Random Thoughts: Bloggers are Consumers Too
Aug 03
There’s quite a bit of uncertainty about just how effective book blogs are in reaching new readers and affecting sales. While some may argue that a blogger’s reach can’t be quantified, others may say there are ways to tell – through blogger affiliate sales or through blogger outclick stats to online stores like Amazon or Barnes & Noble. But as someone who doesn’t keep a close watch on my outclicks or participate in any sales affiliate programs, I can’t weigh in on that discussion.
Common sense dictates that the more people are talking about a particular thing, the more likely word is to spread about it and the more likely more people are going to buy that thing being talked about. They may call that generating buzz. And that, too, can affect sales. Positively or negatively. Yes, even negative buzz can generate sales.
And bloggers do love to buzz about books. So, while there may be no accurate way of pinpointing the source of the buzz and determining it’s effect on sales, there is some fraction that is directly attributable to bloggers. However small or large it may be.
Some also argue that book blogs are mostly read by other bloggers and not readers, thus affecting a blogger’s true reach. And while I haven’t taken a poll of my blog visitors to prove or disprove that statement, I can say with certainty that book bloggers are readers. And most of us don’t fill our shelves with these elusive “free” books that everyone seems to be under the impression we get by the truckload. We actually buy books.
We are consumers. We may be bloggers but we are readers first. And as is the case for most of us, we buy more books than we get for free. So when we visit our friends’ blogs or other blogs in our community, it is more than likely we’ll discover a new book to add to our TBR shelves or add instantly to our collections. And we may be more likely to hit the buy button than other readers as we don’t want to miss out on the next big thing.
We don’t want to be the only blogger not talking about the “hot” book. We don’t want to be the only voice not chiming in on the discussion. We don’t want to be the blogger that can’t choose a team, bemoan a cliffhanger ending or just not yet have gotten the chance to discover that new author. We don’t want to be the blogger not in the know.
And so we’re more likely to click that buy button, stretch our book buying budgets and give up on our book buying bans.
But bloggers don’t just buy for ourselves. We buy for others. We gift books to our friends. We gift books to other bloggers. We gift books, in the form of giveaways, on our blogs. While some of these books may be ones we’ve had on our shelves or ones we received for free, they aren’t always.
As bloggers tend to be incredibly supportive of the authors we love, we tend to buy those authors’ books to support their sales. We buy them to share their books with others. We buy them to show our love for the author, their book, their characters. We buy them so other readers will fall just as much in love, be just as tortured, be just as heartbroken, as we are.
And while bloggers may not be reaching the typical reader directly through our blogs, we are often reaching them indirectly. Whether our knowledge and insight is shared with friends, family, colleagues, book clubs, or even with strangers shopping for books at the bookstore, we are sharing that insight with those typical readers.
They are listening to our suggestions, nudges, pestering. They are relying on our word as someone more knowledgeable about what is good or what is not as good. They’re taking our advice about the latest trends.
And they’re making purchases based on those ideas and suggestions.
Sure, these numbers may not be easily quantifiable. There are no surveys taken at bookstores by consumers as to how they learned about the book. There are no polls taken by online booksellers either. And bloggers aren’t typically broadcasting their affiliate sales figures or outclick stats.
But here’s some food for thought….
Before I became a blogger the number of books I purchased in stores, online or on my eReader, was fairly small. I bought a few books at a time – mostly when I received a gift certificate. And while I had a few books on my TBR pile, I typically only bought books that I knew I could or would read within a few weeks. So, even though I read over a hundred books a year, I only bought around that number.
Since I’ve become a blogger, my purchases have skyrocketed. My TBR pile is ten times the size of the books I have that are marked as read. My purchasing of books has also changed. Instead of just buying the books I can read right now, I also buy the books I hope to read someday. My five to ten books purchased each month has jumped to an average of around twenty. And those are just books I buy for me. I give away an average of five purchased books a month, if not more.
While not every blogger may have had the same increase in book buying that I have since they started blogging, it’s very likely that there has been an increase. It’s hard not to get caught up in the buzz about a book and not do everything within your power to add that book to your collection. So, by this logic, just by virtue of becoming a book blogger, sales will have increased.
