Katiebabs has a really interesting post up at her blog. It’s entitled Don’t Play In Our Sandbox Because You’re Not a Part of the “In-Crowd”.
KB starts by asking a couple of questions:
Does the consensus across book blog land believe there’s an “in-crowd”? Are there specific blogs or bloggers who give off the vibe that they are too cool to associate with or come across like the cool kids at high school who walk down the hallways with their nose in the air, where you don’t have the right to acknowledge them because you’re not important enough to be a part of their group?
Now whenever anybody talks about ‘The Big Blogs’ I automatically assume that they’re talking about the Smartbitches and Dear Author. Oh come on, you know you do too, but for some reason, people seem reluctant to mention them by name.
I could be wrong of course, there could be other Big RomLand Bloggers out there that I’m not aware of.
I did start answering the above questions on Katie’s blog, but you know me, why waste a perfectly good answer on somebody else’s blog when you can post it on your own? Hmmm….Does that make me a bad blogger? Ahhh fuck it.
Anyway, I digress.
With regards to the question about the ‘in-crowd’ – I don’t particularly think that there’s an in, and an out crowd in RomLand, however I do believe that there are blogs that people automatically gravitate towards, in large numbers, and some that a more select group of people will look at. I also believe that there are some blogs that tend to be involved in everything romance-related, and some who aren’t.
Let’s take Smart Bitches for instance. I don’t think it’s a secret that I’m no longer a fan of theirs, but I have to acknowledge that they’ve been great advocates for the genre.
The reason that they have so many visitors to their site is mostly due to their dedication, hard work, and consistency. And they also have a ‘voice’ that appeals to lots of people. Of course some of the success has probably been due to luck too – for instance that Cassie Edwards plagiarism lovefest totally helped take them to another level, but on the whole, I think the SBs have been the architects of their own destiny.
Come on, they wrote a book, and it got published. They did a million and one promos all over the States for said book. They did a million blog tours promoting Heaving Bosoms (well it sure seemed like it at the time) They’ve been on seemingly every romance panel known to woman. They’ve had lunch with publishing industry insiders. They attend a lot of book conferences, where they invariably end up speaking on various panels.
In other words, they’ve really worked their socks off, and the success of their blog is reflective of that hard work.
The same can be said for Dear Author.
I know that there are lots of collaborative voices over there these days, but the fact is, the driving force behind Dear Author has always been Jane. Even when back in the day when there was just her and the one Jayne, she had a greater ambition for her blog, than most of us have ever had for ours.
The guys over at Dear Author may not have written a book, but nobody can deny, that like the SBs, they’ve also worked their socks off to make their blog what it is today. I think that as far as e-book technology is concerned, Dear Author has always been the number one place in RomLand for people to visit for all things e-publishing. In fact, I think that their good work in this area was the reason why the SBs have also taken such an interest in digital publishing, because we all know that there wasn’t much about e-publishing being posted on the site prior to Jane’s Sunday Digital Publishing column, was there?
Anyway, my general point is, in order for both the SBs and Dear Author to have gained the army of followers that they both have, they’ve worked a lot harder than the average RomLand blogger.
The problem is, because of their success, it’s easy for other bloggers to either feel resentful towards them, or to feel inadequate in the face of their seemingly unsurpassable popularity. In my opinion, I think newer bloggers (and by ‘newer’, I mean people who have been blogging for less than two years) tend to feel this way, more than those who have been blogging for a good number of years.
As the resentment builds, you probably start taking things personally. For instance, if you take the time to post a thoughtful comment and the blog owner doesn’t even bother responding, you end up feeling slighted. As if they ignored you on purpose. This is what I call the paranoid phase in the blogging lifecycle. I think the majority of us have all been through this at some stage or another, I know that I have.
But the thing is the longer you blog, the more you understand that just because somebody hasn’t responded to your comment, doesn’t necessarily mean that they are ignoring you. You begin to understand more, how time consuming it can be to respond to every commenter.
I’m pretty sure lots of people have been annoyed at my lack of response to comments over the years, but I can assure you, it’s not a personal thing. If it was personal, I’d be more likely to comment, just so that I could tell the commenter to fuck off.
I guess the way I feel about the whole cliques/in-crowd/Out-crowd argument is that it’s usually not about the perceived clique/in-crowd, it’s usually more about the person who feels that they’re on the outside, and about their own personal self-esteem system.
I don’t believe that any blog owners out there seek to exclude others, because at the end of the day, we bloggers are fairly narcissistic individuals. We wouldn’t blog if we weren’t interested in getting feedback from our readers, after all.
I realise that some people probably will feel excluded, especially when they’re constantly seeing the same names extensively involved in various projects in RomLand, but I certainly don’t believe that that’s what the ‘big bloggers’ set out to do.
Off-topic slightly, how many people here have written what they thought was an amazing blog post, and got pissed off when hardly anybody commented? I know I have.
The one that always comes to mind for me was the post that I wrote about Romance Writers and Domestic violence. I’d put so much work into that piece, only to find that nobody seemed interested in talking about it. The comments started to flow eventually, but it took people long enough.
As I intimated earlier, I think the in-crowd perception can also arise, when you see the same names grouped together. For instance, how often do we see speaking panels that include SB Sarah, DA Jane, and Angela James? Also, how many times do you see Kassia Krozser’s and Malle Vallik’s name linked with the other three? Enough times to begin automatically linking them together perhaps?
Katie also wrote:
Blogging should be where you can have fun and relax, a way to put all the stress of your real live to the side for a few moments, a vacation if you will, where you can be another person or let your true self shine without the fear of being put down or ostracized.
I tend to disagree with this sentiment, mostly because I think one’s blog should be shaped however you want it to be. If you want the type of blog where people feel at home and comfortable, then go for it, but also, equally, I think that if you’re someone who likes to fan the flames, and make people feel uncomfortable, then that’s your prerogative too. There is space for both in RomLand. Personally I find really homey blogs, where it’s hard to pin down the blogger’s actual character, and belief system, very dull. Unsurprisingly, I prefer bloggers who misbehave from time to time, but I know that that’s not everybody’s cuppa, and nor should it be.
Katie continues:
I’ve never been a part of the cool kids or that “in-crowd”. I probably never will. I’ve always been on the cusp, on the outer edge, trying to figure out a way to belong. But I’ll always be an outsider left out in the cold, much like those who try and fail to enter that popular dance club and never will because their name isn’t on some sort of VIP list.
I think that we as a people are a little obsessed by the whole in-crowd thing.
In my opinion, the in-crowd label wasn’t thought up by people perceived to be in the in-crowd, on the contrary, I believe it was thought up by those measuring themselves against other people who they perceived to be of a higher status, and finding themselves wanting. In other words, it’s about you, not them.
Blogging isn’t my life, and I don’t ever intend to take it that seriously, but I know that not everybody feels the same. Those people who look at DA and the SBs and perhaps find themselves feeling a little envious/resentful of them, you have to ask yourself this question, do you really want that same success for your blog? And if you do, are you willing to work as hard as they have to achieve that success?
As a quick aside, personally I’ve always preferred Dear Author, even before The Unfortunate Chancery Stone Advertising Incident, but I wonder if I was to do a poll on which site, Romance readers preferred to visit the most out of the two of them, what the outcome would be?
