YES or NO
SHOULD BLOGGERS GET PAID FOR BOOK REVIEWS?
Book bloggers dedicate hours every week to reading, reviewing, and promoting books. It’s both a passion and a full-time commitment. The are arguments for and against paying bloggers for their reviews, with important questions to consider.
📌 Would payment influence the review?
📌 Who would pay for the reviews?
📌 What compensation do bloggers receive for their hours of work they put in?
📌 Are bloggers instrumental to book sales?
How do you answer these questions, and where do you stand in this debate?
Leave your vote below!
Book Princess Reviews 
Hey! This is always an interesting topic to discuss. I do understand why book bloggers aren’t being paid for their reviews. While a free book wouldn’t exactly pay the bills, we would probably have reviewed that book anyway if we had bought it ourselves, because for most of us, this is a hobby. And, compared to other blogs/youtube channels (beauty, for example) the book community isn’t big enough to profit from paid reviews (at least this is the case in my country). Of course, again, a book won’t pay our bills and a little bit of money as recognition for the hard work we put into our reviews would be appreciated, but unfortunately, most publishers won’t share the same opinion.
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It’s the kind of topic where both sides do make sense. No blogger would say no to extra money, especially because a blog does cost something to maintain. But it’s not as though authors are raking in a ton of cash, so paying bloggers wouldn’t exactly be an easy task. An like you say–this is a hobby for most of us! Just like baking, you would do it for enjoyment. Which means like you would buy the baking ingredients, bloggers buy the books. We take the costs on ourselves.
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Unless you have a massive amount of influence, a la Kirkus or Publisher’s Weekly, I don’t think your review needs any more compensation, than the review copy of the book. Like 5000 seems incredible, but let’s be honest, most bloggers/booktubers/bookstagrammers are followed by other bloggers/booktubers/bookstagrammers. I’m not saying that these people won’t go out and buy books, but are we really reaching a market that is unaware of books being released?
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You make a very, very good point here. The limited reach of bloggers is something worth considering.
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Personally, I vote no. I’ve always viewed book blogging as a hobby, and the joy it brings me is worth no amount of money I could ever ask for. While book bloggers deserve more recognition for all their hard work, I don’t think paying us is necessary. If you’re a book blogger, you should enjoy what you do, instead of just being in it for the money. If not, what’s the point?
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I certainly hope there are no book bloggers out there just for the money. For one, this really isn’t a community where that kind of mindset can succeed. And two, reviews like that ruin any kind of trust in the critiquing process.
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As long as I’m getting books I’m happy. But I will appreciate a paperback for the time I give to read and review the book. It’s not piece of cake to write a review and share it everywhere. What can I say I just love pages and smell of book and display books on my book case. 😉
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Same here. In the blog community, I’m surrounded by books and book lovers every day. Nothing is forcing me to do this, and I can take breaks whenever I need to if I’m overwhelmed. I can certainly agree I do appreciate the occasional physical ARC. I’ve only received one, but it was a hugely special moment!
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Very interesting topic! Would it be NICE to be paid? 100 %! But I don’t know if we should or shouldn’t be paid? I guess if they found a way to decipher if book bloggers really do help with sales then yes, it would probably be in their best interest … I’m really curious what others think!
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This is a controversial topic, to be sure. I’ve certainly seen it make the rounds on Twitter. At the end of the day, it truly does depend on what is in the publisher’s best interest, and up to us to commit to a passtime that is our passion, not necessarily something that pays.
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This is such a great topic!! I definitely think that some kind of compensation would be amazing, but paying for a review? I feel like that will mostly lead to corruption of the whole publisher/blogger/reader relationship. Lovely post💜
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Hey, thanks Kaya! I wholeheartedly agree that direct payment for a review would corrupt the relationships between blogger/reader and pubs. I want to know that reviews are written without any incentives behind them! I know that I doubt sponsored posts on Instagram — what if that started happening in the book community? Certainly a thought-provoking discussion.
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Yessss, exactly!! And it would also be hard because some people would want a certain amount of money, while others would technically be fine with reading the book for free? Such a great discussion!
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I have been paid for reviews, but not from an author or publisher; I used to review for a website called Book Browse. That’s a bit different. I don’t think authors or publishers should pay bloggers for their reviews, especially if they’re on ARC copies of books – that is a type of payment; a free book for your review. Plus, if you join affiliate programs, and people buy books through your links, you get paid from the retail outlets, so that’s another type of compensation. No. Bloggers should not be paid for reviews.
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I have never heard of Book Browse before. You’re right, ARC copies are, in and of themselves, a form of payment. Which is why we need to disclaim when we receive them!
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Really interesting question! Being paid to review a book is a great advantage. You’re more likely to finish the book, and I don’t think you change your opinion at all. Though you’re probably very grateful for being gifted a book, so the gratitude may affect ratings. What do you think?
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It would worry me, I think, if people only finished a book because they were being paid. Like you say, gratitude could affect ratings. And I often look at those ratings to decide if I want to purchase a book or not.
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You do have a fair point. I don’t think people should be paid for reviews, unless it’s in a magazine or published article. Yes, it’s nice for bloggers to get earnings through what they love – but at some point the relationship gets toxic. I don’t want to be paid for reviews for exactly that reason! Hope you’re safe 🙂
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The last thing we want is this beautiful community to turn toxic. xx Hope you’re safe as well!
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Seeing how terrible I am at keeping up with reviews and arc releases, it a big no from me! I am grateful for getting the book in the first place I think thats enough compensation for me 🙂 My parents on the other hand are all on board for me getting paid XD
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Hahaha, I think any non-reader or at least non-blogger who hears that I have a blog says, first thing, “How much do you get paid, though?” Getting the books is totally a huge compensation!!
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