I don't think I have to state how much I love reading and that I love blogging and that I particularly love book bloggers. I certainly believe in literacy and the beautiful fragile way we fight to keep a community of book lovers alive..those who love story and know it's redemptive power, the pleasure of exiting our worlds and escaping into another, celebrating the wonderful things we read, the way the words change us, inform us, and entertain us. But for as much as I love it, as thankful as I am to be a part of it, I hit a wall last week. Of all the posts that I write on this blog, the book reviews are the hardest. I'm not really a book reviewer. I think I've gotten better than when I first started, but I don't really offer literary criticism...I offer my impressions and my interaction with the book. You might be surprised that I find the book reviews the hardest...mine are a lot shorter than others! But I do. Opinion pieces? Easy...only problem is that my fingers can't type fast enough for my brain. But the book reviews? Always a challenge.
Add to that, I have more ideas for this blog and this community than I will ever have time to enact. I also write for two other blogs that I've been neglecting lately. And of course there's that thing called real life.
So when I reviewed two books I was fond of and excited to share and got zero comments, I thought...maybe this isn't what I'm supposed to be doing. Because way back when I first started talking about books on my blog, it was to share what I'd been reading, to process through it, and to interact with others about books. In short...to share my reading experiences. So maybe I lost that vision somewhere, got caught up in the frenzy of reviewing books, forgetting to let them sit in my brain before I went onto the next one, forgetting to let them slowly be absorbed into who I am.
Please don't misunderstand. I'm not really whining about no comments. I understand that people are busy. I can only read a few of my favorite blogs through the week. I just was wondering if my reviews were really adding anything to the book blogosphere and community or if perhaps there was a different roll for me to fill. And then I remembered something Steph (one of my most favoritest bloggers ever) said back during BBAW (Book Blogger Appreciation Week). Here are her words: "god knows that while book blogging is a community thing, it is extremely lonely and sometimes (okay, most times) we get little to no return" The message of that to me? I am not alone in my (sometimes) loneliness.
Sadly, I didn't remember all of this before I sent out a message asking if I should stop reviewing on Twitter. (a bit of a pity fest for myself, I guess!) Here are some of the wonderful responses I got:
You all are so fantastic thank you so much!
Do I only review for myself? Well yes and no. I'm not sure I would review books if there was no one to read them. Would anyone? Isn't the very nature of a review that you know someone will read it and you are writing it for someone to read? But mostly I review to share my reading experiences..and interact with other readers.
So that's why I'm excited to participate in By the Chapter with Marcia of The Printed Page.
I can't tell you how wonderful I think Marcia is. She is so very thoughtful and I'm excited to be joining in a more interactive way of discussing a book on a blog.
So all of that to say...I'm not going to give up reviewing books. Anything that is worthwhile gets hard sometimes doesn't it? It can't all be comments and puppies and love. Sometimes, I might still feel like I'm sending my voice out into the very empty universe. But that happens to us all. And it's worthwhile to reexamine why I'm doing what I'm doing...and if it's really adding benefit to the literary community.
Do you ever get tired of reviewing books? Do you get more comments on book reviews or other posts?
By the way, my fourth blogiversary is at the end of March and I'm planning a big bash! Hope you'll stick around!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
The Dark Night of the Reviewing Soul
Posted by Amy at 1:00 AM
Labels: blogging, I Have the Best Blogging Buddies, Reviewing
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49 comments:
You're definitely not alone. Sometimes posts I think that will generate comments get nada, then a post that I just throw out there as an afterthought gets lots of them. Go figure! :-) I think this community is so large that we all "lurk" more than we would like to, but that's the way it has to be sometimes.
I enjoy your reviews and your opinion posts. I would say go with what you're feeling any given day. That unique voice is what many of us are searching for in the blogosphere and it takes time, heart and experimentation to find that balance between writing about what truly moves us and satisfying our desire to generate interaction.
I may not always comment, but I'm always here! It will be fun to watch your blog "mature" as you work out answers to your questions!
Lezlie
Please don't get down. I aspire to be a blogger like you! You are an absolutely amazing person and add so much to the blogger community.
I too have problems writing reviews and often times get frustrated b/c I feel like I say the same things over and over again. I just keep at it and hope I lead someone to a book that will bring them enjoyment!