OK, let me ask you anyway, if you guys had to pick either Dear Author or Smartbitches to visit, which would you pick? You can only pick one. No diplomatic bullshit answers please, just choose one.
Keishon
February 13
7:38 pm
No bullshit answer here: Dear Author. Since reading their blog I’ve bought an ebook reader and am now a die hard ebook enthusiast.
Diana
February 13
7:38 pm
I think it depends what you’re looking for. I went to SB more often when they did more book reviews, which have tapered off. DA still reviews a ton of books. Though I am more likely to read SB commentary than DA’s, because it seems to me to be more even handed.
Amarinda Jones
February 13
7:55 pm
Neither. I have blogs I visit everyday and they’re based on the people who write them. 99% of the time those people are not ‘in’ or whatever but I like the honesty of their thoughts.
has
February 13
8:13 pm
I totally agree about the preconceptions about being in the “in crowd” – I started blogging with a couple of online friends and we are mainly doing it for the love of books as well as a community thing. I am not concerned of blogging the right way or to appeal to a wider audience – if people like reading our reviews/posts and enjoy them its great although I do agree about the lack of comments but then I rarely post on a lot of blogs including the big ones but I find Twitter really useful and more direct with commenting on posts or issues.
But preferring which blog I like- I think DA, just because I like the layout and the posts there interests me more, especially the ebooks/publishing stuff. Although I do like the SB site I am finding the ads are too busy and I dont visit it often as DA.
RRRJessica
February 13
8:27 pm
DA, no question, always has been my first choice. I now think of DA as for hard core romance enthusiasts and SBTB as the entry blog, the one that also appeals very widely to people who are new to romance or not as into it. SBTB plays a crucial role as ambassador to romance, as a bridge to other kinds of readers and even nonreaders.
I also think I prefer DA because the unique voice of SBTB has sort of washed out (kind of like when your favorite indie rock band makes it big), and since I am attracted to strong voice in blogging (even when I often disagree, which is why I read blogs like TeddyPig, Mrs. Giggles, and KKB), I haven’t visited as much. I take it some people get annoyed with DA’s strong stance on certain issues, but I would rather know what I am dealing with, personally, even if I disagree.
It’s funny you posted on KB’s post, because I planned to mention it Monday as well, but going in a slightly different direction.
Anon
February 13
8:36 pm
I don’t like either of them. The only “popular romance blog” I still read happens to be this one.
If someone held a gun to my head and FORCED me to choose? Probably Smart Bitches. Jane has always rubbed me the wrong way, and I find myself wanting to punch her in the mouth far more often than I do Sarah and Candy.
katiebabs
February 13
8:38 pm
Dear Author because I love the range of books they review and the topics they bring up really interest me.
Actually, the whole “in-crowd” issue is very big among the YA blogs, where I also visit. Some of these bloggers feel the need to explain why they post, what they are posting and why they do it. It is so exhausting.
Since I’ve never been a part of the in-crowd in school or in life, it doesn’t matter to me, but it saddens me that a few close blogging friends who have a great voice have felt the need to step back and almost close up shop because they feel they can’t compete with the bigger names, such as DA and SB.
Alex
February 13
8:42 pm
Dear Author, definitely. SB isn’t nearly as funny as it used to be. It’s got that same feel a small company does when it sells out to a large corporation. I’m not sure if they’ve changed or if it’s me.
handyhunter
February 13
8:46 pm
I have both on my googlereader, but tend to read more of DA’s articles/reviews, so I guess I’ll go with them. I can’t (won’t) read comments on either site any more because they often make me not want to have any part of romance fandom. I’m not fannish about romance novels, not in the way I am over comics and TV shows and other stuff, and some of the conversations I’d like to see in romanceland are few and far in between, even – maybe especially – with the ‘in crowd’/big name bloggers.
Off-topic slightly, how many people here have written what they thought was an amazing blog post, and got pissed off when hardly anybody commented?
And something off-the-cuff and maybe less serious gets a lot of comments? The internet does seem to be contrary that way. (Commenting is hard! I wonder if there was a ‘like’ button or something similar, if it would better or more accurately count the number of people who read and liked the post vs the ones who comment.)
It’s also interesting to me the way different internet communities or blogging platforms work (not just in romanceland), partly because I have very little attention span for blogging in the sense of writing articles/reviews for general consumption, but I like meta and certain types of conversations and other fannish things.
Mireya
February 13
8:51 pm
DA hands down. I find it a lot more informative. Granted that, sometimes, the posts and a good deal of comments fly right over my head, but I’ve learned a lot visiting that blog. I also appreciate their advocacy of ebooks and more importantly readers. SB is okay, but I have to admit I only visit it for the fun stuff they find, in other words, entertainment value.
Venus Vaughn
February 13
9:38 pm
I prefer DA.
When I first found SB I was enchanted and laughed as loud as most of their followers. Then I participated in an e-mail exchange with SB Sarah that left me less than impressed with her “behind the scenes” personality. Then I watched her (them?) try to take down B(u)y The Book in collusion with DA and took an unwelcome trip back to grade school. I finally stopped following after Heaving Bosoms came out. That was the straw. I hate that they “speak for the reader” in so many places. They don’t speak for me.
DA has its issues too, but the variety of personalities keeps it way more palatable.
SarahT
February 13
9:45 pm
Dear Author, most definitely. I rarely visit SBTB these days as I don’t find much to interest me. Plus the ad business pissed me off.
I see the “in-crowd-in-Blogland” a little differently to both you and Katiebabs. In order to be in competition with the popular blogs, a blogger would have to be attempting to emulate them, or have goals to achieve what they have achieved. I don’t see many of us newer bloggers doing that. I don’t even accept many ARCs. Like you, I see my blog as a hobby. It doesn’t matter if I don’t post anything for a few days, then post new content five days in a row.
I had an interesting exchange with DA Jane on Twitter about what it costs her to run DA. I’ll tell you, my jaw dropped. Although I’ve been outspoken about disliking ads on blogs, if I had her postage costs, I’d definitely consider it. It’s one reason I don’t bother with many giveaways. I don’t want to invest a lot of money in my blog. That would cut into my book-buying budget, and that would never do.
As you’ve been direct in your blog post, I’ll be direct in my response: I’ve grown to feel uncomfortable commenting at Dear Author over the last while because I get the impression that dissension is not appreciated. The irony is that I agree with Jane and Robin more often than not, but have had negative experiences when responding to their posts. I have thrashed this out with Robin a bit, and I have to say I respect her for at least taking my point of view on board, even if she doesn’t agree with it.
Despite this, DA is a fantastic blog and they obviously put a lot of time and effort into maintaining the quality and variety of its content. Of course I don’t always agree with their stance on issues, or don’t see the importance of an issue they highlight. But to be frank, that’s no different here at KKB, or at any other blog I visit regularly. Some posts interest me more than others, and I don’t always agree with a blogger’s take on a particular topic.
Venus Vaughn
February 13
9:49 pm
Oh, and in terms of and IN crowd, I think there’s definitely a clique-like feel in Romland. There are those who are quoted, and referenced to, and set the stage for the conversation. And then there are those who just post and comment on their own little blogs. (Guess which one I am?) But I decided not to follow the crowd very early in my blogging career.
