In an article creatively titled, “Book Expo’s Sorry Turn,” SantaCruz.com’s ace reporter, Daniela Hurezanu referred to book blogging as she observed it at BEA (Book Expo America) and BBC (Book Blogger Convention) with the following remarks:
Book blogging has become a subculture whose members are mostly women between 20 and 50 years old, often known as “mommy bloggers” because they are housewives who blog about romance novels, horror/vampire stories and paranormal novels. Many of them have hundreds of followers on Twitter, and the result is that they have the power to establish new trends. And the publishing industry has started to take them seriously. [Link]
So what is my reaction to this? Basically, to quote something my mom might say “I don’t like your tone Ms. Hurezanu. Don’t like it at all.”
The following is a comment I left on the article. They are currently moderating comments, so I thought I would put it here. I also added a little bit to it:
This is very insulting to an incredibly large community of women *and* men who are passionate about what they do. What do we do? We blog about publishing industry news, books, trends, etc. All genres. All aspects of the industry. Sure some bloggers write specifically about the romance genre (and do a damn fine job), but just as many write about every other genre in the literary spectrum.
To refer to us as “Mommy Bloggers” is insulting not only to the many book bloggers out there but to the “Mommy” or lifestyle bloggers that you were referring to. It’s pretty hard to insult two huge groups of people in one relatively short article. So congrats for that, I tip my cap to you.
I am a stay at home mom, but I certainly don’t think of myself as merely a demographic sitting around eating bon bons pecking away about the latest bodice ripper on my laptop that my husband let me buy. Oh thanks honey! Can I have permission to start a blog too? I am a woman (not a girl as you referred to us) with a college degree (English Education) and significant amount of post graduate work (literature/creative writing). I am quite knowledgeable about the topics I blog about. I didn’t just up and start a blog because of some whimsical lark I had one day while washing my husband’s underwear. I put months of planning and organization into this project before I ever posted a review. The publishing industry should take me seriously. Myself and many other professional bloggers are out there selling books to consumers with every hit on our sites.
To refer to an entire group of people as “mommy bloggers” or “housewives” is sexist and reductive. When I noticed that the author of this article is a woman it made me really sad. I had to get that off my chest. Feel free to leave comments.
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Preach it!
Seriously, I hated how Hurezanu pretty much pissed all over mothers who blog and book bloggers. It’s so sexist and insulting.
Ugh, I know right? The article bled with sexism. How dare all these “mommies” and “girls” mess up my party, waah! *facepalm*
Well, I think there are just some people who do not even ‘get’ the whole blogging phenomenom. I’ve heard of some bloggers being accused of just looking for something free. Uhmmm..yeah, if I’m investing hours of my time to use and review a product that I’ll write about on my blog, the item is no longer ‘free.’
I might have started my blog for ‘fun’ and then moved into making it more of a business. I do book reviews along with others and there is no set genre for me. With kids from age 1 through almost 14, we do cover a lot of different items. I’ve done a few Christian romance novels, but try to cover all the genres I enjoy reading and not stick with any one area.
I just finished reading the entire article and it saddened me very much. I left a comment. I hope it makes it through moderation.
It always makes me feel the worst whenever women attack other women, whether it be women who feel the need to “slut-shame” or the women who feel it is something shameful to choose marriage and children. We have enough problems already without having to turn on each other like we do.
I am an author and read what that Daniela reporter wrote. As an author, I think I speak for all authors when I say, we are behind you book bloggers. Our success is due in a huge part to all of you! That reporter obviously has no experience in the book industry or online for that matter, otherwise, she would have even a slight clue into your importance. We authors take you seriously and so does the industry, but I think you all know that. Needless to say, an attack on you is an attack on us authors as well!
I did post a comment but they may not post it. Here it is:
FROM AN AUTHOR’S VIEWPOINT:
A book’s success for an author is everything. We spend hours researching and writing and then even longer editing. Even if it is the best book ever written, it will go nowhere without your TEAM. Every author’s team no matter where they are published includes BOOK BLOGGERS! All the book bloggers out there spend countless hours reading what authors have created and then they give honest, creative, in depth looks into each book they read. This then is read by potential future fans of the author. We authors would be no where without them, especially in this day and age of technology. One of the first things our publicists tell us authors is to get read by BOOK BLOGGERS and get interviewed by them. The publishing industry DOES take them seriously and so do all the authors. But we will not take you, Daniela Hurezanu, seriously as a reporter!
Thank you to all the BOOK BLOGGERS out there spending your limited hours on our books! We wouldn’t sell without you!
Marie Crist
You go girl! I love it. I didn’t even bother posting my comments on her piece. I was so livid I just pounded away at my blog. I love how you point out that she insulted mommy bloggers and book bloggers in one short piece. You made me laugh. It is also very true. I hope her career stops as abruptly as that article if she doesn’t come around.
Well said! While I am not a blogger I do read a wide range of blogs and know some of the intelligent people who operate them. I feel sad for the writer of the article. She clearly is out of the loop.
As an Indie author who just finished her first-ever blog tour today, I say, “Go, book bloggers, go!” Kirkus & PW are limited, not to mention exclusive, elitist, and out of reach for moi. I couldn’t be more appreciate of the thoughtful, well-read book bloggers who took their time to read & write about my book.
That’s “appreciative.”
Well said, Mandy.
I do feel sorry for this so-called journalist though…she clearly doesn’t know what she’s talking about!
You go girl!!! Hope I am blessed to have bloggers like you reviewing my book when it comes out!!
Mommy Bloggers, as a media demo, typically write and give advice about motherhood, raising children, home, cooking, crafting, etc. Because Ms. Hurezanu used the term incorrectly, I’m going to chalk the comment up to ignorance rather than arrogance.
That said, I don’t think anyone should take offense to be called a Mommy Blogger or a Book Blogger or any kind of blogger.
Bloggers are awesome, independent and honest (for the most part). They don’t need to toe the bosses’ opinion to keep a paycheck. I like that! That’s why your opinions carry more weight with me.
Keep doing what you’re doing, Book Bloggers, because we love you
Great response Mandy. I’m one of those angry bitches!! That “reporter” wrote such a poor article, I’m surprised it got past an editor. I’m a 28-year-old book blogger, I’m not a mommy, but so what if I was. She’s implying that some of us are uneducated or that we only read a very limited amount of genres (romance, paranormal). She made me so mad I even had to write about it http://asiturnthepages.blogspot.com/2011/06/oh-no-she-didnt.html
In addition to how rude and insulting she was towards bloggers, both mothers and non-mothers, it seems she apparently thinks that publishers should lose money by only publishing “quality” books even if very few people want to read them. Has it ever occured to her that by making money off popular genres, publishers may be able to afford to publish some other books as well? If publishers don’t publish what people want to read, they WILL truly go out of business.
Well said, Mandy (and thanks for the comment on my blog post about this very topic). I also left a comment on the Santa Cruz site, but they have apparently yet to deem it worthy of their “standards”.