Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where we discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each others’ posts.
Do bloggers owe their readers anything?
This is such an interesting question, and truthfully, it is not something I have put a lot of thought into, though maybe I should. I think what I owe you as readers of this blog are honesty and respect. That is truly what it boils down to. I am a book reviewer and I talk about my opinions on books to better inform your choices as someone who comes to me for my thoughts and recommendations. That is why I owe you my honesty- it is why you are here. I want to feel good about my recommendations and stand by my reviews, and I do. I also want you to trust me, if when we have different opinions.
Speaking of different opinions, I also owe you respect, even when our tastes don’t align. I value our different opinions and I never want to belittle my readers for liking a book I hated or for hating a book that I loved.
Do bloggers deserve anything from their readers?
Honestly, I don’t think that my readers owe me anything! I appreciate you all just for being here and for always being respectful to me. It is amazing that I have been blogging for almost five years and I have never had a harsh comment or even one that has made me feel uncomfortable. You are all so amazing to me! Just you being here is enough for me.
Do you think there’s a specific etiquette that bloggers/readers should follow when interacting?
I think in terms of book blogging, it is always important to appreciate one another opinions, even when they are different from our own. One of my favourite things about reading is that we all have very distinct reading tastes. I love seeing why someone disliked a book that I loved, and I think there are respectful and productive ways to have these conversations.
Another thing I think is important is to be cognizant of spoilers. I very rarely talk spoilers on this blog because I never want to ruin the reading experience for you!
Do you as a blogger pressure yourself to provide certain things to your readers?
I used to put a lot more pressure on myself to write reviews because I know that they are why so many people read blogs; however, they are just not my favourite things to write, and I think that can be apparent when you read some of my older reviews. I now only review books I am passionate about or feel as though there is a lot I can say. It works better for me and I can focus more attention on writing posts I love, like recommendation lists or discussions like this one.
I would love to hear your thoughts on any of these questions! What do bloggers owe the reader? It is something I am definitely contemplating now!
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I agree! I think it’s so important to be honest with our readers and be respectful, of course, of other people’s opinions. I personally struggle to post regularly on my blog as it’s a hobby and I use it to distract from the actual work deadlines I already have. But discussions like this one are fun!
Exactly how I feel! I don’t think bloggers owe readers a schedule or that readers even expect bloggers to post regularly. This is a hobby that takes a lot of time!!
Respect definitely goes both ways! Your answers are perfect 🙂
Exactly! That’s really what it comes down to!
Thanks for a great post! I’ve always felt well taken care of here, Kristin💜
That’s so sweet. Thank you, Jonetta 💜
You summed it up perfectly with those two words! I blog to provide entertainment and to introduce readers to my writing and the writing of others.
Sometime I struggle to come up with content, but often that pressure is what creates an interesting post.
That’s a good point. Some of my most creative ideas come to me when I’m under pressure!
Great post! I definitely think honesty is the main thing that bloggers owe their readers!
I 100% agree!
Respect and being polite is what we awe both as blogger and reader. Great post!
Great post/discussion! I also feel I owe my followers honesty. I don’t review everything I read on my blog because my blog is reserved for books I honestly and wholeheartedly recommend! I never want to mislead. And we all owe each other respect! You’ve provided wonderful reminders.
I agree with what you’ve said, I don’t think bloggers owe readers anything apart from honesty. I always answer comments on my posts and always try and inject a bit of humour there but am always respectful ❤
Great post! I agree with all of this. Also, I feel you on feeling pressured to write reviews and having to let that go. I still love writing reviews sometimes, but some books are just hard for me to review, and rather than forcing myself to write in-depth reviews for those books, I’ve finally embraced the idea of “mini reviews” (sometimes just 1-2 sentences, even) for those. 😂 So now my reviews are a mix of long and short ones, and I’m okay with that!
Mini reviews are so smart!
I have that exact same opinion!
It can be hard to write reviews and I agree- sometimes it’s better just to write them for books you’re really enthusiastic about. Why force it? And I love seeing others’ opinions too, especially when they disliked a book I liked or whatever. Often it makes me think of a book in ways I otherwise wouldn’t have!
That’s exactly how I feel. I want to hear differing opinions to mine. There are often things I missed!
Good answers. My post will go up on Sunday.
I agree, respecting differing opinions is so important. and I like to hear differing views on book too.
Alot of interesting questions to think about but all come down to one thing, respect and love for eachother and books.
I definitely think honesty on the part of the reviewer and general respect from both sides. Nobody likes a troll!
I definitely agree that blogging would never work without honesty and respect! One of my favorite things about this hobby is actually discussing books with people who don’t agree with me on everything – I think it’s fascinating to get so many different perspectives! 🥰
I do actually LOVE discussing spoilers on my blog, though. I don’t tend to read spoiler-free reviews much myself – I love going into books blind, so I usually only read reviews when I’ve already read a book and desperately need someone to discuss it with 😁 – so spoiler-filled reviews for books I loved are also what I enjoy writing most! However, I always try to make it very clear that those reviews include spoilers and am very careful to avoid spoilers altogether in my wrap-ups. Because yes, there’s nothing worse than being spoiled for a book you were looking forward to!
I am the same way! I love when I have a different opinion than another reader.
I love reading spoiler-filled reviews! As long as I go into it knowing that there will be spoilers, I am all for it. I actually like to be spoiled some times, but I know I am in the minority on that one 😂
Honestly I don’t think the book “community” is respectful of other option. I have one book blogger come on to my old blog and tell me what I can and can not say.