Bonnie Dee
February 13
10:01 pm
DA because I feel they have more useful publishing industry news and more book reviews. I guess just a little more of everything I’m interested in. But SB has a fun snarky tone and sometimes I check them out too.
Magdalen
February 13
10:04 pm
Sure I’ll be the lone dissenter! LOL
SB over DA without a doubt. It’s very simple: I’ve been bitch-slapped at DA and have (only) been ignored at SB.
Plus, Julia Spencer-Fleming visits SB (which is perhaps the result of her fondness for SB or perhaps great marketing savvy, as it was Sarah Wendell who put me onto J S-F, and if she could “turn” me, then she “turned” others into J S-F junkies — which I assume has boosted sales for those books).
But truthfully, I don’t go to either one as a general rule. If someone says there’s a train wreck comment thread at DA, I’ll lurk (I will never post there again — and I’m sure Jane and Janet/Robin will be thrilled to read those words, as I am on their list of least welcome commenters). But really? Even their train wrecks are getting anemic.
Look, the Internet is a funny place. Stuff evaporates for not much reason. The funniest tweet ever is gone & forgotten within hours, the best blog post is gone in a week or so, and even the best blogs lose their lustre in a matter of months or so.
One good thing out of the Katiebabs post on the “in-crowd.” I’ve long believed that Romlandia made sense as a metaphorical high school, with “mean girls” and that one girl dressed in all black who thinks she’s so sophisticated because her parents took her to Paris for a semester, and the geeks and chums and cliques, etc. etc. Well, I had to ask myself — who am I at Romlandia High? Then it came to me: I’m the Cafeteria Lady. I just need to get a hair-net.
SarahT
February 13
10:13 pm
True. It’s a shame that some of the “smaller” blogs don’t get referenced more as they have great content.
To be realistic, though, I think there’s only room for a couple of big traffic blogs in any one area of interest, be it romance novels, knitting, or whatever. For someone who only has time to visit one or two blogs per day, they’ll gravitate towards those ones.
I’m willing to bet that the people who regularly blog hop and comment on a number of RomLand blogs are the exception. I’d imagine that there are many, many visitors to DA and SBTB who aren’t aware of smaller blogs and wouldn’t be interested even if they were as their time is limited.
I also think some people are simply better at promoting themselves than others. Some bloggers are funnier than others, and that always attracts a crowd. Others are extremely good at discerning what’s hot and what’s not and providing their audience with the sort of content they want to read.
Karen Scott
February 13
10:35 pm
I have a whole host of blogs on my Google Reader, but I definitely have a top 10-15, that I make sure I catch up on first, after that it’s a crapshoot, depending on how much time I have to blog hop.
When it comes to linking to blogs, I will only link if I deem a topic worthy of linking to, I’m not in the habit of linking just to be nice. I like to read people’s opinions, and so I always prefer OPs to reviews, which is why Mrs Giggles is one of my fave blogs to read. She’s just a flaming mass of controversial opinions, which is right up my street.
The DA gals seem to be leading the charge so far. I know that the SBs probably have more readers overall, but I suspect that a lot of their regulars probably aren’t your typical RomLand purists.
Teddypig
February 13
11:12 pm
For me it’s not where I read about something it’s where I comment.
Mrs. Giggles because I know she cares and she listens. I just know and appreciate that but I can’t say why in particular. Same with you Karen.
DA and SB I read every so often but they have fallen off for me as places I actually will comment or spend any time contributing. I always felt they have their mind set a certain way when they do post about topics I might have something to say about so there is no real room for discussion.
I try to find new places for book reviews and add them to my Google Reader which I share out to the world on my blog. There are some wonderful reviewers out there even though they all tend to start contributing to the big review sites eventually.
Tumperkin
February 13
11:16 pm
I loved SB when I first discovered Romland and found DA much less interesting. Now it’s totally the other way. I stopped reading SB months ago and DA I check all the time. So I’d echo what Jessica said re SB being an entry level site. DA’s definitely more rewarding the more familiar you are with both the genre and with Romland itself.
I agree with what Venus said re being spoken for. That’s the only thing I dislike about big blogs really. I don’t even agree that there’s a need to speak out for or represent romance readers, thank you very much. I have a sort of British horror over the whole thing really.
My blog reading preferences have definitely changed over the 4 years I’ve been reading and later blogging myself. And will probably continue to evolve. Now I just want to read unique voices and people who have something interesting to say. I don’t have to agree. I’m gradually deleting blogs that are just very pleasant to everyone and say very little of note, no matter how nice the bloggers themselves are.
Maili
February 13
11:45 pm
Referenced more at where? Is there an implication that major blogs should have a responsibility in promoting ‘smaller’ blogs? If so, I don’t agree. Also, what defines ‘great content’ varies from one reader to another as well.
I mean, since a blog is heavily personality- and interests-driven, it doesn’t quite make sense for that blogger to reference to a blog post just because I or you think that blog post is awesome. If it’s that awesome, we should reference it at our own blogs instead of expecting a major blog to make a reference of it.
Agreed. It’s same with Mrs Giggles (my husband reads her blog regularly and as far as I know, he rarely visited other blogs Mrs G mentioned) and other bloggers. It’s similar with readers who won’t read any other authors but their limited list of favourite authors, isn’t it? My gran didn’t read any but Catherine Cookson, Cynthia Harrod-Eagle, Robin Cook, Agatha Christie and James Herriot’s books. If you give her a book by an unknown author, she won’t read it.
I don’t quite agree with that last line. IMO, it’s actually the fastest way to having a burnout.
IMO, best bloggers are those who blog about topics that interest them. It’s obvious to everyone that DA Jane’s main passions are ebooks, crafts, romance novels, and technology. DA Jayne adores quirky novels, category romances, films, and trying out anything new. You like gothic romances, suspense, board games and so on, and it’s what you blog about. Keishon is into crime fiction, manga and romance. Karen here is into making a commentary on whatever interests her. I blog about what interests me. I don’t need to list those because you already know from my time on Twitter or at my blog.
When we blog about what interests us, there is always be a number of people who will be drawn to our blogs because they are interested in what interests us. So IMO, if we start to deliver what we think they want to read, it’ll eventually fail. And we will burn out, too. I think you already knew this, though. If so, gah sorry!
Maili
February 13
11:58 pm
@Katiebabs
But why would they feel that way? Would it be better for DA and SBs to shut down to give everyone a fighting chance? If so, what will they feel or think if other blogs rapidly take DA and SBs’s places and their blogs are still competing? It doesn’t make sense.
Before DA and SBs’s time, RRA-L and AAR were ‘the leaders’. I have no doubt other blogs will take SBs and DA’s places some day. It’s part of the evolution, isn’t it?
DA, SBs, AAR, Mrs Giggles, SuperWendy, and many other blogs didn’t start out with massive audiences. They all had zero traffic. Like Karen says, it’s down to their efforts – or whatever made their blogs distinctive – to take their blogs to what they are today.
You should tell your friends to have more faith in their own blogs because if they truly do have a great voice, they will get to where they want to go.
Preeti
February 14
12:03 am
I was on hiatus from romlandia from 2006-2009. Find these days that DA is the more interesting blog to me. So, genuine question: what happened to SB Candy? Hers was the voice (humor/content/personality) I used to enjoy.
