Parka Blogs is one of those engaging blogs that talks about Art related stuff and specially Art books review. Parka, a Singapore based guy reads books and reviews them for those who find it difficult to decide which book to buy and which not. The only aim is to help you make a informed purchase. Most of the books he review are related to animation, movies or comics.

"I am trying to help people who want to buy art books but have no idea what's inside- a situation I am in most of the time", shares Parka. The blog has a particular following who are as passionate as Parka about arts. You might even recommend your book to by reviewed by Parka. The list of books reviewed by Parka is really a long and interesting one.

Lets know more about him and his awesome blog below:

Parka, please introduce yourself to E-junkies.

I'm a 30 years old dude who lives in Singapore. My full time job involves creating graphics and art for a local newspaper.

When and what made you start blogging? What inspired you to start a blog?

When I started the blog (end of 2006), it was just for displaying some personal art, sketches and thoughts. It was a personal blog with no direction, and remained so for a long time, just like millions of blogs out there. 'Parka' is my online alias but I can't remember why I chose that now.

The blog currently has over 3000 readers a day. Let me explain how I got there.

While on the internet probably in 2007, I stumbled upon the Amazon Associates program and signed up for an account. Basically, you get a little commission when people buy stuff from Amazon links you post on the blog - who doesn't want to make money online? I don't really have much products to promote and so have few reasons to put Amazon links on the blog. It's one thing to have a blog with no direction, but another to have a spam-like blog. The program didn't earn me anything and was soon forgotten.

In July 2008 - 1 years 4 months later - I logged in to my Amazon Associates account and lo and behold, there was a sale for a Jack Bauer bag I bought from Amazon - I was a fan of the 24 TV series. The fact that the program works gave me motivation to review some of the art books I collect back then.

Readers found my art book reviews with pictures helpful and some of them bought them through the Amazon links. Soon, I was getting a few sales from the blog. The additional sales spurred me to review more art books. So I started borrowing them from my colleagues who also collect art books, and I would frequently borrow from the library as well to the point where I was thrown out (not literally thankfully) of the library for using cameras inside - photography was prohibited in libraries here.

Now, the blog is making enough to cover the expense of buying new books for review. I only buy if I can't borrow it from anywhere else.

From a blog with no directions, it's now a blog dedicated to reviewing art books. I still occasionally post my sketches in a separate section.

You seem to be very passionate about arts specially comics, movies and animation. Is there any specific reason behind it or you just find it too interesting to resist?

I like reading Japanese manga and watching anime. The art, characters and stories are very captivating. My favourite manga is Slam Dunk and there are too many favourite anime to mention.

What do you love the most about blogging?

It's great when you get response from readers who share the same interest as you. That's the difference between publishing stuff online and writing a personal diary.

And the least...?

Finding good content to blog about.

Which is your favourite book? What kind of books you particularly like to read?

I've too many books to pick a favourite. The ones I like most are the sketchbooks - they are more personal and carefree.

What's next? What is your vision for 'Parka Blogs' as a whole?

Currently the blog features primarily art books from the west. There are lots of art books from the east, especially Japan, which I hope I can review in the future. Helping readers understand what they are buying is the goal of the site.

Many aspiring bloggers would draw inspiration from you. What message do you have for them?

Understand who your readers are and write what they are looking for, or what they could be looking for. The bottom line is really to create useful unique content. That's how popular media content sites become popular. There should be special emphasis placed on being unique, because if your content is not unique, there's no compelling reason for readers to choose your site over other sites.

Parka, thanks for talking to us and enlightening our readers with your wonderful blog. We wish you all the very best!

Visit Parka Blogs here.

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