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Question: Would you like to be paid to blog/write reviews?
Answer: Who wouldn't want to get money for all the underappreciated FREE work we put into this hobby?? I've spent thousands of dollars of my own money on giveaways, promotion, purchases of final copies after reading arc's, trips to conferences only to be told we're just greedy little bloggers trying to get free books. Not to mention the almost full time hours I've put in - in addition to real life/work. It's laughable and more than a little annoying.
But...I would say no. Newer bloggers really see their worth these days - especially on Book Tok/Bookstagram and expect some kind of compensation. I say go for it!
Us older bloggers really had it drilled into us that to be fair, objective and trustworthy - you can't accept anything other than an ARC. Even some advertising by authors and publishers on a blog was accepted but frowned upon by some.
While I would still be honest (and make that clear right at the start to any prospective author/publisher) if I was being paid - I like being a free agent and not having to second guess what I can/should write in a review.
Add in my overall attitude about reading and blogging these days and noooo thanks! I don't want to schedule my reading anymore and I like the lack of pressure.
My golden days of blogging are over. Now I just have fun and I don't want to put in the time, work & effort it would take to be at the level I would need to be at to make money. Not to mention, I'm not tech savvy enough to make videos and join even more SM platforms. But no shade to those who do! Go get your piece of the pie!
I agree with everything you just wrote. My husband asks me every once in a while about monetizing my blog and I tell him no every single time. I had going to blogs with a ton of ads. The ads are so annoying. And, I just wanted to do it for fun. Otherwise, I'll get burned out and stop and never do it again. Those who want to make money, more power to them.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't need the stress. I almost quit anyway without the pressure. Adding money to the mix would be too much.
DeleteExactly. I'm just glad I'm in a place where I'm blogging again. I don't want to jeopardize it by adding "it's a job" pressure to it.
DeleteWe have enough self imposed pressures to blogging!
DeleteThat's why I almost quit so many times - thinking it had to be a book blog, nothing personal or review certain books/a certain way,
I'm so at peace with it now and brings me joy to do it and interreact with everyone. And when I need a break I just take it and don't worry.
And I'm super happy you've found that to and are back!
All the yes, Karen! The impartiality issue when payment is added to the mix is a whole conversation in itself. But for me the real issue is that I don’t want to feel obligated to read and review. Sometimes I read but don’t feel like reviewing. Or sometimes my review is just short, sweet, and not at all concise. And sometimes I just don’t feel like reading, period. I already have stopped requesting arcs almost completely for the same reasons, so thinking that any income depended on me reading and reviewing? Nope, not for me.
ReplyDeleteYes! Yes! Yes!
DeleteYou added a few points that I forgot. I don't take many arc's anymore either and don't want to review everything or I mix up how I write reviews.
Ha! I still like blogging, but purely as a hobby. Once I get paid for something, I like it a lot less because of the pressure and obligations. Yes, I get ARCs, but I don't stress about them. Keeping it fun
ReplyDelete100% agree
DeleteThis is such a weird argument because there's definitely a huge divide in how publishers treat bloggers vs. influencers. I've never been offered money, but I have a friend who has had money FORCED ON HER for sharing content. I don't know that I'd take it either. Too much pressure.
ReplyDeleteSo true! I remember at BEA how they treated bloggers vs the up and coming Book Tubers. They were courted while we...were not so much lol
DeleteI think we came up in the era that we didn't even THINK of being paid! Now it's totally natural and expected to be compensated for your time.
One of the reasons I don't accept review copies is because I can't read on a schedule. My life is too chaotic for that. I doubt I could get a book read and reviewed on time. I do have ads and affiliate links on my blog. I make a few dollars a day from those.
ReplyDeleteI take very few arc's these days and it comes under the condition that they can't put a time frame on me lol
DeleteI forgot about affiliate links! Those are at least low pressure and a way to offset a few of the costs although I don't know many people who make very much.
I mean, it would be nice...because it really does take a lot of work to blog, etc. I think of payment as more for your time than the review, so it shouldn't be "i'll pay you to write a good review." That wouldn't be cool.
ReplyDeleteBut also, it would be a lot more work and pressure, and I'm sure it would drive me nuts after awhile if I always had to read certain books for a job.
Lauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net
It's interesting because we connect it more to honesty and pressure while the newer bloggers think of it as compensation they deserve for the time they put in. They aren't wrong - but I'm past my prime now lol
DeleteI can't handle the pressure. It's just for fun now.