As far as comments go, I'm making an effort this year to leave more hoping that in return I will get more. It often times seems like the only time I get comments are for giveaways! :)
What a great post! I 100% agree with you. First of all, please don't stop reviewing books - I love reading your reviews! And I completely agree about the trouble with writing reviews. It's actually really hard. And sometimes, I feel like I thrive on comments. It's so disappointing to put all that effort into a review and not get any comments, but it's always a cycle - eventually people start commenting again. So I 100% agree with you and I actually think I get more comments on other posts. I was talking to this about my husband once, and he said "people are only going to say ooh that book looks good a few times. Even if people aren't commenting, they're reading", so I go with that.
TBH I don't get a lot of comments on the books I review. I don't know b/c if its the genre or what. I do know people visit my blog and I do know they read it. I know people read them when I post on Amazon bc I get the little helpful vote. But to me, it's not really a big deal if I get comments. I'm just happy to let my thoughts go out to the rest of the world. When I started reviewing, I honestly didn't even think about comments. I didn't plan on getting review books. I just wanted to talk about the library books I read and hope that somewhere somebody would find them and be like, "Wow I thought the exact same thing! It's great to find out I wasn't the only one!" So for me reviewing is like my catharsis, it's a way for me to write and let all things out.
It's great though to see lately I've been more getting comments on book reviews. I'm not sure if it's my actual writing or the type of book that appeals to people. But it is nice to see a real comment about the book and not see someone who think every book i feature is a giveaway.
actually what's quite funny is sometimes it's my movie reviews that I want comments on and no one says anything. like I wrote a review on He's Just Not Into you, and i don't think i got a single comment and i was hoping that somebody had seen it opening weekend too but alas no.
I think it's sometimes hard to comment on book reviews if you haven't read the book -- I have a hard time commenting on reviews other than to say I agree or disagree (if I've read the book), or that the review was good and I am going to look for the book. But if I'm way behind reading posts or something, I usually don't take the time to comment with any of those because they don't seem like useful comments.
I like commenting on posts that ask questions or inspire my own opinions, and book reviews don't always do that. But, I think you have to write good reviews to be a book blogger because it helps you gain credibility and provides the backbone of content for a successful books blog. So, even if those posts don't generate a lot of comments, I'm sure that lots of people read them. Don't stop reviewing, I enjoy yours a lot!
Kim
I love book reviews, but for me they are very difficult to write and sometimes I don't know what to say on a book review comment unless I read the book. So I rarely leave BR comments because all I can think to write is "Thanks for the review" and that makes me feel lame.
Like Lezlie, I'm often surprised by which posts receive comments and which don't. I definitely think you should keep reviewing though, because people read even when they don't respond and you never know when what you've written will be very helpful to someone - plus I think you write great reviews!
A lot of people read you but never comment (like me). Every once in a while I think I should say something just to let you know people are there, but I have nothing substantive to add so I think it would just be a waste of space. But you definitely have readers, and maybe not always comments because you're getting it just right and saying all there is to say!
I know what you mean. As someone who participates in zero memes almost all off my posts are book reviews. I love reading children's books and I notice that they rarely are comment inducing book reviews. It is disheartening to spend 2-3 hours on a book review (yes - I'm just that crazy) and then not receive any comments. But if I review a popular book or a classic which I spent the same 2-3 hours writing then it gets a lot of comments. Sometimes I ask myself, should I stop reviewing picture books? Am I in it for the comments or am I in it for the "reading"?. The same goes with author interviews. I have heard so many people purposely say that they avoid reading author interviews like it's a bad thing. Again, I spend hours researching my authors, reading their books, submitting questions, editing the interview and then receive very few comments on them. It is disheartening. BUT I LOVE the interaction I have with the author. I can't get enough of it.
Sometimes I ask myself: Am I going a different direction then what my blog readership expects of me? Then I have to answer: yes, the traffic is nice and the comments are nice but that doesn't mean I should stop reviewing what I love to read. If I were to stop reviewing books I wouldn't much else to talk about as I feel the reviews are my backbone of my blog.
