Discussion Post - Sharing The "Wealth"

Originally posted on The Book Junkie's Bookshelf.

I was going through my google reader this morning (which is a very scary place right now because I haven't checked it all week) and I found a post that I was inspired by to write this post.  I've been blogging for a little over a year now and then I've gone into this "dark place" when it comes to blogging.  Mainly in the way of feeling like a REALLY small fish in a UBER HUGE pond. So here I go on my tangent/I just don't understand/WTF's the deal post...... After reading the post that I was inspired by, I got to thinking the same thought that the original blogger was thinking...."Why am I not good enough?"  I've been blogging for a while and I was UBER stoked when I got my first review request when I was just an "infant" in book blogging land and then I got my next request and I was even more stoked.  Now I'm up over 400 followers and I get a few requests here and there...which honestly is probably a good thing because of how HUGE my TBR mountain is....and I'm wondering what a blogger has to do to be part of the "cool kid" club?  You know the club where you get the "coveted" ARC's and blog tour invites coming out your ears and authors beating down your door to get their book on your blog? Why aren't the publishing companies/authors/agents/whoever else is involved in the process of getting books out there and noticed spreading the "wealth" around?  Now I know that even the "big fish" of book blogging don't always get the ARC's and other book related "stuff" that they would LOVE to have.  And I know that when publishing companies/authors/agents/whoever else is involved in the process of getting books out there are looking for avenues to get certain books out there and recognized they don't want to send a request to someone who's been blogging for a week.  I know that there are some "rules" to go along with this hobby of ours.  I guess I just had a better understanding of what those "rules" are?  Why are smaller bloggers being passed over?  Is it because we have lives and don't devote our entire existence to our blogs?  Do we not have enough followers?  Not enough comments? Not enough reviews? What's the deal?  Honestly, when I see that one of my bloggy pals has gotten a review copy of a book that I requested and got turned down for, I get jealous and a little cranky.  I know it's not that blogger's fault but it just sends me into a "dark place" where I once again start questioning myself/my blogs and wondering why I'm not good enough. Personally, I've started using netgalley as a way to try and read some of the upcoming releases.  So far I've been pretty lucky on there. I've considered joining tour sites but since I've divided my reviewing up into 3 blogs now I'm worried that because my 2 new blogs don't have enough followers and haven't been active long enough I'll be rejected. So what's a "small fish" to do?  Start a tour/support group for smaller bloggers (I'm game by the way, email me if you are)? "Tap out" (sorry for the wrestling reference) and be resigned to the fact that you may never be part of the "cool kid" club?  I don't know.  Personally, since I've started my other 2 blogs I've been working on blogging more for myself than for anyone else (I've been really bad at this for a long time).  I work a full time job, 3rd shift (so most of the daylight hours are spent sleeping for me), on my days off I try to actually get things accomplished, so my reading time is precious. Hence why The Bookshelf has been kinda quiet for a while.  That and we're in full on wedding mode until it finally happens on Wednesday.  So now that you now what I'm thinking I'm going to sign off and try and visit some blogs.