Sunita
February 14
12:07 am
DA, absolutely. I didn’t have any familiarity with the original Ja(y)nes before they started the blog, but I had been talking to Janine and Janet/Robin for years at AAR. I loved SB when it began, but the less Candy contributed, the less I connected with it, and now I check in every few weeks but never comment. I comment pretty selectively now on DA, partly because I’m very slow in writing comments and I run out of time, but also because as I get to know people outside of blogs I feel uncomfortable arguing with them in public, so to speak. Unfortunately, that means I don’t support people who are in the minority in a debate when I really should because I agree with them. But DA and Jessica’s RRR blog are the only ones I comment on regularly, even though I keep up with at least a dozen. I think we underestimate how many lurkers are out there sometimes, or maybe it’s just me. I don’t twitter and my Facebook page is pathetic and abandoned.
I read a mix of old and new blogs regularly, but there are so many out there that I can’t keep up even with the ones I really enjoy when I visit them, like Keishon, Katiebabs, Tumperkin, SarahT, Magdalen, Wendy, KristieJ, TeddyPig, TMT and others.
As a non-blogger who likes reading what other people write, I do pay attention to new commenters on the blogs I visit, and if I am particularly struck (positively or negatively) by their comments, I invariably click on their name and read their blogs for a while. So even if the blog hosts aren’t responding, I bet there are a lot of other people who are finding you.
One blog that I visit that I rarely hear talked about in the blogs I visit is TGTBTU. The reviews are terrific and so are some of the Ponderings columns. They do a great service to the romance reading community, but in my world at least, they seem to fly under the radar.
Karen Scott
February 14
12:08 am
I think Candy went to law school or something. And I totally agree with you re the preferred voice between the two of them. Candy made me laugh out loud, and I could always easily tell her`posts from SB Sarah’s.
SarahT
February 14
12:12 am
No! I don’t think any blogger should feel obliged to link to anyone, big or small. I was looking at it from my perspective as I often find interesting posts at smaller blogs which I’m sure would interest more people if they got the chance to read them. Any links I provide on my blog are to posts which genuinely appealed to me, and I don’t feel an obligation to link to someone just because they are brand new.
I mean that some bloggers are good at providing content that appeals to a lot of people, or manage to hit on a topic which resonates with the masses. Case in point: Katiebabs has a good mix of man titty, funny stuff, book reviews and thought-provoking posts on her blog. She appeals to a wider audience because she provides content to interest them, and also because it’s genuine. She’s really interested in the stuff she posts and I think visitors can see that. If I started posting man titty at my place, it would be fake, as it’s not my thing. People see through BS pretty fast.
I think anyone who blogs has to do it primarily for themselves. I have just prepared a couple of posts which may appeal to absolutely no one but me, but I had a lot of fun writing them. As you said, if a blogger is enthusiastic about a topic, it shows. Whether or not the topic appeals to more than a niche audience is another story.
RRRJessica
February 14
12:14 am
I totally agree with this. I was just thinking, actually, that for a group blog, their voices are all pretty distinct.
Maili
February 14
12:14 am
@SarahT
Ah, makes sense and I agree with your points. Thanks for clarifying.
SarahT
February 14
12:20 am
@Maili No problem!
SarahT
February 14
12:21 am
To those who’ve mentioned TGTBTU: I’m in full agreement. I always check out their reviews and they’ve been posting more op-eds of late as well.
Karen Scott
February 14
12:22 am
@Sunita I visit TGTBTU every now and then, but I must admit, I preferred it when it was mainly Sybil posting. I loved her voice and I wish she would post more.
Wendy
February 14
12:34 am
And some of us still don’t have massive audiences. I would consider my stats in the “healthy but modest” range – and that’s largely because I’ve never gone out of my way to blog “content” in the hopes that I’ll attract the masses. That’s way (way) too much like work and I already have a full time job thankyouverymuch. I blog about what I wanna blog about – and sometimes it strikes a cord, and sometimes nobody but me gives a damn. Heh.
I follow a ton of blogs in my Google Read, but generally only comment when I have “something to say.” And some days I’m not commenting because frankly, I don’t have the time. But to answer the question – I follow both DA and SB, but am what I would consider a rare commenter by choice. Not because I don’t feel “welcome” – but just because I either have 1) nothing to say/add 2) the topic at hand doesn’t flip my switch or 3) I don’t feel like getting involved if there is drama involved. I’ve been floating around Romance Internet Land long enough (cripes, a decade!) that I largely stay out of drama unless someone pokes me with a stick. I just don’t have the time and the older I get, the less patience I have.
Do I think there is an “in-crowd?” I’m not entirely convinced. But I do think there are cliques. Hell, anytime you throw a group of people together you’re going to get cliques. That shit just happens.
Sunita
February 14
12:35 am
@Karen, I totally agree on Sybil. My impression is that she’s been dealing with health issues and I’m hoping she’ll eventually come back and contribute at her earlier level, because I have also always loved her take on both books and romanceland more generally. The other contributors are more variable for me, but I really appreciate all the category reviews (love Lynne C’s and SuperWendy’s, no surprise there), and even when it’s not interesting to me, I feel as if the target audience is getting something valuable.
Lynne Connolly
February 14
1:08 am
Thanks for the mentions for TGTBTU. I sort of fell into it, when Syb asked me if I wanted to do a daily blog from RT, then if I wanted to review, since she knows I read a ton of books, though I won’t review any book by a publisher I’m with, or by a friend. So you won’t see any Linnea Sinclair or Joey W Hill reviews from me, although I love their books. I did it at first for the promo, since nothing bores me more than doing a bunch of “buy my books” promos, so if it bores me, it must bore others, surely? But now I do it because I enjoy it so much. It’s a privilege being allowed to give your opinion like that.
And don’t forget Gwen. She’s a peach.
janicu
February 14
2:29 am
I like Dear Author better because there are a couple of reviewers over there whose taste I trust. But I also like SB’s friday video posts.
Bonnie
February 14
2:37 am
DA, without question.
I started out with SB, and from there found DA. At the beginning (2006), SB was an absolute blast to visit. Lots of laughs and good reviews. The past year or so, I’ve gotten tired of the lack of substance (and laughs) and watching them pat themselves on the back for their book. And the constant contests/giveaways have gotten old. It almost seems like that’s all they do these days. Write about something interesting! And go back to what made you popular! Humor!
DA offers so many issues that interest me (ebook news specifically), and I love their midday links. Reviews are plentiful and well-written. At the end of the day, it’s just…. more.
I know a successful blog takes a lot of time and effort. Many people, too. I think Jane has the advantage there, but it’s clear she’s the driving force. Maybe SB Sarah could use more help since it’s clear Candy is onto other things.
Las
February 14
2:45 am
If I have to choose, I guess it’d be DA. It’s weird, because if I think of individual posts, SB has a lot more posts that I’ve enjoyed and found more interesting, but overall I find DA more appealing. I don’t even know why, exactly, since I find the “Dear Author” format of writing reviews way too cutesy, so I hardly ever read them. Neither blogs are in any way favorites; I have very little interest in publisher insider news and it feels like that’s mostly what they write about. I read them because they’re the big ones and if anything exciting happens in romland I figure they’d be the first to let me know.
