I'm terrified of the thought of... REQUESTING ARCS.
DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Now, I don't really know what it is.... I want to be able to do it. I want to be able to muster up the courage to go and email a publisher asking them if they can send me a book to review, but I just.... can't. I stop myself right before I open the link to get the email address. Every. Time.
I didn't start blogging so that I could receive ARCs. I didn't even know they existed until I started reading more book blogs. But now that I've been blogging for over a year and have 750+ followers, I somehow feel obligated to start requesting ARCs. Like it's expected of me. I know it's not, but I can't help but feel that way! Trust me, I KNOW that I don't need to get ARCs to be a book blogger and I know that it's not something that I need to do.. My TBR is huge at the moment and I'm so behind on my reading schedule it's not even funny. So why am I freaking out about this so much? Well, other than the fact that I don't know whether or not to contact the US branch or Candian branch of the publishing company...
So after yet another session of browsing through catalogues and almost writing up a request and then shutting it down, I decided enough is enough. It's time to blog about it. So, my dear followers, what do you think? If you're a blogger, did you ever have a similar fear? Did you get over it? If you did.... HOW? I'd love to know some of your blogging fears or if you were/are nervous about requesting ARCs! Then maybe I wouldn't feel so odd. :P No okay I'll still feel odd, but I won't feel so alone!
So you might be laughing and shaking your head at me and my somewhat ridiculous fear, or maybe you're nodding with my words and agree with me. I don't know. But I'm happy I'm trying to open up myself to you guys on this blog this year, because well, almost everything feels a bit better once I write about it. So now I'm rambling! Let me know in the comments if you were ever scared of the thought of requesting ARCs and if you got over it, how?
Happy Sunday!
~Kristy
Hi Kristy! Don't worry about that anxiousness that overwhelms you when you request books to review. I can assure you that everyone who has requested will feel that way at some point. I still feel it and I've been requesting for over a year. You surely don't have to request, so don't put pressure on yourself if you don't want to! You have enough followers to get some acceptances (I started requesting ARCs around 100-300 followers and got accepted quite often). Just try to keep in mind that you shouldn't take it personally if an ARC request is declined.
ReplyDeleteI'm still nervous when I request, but it's not as bad as it used to be when I first began. I've come to know which publishers are more likely to accept my request and that's because of the relationship we've built from the year or so that I've worked with them. If you really want to get somewhere, you just have to suck it up and dive in! Good luck! :)
Hi Kristy!
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way!!! I am TERRIFIED of writing a request because I've done a few and have been ignored or rejected. That scared me. I only request EARCS from edelweiss or NetGalley. Since its easier to send requests. RIGHT!? You do feel kinda obligated to request ARCS once you get to a certain point of blogging. I felt it and felt kinds left behind because I couldn't request any. A year later and I'm still trying. Hopefully you can get over ur fear and don't worry about the ARCs or the rejections. U have an awesome blog and blogging for the love of books is just fine :-)
Don't worry, I have never been sent one review book and only recently have I picked up the courage to ask for some and they are getting sent through now. You can do it.
ReplyDelete- Sunny @ www.asupersunnyspot.blogspot.com
Hey there Kristy!
ReplyDeleteI'm also scared of it. I have over 600 followers and have been blogging for longer than the 6 month mark (that seems to be the mark, right?) and while I request books on netgalley and edelweiss and love to get approved, I've never asked for print ARCs. I actually have several 'how to request' guideposts open in my browser, and have had for months. But I've never gone ahead and done it. It's not just fear of rejection... it's just that I dislike asking for things in general if I feel I have nothing to offer in return. Why would they give me free book?! It's not like I'm just that awesome or famous or whatever.
What's another hurdle for me is that I feel ridiculous for even having the 'audacity' to ask because I live smack in the middle of Europe. About 90% of my readers are from the US, but seriously, why should the publisher pay for the shipping? I don't even know whether to request at the US or UK branch.
So yeah, I guess I just want to say I hear you ;) Maybe we should both just get over it and try it out...