Hi Julianne! What’s the name of your blog.
The Literary Lifestyle by: Jules Buono.
Where are you from?
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Tell us a little bit more about you and your blog, The Literary Lifestyle by: Jules Buono.
I’m Julianne a/k/a Jules Buono, a Philly lawyer by day and book blogger by night. My blog is “where books meet lifestyle” — a book blog with pairings for a classic and timeless lifestyle. It’s like Reading Rainbow for women!
I’ve been on The Today Show’s Read with Jenna book club on TV, as well as Oprah’s Book Club and Reese’s Book Club on Instagram, and I am a contributor at The Co-Op Reads.
Give us your best tip to staying on top of the blog/work/life balance?
Keep detailed to-do lists and break things down into manageable chunks. Even if you only have 5 minutes, DO something. It adds up quickly.
Fill in the blank. What people don’t realize about blogging is….
how much work it is and how many hats you need to wear. I have described it before as being like going to college and being the teacher AND student in every class.
What are three things you wish you knew about blogging before you started?
I wish I didn’t care what anyone else thought and started sooner. I wish I knew how to better manage social media in terms of how much time to put in and when to step away when it’s taking too much of my time. I wish I knew how to work with brands — I’m just learning now.
What skills and qualities do you think are necessary for a successful and professional blogger?
I think you need to be a self-starter and a problem solver, because of how many different fields you must learn and perform. I also think you need to be a long-term thinker because it really takes time for your work to pay off. I also think it helps to be creative at heart. That way, you can still love blogging even when it can be tedious.
What has blogging taught you/given you that no other career or job has before?
I have improved both my written and oral communication skills. It has also made me believe I can figure out a solution to any professional problem because bloggers do this every day. It made me feel self-sufficient, and it gave me digital business skills that can translate to virtually any business.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone just starting out in the blog world?
Learn avidly. Work hard. Believe in the future of your blog. Just do it.
What topic do you most enjoy writing about?
I love to mix books with lifestyle. This is naturally how I live my life. For example, when I was planning my wedding, I was reading up on tips, then keeping notes from my own experience along the way and sharing both.
What does a typical work day for you look like? Whether you’re a full time blogger or not, we’d love to learn what your schedule looks like and how you manage it all.
I have a full-time job as a lawyer, from about 9-5. I squeeze in blogging for a few hours a day: before and after work, at lunch, and during any downtime (like waiting for a call to start). I also do quick tasks like emails or social media at bedtime and when I wake up. Lastly, I spend at least a few hours a day on my blog on weekends and holidays — and sometimes more on those off days. It’s a lot, for sure, but I generally enjoy it all most of the time.
What would your dream partnership look like? From the brand, the content, all of it! Dream up your perfect collaboration.
Since this is a *dream* partnership, I will go BIG. My dream partnership would be with Oprah’s Book Club – discussing the chosen book while also providing unique related lifestyle content. Recently, she went to explore Maine with readers of a particular book set in Maine. I would consider that type of partnership to be a dream. And since I also have a very preppy sense of style, I’d love to do a collaboration with both Reese’s Book Club and her lifestyle brand I so often wear, Draper James. I’m all about pairing books with lifestyle, and these two ladies do it best!
What is a current blogging goal you are working on?
My biggest goal right now involves working on securing brand partnerships, which is new to me.
What is one thing in the blogging industry that frustrates you that you wish you could change?
I’m really frustrated right now with larger brands and publishers wanting bloggers to work for free. Sure, there are always circumstances where some exchange can be made that satisfies everyone, but generally speaking, it genuinely bums me out when I get such a message, as it makes me feel this is contrary to the women’s movement and the amount of work it has taken of my free time to grow my platform.
How has your content changed since you first started blogging?
I have noticed myself being less guarded than I was in the beginning and feeling more confident in my own voice. I’ve also added a focus on Gilmore Girls, which came about naturally with my audience, but which I hadn’t planned on doing when I first started.
What’s your most recent WIN with your blog?
I recently moved my blog to a larger web host, made a ton of back-end upgrades for better / faster functioning, and did a mini re-brand on the front end to give my blog name more SEO value. And, I haven’t shared this one with anyone yet, but I just recently received an Instagram comment from Jessica Simpson!
What’s your favorite blogging memory or highlight?
My favorite blogging memory or highlight was being on the Read With Jenna Book Club on The Today Show to discuss a book just a few months after I started. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the fact they asked me to do it made me feel like I was being seen and understood by others as my true self at a time when I was just starting to grow in terms of my blogging confidence.