I become a fan of a particular blog because of the personalities and how they deal with a topic. Mrs. Giggles, KKB, RRR, and SuperWendy are my must-reads.
heidenkind
February 14
3:05 am
Great post, Karen! I actually don’t read either DA or SBTB any more… I tend to go through phases with SBTB where I just can’t handle their bitchiness anymore (I know, it’s called Smart Bitches–and they can really live up to that title), and right now I’m in one of those phases. DA is all about the eBooks and I really don’t care. But if I had to chose, I guess I would pick DA, since they do more reviews.
anneD
February 14
4:10 am
I wonder… do people have the impression now that SBTB are more author than blogger, the way it appears many see author before reader?
SamG
February 14
5:46 am
I have a few blogs I check every day. I often don’t spend a lot of time on them…get on, check, go away. I used to read more of them.
If I had to choose though, I would probably go SBTB. I don’t get all the legal stuff. I know it is important, but sitting here in my comp. room I can do nothing about it. Why sit here with a ‘that’s not right’ when no one gives a rat’s hiney about my thoughts.
I have, however, bought a Dorothy Koomson book based on your love of her. I have it set aside for our vacation.
Sam
Shannon C.
February 14
7:22 am
Hmm. If you put a gun to my head and made me pick one… DA. For a mind-numbingly stupid reason. They offer full posts in their RSS feed. SB does not. But honestly, I don’t really read either of them. I like DA’s exposure of lots of ebook technology, but for the other stuff, I find their approach shrill. And SB is definitely not as funny as it used to be.
Also adding to the TGTBTU love. That site has an amazing group of reviewers, and Sybil is truly a force of nature, and one of the nicest people on the Internet. I loved my time reviewing with them, and if there were more hours in the day, I would do so again, no question.
willaful
February 14
8:05 am
I see them as fulfilling different functions. DA is more for news, SBTB more for entertainment. Though I agree with others that it’s not as entertaining as it once was.
If I had to choose just one, I would be desperately torn between Racy Romance Reviews and Gosassmer Obsessions.
Wandering Chopsticks
February 14
8:44 am
I found DA & SMTB through your blog. Used to read DA more. Even bought “Heaving Bosoms.” The problem for me is that an occasional snarky blog post is great, but their whole book read like that and it gets wearying. DA, I used to turn to for news about the publishing industry and reviews.
But when both sites went “rah, rah” with the Quartet fiasco, that was very off-putting. They were both supportive before it even launched. Seems Quartet got the benefit of the doubt without anything to back it up. And when it folded, neither site seemed to think there was anything wrong with their initial support.
Same again when the whole Harlequin Horizons/DellArte situation came up. I was really surprised that both sites were supportive.
So now, I don’t read either site anymore as I don’t trust their interpretation of such issues. I never read either site for book reviews really. It was more for news about what was going on in romanceland and a general awareness of new releases.
Leslee
February 14
11:41 am
I prefer DA these days but got my start in visiting blogs with SB and DA. But I don’t feel like I am missing much if I don’t go to DA for a few days. SB I might stop by every week. They don’t do alot of reviews anymore so I don’t go.
On the point Karen spoke of great posts that she thought would have gotten more attention, well sometimes it is mostly an issue with me. the Post might have been very moving or pinpointed how I felt as well. But I feel a little redundant to come on and comment Oh I like this when I don’t feel particularly elloquent. I liked the suggestion of a like button as they have on Facebook.
My in crowd of blogs are the people who are always posting something that intrests them or puzzles them. Katiebabs is one of them. I love Katiebabs! I visit her site at least once a day. I have discovered some great books through her. Karen’s blog always has me thinking about some issue that I might not have examined before. I admire Karen because she is so confident, so sure of herself. Her post to the commenter about racism was fanfreakingtastic! I think that the big boys have their place but once they both (DA and SB) got such huge followings that I just lost interest.
Commenting On Blogs: My Take
February 14
2:07 pm
[...] Katiebabs’ recent post on the Blogging “In Crowd“ and Karen Scott’s response raised the topic of blog etiquette and [...]
Karen Scott
February 14
2:12 pm
It’s interesting that the majority of you seem to prefer Dear Author. I’m going to conclude that some of the reasons for this falls into one or all of the following categories:
1. They wrote a book and it got published. They are no longer one of ‘us’.
2. Excessive promo on the site, who do they think they are, Amazon?
3. No more Candy, thus the fun element has gone
4. Over exposure – Can a reader get a break from them already?
5. They are now too big for comfort, it doesn’t feel like a reader blog anymore, more like one big marketing machine.
Over on Mrs G’s blog, she talks about cliques being a way of life, and she’s absolutely right. Even those who feel like they’re on the outside have their own cliques, or people who they feel they have more in common with. The difference is, for whatever reason, the majority of resentment seems to come from those who feel like they’re on the outside looking in. Which I think backs up my theory that the whole in-crowd/out-crowd issue is mostly a perception thing.
Kerry
February 14
2:14 pm
If I had to pick one, I’d pick DA. They have more material of interest to me. I did enjoy SB more when I started reading, but overall it appeals to me less these days. I did buy the book and have not managed to finish it, for the reason that Wandering Chopsticks mentions.
Karen Scott
February 14
2:18 pm
@Leslee, thanks, I rather enjoyed writing it too. *g*
LVLM
February 14
2:46 pm
Between the two, I prefer DA. But I’m an ebook reader and I love that they discuss those issues and the technical side of it. Plus, for some reason, I really enjoy reading industry news even though I’m not a writer, nor do I ever intend to be. I rarely read their reviews.
I follow SB on my reader, but it seems there’s rarely a topic that interests me to go there and jump in.
Other than that, I love reading Mrs.Giggles blog and your blog for “let’s get real” takes on wank fests and other sundry outrages, and romanceland issues.
I love Teddypig’s blog for his tech information.
Other than those blogs I follow quite a few smaller bloggers and I’ve found that I’ve shifted a lot. Some blogs I used to follow, I don’t any more. And I’ve started following blogs of people that I enjoy from twitter but didn’t know about before. It’s constantly changing. And like someone mentioned above, sometimes I click on commenters who say something that interests me to see their blog and might start following them as well.
I’ve also noticed that since I’ve been following romance related blogs that commenters come and go as well on certain blogs. That’s the nature of the beast I think.
As far as “in-crowd” blogs go, I don’t feel shy about commenting anywhere and I don’t really feel like there’s an in crowd in the sense that I feel excluded. But on your blog, Mrs. G’s blog and DA, I do think hard before I comment. If you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, you better not jump in there. It’s easy to make an ass of yourself. snort.
AztecLady
February 14
2:49 pm
I have both SBTB and DA bookmarked with the other umptillion blogs I scan daily–TGTBTU is also there, by the way. But these days all I do at all three is scan the post’ titles and the occasional post itself if/when it looks interesting. I believe I’ve commented once or twice at either of the three in at least a month (or more).
I started feeling really blah about the SBs when all it was there was promo for the the Bossoms. At that time, over at DA, it seemed like there were more and more and yet more different new voices, and very little (other than blog drama) that really caught my attention.
Then came the amazon thing (evil amazon! but wait, amazon revenue, not so bad. But wait, eeeeeeeeevil amazon) followed by the CStone ad fiasco. Further, it would seem that these days DA and SBTB run a bit too much in tandem.