Like everybody else has stated, I am awful with leaving comments and I need to try to find the time to make sure to leave those comments. If they make my day, I'm sure they'll make somebody else's day as well. And I have to admit, that I have so much in my reader that if I haven't read the book and the title and book cover don't appeal to me then 90% of the time I don't read the review. I'm sure I'm not the only one. And I have to remind myself, that the same reasons I don't leave comments on book reviews are most likely the same reason that others don't leave comments on my blog. So I'm certainly not one to place the blame.
Don't stop reviewing! I too can get discouraged by the lack of comments. It's so funny to me to get 40+ comments on a photo (and I don't consider myself a photographer) and get only one or two comments on a book review, and books are my whole life (working and leisure).
I think the lack of comments are the result of a number of issues. Kim is spot on. If our readers aren't familiar with the book or the book is not their genre, there really isn't much to say but "nice review." Book reviews don't generate conversation. But book reviews establish your credentials as a book person who reads and thinks about books.
I am not a writer and so I can't do musing type posts like you do. I don't have time or energy to do posts that require research. So memes and reviews are it for me. I love writing my reviews, and they are really written for me alone.
Of course, I love it when someone reads a book and mentions that she first heard about it on my blog. That's a thrill. And I like reviewing books on request. But truly, I can't get caught up by the amount of love my reviews generate.
And even reviews with only a couple of comments have garnered up to 300 hits. So someone is reading (or at least looking at) them!
I would think that most book bloggers completely understand what you're saying here. I've wondered the same things as you, that's certain!
Comments are nebulous things....they shouldn't matter so much, but do. It's always a nice thing to engage people. I would imagine that most book bloggers have a zillion blogs in their reader. Some books will excite them, but most probably won't. And that's okay, because whether a comment is left or not, people are reading (as you can see from the above comments!).
I think it's fairly common to receive far more comments on a non-review post -- at least it is in my limited experience. :)
Keep reading, keep reviewing, keep writing!
I like to read reviews on blogs because the reviewers are giving their impressions and opinions instead of literary criticism. Reviews can get hard to write because there are only so many ways to say you liked or didn't like something. I'm very impressed that you've been at this for 4 years - that's amazing. Keep the reviews coming!
Don't stop reviewing! I think there are times for all of us where we just don't receive comments. I try to shrug it off.
Writing book reviews is hard for me also. I don't mind doing it since it strengthens my skills, but I rather not.
My advice is to keep going!
Amy, if you were to stop reviewing on your blog, you would be so missed! I think we all have had times when we felt disappointed about responses to our posts, but there are other times when I'm blown away by the number of visitors and commenter! It's an up and down path, I guess. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who feels like that at times. This hobby of reading/reviewing/blogging has become such a huge part of my life I don't know what I'd do without it and the other bloggers I've met - you included! We're all part of a huge book-loving family and I wouldn't trade it for ANYthing!
I know that I read a lot of reviews without having time to comment on some - so don't assume your reviews aren't being read! :-) You have an awesome blog.
Keep reviewing, we've find our reviews are read quite frequently but it's hard to comment on a book review, particularly if you haven't read it yourself.
We have the opposite problem. Our site was originally intended to offer reviews and links to Amazon and we had no intention of blogging. My partner even wanted to turn the comments off. We struggle with the blogging part of it but it does create relationships and comments that are appreciated. The reviews are rarely commented on except from the occasional appreciative author.
Nope, you are not alone. Please keep reviewing. Even if I personally don't comment, I do read them. Your feed is in my Bloglines! And I'll try to do better about commenting. It's just so hard to find the time some days...
If anything, at least you get free books out of it, right? :)
Great post! I do, I get way more comments on non-reviews, just debbatage (like this post you wrote) or reviews on books that are not brand new. Classic books get the most comments because most people have some sort of experience with the book that they can share. New books all people can say is, 'glad you liked it', or ' I'll add it to my list'- unless they too were lucky enough (haha...because of the twitter discussion) to get their hands on an arc or hardback copy as well.
Do you think that in the beginning you were reviewing less brand new books? I know I was. Now I try to do one new one older one and it seems that I do get way more on comments on the older book reviews steadily.
great question btw!