I have sort of mixed feelings. If I could just receive a weekly stipend from some book branch of the government, and therefore not have to worry about publishers disliking negative reviews or extra stress, I think I wouldn't mind that lol. It would also be nice if I could make more from affiliate links or things like that.
ReplyDeleteI had completely forgotten about affiliate links when writing this post. That seems like a good way to bring in a few dollars without the pressure. Unfortunately, everyone I know doesn't make much but hey! if it helps why not?
DeleteYeah us more set in our ways book bloggers are satisfied with not being paid for what we do. As much as I would love to have some sort of compensation, I don't need it. I feel like it would affect everything that I do and would take away my true passion for blogging in the end. So I am more than content with my current status.
ReplyDeleteSame. Too much pressure at this point.
DeleteI think we all said basically the exact same thing. I love it! Such a great group of bloggers! Now, let's win that giant lottery!
ReplyDeleteYes - we were answer twinsies this week lol
DeleteI am here for the lottery!!
I don't know... as much time as I put into it I'd love to make a little something from it. But I get this too: " I don't want to schedule my reading anymore and I like the lack of pressure." That... is very true! I'm the same though. I thought of doing a BookTok or doing Youtube but then I did a little research and realized how much work they put in, having to edit videos and get the lighting right and it's all more than I want to mess with!
ReplyDeleteI might have done more with other formats in my early days but I'm way too lazy for that now lol
DeleteTrue thw golden says ago. I have a hard time trusting these days. Cos when u do get paid u only praise
ReplyDeleteI'd really have to know the blogger to trust paid for reviews
DeleteIf I could get paid for doing exactly what I already do then yes. Otherwise no.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point.
DeleteI don't want to put in the same level of time and work that I used to when I posted 7 days a week and took on so many reviews but if I can blog like my present sluggish self and be paid? Maybe lol
It's funny, because I do put a lot of work into my blog as it is, agonise over reviews...but I would immediately resent having to do that if it weren't my choice, regardless of there being money involved.
ReplyDeleteI always love it when you incorporate your "old times" stories LOL.
Well, you know I would REBEL lolo
DeleteI one million percent want to be paid. Full stop. I have placed so much pressure on MYSELF to have reviews done by certain dates and stuff, that I'd not be adding any pressure to the mix, and money would be HUGE. I tried to have ads, but I made no money, and then Askimet refused to let me use their plug-in because they said I was a "business", which is cute if you consider my literal 3 cents a day a "business". It would cost 10x as much to pay for the Askimet plugin, so I just removed the ads. I also have affiliate links, but in the course of 8.5 years, I have made a whopping total of $10. Yet here I am, like some kind of complete fool, doing it for every post. Idk Karen, I just really want to be paid for this work, basically, but that is NOT happening, is it? (Also ugh I remember those days at book events where if you weren't a BookTuber, you were basically garbage. I assume it's like that for Bookstagram and BookTok now?)
ReplyDeleteI mean, I wish we got paid for the work. Or appreciated in some way?? It's hard to think of arc's as payment when they aren't finished copies (a lot of us end up buying those too!) and then all of a sudden they (the pubs) come up with money for all these other people after saying we're greedy.
DeleteI get what you're saying but I have 0 pressure these days. I just don't care anymore lol And it shows - so there's that. I dnt' I could earn money now. I don't' put the time in these days.
I admire the hell of the up and comers though that ask for compensation. I have trust issues when money is involved but we do put in so much work.
It's interesting how out of touch I am with the newer generation of booktube/bookTok that I didn't realize some are getting paid. And like you said, great for them! But no, I do not want that pressure, I blog my way (which also involves not making videos lol!) I don't have the time to take on something I love and make it a job. Now if someone wanted to start throwing money to me for doing exactly what I'm currently doing? Sure! I'll take it :)
ReplyDeleteI just don't have that drive anymore and I'm not a good fit for the current social media - I'm never doing videos lol
DeleteI would love to get paid if I could do it exactly as I am!
I wouldn't want the responsibility either. I used to do music reviews for a regional Blues magazine and a local entertainment paper, and hated deadlines. Heh. I guess if it was from monetizing a YouTube channel and still being able to do my own thing that would be different, but I don't think I'd ever get that many subscribers. Ha ha. 😅
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think most of us would love to get paid if we could do it however we want and at our own speed but realistically, that won't get subscribers or be sustainable - so no money for us lol
Delete