Who’s Your Target?
Jun
14
categories : Being Bookish
The debate as to what/who constitutes a book review(er) raged on this week when Roger Sutton at The Horn Book commented about the debate on blogging and literary criticism. In his post he summarized a comment Times movie critic A. O. Scott made:
“He means, I think, that as more people are embracing criticism as valuable, the notion that particular people can have expertise (worth paying for) becomes devalued: all opinions become equal.”
What I found myself thinking, once I got over the initial [insert head bob here] “oh no he di’int” response, was why is it so bad that all opinions become equal?
Now let me step back and say I don’t think that all opinions actually *are* equal. I think there are long experienced professional critics and then there is the collective “us”. The hobbyists, the common-folk who just happen to put our thoughts out there too. Yes, yes….I know my sarcasm just goes to show how unprofessional I really am but you know what, I’m a-ok with that!
Here’s what it all boils down to, for me anyway, (1) there is plenty of room out there in the great big world of books for the lot of us and (2) my target audience is vastly different than that of Mr. Sutton. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that literary criticism and critics are taking a much more analytical perspective than I am in the thoughts I share. More than that I believe lit critics are trying to influence industry in a way that I’m not. As a book blogger (and I can only speak for myself) am I truly trying to make that kind of impact my number one goal? No I’m not.
I’m doing something I love (reading) and trying to share my thoughts and ideas about it in through an open forum in the hopes that there is a community of people out there that want to discuss and debate. Does this ultimately impact and influence the industry, I’d think so, but do I find myself going into this with that outcome in mind? No, I don’t.
I love to read. I love to talk about what I read. Reviewing books on my blog allows for me to do that.
Mr. Sutton’s comments, and those made by others before him, can’t help but instill in me the feeling that some established literary critics feel threatened by the doors opened through use of technology like blogs and Twitter. I’m not sure that is truly the case but I still come back to the question why? Why, if there is no threat or concern about the upswing in book blogs, is it still being brought up?
I ask this especially since it seems that we are targeting different audiences. Sure, there will likely be some overlap here and there but I imagine that the person who reads my blog is significantly different than the person who reads what Mr. Sutton has to share. Moreover, my comments and thoughts certainly don’t devalue his, the thought that they do is absolutely absurd to me. The thought that anyone believes they could even more so.
Ultimately what I’m saying is that I think there is plenty of room for everyone. The pros are still gonna get paid and the hobbyists are still going to have an open forum. Even so, I’ll still toss a question out to the great big scary Internet:
Who’s your target audience?
Liz B:
I’m a firm believer in having ones cake and eating it, so I think one can have both professional reviews and online discussions and end up with win-win. And I also do see some “fear” about the ending of “traditional” roles, or what I call the professor/student relationship with reviewers: the professor speaks about what is “good” and the student silently nods and agrees. The “professor” used to be someone properly vetted with the right connections. Now, not only are we shifting from lecture mode to dialogue; we are also expanding who that “expert” can be as we see that someone can write amazingly about books without having a degree from a certain school.
FWIW, I like “expert” reviews. I like reviews that dig deeper and have a broader context, a deeper base of knowledge; but I also like chatty discussions. So I want the Horn Book AND I want blogs.
There is a real fear and a legitimate fear that professional reviews are being abandoned and disappearing. Newspapers are cutting that coverage right and left (when, in my opinion, what book/lit bloggers are doing and talking about show the audience for good coverage is out there. Papers just don’t know how to deliver it.) The pros AREN’T still getting paid and are getting paid less and less. Personally, I don’t want to see that happen, and I think it’s foolish of newspapers to be doing this. I agree with you — room for both — but it doesn’t look like the newspapers agree with us.
To your question: my target audience is a mix; I write for me, but I also write for people who are reading what I am reading, interested in what I am interested in. Again, I’m have cake and eat it girl, so depending on various factors I’m writing as if I’m in a room full of friends, talking with them; but I also write for people I don’t know but who are interested in books. I know some readers are regulars; but I also try to write as if someone came to my blog just that one time to find out more about a book.
June 14, 2009 at 6:23 am
iwriteinbooks:
I think that you hit the nail on the head when you wrote, “I’m doing something I love (reading) and trying to share my thoughts and ideas about it in through an open forum in the hopes that there is a community of people out there that want to discuss and debate.” For me, that is what book blogging, writing my own and reading others’ is : a fun, engaging and, yes, informative, exercise.
