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When I first began blogging, I reviewed books that I'd bought. My weekly bookstore finds were the entire reason that I Was A Teenage Book Geek began. It was where I said, hey look - I bought this book, and I read it, and this is what I thought of it. My target audience? Anyone else who loved reading YA.
What I wasn't trying to do was sell books. In fact, nothing could have been further from my mind. I wanted to share my thoughts on the books I was reading, and hear about the books other people were reading, and that was it.
Gradually, things have changed. Now, the majority of the books I feature are ones that are sent to me for review. While I'm always striving to include older titles and include the odd retro review, I think of blogging in a slightly different way now. Somewhere along the way, I've begun to think of I Was A Teenage Book Geek as a site that promotes books. While it may sound like a subtle shift, the awareness that I receive review copies for a reason has changed the way I blog.
See, here's the theory: book bloggers give new titles publicity. Publicity sells books. Ergo, book bloggers sell books. Makes sense, right?
However, if we're honest, most book blogs are read by a relatively small audience - my own included. While there are some giants in the YA book blogging world, most of us aren't reaching the book buying masses on a daily basis. Which makes me wonder, are most of us just selling books to each other?
Now, I'm not saying that's wrong. It's great to be part of the book blogging community and if that's why you review books, fair enough. I also understand that some people just enjoy the self expression that comes with blogging about something they love. Some may also think of themselves as providing a service for readers by giving an honest review. I blog for all of those reasons too, to a greater or lesser extent.
But if you're someone who wants to make a difference - to get some buzz going for a title you're excited about, or to champion a little-known author whom you adore - well, what can you do? Cross-posting reviews to online bookstores or social networking sites is an obvious place to start, and it's something I'm committed to myself. When I write a rave review of a new release, I suspect it has less impact on people who read my blog than it does on those who read it at an online bookstore and then buy the book.
What I also try to do is spread the word within the blogosphere about particularly awesome books that, for whatever reason, aren't so well known. In the event that only the blogosphere is listening, I'd like to think that one of those book blogging 'giants' I mentioned earlier might spot my latest LGBT / verse novel / Australian-authored-book review and decide to read and review it themselves.
Still, it doesn't always seem like enough. If I'm besotted with a debut novel that hasn't had much buzz, I want to do more to let potential readers know about it. The question is, what? Should I be posting videos on YouTube raving about it? Should I be holding contests? Donating copies to libraries?
What do you think? Do book bloggers really make a difference? Does it matter? And if it does, how do we get the word out?
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22 comments:
I think that we definitely make a difference. While we have a small online presence, I know that we are the customers in this situation. As much as we all get ARCs and win books, we also spend lots and lots of money on books. (At least I do!) I read dozens of reviews before ordering a book, and will still buy even if there are conflicting reports. Then I review and contribute. It's all pretty awesome when you think about it. If you need more proof, look at the back of your latest ARC. Always, one of the first items under marketing is always something about online book blogger campaign. They know what we do!
Great topic for discussion/ thought!
I think you guys definitely make a difference, when I started reading YA it didn't matter what I read because 90% of it I loved, now only a small part really makes me feel how I felt before because I agree with you, the book industry especially since movies like Harry Potter and Twilight made it big has changed, but still I rely on book bloggers for an honest opinion and whether the book I'm gonna read is going to be worth buying over a hundred different books. But sometimes they're small books who don't get much publicity and maybe are better than one of the most publicized books, so I think it's important that you guys review books besides the most famous ones because sometimes happens that there so many reviews of a book I don't which one to rely on so I think you all guys should vary once in a while.
Nice post, I like how you think and it is a great topic!
I think that's a really thoughtful post. Being a non YA Blogger/reader I think you shouldn't undervalue your community. You, like me, have your group of people who collectively support each other. But Breakout is important. Yes you should use whatever medium you can. Print, web, video, live events, bookshops. Yep sell the books, but also sell the *idea* of reading. It's the most important thing you can do.