I think we all go through that. Plus, there is a lot of pressure to review an ARC and if it gets no comments I think, "Why did I do it?" Sometimes I just have to relax and do what I want to do on my blog. I try to just write my feelings on a book. I'm not a professional so I don't think people should expect that from me. A blog should be an extension of a hobby, not a lot of work.
Keep reviewing the books you love! The rest is gravy.
Same here. Many of my reviews don't get comments either (but when they do it makes me feel good). But I think it doesn't mean that people don't read them or appreciate them. I don't have time to comment on every post I read, so I assume the same of my readers as well. You never know who your review touches even though they never told you.
I like both your reviews and your opinion posts a lot, Amy. Like others have pointed out, sometimes not getting comments doesn't mean your posts are not being read and appreciated. In fact, I'd say "most of the time". We're all a bunch of lurkers sometimes...I was a lurker for months before I started commenting here :P Not to mention all the readers who aren't bloggers themselves and aren't in the habit of leaving comments.
I think I'm in the minority in that I enjoy writing reviews more than other types of posts. I often worry that I might be boring people with review after review. But while writing other posts can make me feel awkward and self-conscious, reviews don't. Not sure why, really. I guess I'm just a book blabbler :P
But back to the point: keep doing what you do. We love you.
Interesting discussion going on here! I feel like what you describe all the time, and have to constantly give myself a pep talk to keep going and not worry about what sort of response I'm getting.
As for the kind of review you talking about, impressions and interaction with the book, that's my favorite kind. In fact I often skim a review just to get that part! So when I write my own "reviews" they are very short and contain really only my reaction.
Anyway, fun discussion and do keep up the reviewing! :)
...let me just reword what I said, because on second thought it sounds like I'm saying most of us don't enjoy reviewing, which I know is not true: I think I'm in the minority in not always enjoying/having trouble with non-review posts. It probably helps that I'm pathologically shy :P
Amy, why do you blog? Is it for fun? If so, and if doing book reviews isn't fun, then stop (even though I like your reviews). Is it because you like getting free books? Then maybe you'll need to bite the bullet and do a few reviews. Is it because you like getting comments? Then write the kind of posts that get comments.
There are a lot of different people out there who are looking for a lot of different things in a blog they read. You currently have a niche and a bigger readership than many blogs do. Would dropping book reviews change that? Do you care?
I started writing book reviews as a filler--to have something to write about because my blog had no real focus. Then I discovered I liked it and found the book blog community. Maybe you'd like writing reviews more if you lowered your standards, at least on some books. In other words, it may be ok to say that xyz that you just finished was a fun read but nothing special, or that you just finished book x and want to tell us how much you liked (or hated) the main character who.... rather than writing a full-fledged review.
In other words, I think you should do what you want, and not make your decision by who votes for what here in the com box.
I sometimes (especially right now) have a hard time writing reviews. Right now I am about 10 reviews behind. And once I get behind it's really hard to get caught up.
I do my reviews a lot like you. I offer my impressions and feelings about the book. I like this format much better than more literary type reviews.
But, the blogoshere is a big world and it's hard to tell if our reviews are having an impact sometimes. I try hard to comment on others blogs, but know that I get behind. I try to keep this in mind when the comments are sometimes slow in coming.
The last time I tried to send you a comment, I couldn't because the comment box kept trying to load a word verification but never did. (FWIW, I wish you would just use Blogger's regular combox, as I've never had any problems with it before.)
I only mention that because it's possible that people tried to leave you comments but couldn't!
I love to read and I love to write. But sometimes I, too, find it hard to sit down and commit to writing a review, even of a book I enjoyed. My time is limited, so if I'm writing a review, I'm not reading Twitter or catching up with a favorite show on the DVR or reading another book. Since I don't have a deadline (in most cases)I try to wait until I'm in the mood to write the review instead of forcing it (which then feels like homework).
I enjoy the reviews. I don't usually comment because there are only so many posts that I can comment on a day, but I do read them and take note of books you recommend.
Actually, just today I picked up Flirting with Forty at the library because I remembered your review and that you liked it. I don't think I commented on that post, but it must have stuck with me in some way.
I say keep doing what you are doing as long as you enjoy doing it. Otherwise, you may want to reevaluate the amount of reviews you do.
