I have SO MANY thoughts re: e-arcs and bookstagram. I don't even know where to begin honestly. First of all, I think there's no disputing that e-arc photos tend to do worse than physical books. Bookstagram is such a visual driven media that trend seems to dictate against this.
I've noticed within my own blogging and bookstagramming lifetime this uptrend in reliance on physical arcs for IG. My photos of e-arcs from my screen reader have never done particularly well. So then you have to edit the cover image onto your device because lighting can suck
But then those photos tend not to do phenomenally either, so I had to learn how to manipulate them to make them look like I had the physical copy. Which for a book that's released can be easier than with an e-arc which doesn't exist.
But let's take a step back for a second. This previous reliance on physical arcs has always been an issue as well. Because larger accounts may get many of them (for exposure and numbers), but BIPOC and marginalized identities were missing out majorly.
And then for international book worms where it was even harder to get arcs it was even more stark. Esp where you can't go to major conferences in the US/UK where arcs were given out. So that disparity has always been there pretty starkly.
Not to mention that not all books were given physical arcs. There were SO many books which were overlooked. And often this was hitting marginalized authors way harder.
But now with pandemic land, physical arcs are being produced way less and the reliance on e-arcs is here to stay. But what does that mean for bookstagram?
In some ways it brings up issues that are, some of them, inherent in the bookstagram world. For example, bookstagram has always relied pretty heavily, mostly, on photos with many books doing better. Which for some people is just not attainable.
Small apartment? Can't afford books? No libraries? You name it. I get aesthetics, I do, which is why over time I've had to really think about the changes I make to my own account.
It also exposes the fact that a lot of arcs on bookstagram exist, in some ways imho, for clout or arc collecting purposes. Which, no shame in that, but it means with e-arcs that just doesn't photograph the same way or work the same way.
And so suddenly posting your non-existant haul from Bookexpo isn't possible. Where do we go now?
With e-arcs you might think that issues of accessibility are solved. But that's also not the case. Not every book is available for e-arcs. This is a trend that, I'm sure, will also hit marginalized authors harder as well.
Not every international bookworm can also read these as well, even though it doesn't involve shipping costs anymore. What about bookworms who have health conditions where they can't use screen readers? Or don't have them at all? You can see all the various issues as well.
For my blog I've always relied on e-arcs more than physical arcs. They WERE easier for me to take on the go and transport and also hold in bed. But for Bookstagram I've had to completely change the way I photograph and use books.
This new trend for e-arcs in publishing, I'm afraid, might leave bookstagram behind. To put the covers on books can be a lengthy process on a social media platform which demands almost constant content.
I post a photo a day. If I needed 1 hour per photo just for editing (which is the minimum for some of my photos I've done), that's an extra hour on top of the 30 min posting window every day not to mention taking the photos as well.
So while, for me and in general, I hope that with more e-arcs there's less of a toxic arc collection culture. There are certainly issues to be had now for some of the reasons I named above, but it also exposes another HUGE issue...
which is that a lot of this relies heavily on the love and unpaid labor of bookstagrammers and book bloggers.
I've been blogging for over four years now and I have loved it. This year I will have read over 355 books and reviewed them all. And I've been open about how much time that has taken. But I've been passionate about shouting about books I love. Giving support to authors I love.
But it all takes IMMENSE time which is one of the reasons I'm thinking of majorly scaling down in 2021.
When things, and photos, begin to take much longer, how can we rely on them as much as we did before? It exposes that these word of mouth campaigns and publicity/marketing relies on this labor.
And I'm pretty hesitant to talk about this like this because I can only imagine what I'm opening myself up to like, "well if it's so much time and you don't like it, then don't do it". But I DO like it, I think we just need to be honest with ourselves and others.
For authors, I can imagine this can be scary and my heart goes out to you because your story deserves to be seen and loved.
Another HUGE issue is that a lot of emphasis goes to Bookstagram at the moment (and maybe also booktube), but not as much towards book blogs.
Where there are reviews and tons of content and promotion for books. I have been posting at least 3 if not 6 blog posts every week this entire year. And while I love all of m blog followers, I do feel like it gets left behind.
Should there be more of an emphasis on book blogs versus bookstagram? I understand that people like reading book reviews on IG and I do too! They can be shorter and also with gorgeous photos.
But this year has introduced a lot of changes in the publishing and book community that all of us are going to have to figure out how to grapple with. To make sure marginalized reviewers are being seen and heard. To fix accessibility issues around the board.
To be clear, I AM NOT attacking authors. This way this system has worked puts us at the whims of others. Reviewers begging for the chance to read books. Authors needing to have exposure on IG. Publishers using book content creators for publicity and marketing.
I want to continue shouting about the books I love. I want to help you find the perfect book and to promote authors. I'm just not sure the best way for everyone moving forwards.
Re: book reviews on blogs. I also want to talk about the fact that arc reviews on the blogs are a lot harder to get discussion on because for readers they can only really say they're excited. But in general, are arc book reviews for readers or other reviewers?
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