I'm going to give the writer's point of view - bloggers matter to us. The space given to childrens and YA reviews in newspapers is very small - perhaps one review a week,but not every week. Most of that space goes to the big names,of course. In bookshops, all the books are jostling for space,and the shelves are often dominated by the ones published by big publishers with big marketing spend. Your reviews matter to writers because they are often the only ones we get! In general, UK book bloggers are thoughtful, interesting and honest reviewers who are not scared to voice negative opinions which means their positive reviews are even more valued. We quote you, we tweet you, we put links on our Facebook page, our publicists quote you in press releases, the publishers' salespeople quote you when they are selling to bookshops. It's really tough for writers to establish themselves in a tough market,and when you take the time to review our books it is very much appreciated. I'm sure I speak on behalf of many other authors.
As one collective voice, we've succeeded in getting a major publisher to change their whitewashed covers. Twice. So yeah, what we say has an impact outside of our own little community.
But you were helping to sell books before you started receiving review copies. When you posted a review on your site, you were helping sell it. If you honestly love a book enough to go crazy posting about it in a bunch of different places, then by all means, do it. But if people plug in a title you've reviewed into a search engine, chances are your review will come up and it will be seen. So while you may not think you're reaching a lot of people, you're reaching more than you think.
I say just keep plugging at it the way you've always done and don't stress yourself about it.
I sometimes contemplate this very issue, myself. I believe that we DO contribute to sales. I agree a lot with what DeRaps said. Most book bloggers still buy a lot of books with their review copies, and lots have a policy that if they get a book for review they'll buy the finished copy eventually.
As for whether book blogging is effective for those who don't blog, and who are *just* readers. Well, publishers continue to give away review copies, so I suppose that book blogging does have its effects, right?
I've been thinking a lot about this recently and come to the same sort of conclusions that you have about many things (no surprise there, dear twin). I've recently been contacted by a larger book site regarding cross posting reviews and am excited that I might be able to get the word out about titles that I love there. However, what pleases me most is that through my blog and particularly through cross-posting on sites like Facebook I know that there are a few readers out there who have picked up a YA title when they wouldn't otherwise have done. For me this is enough for now. As far as selling the product to each other, I think that that is a great thing. Persnickety Snark's success in promoting Jellicoe Road is a good example of how a book can take off through the blogosphere that wouldn't usually have been given such an international audience - surely that has to count for something?
An interesting informal poll about this issue: http://www.cornflowerbooks.co.uk/2010/10/do-blogs-sell-books.html
I think we absolutely sell books to each other and since we're as much customers as anyone else thats a great thing. When it comes to breaking out and influencing other people to buy...well we're up against some pretty huge companies and marketing budgets and a small, time poor reading public (wasn't last years stat something like the average UK citizen reads 2 books a year or something?).
I whole-heartedly agree with Keren David here. Thank you for this thought-provoking post, and for your wonderful site.
i think about this too.
it's such a weird thing i've somehow gotten caught up in.
i had no idea when i started my blog just how huge this whole thing was.
i really don't know what impact my blog has - if any, haha. particularly on a larger public.
i know i love to talk (ah, rave) about books that mean a lot to me.
but now that Penguin asked me to review books for them, it feels different. like some weird responsibility. and also, not all the books they send are books i'd naturally want to shout from the roof-tops about. and i also wonder what penguin gets out of it from me? it's not like my blog is particularly big or anything.
my fave bits so far has been having a few authors contact me after they've seen my review of their book (which i reviewed b/c I wanted too - not a review copy) and saying how much it meant to them. when really, their book meant a lot more to me than what i feel like my review can give back to them.
i feel like i've gone off topic here... :)
anyway, loved this post :)
x
I've been thinking about this lately as well (since publishers started sending me books for review) but I still think that we do make a difference, even if it's a small one. I love that authors Keren and Luisa shared their perspective as well.
For me, I'd like to balance some big name authors with littler known authors (also, backlist titles) on my blog and I hope my passion for books and reading shows up in my reviews.
Thanks for your comments, everyone. It's great to know that other people ponder this issue too.
Mrs DeRaps and Cass - I think you're both right about us being the customers too. I expect book bloggers buy way more books per year than most people do.
Celeste and Philip - Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views as non-YA-bloggers. I'm definitely going to keep trying to keep the posts varied and will give some thought to ways I can reach more people.
