I don’t like posting rants on my blog. It makes me feel icky and like I’m complaining, which I guess I technically am, but that’s besides the point.
I’m making an exception for this though.Today, I want to talk about the newest blogging controversy and the disrespect bloggers experience in the book industry.
On Wednesday (10/7), book twitter went wild after an author ranted about a blogger asking for payment to review their book.
That’s a discussion for another day though.
In that rant, lots of people talked about supporting book bloggers as we are generally overworked, under appreciated, and usually the first group people shit on when discussing compensation. So today, I want to take the time and shout out some of my favorite book bloggers!
I really couldn’t figure out what to post for today, so I’m just going to do some ranting and give my unpopular book opinions! These opinions are solely my own and are not meant to hurt, insult, or offend anyone.
Okay – let’s go!
I’m gonna start off with something easy . . .
I have probably said this, like, a thousand times, but I really don’t like The Hunger Games. I tried to read it when I was younger and was absolutely bored to tears after almost 100 pages. Then I tried AGAIN a few years later at the request of one of my friends, and still couldn’t get past 100 pages. It was just boring and I didn’t like it. I know this is a huge favorite in YA, but I actually hate it. And no, I’ve never watched the movies either.
I am pretty active in the book community which means I do a lot of buying, selling, and trading and let me tell you, some people really over-value their ARCs. If you don’t know what an ARC is it stands for Advance Readers Copy, which is basically a bound manuscript sent to reviewers, book sellers, and librarians for early review. This helps boost sales before and after the book is published and generally helps the publisher.
But there is a whole thing, especially in YA and adult Fantasy/Science Fiction, where certain popular authors or certain books will be WAY over valued. People will only trade these books for other “unicorns”/rare books or really expensive items. Technically, trading is supposed to be a way for people to get receive ARCs for review from other people, but people turn it into a collecting nightmare.
On the topic of ARCs, here’s another opinion! ARCs are free books given for review and they are not meant to be sold. This brings into the ethical question of – if it can’t be sold, does trading it for an item that was purchased count as “buying” the ARC. AKA, if someone buys a book I want in exchange for me sending the ARC, does that mean they bought the ARC? In my opinion, yes.
Some people will ask for REALLY EXPENSIVE stuff for an ARC. I saw someone trading an ACOTAR by Sarah J Maas ARC asking for a copy of a book valued over $250. How is this any different from just selling it?
It’s not.
Before anyone comes for me, hear me out.
In the example of J.K. Rowling, some people may not have realized before how awful she is as a person. Once they found out, they feel pressured to denounce her and her work entirely which puts people in a dilemma. Do they continue to enjoy something that they have for years and risk being cancelled or shunned or do they denounce the work they have found a connection with and love, ultimately giving up a part of themselves?
I hate the idea that some people have to feel like they can’t love things because the author is awful. I agree that once it is known they’re awful, we shouldn’t continue to support them (ie. purchasing items, buying their books, movies, etc) but we can continue to enjoy the things we did before. If you love Harry Potter and reread the books or rewatch the movies you own every year, feel free to continue to do so. But don’t think I condone a continued support. Nor do I believe in overlooking a problematic author simply to enjoy their work. I.E. – If you are looking for a new book and found one you’re interested in, but the author is a known racist, don’t buy their book!
Why is this one even a debate? Books are books are books. If you listen to a book, you’re reading. If you’re using an e-reader, you’re reading. If you listen and read the book at the same time, you’re READING.
It’s so silly how people get pressed over HOW people are reading. I have friends who are blind or have very bad vision that require e-readers to enlarge texts because large print books are expensive. Or they listen to audiobooks. I also have friends who just simply enjoy listening to audiobooks or prefer e-readers over physical books. That doesn’t make them any less of a reader. And it doesn’t make people a “better” reader simply because they only read hardcover books!
I may have to make a part two to this post another time, because I don’t want to rant forever. But you get the point!
Anyone who blogs knows that there is a lot that goes on behind the screen. Posting often (especially multiple times a day) is exhausting and trying to write original content people wanna see? Even more exhausting. So, heres some of the problems I face as a book blogger.
When you take up blogging, it can take up a lot of your time. Not that it’s wasted time, it’s not, but if it’s between reading, writing, blogging, sleeping, eating, etc – it can be overwhelming. I find it easier to take a day or two out of the week and write reviews and posts just to make it easier. Usually I’ll do about 3-4 in one sitting because once I’ve committed the time it’s easy to just roll with it!
I have a hard time translating ideas to the page sometimes. I’ll think of a super fun blog post or try to write a review, but I can’t get the emotions or idea from my head to the page. It is so frustrating. I just want things to get on the page, in the exact way I thought it, and people understand what I’m going for. Is that so much to ask for?
One of the biggest things I struggle with is confidence. Confidence in my writing, my ideas, and in myself. I try to write as true to me as I can, but it’s hard sometimes because I just want to make fun content I like that other people will like. And when I see other people’s blogs with higher follower counts and high engagement, it sometimes cracks my shell. I’ve even questioned, does anyone even cares what I write about? The honest answer is most likely no, but I try to ignore it. In the end, I’m not those other people and I can only write what is true to me – but it’s hard to ignore sometimes.
I’m well aware that it’s very hard to be “original” as a book blogger. If it’s a tag, it’s most likely been done already. Reviews can all sound the same. And posts you think are gonna be a hit – something no one has ever seen – has been done and it flops.
So creating content that doesn’t feel overdone but is still fun and engaging? Really hard! It’s one of my biggest worries honestly. That I’m not only talking to myself, but that my content is so boring and unoriginal, no one cares about it.
I try to mix things up while also having some familiarity to my stuff, but no matter what I do, I’ll probably always worry about this.
And, the biggest problem of being a book blogger? The actual writing. Especially spoiler free reviews that you just want to go on a full on spoilery rant about but you shouldn’t. Sometimes I sit down to write and it’s like no ones home. I could barely start this post honestly. And don’t get me started on editing! You guys get the cleaned up version of my posts. The hot mess I have to edit and deal with? Agonizing!
Though there are a lot of things that are tough about blogging, I still love it. It gets me excited to read because I have a chance to sit down and write down all my thoughts and sometimes, people listen. I don’t have too many book friends, so getting to gush about stories I love, and rant about the ones I don’t, makes me so happy as a reader. And I love getting to interact with people through my blog and Twitter. I don’t know what I would do, or who I would be, if I didn’t have my blog. So thanks for sticking around with me!
.
.
.
.
.
If you liked this post, please like this post, leave a comment, follow, share with your friends – anything is appreciated!
We Write At Dawn 