Taking that one step further, think about the size of the book blogging community. It has grown by leaps and bounds. What was once a small community of just a few hundred bloggers is now a community of thousands. So, even without any sales generated from readers of blogs, just making that leap to becoming a book blogger would increase book sales.
And if we go back to the fact that book bloggers talk about books online and they talk about books with their friends and families, even if just an average of ten sales per year are generated because of each book blogger, that would mean an increase in sales into the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of books. But as I don’t know how many book blogs there are, I can’t even ballpark that figure.
Sure, many bloggers may not even have that marginal level of success, but many more will have an even greater success. It’s therefore very possible that this number could be quite low.
So, while book blogs may not be the biggest generator of sales, they do affect sales. And we, as bloggers, do make an impact. We are also not some separate group of individuals that don’t factor into the sales totals. We are very much a part of that large pool of readers that are in fact consumers.
And when thinking about the impact of blogs, it’s important to remember that bloggers aren’t just marketing and promotional vehicles, we are the very readers that figure into those quantifiable book sales figures. And if our impact is to truly be weighed correctly, the purchases we make for ourselves, for our friends and for readers of our blogs, in excess of what we spent before we became book bloggers, needs to be removed from the count in that other group and added to the tally for sales generated from blogging.
Because that, at the minimum, is our quantifiable impact on book sales.
Final thoughts….
Bloggers are consumers, too. We probably purchase more books than most readers. And it’s likely we buy more books than traditional reviewers. And while our blogs may not always reach the typical reader who buys books, they more often than not reach other bloggers that do, and they definitely influence our own decision to purchase.
And if you were to ask any book blogger if their spending on books has increased, remained static, or decreased since they started blogging, the overwhelming majority would say it has increased. Significantly.
So, perhaps the best way to help the industry profit is to entice readers into becoming book bloggers and aim those marketing efforts at this new blogger/reader/consumer instead.
I love you. Seriously.
I have been thinking about this A LOT lately and you said it more eloquently than I ever could (basically I was thinking something along the lines of, “WTFBBQLOL?!? We bloggers buy books too!).
So thanks Rachel!
<3
Oh thank you! I don’t know about eloquently but I started going down this logical thought path which led me to the notion about the fact that I am a quantifiable number that should be factored into the equation and then the entire post changed.
I don’t think people think about the difference. We were always readers so we always bought books. But it’s that change (delta) between what we bought before becoming bloggers and what we bought after we became bloggers that is a very quantifiable number. And that change is the direct impact of blogging. Even if we’re impacting ourselves. But really it’s just because we’re hanging out in this community and talking about books all the time. We’re selling ourselves on books. We’re bumping those sales figures because we’re all talking about it. Bloggers may or may not boost reader sales in bookstores (though I know we do to some degree) but we certain boost sales within our community and if all of us bloggers took a survey, it would be a very easy to calculate number.
Anyway, now I’m WTFBBQLOL?!?’ing which is why I tend to edit and re-edit these things online.
Oh and I was just thinking of how we impact traditionally published book sales… Thinking about Indie/self-pubbed and online only books… Eeek!
You put a lot of thought and heart into this post. I agree with everything you said. We are all, first and foremost, book consumers! No matter who reads our blogs, we impact sales in many ways, as you state. We shout from the rooftops what we love or dislike about books, to anyone who will listen. We consume and infect others with our addiction.
While the thought definitely came to me randomly last night while writing a post on debut authors, I couldn’t help but want to pick it up again today. But yes, I thought this one through a bit more today. Took a few rethinks and rewrites and edits to say what I was trying for it to say.
I love what you said, “We consume and infect others with our addiction.” Truer words haven’t been said. I am a book pusher, if I have to buy a book and foist it on someone I will. If I love a book I will shout and shout and shout about it.
But even more than that I’m a consumer. I buy lots and lots and lots of books. I used to be much more selective, but now that I blog if something is even remotely up my alley I’ll click buy. Even if there’s no chance in the next year or two to read it.