So… neither of them–which is definitely not diplomatic of me, huh?
Then there are the blogs I read from start to finish each time a new post comes up–SLWendy’s, Kristie(J)’s, RRRJessica’s. There used to be more, but as RL gets busier, I get more selective.
Fae Sutherland
February 14
4:11 pm
I don’t really visit either much anymore. I have nothing against them, I’ve just been spending way less time on blogs in general this year. It was part of my NY resolution. Less time trawling the web, more time in a Word document.
So, if I had to pick, I’d choose icanhascheesburger.com instead. I’m always guaranteed a lol there.
Ann Bruce
February 14
4:46 pm
Neither, really. The only blogs I visit regularly now are Scalzi’s (his sense of humor is awesome and, well, the man’s books are pretty darn good), Mrs. G’s, and a couple of personal finance blogs (there is life beyond RomLand).
I used to go the SB’s regularly for the reviews, but those have dwindled. And while Jane always says she doesn’t believe in censorship, dissenters aren’t always welcome at DA. For someone whose tastes and takes don’t mesh with DA’s on a regular basis, it’s just easier to skim the occasional post and keep the commenting to the bare minimum.
Tara Marie
February 14
7:17 pm
My first stop is usually Wendy
But if I had to choose between SB and DA, it’s definitely DA–visit there when I have time to blog hop, but never comment. I was a regular a long time ago, but I have to agree with many of the other commenters, that DA doesn’t really like dissent. Sometimes it’s Jane, but more often it is other commenters that are ready to pounce.
I find it very curious how many people comment anonymously–this really bothers me, I prefer to see people owning their thoughts. Also, there seems to be somewhat of a double standard. Last week’s Tuesday column was about the irredeemable in romances, and of course rape is always a quick response and yet in the review right before that post there is a comment about it having one of the “… best forced seduction scenes I’ve ever read.” Isn’t there a fine line between rape and forced seduction? I probably should have asked this over there. Oh well.
One more thing, I didn’t always agree with Candy, but I miss her voice.
Sunday Ramblings: cliques, conventions, and books I’m reading | Flight into Fantasy
February 14
7:33 pm
[...] the blogosphere this week I’ve noticed a few conversations about cliques in blogland. To be honest, I think cliques happen no matter what community you belong to. It’s just how [...]
katiebabs
February 14
7:51 pm
@Maili I totally agree with you where if someone has the confidence, what does it matter? I truly believe there is such an amazing support here and among the blogsphere that someone won’t feel left out. And if they feel they are, I will pop up annoy them.
Las
February 14
7:58 pm
Thinking about it a bit more, I think this is my problem(and I use the term very loosely, since I really don’t have a “problem” with either of them)with both sites. Not that anyone on DA has written a book(right?), but the fact that they are both so connected to publishers–that’s my perception, anyway–makes it impossible to really consider them regular bloggers. To me they’re more like a bookseller’s or author’s* blog, existing to provide some info but they’re mostly about promotional stuff.
*Not that there aren’t some awesome author blogs out there…Karen Ranney’s is another one of my must-reads in RomLand, and that’s precisely because she doesn’t come off as just being there to promote her work, but instead has opinions and a “voice” that I find interesting.
Pam
February 14
8:35 pm
I haven’t read either one of the blogs you mentioned
I have to say I like the name Dear Author better.
Venus Vaughn
February 14
8:56 pm
@AztecLady – I forgot about the whole Amazon debacle. But that definitly lowered my opinion of both blogs. They were all, “Amazon Bad! Stand up for gay rights! Boycot Amazon!”
Until a week later when it was, “Weeeellll, we kind of miss their money. So, um, nevermind on that whole principles thing.”
Talk about showing your true colours.
Lenore
February 14
9:00 pm
I don’t read romance blogs generally since I don’t read romance, but I do like Katie’s blog. I’ve heard of both SB and DA, but I don’t think I’ve ever visited. Love your thoughts on the in-crowd thing though.
eggs
February 15
12:03 am
I am not part of the in-crowd anywhere on earth, but I like to comment anyway! DA has replaced AAR for me in my online romance reading. When the forums got rejiggered at AAR, I just lost interest in it and needed a replacement. I read SB every day too, but I read a lot less content there since Candy left. I always read the HABO and Presents reviews (which I love), but not so much the book reviews, which seem to be heavily weighed to the very cool supernatural stuff that my uncool self is just not into these days. DA has all that legal and tech stuff which I do find cool, so although I visit both once a day, I read more of the blogger content on DA than SB.
Because both blogs are so popular, the comments threads usually provide WAY more reading than the blog postings themselves, so the community of followers really defines the vibe of the blogs. Which is where the whole in-crowd thing comes in for me.
On DA there are usually several someones who will step in with a “keep it on topic” nudge when comments go off on a tangent and (more importantly) I feel that bullying of minority POVs is better self-policed by the DA community. It’s not so “in” to bully there, even when a commenter says something incredibly stupid.
At SB, the bullying of minority POV’s seems to be more prevalent and I just don’t enjoy watching that happen, so I don’t read many of the comment threads there anymore. Seeing as many of the posters are the same on DA as on SB, you have to wonder why the culture is so different? Why is it cool to be “mean” on SB, but uncool to be “mean” on DA?
katiebabs
February 15
12:07 am
It’s true that Candy is no longer with SB? That’s a shame because I loved her voice and we had some great conversations together when she came for a visit in NYC and at DC natonals.
I’ve always wondered why Sarah never comments anywhere. Too busy or she doesn’t prefer to?
Ashley Ladd
February 15
12:21 am
Smart Bitches is on my daily blog list. I only visit Dear Author once in awhile. In fact, today, after I left Smart Bitches, I came here next.
Chantal
February 15
3:06 am
You didn’t list my reason for liking DA over SB. SB is boring.
But #2 and #5 are spot on!
But I actually like TGTBTU better than DA.
Sayuri
February 15
3:43 am
I prefer DA over SB but that because SB never freakin post anything anymore unless it’s promo.
That said, I prefer TGTBTU over both of them.
I’m just back after a hiatus and I am enjoying catching up on a lot of blogs I lost track of.
I think it all comes down to what you want out of your blog. Like you said, Karen, if you look at one of the ‘big blogs’ and you want that for your blog, you need to put in a hella hard work. And have a level of professionalism I’m not prepared to put in.
That was never my purpose for blogging. I just wanted to spew about stuff I enjoyed because I’m not allowed to at home *g*. It’s a fun release valve.
I don’t want to be philospical and I can’t muster up enough energy to defend the romance genre with my scholastic genuis (I haven’t any) and who wants to make a fun subject so hard to think about? I’m not saying there isn’t merit in it, I just don’t want to ruin the glow of a good HEA with all that pondering.
I don’t even enjoy writing reviews that much. I just want to gush about book I like. And warn people when I think a book is henious.
I’m happy just to get a comment on a post. *g*
And I rarely comment but that’s mainly through laziness. People who are more articulate than I will probably say just what I am thinking, and say it a lot better. Plus, I find the level of outrage and terminal intensity some bloggers have about the ‘romance genre’ uncomfortable.
K. Z. Snow
February 15
5:36 am
I generally share Tumperkin’s sentiments, although, to be frank, I’ve been feeling Harlequined to death at both sites. Blech. SB has become virtually intolerable to me — it now seems like infomercial central — but often the opinionators at DA, especially when they’re in swarm mode, get pretty insufferable too.