Yeah, I get sick of reviewing books too. While they're fun to read, they aren't all that much fun to write about most of the time.
Some of my critiques have received huge responses and others haven't. It doesn't really matter, since I'm doing this for my own enjoyment anyway...
Keep your chin up, grrrl! Do what makes you happiest. That is all.
I've seen your name on several different blogs and I'm a newcomer to the Book Blogger world. Like you I just decided I'd do it so I'd remember what I had read and liked about something. My personal library has been expanding and costing money, so I wanted to do something 'fruitful'. Like you, I started as just something for me to share my experience with anyone who cared; I'm not a hard-core blogger. Then after I began this I saw that there was already an entire book blogging world that I wasn't aware of!! WOWZA so I can never compete. BUT I DIDN'T START THIS TO COMPETE so I'm just going to keep doing what makes me happy and whatever it is, it IS.
And you can tell from your responses that YOU are Loved and Respected. (HUGS!!) And many of us just sit back and watch.
LONG story short... Do what makes YOU happy, but also keep that tiny corner in your heart aware that YOU make OTHERS happy by doing what you have been doing. :)
My reviews usually get less comments, which makes me sad.
"...it is extremely lonely and sometimes (okay, most times) we get little to no return."
I totally understand about this!
I enjoy reading and writing reviews. I love reading about books that I haven't explore, but of course the most of it is the interactions between bookbloggers!
Please don't stop reviewing, Amy!
I am glad to hear you are not going to stop reviewing, Amy. You are in my Reader and even though I am not always great at commenting...I always read your reviews! I used to be so much better at leaving people encouraging comments...but have not been so great at that of late!
I don't usually get tired of writing book reviews...it took me awhile to find my "voice" in writing them, and once I did I really started to enjoy them. I will say that when I dislike a book, it is much harder to write a review!
As far as comments on my blog - I think my reviews probably get the most; but occasionally I will post something other than a review that seems to trigger a lot of comments.
What a beautiful, honest post. Gosh. I am not always sure that number of comments ever reveals the number of readers who appreciated a post. Book reviews in particular are hard to comment on, if you haven't already read the book. But they are easy to appreciate.
Oh sweetie! I'm so sorry you felt sad. I think your book reviews are wonderful. I don't know if there is any right way or not to review a book, but you do the best you can. They are certainly much better than mine.
I do believe some posts generate more comments than others, like the weekely events, but it's a way to get people to read your blog.
And as someone said earlier, there may not be many comments, but there could be lots of readers/lurkers that you may not know about. I am certainly one of them!
I know what you mean though, it feels good to see some comments on your posts, and sometimes when you don't it makes you wonder.
But please know, your blog is exceptional, and it's quite alright to ask, "What's it all for?" every now and again. I think that's normal. Talk to you tomorrow about LOST :)
(That's how I originally found you)
>Do you ever get tired of reviewing books? Do you get more comments on book reviews or other posts?
Oh yes. I've been reviewing for 5 years, and sometimes I do get tired. Not of the reading, but of the analysis that goes into writing a book review that I think will actually be useful to people.
My situation is a little different because I write reviews on a review site, rather than blogging (though sometimes I dream of having enough time to write a blog every day). We do have message boards on site, though, and I've noticed that it's just really hard to tell what resonates with people. Some reviews that I think will get a lot of attention don't, and others end up with long threads on the boards. And then there are a lot of people who read but rarely comment. I have historically been one of those, though I am trying to talk more because I like the sense of community that I find online.
I like your reviews, and I hope you'll keep writing them. Though, if writing them doesn't make you happy, I can see why you wouldn't force yourself.
I definitely find reviews difficult sometimes, Amy. I've found that when my life is busy, those are the first things that drop off my blog. I recently went a month between reviews, for instance, because I had guests and travel and work and so on. The reviews require more creative energy, for me, than a lot of the other things that I do on the blog, and when my life is too hectic, I just can't do them. Writing reviews is hard. But I'm always happy having written a good review, if you know what I mean. So even when it's hard to find the right words, I continue to think it's worthwhile. I'm glad that you're thinking that way, too.
AMY!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE don't stop your reviews!! I don't always comment, but I love hearing what books you love because I think our tastes are similar and I so respect what you say.
