Book Blogger and Proud
Now, I appreciate that I’m a little biased, given that I write here and tend to bang on about books a lot on my own blog, but I was seriously annoyed when I read this article, which describes book bloggers as
women between 20 and 50 years old, often known as “mommy bloggers” because they are housewives who blog about romance novels, horror/vampire stories and paranormal novels. Many of them have hundreds of followers on Twitter, and the result is that they have the power to establish new trends
I don’t see anything wrong with any of those statements. The author, Daniela Hurezanu, decries the fact that book publishers are beginning to pay attention to its consumers. Imagine!
The publishing industry has started to take them seriously. They receive review copies from publicists, and the authors court them assiduously. At the Book Bloggers reception I met many girls in their early twenties who already have hundreds of followers on Twitter. As far as I could tell, I was the only person at the convention who doesn’t tweet. All these 20-year-old bloggers form a community that is replacing the traditional book reviewers; they know each other, read each other’s blogs and blog about the same books. So, in a paradoxical way, this subculture is even more limited in its interests than the mainstream media.
Before I even begin to get offended by the implications, I’m offended by the inaccuracies. Not every paranormal fan is female, or between 20 and 50, or on Twitter, or parents.
Now, I’m exactly 20 years old, I tweet and I blog about books. The publishers should be listening to us, and not just because we have blogs and Twitter accounts.
Every industry should listen to its consumers. Publishers don’t get to dictate to us what we should and shouldn’t like. We effectively, keep them in business, and pay their wages, as arrogant as that sounds.
The service they provide is for us. If you and your friends started frequenting a local restaurant, and found no vegetarian option, and tweeted or blogged about it, the restaurant (if they had any intelligence), would listen, take heed and probably introduce a vegetarian option or two.
Why should it be any different for books? There is a lot of snobbery about bloggers, especially those interested in horror and paranormal books, as though we are less intelligent than fans of other genres.
If we are shaping the publishing industry, I think that’s a testament to the publishing industry’s ability to take criticism and adapt in these hard times.
Oh wow, me thinks Daniela has a stick up her arse that needs to be pulled out forthwith! What is wrong about blogging about books you like, regardless of the genre? It is a way for readers to learn about new books and for authors/publishers to spread the word about the books they are selling. Do we get free copies at books at MVF in exchange for reviewing them? Yes – but infrequently – and we don’t guarantee a good review just because we get a free book.
I’m also not sure what her point is about traditional book reviewers vs book bloggers – aren’t they all doing the same thing? It’s not as if “traditional” reviewers don’t get free copies of books or promote their reviews through social media such as twitter. I guess her point is that a book reviewer for the NYT should be taken seriously, while us lowly book bloggers should be shunned and driven away with flaming torches.
And what the heck is Daniela’s disdain for Twitter? It is a powerful social medium that most traditional media outlets have embraced. Sorry that you were the only person at the convention who doesn’t tweet – that doesn’t mean you are better than the rest of us, just that you are behind the times.
I know I’m biased since I book blogger who co-owns a site that hosts book reviews, but to me Daniela’s article was petty, short-sighted and down right ignorant.
I have to agree with you. What was even worse were some of the comments.
Although, I tend to think us lowly book bloggers have the last laugh. I tend to read book blogs for reviews and opinions on books way before I read a “serious” reviewer (NYT or the like). I’m willing to be a lot of people are doing the same. I think she probably doesn’t like the idea of a critics job being usurped by people who are doing the same thing for fun.
And what I often find hilarious is when I see a book review like in People magazine (my guilty pleasure) of a book I’ve already read. I think us lowly book bloggers are a threat to the “serious” book reviewers in the sense that if we’re taken seriously perhaps the paid reviewers won’t be deemed as necessary. ;)
~Lisa
Lisa, that was my thinking exactly. We’re seen as a threat because if we continue to flourish, paid critics will become obsolete.
I also think that bloggers and critics tend to give different types of reviews. I tend not to agree with the ‘critics’ reviews because they look at the technical aspects of the book/movie, not the pure enjoyment factor.
I’m also more likely to take the word of someone who is similar to me in age, sex and interests over a sixty year old man who writes book reviews for a living.
♥SB
I almost never agree with “critics reviews” – in fact I’ll often do the opposite of what they suggest. If they give a book a poor rating, I find myself more likely to give it a try. Same goes for movies. I read the “paid reviewers” reviews, but usually to get a good laugh. ;)
Perect example: Megs review of the The Bringer. I would have bought it based on plot summary, but after reading her review I know not to waste my time. Sue said that Amazon and Goodreads gave it stellar ratings. Do the author’s pay or the sites get paid to automatically give good reviews to books that are bad, or is simply a case of different strokes for different folks? If it’s that then how can I have such a different stroke from most people that get paid to review for a living? It’s a mystery.
~Lisa
I really love this post! I totally agree with you!
egads! I can’t believe the publishers are actually taking us seriously! OMG! [sarcasm off]
The reason people take book bloggers seriously is because the book bloggers are the ones who are actually…I don’t know, reading the books! More often than not, the bloggers are buying these books with their own money because they like the genre. So, this is the demographic that the publishers are aiming at. It makes total sense to me.
I get tired of people looking down on the horror/paranormal genre. Diff’rent strokes and all that. Not everyone is going to like the stuffy prose that’s put out in the name of literature. ALL art is subjective, not everyone likes everything. In my opinion, the blogoshpere has had a GOOD impact because like you said, it makes people listen.
So ppbhlt to you, snobby Daniela.
That is all. *lol*