I’ve been gravitating more and more to smaller, more specialized blogs where good-natured personal interaction is still possible. Hyper-commercialization coupled with sycophancy destroys the blog experience for me.
limecello
February 15
5:57 am
Dare I say neither? Actually, I’m not familiar with enough to really pick one or know much about them, but the SBTB posts that I’ve seen seem more… now I know the wording is wrong, but “neutral”? At least in content?
Aside from you know, the google bombs O_o
Edie
February 15
7:49 am
I am a DA junkie.
I like that a large range of stuff gets discussed there, and they often touch on things/issues that do not pop up too often anywhere else It always makes me think, whether I agree or not, though I probably agree more often than not, which probably helps.
I have only discovered blogland in the last 8 months or so, but SB never really grabbed me, I do pop in there roughly once a week as there is normally one post that is of interest but it not the daily fix requirement that is DA.
Edie
February 15
7:56 am
I should probably also mention that I am not much of a review reader, as I read mainly epubs these days.
So I am more interested in wider discussion and technology/industry info for procrastination purposes.
Monday Morning Stepback: Links, Cliques, and Randomness « Racy Romance Reviews
February 15
11:46 am
[...] Flurry of Posts on the In Crowd … Katiebabs and then Karen Scott and then Mrs. Giggles posted on the question of an “in crowd” in romance blogging. [...]
RRRJessica
February 15
1:40 pm
K.Z. Snow writes
I have been hearing this a LOT behind the scenes. I confess, I am so ignorant of publishers (I focus on authors and books), that I haven’t noticed. But, doesn’t it make sense for Harlequin to take the lion’s share of the publicity, since they are the biggest romance publisher?
I’m not taking issue with your comment, at all, just genuinely asking for more information.
che
February 15
3:00 pm
Definitely DA. I stopped reading SB a while back because it started getting too boring. The only redeeming value they have for me now are the HABO and a male’s perspective on reading a romance posts.
But DA is getting to the boring point for me, too with all the emphasis on e-books, e-readers, and the technology. I don’t read e-books, nor do I have a reader, and I don’t plan to in the future.
Also I get somewhat annoyed on the really bad book reviews (Knight Moves for example). Sure they’re funny in a oh no they didn’t sort of way, but intentionally or not, aren’t they sort of promoting those books, too? I feel they pick those books on purpose because they know how bad they are. I sort of empathize with some authors frustration that they can’t get their “better” books reviewed. Yes, it’s DA’s blog and they can do whatever they want.
SarahT
February 15
3:15 pm
@Jessica: I think the objection to so much coverage of Harlequin – which I don’t share, BTW – harks back to the perception of Harlequin books being the inferior romance novels on the market.
My personal take on the fact that a large number of Harlequin books are featured on DA and SBTB is that they are readily available in digital format at a competitive price. Both blogs have been outspokenly pro ebooks, so it makes sense that they would read them and promote them.
While AAR has traditionally featured comparatively few category romances, The Good, The Bad and The Unread regularly reviews them. For fans of category romance, it’s nice that at least a few review sites feature them beyond Romantic Times.
Miki S
February 15
4:53 pm
I definitely prefer DA. I used to read SBTB every day, but stopped about the same time they changed to the current design. The design is just too busy, and apparently, I’d been getting uninterested enough in the content that the design change was the last straw.
I don’t read DA quite as often as I used to – they’ve been increasing their m/m romance coverage (I have no interest) and some non-reading topics (Friday movie night?) – but I still check every day.
What’s TGTBTU?
KristieJ
February 15
5:14 pm
Dear Author – though I don’t visit there as often as I used to either. But *sadly* I can’t remember the last time I visited SB’s. This truly isn’t jealousy, but both have the lost the focus I enjoyed when they both first started blogging. I prefer the smaller, less popular blogs where romance books and romance topics are the main feature.
Mireya
February 15
6:56 pm
@Miki: I believe it’s The Good, The Bad and the Unread. I follow that blog. I may be wrong, but the initials match
Lynne Connolly
February 15
7:36 pm
The Good, The Bad and The Unread.
Jodie
February 15
8:45 pm
Honestly I never even think of SB as bloggers in the same sense as myself and the community I follow, it would be like comparing myself to Jessa at Bookslut. They’re kind of in a whole different field of blogging to me and I don’t think of them as part of the community, rather outside stimulus that the community reacts to like a publisher blog, or an author’s blog. Saying they’re outside the community isn’t me trying to be mean, it’s just fact, they don’t take on the same kind of role that other bloggers do (the returning comments at other blogs etc) and that’s fine by me.
JessW
February 15
11:42 pm
Dear Author for me. I like the combo of reviews, industry news and ebook info on the site. I think the site has improved since its beginning, and I cannot even imagine the work and money Jane puts into keeping it up.
SBTB was my intro to romance blogs, but, as stated by other already, not so great place to visit now without Candy (who makes an occasional cameo) and few reviews.
I also like TGTBTU for the reviews, and I miss Sybil’s commentaries also, although the others are great too.
I know that I can usually find an interesting discussion here at Karen’s. Thank you.
Janet W
February 16
1:09 am
Sarah Tanner, I’m not sure that I would agree with you that AAR doesn’t review a lot of categories. By categories do you mean HQN or one (or many) of the HQN lines?
My tipping point for SB was the very funny guest commentator who delved into the Dark Lover books. The first commentary was hilarious, the next not quite so funny and the third, well I knew what to expect. I guess the site lost its freshness for me. Plus the combo of Sony Reader + Harlequin review combos. Too much of a muchness.
DA is an incredibly great place to go for aggregated threads about the changing digital landscape … but for me, it never was a destination for reviews. I’m taking a bit of a break … I’m just not in sync with it these days: me, I’m sure.
Smaller, idiosyncratic blogs that review, or not, seem to be where I land these days. Plus with Jessica and Sarah T and you doing such comprehensive week-in-romanlandia wrap-ups, I never fear I’ll miss anything terribly important.
Just as an aside, snaps to AAR for freshening their approach — they are reviewing far more YA than before, some M/M books, great author/interview/giveaways … and I think it’s hard for such an institution to shift gears, even slightly, but I think they have.
Question: does anyone for TGTBTU tweet? I never know when they have new blogs up. Also, and altho I do know they don’t always like the titles/covers either, they review a lot of books I tend not to read.
Just in passing, I really like bloggers who go back in the time machine and review long OOP books. Keep ‘em coming!!
Bonnie
February 16
1:29 am
Janet, I like this, too! I wish I could find more. Or any really.
Janet W
February 16
1:38 am
Bonnie: here are three — avidbookreader, monkeybear review and All About Romance. And there are so many more: a website devoted to the novels of Betty Neels. And Tumperkin’s great blog, Isn’t It Romance.
My suggestion: go the Racy Romance Reviews (by Jessica) and look at her sidebar. Let me know if you want more ideas.
And if you like Regencies, I know a few websites devoted just to them.
Bonnie
February 16
1:53 am
Thanks, Janet! Very helpful.
