Some days, I’d love to have a huge blog following. However, (internet) fame and fortune(?) aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Here are my top 5 reasons I’m glad not to be one of the major book bloggers:
No hate comments
I’ve never gotten a hate comment on my blog, and I’m really glad! I’m sensitive and have feelings and stuff, and that would make me want to quit. I also get some very flattering spam comments, which can make me feel awesome.
I don’t get tons of unsolicited ARCs
I don’t get many ARCs period. Mostly, I pick them up when I go places like ALA and BEA. I could probably count the number of physical ARCs I’ve received in the mail on two hands in my 1.5 years of blogging. And that’s okay with me. I don’t get ARCs I’m not expecting, since I don’t think all that many publishers have my address. It means I don’t have to awkwardly explain why I can’t read some book they sent me that’s not of any interest to me.
People don’t steal my content
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about blog plagiarism. Who has two thumbs and doesn’t have to worry about that? THIS GIRL. As far as I know.
If I don’t respond to bloggosphere drama, nobody asks me why I’m remaining silent
Referencing the plagiarism thing again, nobody asked me for my opinion about it. Nobody interpreted my silence as being for one team or another. I’m beginning to think nobody cares what I think about it, and that’s okay. I’d rather keep my opinions to myself and worry about books, not drama.
I don’t feel like I’m doing unpaid work for publishers
There was a recent comment where a blogger I follow felt burned by the publisher for not being upfront about the terms, conditions, rules, and rewards of participation in a certain promotion. I was never asked, and after hearing how it went, I’m glad. I have a job, and it gives me a paycheck and benefits. Blogging is not my job. I don’t make money doing this, and it actually costs me money to send out books for contests, and sometimes to buy those books. I would never pay to work for somebody else, and I think if I were doing tons of promotion for publishers, that’s what I would be doing. I’d probably have more followers and get more ARCs, but my job is my priority and this is my hobby. I don’t need some outside force influencing what I put on the internet.
That’s it! I’d love to hear from some of my other smalltime book bloggers and hear your reasons why you’re glad you aren’t one of the big blogs.
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I think I feel similar to how you feel…there are times that I’d like to have a larger reader base, but on the whole, I feel like my blog is a more intimate environment and I like that. It’s like we’ve got our own little community!
Probably my biggest reason for being happy to be smaller time is like your last point, that you have a job. I do too. I don’t really have time to read multiple books a week and get reviews out for them. I even sometimes feel pressed for time on getting reading done for a couple of sites I commit to doing reviews for! I love reviewing, but I like doing it for myself, not because I want to feel obligated.
Exactly! Work takes up so much of my time, and I want to keep my priorities straight. Reading is super fun, but I don’t want it to feel like a second job. It’s important to keep it all in perspective
Also, I look to some of the bigger bloggers, and they either work part-time or are stay-at-home moms, so I often try to remind myself of that, too.
I like your list! I am happy to stay out of the limelight- I have a teenager in the house already I don’t need the additional drama!
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out