Tag Archives: Blogger Publisher Relationship

Entitlement is One Thing, Attempted Public Shaming is Another

Posted on October 10 2012 by Justin | 48 Comments

Today, Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist, a little blog that’s been around a lot longer than mine, posted a review of James S.A. Corey’s Caliban’s War. He begins his review with one of the most asinine first paragraph I’ve ever read:

James S. A. Corey’s Leviathan Wakes was one of my favorite reads of 2011 and I was eager to sink my teeth into its sequel! Sadly, there was a screw-up at Orbit and not only did I never receive an Advance Reading Copy, but I never got a review copy of the novel. It took a while for me to sort everything out, which is why this review of Caliban’s War was so late in coming.

Putting aside for a moment the smug tone and the sense of entitlement, neither of which I have a particular objection to beyond personal dislike, let’s focus on the intent of the statement.… Read the rest

A Response to a Response

Posted on July 6 2012 by Justin | 43 Comments
Pauline Ross, an independent reviewer and active forum participant on Westeros, wrote an essay responding (in part) to my thoughts on the blogger/publisher relationship. Those who read me frequently know I’ve had some strong thoughts on the subject in recent days. Interestingly, Ross begins with the blogger/reader relationship, discussing the publishing houses only tangentially while lobbing a few gentle grenades at bloggers,

…I certainly don’t question their integrity; undoubtedly they write their honest opinion of every book they review. But (and it’s a significant but) if they don’t enjoy a book, or don’t finish it, they generally don’t review it. When they give ratings, they tend to use a skewed scale such that even a relatively poor review merits 6 or 7 out of 10. They tend to chase big name or hot books. They tend not to review self-published works. 

Obviously, Ross is painting with a broad brush, something she recognizes and accepts.… Read the rest

A Look at the Blogger/Publisher Relationship

Posted on June 13 2012 by Justin | 54 Comments

Following the coverage of last week’s Book Expo America Bloggers Conference left me a little frustrated with how the publishing industry views blogging. For the record, in all the time I’ve been blogging I’ve never been pressured by a publisher to do anything untoward. They’ve never asked me to write a review a certain way or threaten to take away future copies of books. In fact, the only request I’ve ever had from a publisher is to hold a review until a certain date. What gets my goat is the implication that bloggers exist to help sell books, an assertion that seems to have been echoed again and again at the Bloggers Conference.

I first became aware of this perspective via the infamous William Morrow letter which stated, “Your job is simply to review the book within a month of receiving it and post your thoughts on your blog or site.” A poor choice of words, but one that seems to be resonating among those in the book business as expressed on the Book Smuggler review of the Conference. … Read the rest