Sunita
February 16
4:41 am
AAR reviews a lot more Harlequins these days than it used to. I remember a few years ago there was an F review of a book by a Harlequin author whom I regard as extremely reliable, and the review basically mischaracterized the book, giving it an F for something it didn’t do (it could have been interpreted the way the reviewer did, but the reader would have had to miss all the other information). Anyway, I was so annoyed that I did a search on “series” (AAR’s word for category), and I found that not only did they review very few of them compared to the other areas of romance, when they liked one, the reviewer frequently added in the review that she usually didn’t expect much from categories but this one somehow made it over the bar (clearly an outlier).
Things are much different now. Maybe they have more reviewers that like Harlequins (multi-reviewer sites are really dependent on their reviewers’ tastes) or maybe they changed for some other reason. But when DA, especially Jane, started reviewing categories, they were the first high-traffic site, multi-reviewer that I read (besides TRR) that regularly reviewed them that wasn’t somehow connected to HMB (author site or publisher sponsored).
TGTBTU has been reviewing Harlequins for at least as long as DA, I think. But my point is that HMB were the neglected publisher in the independent online world for years, probably for the reasons SarahT gave.
SarahT
February 16
9:24 am
@JanetW: AAR has reviewed far more category romances in the last year or so than it did before. I’m not sure if this is a deliberate decision on the part of the new publishers, or if it’s simply because more of the reviewers like to read categories. As you mentioned, they’ve also been reviewing more YA, mysteries, and so on.
What I find too much at times on DA (and on many other sites) is all the promo, be it for Harlequin or any other publisher. But I’m sure there are others who love the contests, so you really can’t please everyone.
As for The Good, The Bad, The Unread: several of their reviewers are on Twitter. @limecello, @bardsong (Shannon C. – used to review for them), @redwyne (Sybil – she often tweets links to their latest posts), and @SuperWendy. I’m sure there are more but I don’t know their Twitter names.
Sybil
February 16
5:29 pm
Haven’t read the comments yet but my thoughts on your post… off the top of my head *eg*. I didn’t pay much attention to KB post because it was put up the same day or the day after she was rejected by RWA for her panel. The timing was suspect and seemed a bit like licking her wounds. Maybe I should go back and read it.
I always like candy and sarah much more than I did SBTB. Than again I liked Jane more than DA as well… but that is more because of the posts being much too long for my attention span.
The idea of an ‘in crowd’ is something I find dumb. Of course there will be popular blogs, what is hawt today can be hated tomorrow and hawt again in a week. But I also think the idea of you just don’t like such and such cuz OMFG you are the jealous is silly. There are people who have no use for those who can’t do things for them, that is life. Just as much as others will ‘help’ people because it is ‘good’ for them. ::shrug::
What matters is deciding what makes ‘YOU’ happy. And doing that. Worrying about what others are doing, why they are doing it, what their traffic is, how they did it, why they don’t like you, how many books they get or drilling people for information on other people just tends to make the people doing it pathetic.
Of course that is just my lil opinion *g*
now off to read the comments
katiebabs
February 16
5:33 pm
@Sybil Not licking my wounds at all over being passed up for the panel at RWA because I’m now going to Hawaii, so either way I win. It’s their lost.
Hmm sexy Hawaiian surfer boys…
Sybil
February 16
5:44 pm
I agree with Keishon and Diana. DA is a great place for E info (I think you mention that).
There are only a handful of blogs I read often (something I am changing and trying to get out more) – SaraT (Monkey Bear), Jessica’s blog (Racy Romance Reviews), Book Binge, Avid Reader (Keishon), CindyS, Kristie J. I do try and skim through DA but rarely go to SB unless sent over there. Gwen adores it IIRC.
If I am short short short on time I check here, Avid (prolly cuz it is an A *G* and I have met her) and BB.
Personally I have always tried to help others if I can (if I know they need help) but I think that is because when I started blogging and reading romance I felt soooooo welcomed. I wouldn’t have a blog if it wasn’t for Maili. I won’t still be around (and I am really, long story) if it wasn’t for Maili, Sarah, Candy, Angie, KristieJ, Nicole, CindyS, CW (who I so miss) and even you doll).
Preeti
February 16
5:54 pm
@SarahT I have so much to catch up on in romancelandia. What’s the story behind this reference to AAR? “I’m not sure if this is a deliberate decision on the part of the new publishers.” Who are the new publishers? Is it not still a Laurie Gold operation?
SarahT
February 16
6:14 pm
@Preeti No, Laurie Gold ceased to be the publisher towards the end of 2008. It’s now published by Blythe Barnhill, Lynn Spencer, Rachel Potter and Sandy Coleman, all of whom had been involved with AAR for quite a while before taking over.
Sybil
February 16
6:28 pm
This is way fucking long
Thanks Sunita and totally my fault… most of the reviewers aren’t ‘bloggers’ or I should say ‘bloghoppers’ like I was. So while I have been dealing with my health and net crap we don’t have as big of a PRESENTS. It is sort of shocking we still have the traffic we do.
@RRRJessica
I ‘tried’ to pick reviewers who liked different things. And ‘tried’ to only have one mikey (Sandy *G*) who was really easy to please. My hope was since readers had so many different tastes they could find one reviewer (at least) they meshed with… dunno if it worked.
@KarenS
I love her voice as well. And hope she starts to post more… the lazy whore.
@Lynne @ShannonC
Thanks and happy to have you (have you back *g*)
LOL your post is already set for today lime
Whoever ask it is The Good, The Bad, The Unread
@Chantal @Sayuri
Thanks
We have been pimping out Harlequin for years. And tried hard to spotlight them. It has been my long standing belief that everyone should try one at least once. So that is totally my fault. Well most things on TGTBTU are
I suggest Harlequin Historical, where else can you get a new Western EVERY MONTH?
@JanetW
Every post should go through on my twitter feed (redwyne)
@JessW
I am sort of worried I have been gone so long people have forgotten that I really am a bitch. And when I start to post again people will go omg ok, go away again. Of course that won’t stop me… LACK OF INTERNET… that does.
Ok I will shut up now, oh if you forgot, I also ramble tons
Melissa Blue
February 16
9:13 pm
I pick DA because they have content i.e. subject matter you can bite into. They also have variety. Mid-day links, reviews, thought-provoking posts, etc. SB does feel more like promo. Kind of like an author who only blogs when they have a new release. But when Sarah does delve into a subject I’m there. I prefer her view over DA when things get controversial.
But I think the major difference is that DA has managed to stay fresh. I know what I’m getting, but there’s also something new to keep me there longer than five seconds. Versus at SB, “Oh, another help a bitch out.”
Karen Scott
February 16
11:45 pm
Bloody Nora Sybil, I see you decided to come out of your cave, I hope you’re feeling better these days? You should blog more. Really. You should.
Sybil
February 17
12:07 am
OMG I have commented here… it hasn’t been that long. Tis not my fault you and your INCROWDNESS just ignore me
::CRIES:
How will I ever live if you don’t lurve me! LOL Sorry there are tons of people here who don’t know me, I am kidding. This whole omg why don’t you love me shit is stupid. No one can give you self esteem, not even a popular blog. The romance community for the most part is great and BIG. If you can’t find a place to fix in you aren’t looking. AND if someone place makes you feel unwelcome… fuck them if they can’t take a joke and find someone place to appreciate you.
So uh I just don’t get it… feel free to ignore me