Tuesday, April 25, 2017

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Good for Everybody

So IABB's weekly confessions day is over, and it looks like I've got some 'splainin' to do, because it seems to me that someone (probably an author) has grossly misunderstood some recent confessions from bloggers, and I'm here to set the record straight (at least as I see it.) For those of you that are new or not aware, IABB confessions are completely anonymous and IABB and the graphics artists are not responsible for the content of the confessions, they merely provide the platform for their airing. 


Interestingly enough, this confession struck a nerve with me (probably because it's targeting bloggers, and that's what I am). Now it's not really about me because I don't sign up for blog tours and am constantly asking PR companies to remove my email address from their mailing list because it's for review requests only. Additionally, if you check my Review Policy page, you will see that I do not accept review copies of books any longer as well. I have commitment issues, and buying or winning the books that I review greatly reduces my reviewing stress levels. So in a way, I get what this confessor is saying about just buying the book if you want to read it so badly. So yeah, if there is a book that you desperately want to read and you get turned down for a review copy, buy it yourself. I'm pretty sure most bloggers already operate that way (based on various comment threads in blogger groups I'm a part of on Facebook.)

But the thing is, I really don't think any blogger is going to submit a confession saying they're tired of being told/treated like they're not important enough for review copies of books because they got turned down one time. That type of confession would be the result of consistently being refused the review opportunities, but still being expected/asked to provide promotion for all the books. In my experience, when you sign up for a blog tour requesting a review copy and you get denied that copy, the PR company still expects you to make a promo post on your scheduled date. So if a blogger is consistently being denied review copies, the PR companies are essentially saying "You're good enough for promo, but that's it." And if the blogger prefers to only promote books that they've actually read, that would get old fast. And who knows, maybe the PR companies continually refuse to grant the blogger review copies because the blogger continually refuses to post promo for books they were denied a review copy for. That's certainly a circle that could never end. I know if I were that blogger, I would simply ask to be removed from the PR companies mailing list.

And that's the thing. Asking to be removed from the mailing list in the first place is probably the only way to get the PR company to maybe reconsider their position. I imagine one of the things authors want to know about PR companies before choosing to use their services is how many signups they can guarantee, and the actual posting percentage for those signups (it will never be 100%, because things happen and some posts just don't get posted.) And sure, one blogger asking to be removed probably won't make a huge difference to the PR company because there are lots of us out there. But to the bloggers that are getting tired of being denied review copies, you might as well cut those ties now. Work with PR companies that actually value you as a blogger. I'm sure there are some out there that will (because there are quite a few PR companies out there too.)

And one final thing, to answer this confessors final question (sort of). Those confessions you're responding to are not complaints about having to potentially buy books to read them. Those confessions are a reaction to being made to feel like we (bloggers) just don't matter at all to PR companies. It's not about the books. It's about being shown that we don't matter to them. And yet, without us, the PR companies don't have jack squat to offer authors. - Katie 

2 comments:

  1. Yes! I love thks! As a fellow blogger I feel the same! I also am not acceptong reviews because my plate is so full, but to constantly be told they nees us, yet won't show our blog any respect is getting old. The authors dont even LIKE our page, but still want us to promo for them. We want to help everyone, but we are looking for mutual respect. If I say 'Shared on my blog' and leave a link, at least go LIKE the page, or even just the post! If I sign up for every promo tour you may have and post said promo every time, maybe throw me a book once in awhile! It's hard to be a small blog if no one gives you the chance to get bigger so the bigget authors pay attention to us!

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    1. The lack of interaction on Facebook really amazes me, since their interaction on the post promoting their stuff increases the exposure for their stuff. And this is something they should understand because they are also page owners. - Katie

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