Comments on: The Writer’s Block: The Nae’s Have It

By: Zeal

Zeal — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 07:24:38 +0000

Hi, Its a lovely blog..Reading good blogs as this inspires me to continue work with my newly made blog

Here’s an award for you at my blog

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Zeal´s last blog post..Awards

By: Wendy

Wendy — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:59:10 +0000

I don’t think you should classify your idea as a “bomb”…it was a worthy discussion topic, Sheri!

Here’s my thoughts:

1. I *do* think if we are accepting ARCs and engaging with publishers and publicists we have a certain responsibility to be fair, honest and professional in our reviews. I believe most serious bloggers, by now, have crafted a review policy and posted it on their blog…and I think that is one way we can show others that, yes, we’ve thought about all this and we’re professional.

2. Re: criticism…if it is constructive and provided after a little thought and research then I don’t necessarily think it is a bad thing (one of my issues with the offending post was the person made some assumptions about bloggers who they admit they had never heard of…why not visit those blogs before firing away?). CONSTRUCTIVE criticism can make us all better, but pissy holier-than-thou potshots only divide.

3. I believe that part of the territory in blogging (ie: being public with our comments, inviting comments, etc…) is knowing that once in awhile someone somewhere is going to blast you. There is no way to protect against this (in my opinion!). How we choose to deal with those situations will say a lot about who we are and how professional we are…in some cases, I might just choose to not respond. In this particular case, I think a response was warranted…and from what I’ve seen, it has been a respectful, thoughtful, and definitive response from those who came under attack (and from the people who support them).

All that said (and I’m sorry I am being so long winded!!), at the end of the day I think doing what feels right to US (as individuals) is the correct path – I have always felt that if everyone just did the right thing and treated others how they wanted to be treated, there would never be problems like this…

By the way, Sheri – you can be VERY proud of your blog!!!

Wendy´s last blog post..Themed Reading Challenge: Links for June/July

By: Menagerie

Menagerie — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:22:36 +0000

P.S. My post wasn’t suggesting that bloggers weren’t being “professional” in their review responsibilities, in general. I’m just agreeing with a point that the Lit Bloggers brought up that held some merit for me because of the comments that I read in the posts that were circulating. That’s all…

By: Menagerie

Menagerie — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:20:50 +0000

Sandy… no, I do not think your comment had any attitude with it. I loved your comment!

Ti, you’re absolutely right. I definitely K.I.T. with my publisher contacts. I give them stats off my blog on posts and giveaways and I let them know when reviews are published, etc. It’s the right way of doing things. And, following review policies are EXACTLY the way to go! You’re spot on!

Julie… me *heart* your blog and you are soooo pretty in your pics!

By: Ti

Ti — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:15:55 +0000

There is a degree of professionalism that goes along with reviewing ARCs but if we weren't doing a decent job, the books would stop coming. Don't you think? I've gotten a lot of books sent to me recently and I feel that it's because I follow my review policy (which is posted for all to see) and that I do a decent job of sharing my thoughts. As with anything, communication helps and I communicate with the publishers that send me books. It keeps them in the loop and it keeps me on their minds. For me that's all that's needed. Ti´s last blog post..Friday Finds: The Signal

By: Julie P.

Julie P. — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:56:37 +0000

Thanks so much for your kind words about the panel. They really mean a lot to me in light of everything being said this week. I commend you for at least suggesting something — offering ideas and stimulating discussion.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:31:37 +0000

Jeez, I sure hope I didn't come across with the attitude that I thought your idea was a bomb. You deserve kudos for thinking outside the box and trying to address a problem that exists out there. I see where you are going with this! Like they always say "there are no bad ideas"! I should probably just shut my mouth, because I'm not sure I have a good solution! I guess my first thought was just that I have heard from a number of publishers/agents that they do choose their bloggers selectively, and don't hand out ARCs to just anyone. In theory, they unofficially like to see a blogger who conducts themselves professionally, posts X number of articles a week, and can string intelligent sentences together. I'm not sure if they all follow this set of rules to the letter, but they seem to come pretty close. So it seems that the publishers get it. Sandy´s last blog post..Sticky Business