No More Early Reviews

I posted on this particular topic a couple of months ago, here. After thinking about it more since that post, I think I am totally switching my position. I've come to the decision that I think posting reviews 4+ weeks (and in some cases lately 10+ weeks) in advance of the book hitting shelves is a total waste of the publisher's review copy.

The publishers send review copies of books to reviewers so that book reviewers have plenty of time to read the book prior to publication. However, most (if not all) greatly prefer reviews to be published around the same time as the book hits the stores. You can fudge this a bit and say a week prior to release is ok. But any more than that and I think we are mostly wasting the copy that was sent to us. As i found out in my first post, most readers of reviews are looking for books to read now. They aren't planning their reading schedules 2 months in advance. So if they read a review of a book that sounds interesting, they expect that the book is available. To find out the book might be 2 months away can be a disappointment. Sure, the reader might remember the review when they finally see the book in the store. But like many posters commented, the casual fan looking for reviews online is looking for a book to read now. And from that standpoint, those of us who publish reviews way in advance aren't helping them.

Ok, so we aren't helping the casual fan as stated above. How about the publisher who sent us the ARC? We pretty much aren't helping them, either. Sure, its publicity in advance of the publication, and some argue any publicity is good publicity. However, the real goal of sending out arcs is to get reviews that could lead to sales of the book. As stated above, if the review is well in advance of the onsale date, does the review actually help sell the book? In most cases, probably not.

So, very early reviews don't help the casual fan or the publisher very much. How about the more hardcore blog reader. The hardcore blog reader probably gets pretty excited when they see a review of a book pop up 2 months early. This person does appreciate the early review, and it builds up his/her excitement for the release. However, this person was already predisposed (in most cases) to buying the book (example, the many early reviews of Best Served Cold). The hardcore blog reader might enjoy reading this early review, but it really isnt going to make an extra sale (so again, no benefit to the publisher for sending out the arc).

Maybe bloggers don't write the review to help the casual fan, or the publisher. Maybe you are just writing your review to spark discussion. Who can you discuss the book with 2 months ahead of time? Just other bloggers/reviewers who also happen to have an early review copy. This really doesn't result in much of a discussion, and you have to be even more careful to avoid spoilers. Usually, in the comments for these early reviews, you see a variation of this type of comment: I can't wait for this book to come out! or Can I have your early copy now that you are done?

To sum up: I don't think these early reviews help the casual fan, the publisher, or the discussion for the book. So who does it help? Pretty much just the blogger posting the review, so he/she can say they have an early copy and read it before everyone else. I've published a couple of early reviews, and I'll admit that is the first thing that crosses my mind when I get a book in the mail; "oh, if I read this now, maybe I'll post the first review. That will get the attention of the author, the publisher, and readers, and make my blog look good". Yep, I have had those thoughts many times. You will notice that it is a pretty selfish thought for me to have. And I am not saying other bloggers who post early reviews have similar thoughts. Those are entirely my own, and this post is NOT meant to judge other bloggers who do post reviews early. These are totally my opinion, and describe why I will no longer publish reviews well in advance of the publish date.

Going forward, you will see NO MORE early reviews on this blog. By early I mean more than a week in advance of the publication date. Once it is within 7 days of hitting the shelves, I'll consider posting the review. This doesn't mean I wont read books early. I too have Best Served Cold, and there is no way I am waiting until the end of July (Orbit US date) to read it. When I do read it, I will still write the review, you just won't see it on the blog until the end of July. I will, however, make the minor comment on my reading in the "Today in Fantasy" posts. So if i read a book early you might still get a very brief comment as a i read, but the real review will wait.

Finally, I do think we have a responsibility to the publisher, if we are reading an arc they have sent us. Its not a contract, but I think we have a moral obligation to abide by their wishes when they send us the arc. If they prefer reviews to get published "around" the release date, I think we bloggers should make an attempt to honor their wish.