I have a book review coming on Friday, but before I post it I wanted to share with you a change I've made in my book review policy.
When you've got a blog with a good-sized audience marketers of all sorts reach out to you asking if you'll write about their products. Mostly I say no. I don't write sponsored posts here and for a long while I've been declining offers of free product. I don't accept these things because I want to remain impartial. I strive to write about all aspects of the craft industry and don't want to be beholden to any specific company. Instead I earn an income by selling my own products.
The exception has been books.
I'm not sure what it is about books in particular that has made me accept them for free in exchange for a post, when I've rejected all these other products. Maybe it just felt good to get a book early, before it was released. I love craft books and it's fun to open a package from a publisher with a free book inside. Maybe it's because many of my friends are authors and I want to help them promote their new titles. When they offer me a free copy I've immediately responded, "Of course! I'm so excited for you!"
Whatever it is, it ends today.
I'm still very excited to review books. In fact, my aim is to review every softie book on the market because I love them and I totally enjoy reading them, sewing from them, and analyzing them. But going forward when I review a book here I'll buy it with my own money.
Those of us who blog are only human. Whenever we receive something for free there's a feeling of reciprocity that's nearly impossible to fight. The script in your head goes something like this: "I got this for free. That was awfully nice. I should write something good about it, or give it a shout out on Instagram. It's the least I could do." I've tried hard to separate myself from that feeling of obligation, and I think I've succeeded to a degree, but not completely.
More than anything else, I value my independent voice. Spending my own money on the books I review grants me freedom, and it supports my friends who are authors, too, so everyone wins.
An odd side effect of accepting free books for so long is that I've become hesitant to actually buy craft books. There are softie books that have been on my Amazon wishlist for over a year that I haven't bought. In the the back of my mind I think I figured, "Let me wait on this one. There's a pretty good chance the publisher will send me a copy." Those books don't get reviewed here because I'm waiting to get something for free. That's gotta change.
Blogs are the only place you have a fighting chance of reading an honest, in-depth review of a craft book. Craft books aren't going to get written up in the New York Times Book Review. You aren't going to find a meticulous book review in Mollie Makes or Stitch. The absolute best place, and likely the only place, you'll get a real review is from a blogger who's read and sewn from the book and is willing to tell you what they think. When it comes to softie books, I want to be one of those bloggers and I want to speak in my most honest voice.
The book I'm reviewing on Friday is a great example. It's Make Your Own Soft Toys by Rob Merrett. I've had this book on my wishlist since it first came out (under a different title) in 2010. It's got a single Amazon review (which doesn't say much) and I can't find any blog reviews. Finally, last week I bought it at my local bookstore and yesterday I finished sewing a project from it. I'm excited to tell you about it!
You know what? While I was sewing I realized something really important: craft books are worth paying for.
Thank you.
I do both on books I review. But I do feel I’ve managed to be fair. If I hate a book you just won’t see me put it out there. Keeping to the old adage: if you don’t have anything nice to say… The majority of books I review I have bought and that holds for them as well.
I think it’s alright to review books that you didn’t like as long as you give a fair explanation into why you didn’t like it and what might have made it better (i.e. more photos, better explanation of steps, etc.). I think Rossie Hutchinson at Fresh Modern Quilts does a great job on book reviews (e.g. http://r0ssie.blogspot.com/2013/08/gearedforguys.html). She talks about the actual contents of the book, who the audience might be, what she likes about the book and what she didn’t. It’s a pretty balanced approach, I think.
Hi Abby. I am happy you are doing this! It gives your review more weight. Rather than “Look at this book I got for free!” your review becomes “I chose to spend my hard-earned money on this book, and this is what I think of it.”
I always check out craft/sewing books from my library before I buy them. If I like them, and think I’ll use ideas/patterns from them, I’ll buy a copy. I think I actually buy MORE books this way, because I know I already like them when I buy them. Otherwise they just sit on my wishlist forever because I am unsure.
One question I always have when bloggers review books, and one that is never answered, is: Would you buy this book? Is it worth the money? Since so many bloggers get books for free to review, that is never addressed (I also feel this way about pattern reviews… ).
Your blog continues to be one of the most rewarding blogs I read… and this only adds to that. I love that you’re keeping your blog in “your voice” and not allowing it to be sponsored, even subtly, by freebies that make you feel obliged to give shout-outs.
(and also, bravo on the strength behind this decision… if you’re anything like me, it’s hard to turn down a book at all!)
So often I feel like you’re talking from my own head. I’ve started taking reviews on blogs with a pinch of salt because I know people are often just pimping their friends. In the nice sense of pimping. But more often than not the message is “you should buy this because they’re my friend and I think they’re awesome”. Not enough to make me part with my money – an honest overview, from someone who didn’t feel obligated, that’s pretty much striking gold! So, thank you 🙂 very much!
Great post! I used to work in a public library and have attended many a library conference (and visited with numerous publishers on the exhibit floor). Book blogs, many written by public librarians and largely featuring YA novels, were and are very much a “thing.” Advance reading copies of highly anticipated/promoted titles are hot commodities, for sure. It is hard to write objectively about a book you’ve been given for free. Even if it isn’t the best book you’ve ever read, I think there’s a subconscious effort to say something nice so you’ll stay on the publisher’s good list (or get on their radar in the first place). I don’t think there’s a reader out there who wouldn’t welcome a box of books showing up on their doorstep once a season. It’s awesome that you’ve decided to make a change and are being so transparent about it.
There is just no substitute for books in real life. I may refer to online tutorials and digital projects but I still save up my money for actual books. (I’ve had yours in my wish list for a while patiently waiting its turn at ending my stash fast.) if we atop buying them, they’ll stop making them which is something I hope never happens. I also shop at my local grocery store rather than the big national brands at least half the time. Occasionally the prices may be slightly higher bu I know they curate carefully for our local taste. I support the family and the local business. I like to support our craft/making “local” community.
