The Gothic Library is Five Years Old!

Happy bloggiversary! As of this Friday, June 5, I’ll have been posting weekly to The Gothic Library for exactly five years. When I started this blog the summer after graduating college, I never imagined I’d stick with it for so long or that it would become such a huge part of my life. For those of you who have been with me for all five years, thank you for believing in me! For readers who have found this blog more recently, thank you for joining! The last time I did any sort of reflecting on my blogging journey was back at my one-year anniversary, so I’d like to take this time to highlight some of the accomplishments I’m most proud of that have come out of this blog:

Five Years of Blog Posts

Of course, the most obvious indication of my progress are the posts themselves. After posting at least once a week for five years, I’ve written a total of 280 blog posts! Among all of those, my most popular post remains one from my very first year of blogging on My Favorite Gothic Poems, closely followed by various posts in my Gothic Tropes series. Personally, I’m proudest of the interviews I’ve done—not just with authors, but also with musicians, business owners, and community leaders. One of my biggest moments on the blog so far was getting to interview Anne Rice’s personal assistant, Becket! I’m looking forward to many more years of writing blog posts and producing content for your enjoyment and education.

Presenting at Conventions

Running this blog has expanded my opportunities beyond just writing the posts that I share with you each week. In recent years, I have also begun presenting about Gothic literature at various conventions. I’ve done panels at Dark Side of the Con, Steampunk Con, and even a Harry Potter convention called MISTI-Con. As soon as the pandemic eases and it’s safe to go out to conventions again, I hope to do many more!

Media Appearances

Apart from my live appearances at events, I’ve also made appearances in other media and online spaces. Chelsea Goodwin, host of the goth radio show In Goth We Trust has become a good friend of the blog, and I occasionally call into her show for interviews. I’ve also recorded an interview on my friend’s podcast, Crash Chords: Autographs. I made my very first Youtube appearance this year in Magical Molly’s video The Hidden History of Edgar Allan Poe. You can also find some of my other writings at TheBelfry.rip, VampireFreaks, and The Freaks Club.

Established Affiliate Relationships

Writing a blog can be thankless work and quite a time-consuming labor of love. It’s often difficult to find that line between supporting yourself and selling out. Fortunately, I’ve found a way for my readers to support me without compromising on my principals by joining affiliate programs that support independent bookstores rather than corporate conglomerates. I first partnered with IndieBound in 2017 and recently switched to the newly operational Bookshop.org. You’ll find Bookshop.org affiliate links in nearly all of my review posts, and you can also visit my affiliate page at bookshop.org/shop/thegothiclibrary. If you’ve enjoyed my posts over the years, please consider perusing the shelves and purchasing a few books from my affiliate page!

Helped Educators

What’s most amazing to me is that this blog has become a resource for educators and students. I can see from my stats that a lot of people are being directed to my website from links on Google Classroom, which I love! I’ve also had multiple teachers and students reach out to me over the years for help finding resources and understanding themes. The advent of distance learning this year has made online resources on school subjects even more important. A few months ago, I was contacted by a high school teacher in England who asked me to record an introductory lecture on Gothic literature for her students. If this half-hour video lecture would also be helpful to you, you can find it here on Loom for free. Teachers and students are always welcome to reach out to me through social media or by emailing me at thegothiclibraryblog@gmail.com.

Found a Community

Lastly, through blogging I’ve been able to find other people who love Gothic literature as much as I do. I’ve found new friends among authors, publishers, and other book lovers both at events and online. Most recently, I’ve joined an online learning community called Romancing the Gothic led by Dr. Hirst, where we attend lectures, watch movies, participate in book clubs, and more! It has been such a blessing to share this passion with others, and I can’t wait to see how this community will grow and spread.

As I move forward into yet more years of blogging, I’d love some feedback from my readers! What are your favorite parts of the blog? What would you like to see more of? What new topics would you like to see me cover? Are there other events, podcasts, or blogs where you’d like to see me as a guest in the future? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!