On where I get my books…

2009 at 2pm     Posted by Rebecca Schinsky

Marie at The Boston Bibliophile started a great discussion last week about bloggers and commercialism (be sure to read both posts) at the heart of which is the issue of what exactly the book blogger’s role is and how we should handle and disclose our relationships with publishers, authors, publicists, and other folks who offer us freebies.  I’m not going to rehash the issues here, but there are some wonderful, thought-provoking comments on Marie’s posts, and several  other bloggers have posted about this as well, so you should check them out if you want to learn more.

I started this blog with the intent to connect with other book lovers and share my reactions about the books I was reading. I didn’t know any other book bloggers back then, and I only read a few blogs, so I had no idea that free books would be a part of the deal. It’s a great perk, but it’s one I try to handle very thoughtfully because I don’t want to abuse my platform here or shill products I don’t believe in, and I certainly don’t want to be used as a source of cheap advertising.

So, where do I get my books?

Buying

I buy a lot of books. And I do it for two reasons. First, because I value books and believe in putting my money where my mouth is. Second, because I work in a bookstore and get a discount that makes books much more affordable. I still buy more than I should, but I have a very convenient way to justify it.  I bought 20 of the 57 books I’ve read this year.

How will you know if I bought a book I’m reviewing? You probably won’t, unless I mention my reason for buying/reading it in my review. What would be the point?  I don’t see any real reason to disclose that I bought a book or where I bought it. If I think it’s so good that everyone should buy it, I’ll tell you.

Solicited Reviews

Like many other book bloggers, I receive several offers from publicists and authors each day. I only accept books that 1) I was planning to read anyway or 2) I am interested in and really think I will enjoy.  I review every book I finish, so not every solicited review is positive, and my review policy states very clearly that honesty is my priority. There’s no guarantee of a positive review. Of the 57 books I’ve read so far this year, 16 came from solicited reviews, but off those 16, only 4 were books that were not already on my TBR list.

You can tell I’ve received a book from an author or publicist who solicited a review because I acknowledge the person who sent me the book at the end of my review as a way to say thank you and to let you know where I got the book.

The ARC Pile at Work

When you work in a bookstore, the neverending stream of ARCs is a source of both delight and frustration (delight because, well, it’s obvious, and frustration because a lot of is not so good).  No one else in my store really reads the same things I read, so when we get ARCs like Cutting for Stone, A Reliable Wife, and Hold Love Strong, I don’t have much competition for them. When something as happy-dance-worthy as Her Fearful Symmetry shows up (like it did yesterday…go ahead, be jealous), I do my best to snag it first and bring it back for other booksellers because I know I’ll buy at least one copy when it comes out in hardback.

Ten of the 57 books I’ve read so far this year came from the ARC pile at work. Free books are a great perk of bookstore life, and because they come no-strings-attached, I don’t feel compelled to acknowledge their source in my reviews, though I do occasionally mention my reasons for deciding to take a book off the pile if it’s one I haven’t heard anything else about.

Shelf Awareness

One of the first things I do in the morning is open my email and peruse Shelf Awareness for news about bookselling and publishing and ARC offers I’m interested in. When I first started blogging, I requested waaaaaaay too many ARCs—I think this is a pretty common experience for new book bloggers, being high on free books—but now I only request what I really want to read and will buy anyway if I don’t get an ARC. Only 5 of my 57 reads this year came from Shelf Awareness offers. I usually do not acknowledge Shelf Awareness as my source in reviews because I don’t really see the point in doing so. (Though if any of you have strong feelings the other way, I’d be happy to entertain the idea.)

Etc.

Cold Requests: Every now and then, when I get really curious about a book I’d like to review here and I haven’t seen any other reviews or publicity for it, I contact the publishers to request a review copy.  I figure it can’t hurt to ask, right? And if I love it and write a review that a couple thousand people read within the month the book is released, the publishers are getting a good payoff on their one book investment.  (Of course, if I hate it, that’s another story.) Three of the books I’ve read this year have been from cold requests.

Giveaways: When it comes to giveaways, it seems like some people have all the luck…and I’m not usually one of them. This year, I’ve won one book and one audio book from from giveaways.

Blog Tours: I don’t participate in many blog tours because they often feel too much like advertising to me.  I don’t participate in the hundred-reviews-all-on-the-same-day variety because I find them annoying (and to be perfectly honest, I skip those posts on other blogs), and I don’t commit to many others because I don’t want to feel obligated to give air time to a book if I end up feeling like it doesn’t deserve it. I’ve participated in one blog tour this year so far.

So, there you have it. That’s probably way more than you ever wanted to know about how and where I get my books. But since we’re on the topic of transparency, feel free to ask away if you have any other questions about my blogging practices, policies, etc.

I’m an open book. (har har…come on, you know that was irresistible.)