Keren - I love how positive you are about bloggers. I tend to forget that our reviews are used by authors and publishers in different ways like that. I guess it's important to remember that blogger reviews might be helping to convince stores to stock a book, or might help the author in other ways that the blogger won't ever specifically hear about. In that way I suppose it's like being part of a focus group, which is pretty cool.
Donna - great point about the cover changes. Sales definitely aren't the only way to make a difference. I've seen some bloggers trying to educate people about book piracy recently and that's something that has the potential to make a difference too.
Splendibird - I think the cross-posting thing is brilliant. I'm starting to wonder whether finding a generic site that includes book reviews among other content would be a good way of getting the message out. People might stop by there to check out something else, and find themselves intrigued by a book... I'll look into that.
Jodie - Thanks for the link. The comments on that post are really encouraging.
Luisa - Thank you. :) It's great to hear that authors feel that way, because you guys are the ones who give us a reason to blog.
Nomes - It really is weird, isn't it? Good weird... but I feel that sense of responsibility too. Maybe we both have overly conscientious personality types or something. I agree about author feedback being one of the best things though. I think authors who read their own reviews are really brave though.
Clover - Good point: even a small difference is still a difference.
I think about this a lot, as I have a very (very) small audience I'm actually reluctant to accept copies to review.
I do accept a few of them now (after speaking to a couple of people) but still not very many.
I hope we make some difference (even if it is small), and I still very much buy books (if not more now than before - as I keep finding more that I want lol).
Great post!
Just jumping in to second what Keren said (or third it, after Luisa!). Writers hugely appreciate the blogging community - and not only because print reviews are hard to come by unless you're already an established big name, but also because you guys are driven by genuine passion for reading, so your reviews are even more meaningful. I hope the gradual pseudo-professionalisation of YA blogging (your sense of moving towards selling books as much as sharing them) never dimishes that enthusiasm: no reason why it should, any more than writing as a pro should stop me loving writing.
Keep up the awesome work! I can't imagine not having an amazing stack of YA bloggers around to tell me what to read next. :)
I'd like to think book bloggers are like the Perez Hilton of literature, but classier and nicer, obviously. My taste in books definitely changed after finding book blogs, so it's no surprise that they influence readership.
Great post!
I thought about this the other day as well.
Most of the time when I post reviews I hardly get comments, but that's the whole reason why I'm posting! To share my thoughts and feelings with other bloggers.
Very good post! I believe that we do make a difference because even though, like mine, I reach a small audience; however, if that small audience sees a book I patiently adore then they will maybe want to check it out and when they see it and like what they see they will tell their friends and tell their friends and a cycle will keep going on, and I think we create that cycle, sort of like a "grassroots movement" :)
Whoa, what a thoughtful post! I don't know what to say. I do think that I have sold copies of books but mainly to other bloggers. I am pretty sure I convinced Vicki to buy Life As We Knew It from my review. But that is like one person! I wish I knew the answer to this. I want to get the whole world reading Firebrand by Gillian Philip. So what I'm saying is... if you come up with answer please let me know.
Jesse - I totally get why you feel that way, because I've felt the same. I'm not sure if you cross post your reviews elsewhere but if you do, it can make you feel more comfortable accepting review copies.
Susie - Thanks for your positivity! I guess that increased professionalism can potentially lead to blogger reviews that are slightly less personal - which would be a pity. It's a fine balance.
Dazzling Mage - my tastes have changed too, thanks to all the amazing recs I get from other bloggers. Definitely a good thing!
Marie - I agree, dialogue with other bloggers is a real plus. Comments are a big part of why I do this too.
Wdebo - I love that 'grassroots movement' comparison. I guess even when we don't make a huge impact alone, we can as a community, and that's awesome.
Becky - Unfortunately I'm still musing on this one. But if I get any bright ideas you'll be the first to know!
very very very great post!!! Lots to think about here!! I am feeling a lot of stress at the moment as a blogger, I have too much pressure to review books within a certain time frame. I also feel stressed when I don't enjoy a book at all and have to keep reading it b/c I am 'promoting' it, like you said.
Everything you said is something for us all to think about!
Thanks!
I'm still at the stage where I just blog for myself because I like to talk. *shrugs* maybe I just like to think this blogging thing is low key when it actually is getting a lot bigger. I'm actually starting to think maybe i'm too laid back for the blogging world. Who knows.
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