Presenting Yourself as a professional: Guest Post Annie Slasher

Annie Slasher of Booked and Loaded was kind enough to write this guest post for us. This is geared towards bloggers, but authors pay attention, because you could learn something too. Like how to treat your bloggers.

Book Blogger Professionalism 

Let’s face it.  In our current world anyone, any place, anywhere can say whatever the hell they want and hide behind the safety of their computer screen.  So where do we, as book bloggers, draw the line in the sand of professionalism? 

Every blogger on the net has individual views, likes, and dislikes.  So when does putting your opinion out there for anyone wondering around the stringy webs of the internet cross a line of professionalism? 

In my personal bubble it is clear - Personal insults, plagiarism, piracy and crazy making of any kind.  

I am going to give it to you straight.  I am not the nicest person in the world and my filter probably resembles a sieve more than an actual healthy filter (I always think of cheese cloth), but I DO have a healthy respect for my fellow humans.  I know that somewhere behind each author pen name, blogger alias, and Facebook profile is a real human being.  This human being has feelings and their own personal views with their own shit going on that you know nothing about.  Not every individual puts their personal troubles on display for everyone to see, so do not pretend to know what that person is going through on any given day. 

Personal insults are not productive and no one benefits from them.  How do you think your readers benefit from calling an author or other blogger that you do not like insulting names?  I cannot find one good think that would come from this.  If you want to call someone out that is your choice, but there is a difference between insults and facts.  If you can prove you have been wronged by someone and you feel it is in your readers best interest have access to this knowledge, go for it!  You can still do so in a professional manner.  List facts and discuss why you got offended or were wronged.  This can all be done without childish name calling. 

Plagiarism is just not only unprofessional it is also illegal.  I am amazed at the stories I have heard and things I have personally experienced regarding reviews being plagiarized.  If you are not sure what plagiarism is:

According to the merriam-webster online dictionary, it means:

         * to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own: use (another’s production) without crediting the source.

Using pieces, phrases, or all of another review is stealing and not professional.  So do not do it!  If you think it is professional to not read a book and just read reviews off of Goodreads and recap them, maybe you should rethink your passion of book reviews.  You are truly not doing yourself or any other bloggers a favor.  Readers should be able to put their trust in Book Bloggers to give their own honest opinions. 

There is a lot of buzz lately about piracy.  Ebooks are hard thing to stop from being pirated.  In my opinion book bloggers have a professional obligation to have a very high standard of what constitutes piracy.  Sharing via email or any other electric form without the author’s written permission with anyone is stealing and constitutes piracy.  Uploading or sharing electronic ARCs or copies with a site that provides free aka pirated books is not only unprofessional it is illegal.  Bloggers should be able to be trusted, and right now I think any author would be wise not to 100% trust anyone with electronic copies of their work.  I have theories about why this is so rampant, but that is not what this article is about! 

And we are onto the big one - crazy making! This should apply to all aspects in your life.  Not just blogging.  If you are stirring shit up between authors and readers, bloggers and authors, or any other combination of readers, bloggers, and authors you are crazy making.  It is the epitome of unprofessionalism.  All of us view our book blogging hobby differently.  Some more business oriented and some just enjoy spreading the word of authors, but ultimately you are responsible for your own professionalism.  It is up to you to set your own lines and not to cross them.  If you are spending your time hand picking authors to support and you think that means bashing others, you are not only unprofessional you are irrational.  I find these types of acts the most offensive.  You are truly not supporting authors if you think bashing one IS supporting another.  Readers read….they are not only going to read ONE author.  Support the ones you love by reading, reviewing, and repeat!

I think Facebook becomes the hardest thing to manage.  I am pretty open on my blogger Facebook account, but do apply the above rules to my Facebook Page.  I view my page the same as my blog.  I try to keep it as professional and unbiased as I can.  Warning, if you are friends with me on Facebook I roll out the honesty and leave the professionalism for my blog and Facebook page.  =)

Professionalism should be something all Book Bloggers care about.  It helps build a foundation of trust and respect for not only authors, but readers as well.  With so many Book Blogs closing their doors and others starting their new journey, we should be setting a high standard for professionalism in this industry.  We should be a group that authors and readers can trust and confide in and this can only come from a standard of professionalism. 

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A note on review bloggers

So being a review blogger and an author gives me a chance to see things from both sides of the equations. We’ve all seen it, authors moaning and groaning about bad reviews from bloggers or readers. We all know my stance on that. (If not it boils down to this: put your big person panties on and get over it. You’re a professional) I may be beating a dead horse here, but I keep in contact with other review bloggers and I’ve seen and heard some interesting stories about authors. Okay, so authors here’s the deal…Review bloggers are not your friends. Got it? You can’t hand them a book an expect them to lie to you, even if you’ve built a good relationship with them.

I just heard you gasp. If they aren’t our friends, what are they? Think of them almost as a boss. No they don’t get to tell you what to do, but let’s face it, they get to judge the work you do. You go and you write a nice letter asking them to read this book, you make it appeal to them, you want them to review it. Some blogs have a policy that if they rate it under a particular amount of stars, they will let you know first and you can say if they can post it or not. (You will find no such policy here at SPE) As an author I think that defeats the purpose of sending it to a review blog.

I am sending my book to a stranger (if it’s the first time that blog has read one of my books) I may be sending it to someone I consider a friend. But they are a review blog first, I expect that they tell me the truth about the book. If I want an ego stroke, I’d got to someone who feels obligated to lie to me. (We all have those friends.) Giving me a chance to say no or yes to posting a review tricks the readers into thinking that all blogs will only give me a certain rating or higher. As a reader, that pisses me off. I’m the person who reads the bad reviews to see what I’m getting into.

As a blogger I don’t think it’s a good policy, which is why you won’t find it here at SPE. Authors say they want honest reviews, that is what they are going to get. Readers deserve to see those 1 or 2 star ratings. The problem is that there are mobs out there so quick and ready to label reviewers as bullies because of low ratings. That is not right and is a whole other blog on it’s own. That being said, author’s if bloggers give you a choice and a low ratings, suck it up. Do not be rude back to them. They have spent their time reading your book. Just because they didn’t like that one doesn’t meant they won’t like the next. Being a pompous twat isn’t going to help your relationship with them. And by the way, just like authors talk so do bloggers.

My point is. You are an author, learn to take feed back and deal with it. You don’t get to screen your readers’ reviews, why should you get to screen your review blog reviews? Honest feed back, it’s what we need. Remember, especially as an indie author, you’d be no where without your readers. Your readers turn to those bloggers, if they shut down because of rude authors, you’re only hurting yourself.