The Pros and Cons of Running a Link Party / Blog Hop, and how to run a blog hop

Last week I posted about how I was putting Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, the link party I've been running for about 1.5 yrs now, on hiatus. I gave a couple of reasons. Audrey over at Gluten Free Vegan Love asked me if I had any other comments on running a blog hop, and since it's been something I've been ruminating over, I thought I would share my thoughts with you all here.

So if you've ever participated in a blog hop / link party, run a blog hop, are thinking about running a blog hop/link party, or are thinking about ending yours, you might be interested in this post. Hopefully some of you more experienced hoppers will chime in as well!

3 Good Books for Food Bloggers

When I started writing Poor and Gluten Free at the beginning of 2012 I knew next to nothing about blogging. I hardly had a direction or plan for the blog, other than that I wanted a place to keep track of my recipes, connect with other people with allergies, and share my experiences with Oral Allergy Syndrome in the hope that others might find it useful in some way.

I've learned a lot since then. A lot of it was done the hard way, trial and error, and a big long, painful learning curve. I'm still learning, and there is still so much I don't know or understand.

However, in the last couple of years as my blog has expanded to include the publication of two cookbooks, Living with Oral Allergy Syndrome: A Gluten and Meat-Free Cookbook for Wheat, Soy, Nut, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Allergies and  Recipes for Unusual Gluten Free Pasta: Pierogis, Dumplings, Desserts and More! I've taken the time to do a bit more research on food blogging and food photography, and since I know that many of my readers are also food bloggers, or aspiring bloggers, I thought I'd share three books that I've found extremely beneficial in case you find them helpful, too, or if you're thinking of starting a blog.