If a trusted blogger (as I don’t read traditional reviews and have never bought a book because of one) tells me to buy a book, I’ll buy it. I might not read their review because of fear of thought-sharing, I will buy it based on one single demand.
Book sales have jumped just by virtue of me blogging. And I’m talking by thousands of dollars per year. It’s a bit scary actually, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
*claps effusively* Amen! I’ve always been a heavy reader but tended to check most of my books out of the library (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and only bought a few each month. Since I started my blog, however, I’ve turned into an obsessive book buyer, spending way too much to get my hands on awesome books, most recommended by other bloggers. I don’t get that many “free” books (so annoyed that people think we get boatloads of ARCs and stuff–there are very few who get a ton of books from pubs) and I tend to pass on piles of books to fellow readers.
Nope, nothing at all wrong with using a library. It helps keep them in business. And they’re great for those who can’t always afford to buy books. But there’s something about blogging that just makes you have to buy those books. All of those books. Or you feel as if you’re missing out. For the first six months of blogging I was the blogger without a bookshelf. Now I have two book towers and a few bins filled with books. And many, many, many eReaders bursting at the seams with purchased tomes.
The vlogs and photos misrepresent the majority. If I did a mailbox post talking about all the books I bought my vlogs would be hours. My post book watch releasing this week are pre-ordered books I buy for me. Typically 5 books a week, some weeks nine or ten. August 28th I think I now have 10 books pre-ordered. For. One. Week.
I only take recommendations from other bloggers. I am easily swayed by an intriguing cover or description. If an author has an interesting tweet I might check their books out and buy them all up. But this all stems from blogging. As a reader I didn’t have a twitter and I never read blogs.
The very act of blogging actually increases sales. That’s the thought I finally was able to get into words when writing this post.
Everything you said is so true. I’ve only been blogging for about a month, but the amount of books I buy has definitely increased. There are so many ways we impact sales, which you pointed out. Amazing post!
Oh thanks! And wow, in just a month. I think it took me about 6 months before I really felt a major impact. At around 3 months my book buying had definitely doubled. As bloggers we have more knowledge than we did as just readers, our universe has expanded and we have a lot more insight into what’s coming up, what the trends are and what new authors are to keep an eye on.
I’d never heard of or read books by debut authors until I started blogging. I only read books by well-established authors unless they rose right to the top of the best-seller list and even then I was skeptical.
Good luck with your book buying habits. They’ll only grow as you continue to blog!
Thank you! Thank you! I have been thinking about this myself after reading a few posts about bloggers not affecting sales. I buy more books now, than I ever did before. I also am buying books to giveaway. My book fund is always over budget and I also wonder about those phantom piles of books that are given to us. Well done!
You are so right! I have bought more books this year since I started blogging than I had in the last three.
THIS! This is why you are one of my favorite bloggers!
Thank you for posting such a great explanation. Truly..I don’t even know how to say how much I love this. Now, I’m off to scream about it from the rooftops 
Again, I agree wholeheartedly! Before I began blogging, I bought about 25 books a year. Now it’s at least 100 plus what I give away, at least $100 worth of books a year. So that is a lot more books than I used to buy. And no, I haven’t read them all. They are stacking up to be read. I have an entire bookcase full of books that haven’t been read. But it doesn’t keep me from buying more.
And every time there is buzz about a new book, you can bet I’m on it! In two years of blogging I have a small handful of books that I have received “free”. And the ones that I have read from NetGalley, if I loved them, I buy the book. So I still pay for the “free” book. Especially series!
And the discussions I have with the librarians at my kids schools, the books I loan them to see if they want to buy them for their libraries, I can’t even tell you how many that is.
If I had a job in a bookstore, I could sell out the YA section. When I have asked for help in that section at my local B&N, the sales person I asked looked down her nose at me and said, “That’s in the TEEN section” as if I didn’t have a right to be there. I guarantee book bloggers are selling more books than she is at the help desk with that attitude.
Heather
I’d love to add to this discussion with all my valid points about how wonderful bloggers are, but there is little I can say that you haven’t covered.
