From “The Guardian” By John Naughton, Sunday October 19, 2008-10-19
“Initially, blogging had a bad press, at least in the press. Editors derided it as vanity publishing by egomaniacs. Who did these oiks think they were, imagining people would be interested in their views? Working journalists - incredulous that people would write for no financial reward - ridiculed blogging as self-indulgent insanity.”
--
As Mr. Naughton states in the full article, blogging has come a long way. Whilst I will agree that there is still a bit of unprofessional behaviour -- i.e. ridicule and snarking -- out there in blog land, which I don’t particularly fancy, the fact remains that good bloggers provide a world of news, views, and critical opinion: Unbiased critical opinion, I might add. Unbiased simply because most bloggers receive no compensation, and so our opinion is not and cannot be swayed. It just can’t be bought. Book review blogs in particular have made a world of difference in the self-publishing industry, offering the valuable reader critique that every writer covets.
So bloggers, give yourselves a pat on the back. Book bloggers, who not only consider but review self-published books, you deserve more than a pat on the back. Your contribution to independent art is invaluable. It's hard work to keep a blog going. I have seen so many book review blogs come and go in the last two years. I am also intimately familiar with the struggle.
Personally, I would like to thank Emily, owner of this blog, the longest standing self-pub review blog to date. Thank you for inviting me to contribute. I would also like to thank Breenie over at breeniebooks and mrsgiggles, who both took a chance on my own rather disturbing artistic inclinations.
Authors and readers alike, pop on over to your favorite book blog and leave a comment or leave a comment here with a link to your favorite book blog. We would love to hear from you.
2 comments:
Bloggers are still getting flack in some arenas...it wasn't long ago that Lewis Black's Root of All Evil pitted bloggers against another foe I can't remember.
You make some valid points, and it's true that blogs come and go so quickly! It takes a great deal of time and work, and you have to be really dedicated to stick with it. Glad to see the POD Peeps are still standing after all this time!
Just wanted to add that there's really no risk in giving your books a try, Cheryl. They're well worth the attention and readers should be very pleased with such outstanding literature.
Post a Comment