I don't read almost ANY blogs, sweetie ... but I read yours!
Hugs,
Julie
Oh, you are not alone. It never fails that the reviews or posts I slave over are the ones that get little response, and the ones I do on a whim - like my Oscar movies based on books - get a great resposne. I don't click over here from Google Reader and comment all the time - but I read all of your posts, and I enjoy them very much. I'm looking forward to your chapter by chapter posts, too. :)
I just want to thank you all so much for your lovely, thought-provoking, and supportive comments! I will post a more in-depth response tomorrow, but I have been so blessed and encouraged to read what each of you have to say and I wanted you to know!
Book review posts almost never get the same kind of comments as meme/opinion posts. I never get too many anyway, but it's usually the posts where I actually talk about life or open discussion that really get attention. It's a bit discouraging, I agree, but you shouldn't stop! Reading the comments on this post is so interesting, and I have to add that I do read many of your reviews (and everyone else's) without commenting. I will note what books are going around and what you recommend, but it's hard to comment when I haven't read or heard much about something, and sometimes i think all of us just don't have the time.
Anyway, I'm glad you are going to continue reviewing books!
Very late on this one but just to add my opinion. I love your reviews I just don't always comment, especially if I read on my Iphone.
Keep up the great work :)
I am glad you are not giving up on reviewing books. it would be a shame and a loss. I do understand how you feel with writing the review tobe the hardest thing...I feel exactly the same way, not to mention that when I post it on my blog I usually don't even expect to receive any comments, just happy when I do. But I think that I review the books not because someone will read them but in some way they do challenge my intellect, my language and writing skills and I want to progress not regress. Anyway, you write beautifully Amy and I hope you are not going to be unjustly harsh on yourself.
Right now I'm experiencing a bit of blogger burnout. I've gone from 3-5 reviews a week to, if I'm lucky, a review per week. There have been a lot of outside factors (work, illness, family, etc.) that contribute to the decline, but the fact that I'm a perfectionist plays a role. If I don't think I can write something to the absolute best of my ability, I don't want to write at all. I'm not going to stop reviewing, but I'm definitely going through a little bit of a rough patch right now.
I love writing my reviews but I'd probably also get discouraged if I didn't get a single comment on one at this stage. It would feel like a failure!!
This is a great post. It's got me thinking. Sometimes, yes, I do feel like reviewing books becomes a bit of burden, and it does seem sort of thankless in terms of getting comments, or um, *not* getting comments as the case may be. That said, I started reviewing books for myself not for other people so I'm not sure why it would bother me at all if no one comments. I like to write and I started blogging because I wanted to do more writing and reviewing books just seemed like an obvious way to do that. Much to my surprise, I found that writing reviews really helped me figure out on a deeper level what I thought and felt about books and gave me a new appreciation for some books that, had I not bothered to review them, I would have totally missed out on. Reviewing books gives something meaningful to me, something usually more meaningful than any comment anyone could leave (though I *do* love to receive comments). There's just something so satisfying about writing a good book review even if nobody seems to appreciate it as much as I do. ;-)
I also console myself about such things by reminding myself how I receive other peoples' book reviews. It takes a drop dead awesome review for me to so much as make a lame comment that says "Good review," but tons of reviews I don't bother to comment on still give me incentive to put a book on my wishlist or pick it up while I'm browsing the bookstore. So even if people aren't always talkative about it, your reviews are probably having more of an effect than you think! It's just harder, as a reader, to think of something worthwile to leave as a comment about them!
Amy,
I try to look at all the reviews that get links left at the Saturday Review, but I comment only when I feel I have something pertinent to add. My review posts don't always get so many comments, but I'm not writing formal reviews. As you said, I write about my reaction to the book and the thoughts it inspired in me.
I'm on a blog break for Lent, and I'm still writing about the books I read, keeping lists, and copying down quotations in a little blank book. I almost don't feel as if my reading experience is complete nowadays if I DON'T write something down to remember the book by.
Amy, I had written you a long reply and then my comment disappeared! ARGH. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for this post. It's very reassuring to me that an accomplished blogger like you can also have trouble writing reviews! (I'm glad I'm not the only one, in other words.)
Congrats on your four-year anniversary!
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