Keeping It Real

This week, I read a great blog post by Jessica Bell, Let's Fix This Before We Die. In it, Jess points out that many of our blogs have been taken over by promo pieces for other writers, making blogging less personal and fun.

I couldn't agree more, and I admit I'm guilty.

Back in the days before self-publishing, only a few lucky writers achieved the then-holy-grail of being published. We were all happy to jump on board the chosen writer's promo pony to help spread the word of their novel.  Now, many of us can -- and are -- being publishing by other means, and promo posts seem to have taken over the world (okay, just the blogosphere).

I think it's great that the blogging community is super-supportive. For my novel releases, I've had fantastic support from so many fellow bloggers it's made my eyes tear up, and I want to do my bit in return. But with so many releases, I have to draw the line somewhere to ensure my blog remains my own . . . and that any new readers and followers can still see 'me' in it.

I know when I visit blogs, I'm not that keen to see a cover reveal or a random author interview. I want to read what my blog buds are up to; see photos of their life (what can I say, I'm a little voyeuristic!). I miss that sometimes amidst the promo pieces.

How do you balance supporting other writers with keeping your blog personal?