I review/mention both books that are offered and books that I buy myself. I don’t review a book because it’s free ( because I’m not looking to receive free books and regularly I receive a pdf not an actual book). I review or mention books that I find interesting or that I think my readers will find interesting. That’s a good enough balance for me! The most important thing is that you should have a ‘policy’ that you feel comfortable with. 🙂
I love this point of view. Thank you for standing behind your beliefs.
You just continue to amaze me and I just keep respecting you more and more. I love your decisions and actions, how you think through what the best thing to do is, not just what is the most profitable for you. I think that many of us (myself included) could learn an awful lot from your point of view on certain things! Thank you so much for your sincerity and integrity! 🙂 Lisa
I think if you do a review it should cover the bad as well as the good. If you have bought it, you were presumably expecting decent things from it. If you were disappointed then I would find it useful to see why. I find it unhelpful to only hear the positive voices as really being silent is a way of not telling the truth. It’s the missing half of the story. The truth doesn’t have to hurt too much, as publishers can then learn what readers like and don’t like. For instance we like full sized patterns and I know that I am more likely to buy a book when a review tells me it has them. It seems like publishers might be taking notice too.
The library is a great way of seeing how you feel about a book. If I like it then I really do ‘need’ my own copy! Craft books are better than they have ever been but there are still those that promise that don’t deliver. Unless or until online shops like Amazon show enough of the inside so I can see what I am getting, then I am dependant on honest reviews. Otherwise I simply don’t buy.
Looking forward to reading the reviews!
I’m glad you’re taking this route, Abby. I love craft books but there are so many out there that I’ve become hesitant to buy any without seeing it for myself. When a book review is sponsored or the blogger says “my friend wrote this book” I automatically discount the review in favor of seeing it at the library or bookstore. Conversely when a blogger I trust says “I loved this book because…” I often buy the book if the subject interests me. Thank you for sharing your situation and solution.
This sounds like a great decision for you and your business. Thank you for your transparency and integrity – you are really inspiring!
I just adore you, Abby!
This is such a big question. I asked a marketing executive from a craft publishing house what to do if I received a book that I didn’t like. She told me to donate it to the library.
I think people want a trusted source of information about new books, but it’s a delicate balance.
That’s a great question to ponder, Emily, and one I’ll hope to answer in my reviews going forward. Thank you!
It sure is. I know that free books will still stream in, but when I find one that I want to review I’ll donate the free copy to the library and buy my own. That seems fair.
Well, thank you Aoife.
I didn’t even think of this, but you’re so right. There’s an additional desire to say something nice in order to do a good job so that the publisher will keep you on the list and send you more books. It’s feels so good to be chosen, we want to keep being chosen!
In all honesty it’s a constant struggle and it isn’t always clear what the best move is. On Wed., for example, I’m showing a project I made with the line art from a soon-to-be-released embroidery pattern. The designer sent me the line art, but not the pattern, and asked me to do whatever I want with it. The pattern isn’t for sale yet. How do I handle that? It’s so tricky.
I think it’s less the publisher being hurt than the author. We are a very small community, really, and it doesn’t make sense to say negative or hurtful things about a body of work that clearly took someone at least two years to develop. But we can really explain from an experienced sewists point of view what the book is about, what it contains, and who we think it’s for.
The feeling is mutual, Stacey 🙂
Well done Abby, really appreciate the stand you have taken on this. Will make me want to read your reviews even more.
The book you mentioned by Rob Merrett is really good, I have a copy. There are 19 reviews on the UK Amazon site.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/1908862653/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_next_2?ie=UTF8&pageNumber=2&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=byRankDescending
Will you be reviewing older books, too? I collect old plushie-sewing books but I actually like to use them, too, and a lot of times buying them online means getting them sight-unseen.
I review fiction books, and honestly, if I don’t like the book, I usually don’t review it. If I like the book but realize it might not be to everyone’s taste, I would say that.
I did post a [negative] review about a craft DVD that I purchased and was really disappointed in, because to me it didn’t really teach any specific skills I could use, just talked generally and enthusiastically about the concept (so do lots of books!)I felt that the individual featured was very skilled and capable of more than that. My money was refunded and the review quietly disappeared…
I’ve gotten to the point of not reading a review of a book or craft pattern if the person has received it free. They have too often led me to waste time and money on items that turn out to be substandard.
I got a chance to better understand reviewers’ tendency to stick to the positive when I received an email from a designer. I did an honest review of a pattern I purchased after reading a number of reviews, most from people who received the pattern free. My review was not positive. The designer sent another copy of the pattern that she claimed had revisions and wanted me to change my review. I spent a good bit of time going over my post and comparing the old and “new” versions. Not one of the things I brought up in my review had been changed.
While I was angry that the designer had wasted my time, I also felt kind of bad for her. I really don’t want to cause someone to lose money, but that pattern was terrible AND expensive. If I’m feeling a bit guilty under my circumstances, I imagine it would be really uncomfortable to write an honest review on a substandard product if one received it free.
Abby, I completely agree with you on this. I have been reviewing books on my blog lately and enjoy doing so. I don’t have time to read but spend about an hour a day driving so I listen to the audio versions. I like the fact that when I review something my audience knows that I (just like they will) paid in full for the product so my thoughts are 100% authentic. I also have been looking at blogs of very successful “digital moms” who make a ton of money and when I do on their website every article is sponsored and an ad for something. It is very disappointing and I feel like reviewing things you got for free can be a slippery slope and lead to bias (whether intentioned or not). Craft books especially are very hard to judge so reviews are especially important. Good for you! Love your authenticity and that you know what is best for you and stick to your guns!