Book Blogger Confessions: Money

Hosted by: Tiger's All Consuming Media (Sadly not for much longer. )

and For What It's Worth

Question: 

Making money off your blog: There was a recent controversy about bloggers charging authors for reviews (You can read about it here) which leads to this week's question:
Almost all of us blog as a hobby in our spare time, usually for free but is there anything wrong with making money off your blog?

Alright, I will just say it. Many of you are probably thinking it but don't dare say it. I would love to get paid for what I do. There I said it. Who wouldn't want to "work" doing something they love? Before you all stop following my blog by the various means let me clarify a bit more. So yeah, I wouldn't mind getting paid. I would even take free awesome books as payment. But realistically that isn't going to happen. Most importantly getting paid to do this would change the whole experience. I rebel against any sort of authority. My prediction is that if I got paid I would soon start to treat this as a chore and hate it bit by bit. There would be so much pressure on me to preform. In a perfect world I could be awesome and creative and all those things and get money or books for it. But I seem to lack that ability right now.

Should bloggers charge for reviews?

To each their own. If you have the gumption to find publishers or authors that are willing to pay you for your services than congratulations. You have obviously found your niche. I do hope that you are being honest in your reviews and dealings with said contract work. Don't give the rest of us a bad name by fluffing your reviews or running off with the money with out fulfilling your side of the bargain. When I read a book review I want to know what you really felt. Nothing makes me more mad than trying to read a book given super high reviews that is completely misrepresented. I quickly learn which reviewers I can trust to recommend a good book.

Personally, the idea of charging for my reviews makes me laugh. Who in their right mind would pay me for the stuff I write? (I can't even get the big publishers to send me books.) I don't even think calling what I write a review is right. They are more like my personal thoughts minus a few spoilers. Each one journals my growth and experience in reading and writing. They are my road map of where I have been fictionally. 

What about advertising on a blog? 

Hey getting money just for doing those things you are already doing is great. For those blogs who turn around the advertising money to bulk up giveaways and such are fabulous. Who doesn't love a giveaway? BUT . . . there is a limit. I really dislike commercials. So far they don't bother printing absurd advertisements in books. Please don't ever change that.

When a blogger does allow book related advertising does it turn you off? Make you wonder about the honesty of their reviews?

I don't come to your blog to be sold on random stuff. I am there because I like you, hearing your book opinions. I want to find the next book that will steal my breath. Advertisements that get in the way of me finding what I want are just distasteful. If I have to work to hard I am going to go elsewhere. There are TONS of book blogs.

I never thought to link advertising to the honesty of the reviews. Why? Does it affect that sort of thing? Should I be wary?

Do you have a problem with purchase links (Amazon for example) that earn a blogger a small commission if a person purchases a book through that link?

No problem whatsoever. You are going through all this work just to put a convenience link for me. I can't say I have helped anyone out through those but it is a nice idea. Though I wish Amazon could make those look a little better. They are a bit ugly.

At the end of the day I would rather not bother with getting paid. It just makes things so much easier.

Anyway, thanks for the topic.