I will offer an authors perspective though. I published my first novel in July of last year. I sold about 30 books a month for six months, until I started making connections with Book Bloggers and lining up reviews.
February 2012, I did a 10 stop book tour on 10 different blogs for my second book, and sales exploded. Now, August, one year later from first hitting that ‘publish’ button, and I’m writing full time.
I can’t show you a piece of paper that proves it was because of Book Bloggers that this happened, but I can tell you with all my sense and heart, that without them, I’d be lucky to still be selling a book a day.
Love your post! I am a blogger and the biggest book addict. I buy books like some woman by shoes. I receive ARC’s but if I love a book I buy the finished copy and even at that there are tons of books I by on a weekly basics. This week alone I bought six books. As for my followers, I know a lot grab them and my affiliate sales show that.
Im not a blogger but I agree with your post too. I see what bloggers buy and give away and its amazing. I wouldnt have found half the books Ive bought if it wasnt for blggers. I wouldnt have heard of them to start with and then I always check reviews from bloggers to see what they think. Bloggers get a lot of crap thrown at them at times but yet they still do what they love. Yes a lot of people say “but they get free books”, me I think they arent free, first the blogger has to spend their free time reading the book and then they have to spend more free time reviewing and blogging about them. Its not a free book, its HARD work and LONG!! Im not a blogger but I admire each and every one of ye for what ye do!!
The best way to find out about a good book is through word of mouth. Book bloggers are always talking books. Not just on our blogs either. We’re weeding out the mediocre from the great. We buy a staggering amount of books per year but we also help others buy. With our seal of approval many books get sold. When I rave about a book to my family and friends they all go out and buy it so we can talk about it. Word of Mouth is everything. That’s what bloggers do. We’re not a literary review that is hard to identify with. We’re normal people. That’s what people want.
This is an awesome post, and I totally agree with all you say. Since I discovered Goodreads and started blogging, my book buying has increased tenfold.
Great post! I always read a lot before I started a blog but my purchases and books read per year has skyrocketed! The two best feelings in the world are finding a great new author through another blogger, and having someone say they are buying a book because of your review or recommendation
Great post!!! Since I started blogging I’ve bought a ton of books because of all the recommendations and hype I see on blogs. Books that I would never read, I went out and bought because of bloggers recomendations. Thanks for the post, I agree w/everything you said!
Oh I definitely buy more books as a blogger then I did before. Sometimes I get an ARC I love so much I not only get finished copies for myself but for family and friends as well.
And Indie’s- oh man, I’m constantly telling my non blogger friends and family which ones to buy. At low ebook prices they can all afford them for their kindles, but just need a heads up about which are the good ones.
Personally I KNOW I sell books. Its not only people I know but random people I see at bookstores or who I chat up at book events. Just today I attended an event and a couple people there wanted suggestions for which books they should look forward to in August and this fall. A few weeks ago a lady at B&N wanted YA suggestions for her daughter that were clean reads. She walked out with 12 books. All 12 books were ones she’d never heard of and wouldn’t have bought if I hadn’t recommended them. She now reads my blog for more suggestions.
Yeah, this is something I could talk about all day and obviously feel strongly about.
Great discussion!
I can’t even say something coherent…
This deserves to be in some HUGE newspaper thing… Or something that has to do with ‘News’ along with ‘Sales Ideas’ and ‘AMAZING writing’
I couldn’t agree more.
I bought a LOT of books-from what I could fin, you know where I love-before I became a book blogger… Afterwards???
I have to literally stop myself from even going to the mall… Because knowing there’s a bookstore there, I know the little money I have on my will completely disappear if I so much as step into the store!
So, I don’t think there’s any other or better way to say what you just did…
We spend so many on the books we so covet, we even go on and save for books that aren’t even close to release yet-2013 releases anyone?-
And I buy books not just for me but for friends and family too, I might not be able to give away in the blog as I’d like BUT I try my best to support authors in ANY way…
So I’m definitely as much a consumer as I am a book blogger…
#1stalker-in-awe.-