saw myself in the books growing up but now that I have and finally know what it feels like to be seen and heard and respected for who I am, I want that same feeling for everyone else as well. 

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