I think you are justified in questioning the hysteria, from the “other side”. If there is no impact (or at least perceived impact) on their media via ours, there is no reason for the “pros” to be upset. If there is impact, then I think that speaks for the success of blogs and “novice” book thought, thus really negating the professional critic claim that there is no need or audience for open forum. I do think that there is, or will be, some overlap but we live in such a fluid age, now, that all commentary media, equal or not, should be able to be seen and heard and appreciated by its target audience.
I think the best way to describe the target audience for ANY critique, blog, paper, television, magazine, is “any interested party”. The beauty of living in a time completely saturated with information options is that we can and will choose many many ways to satisfy our need for answers and questions.
June 14, 2009 at 6:38 am
Literate Housewife:
Excellent point about the target audience being “any interested party.”
June 14, 2009 at 7:04 am
Literate Housewife:
Good post! Like you, my blog is for me mainly. It began with me wanting to journal my reading for my 52 books goal in 2007. It gave me an artificial accountability more than anything else. It’s greatly expanded since them and I’m both happy and thankful for that. It is my more than my hobby, but less than my job. I would call it my passion as ridiculous as that may sound. I wish I had more time to devote to it.
I have a BA in English Lit and a Masters in English Literature and Creative Writing. I love critical theory and analysis. I’ve “survived” Northrup Frye’s Anatomy of Criticism and am a huge fan of Harold Bloom. If I were reading something more substantial or considered a classic, I would most definitely turn to literary journals and the local college library to test my own opinions and to get more information to chew on.
For current releases, I have never been one to read the New York Times or Kirkus Reviews or anything like that. It’s just not my thing. I have occassionally listened to NPR (more often than not to disastrous results). Much of what I read quite frankly isn’t something for which I would care to read more in depth criticism. I’m not slamming the books in any way. I’m not taking a course. I’m not writing an essay. I am in a place right now where I simply enjoy general fiction and appreciate it for the experience it provides. This might change down the road. My tastes fluctuate over time.
In short, I’m not intending to do the work of professional reviewers. My reviews and other topics flow from where I am right now. My primary target audience is myself, but my greatest thrill comes from those people who read my blog anyway. I’ve no intention at this time to influence the critical opinions on any novel I review. In that way, I would not put myself in league with The Horn Book. I’m passing on my reading experiences and enjoy hearing what other people think.
Sorry for rambling on. I need to give this more thought and post about it myself. Perhaps it’s time for a Literate Housewife Manifesto.
June 14, 2009 at 7:03 am
rhapsodyinbooks:
Well said! I would add this: I think perhaps “professionals” might be alarmed when they see comments after a review something like “Oh thanks for saying this isn’t that good; I’ll take a pass on it.” And they might recoil back in horror because who is this blogger who has just affected a sale? In response I would say (a) there are many more comments you could see that say “Oh wow, now I’m going to get this book” and (b) if I base my purchases on what Blogger A (for “amateur”) says rather than Blogger P, it undoubtedly means that I have the same tastes as Blogger A, and/or don’t give a rip about the levels of meaning that could be exposed by Blogger P. Surely readers who are interested in a more in-depth analysis than might be provided by Blogger A would know how to find Blogger P! Perhaps the P Bloggers might take a page from Voltaire’s Candide, toil in their own gardens, and let the rest of us have our community vegetable plots as we please.
June 14, 2009 at 7:27 am
Nymeth:
Sometimes it seems that it’s all about power. Who gets to have it, who is or isn’t willing to share it, etc. And that’s not something I’ve ever had much of an interest in. I’m actually a fan of detailed criticism of the kind that challenges and expands my understanding of a literary work. But that’s not the only way there is to talk about books.
I really enjoyed reading you post, and I completely agree that there is room for many voices. The only thing I maybe disagree with is the part about critics trying to influence the publishing industry, although I guess it depends on which kind of critic you mean. From what I see, in some academic settings the focus isn’t even on the publishing industry. It’s on intellectual prestige for its own sake. And perhaps that’s what people find off-putting about the stances certain critics take? Which isn’t to devalue their work – I just question the way some of them are reacting to these changes. If there’s less of an audience for in-depth criticism these days (which I’m not actually completely convinced of), is the internet really to blame? That seems a bit of a random scapegoat to me.
But anyway, my target audience is other readers. It’s anyone out there who likes books and who might be interesting in sharing their passion for them with me.
June 14, 2009 at 9:20 am
Lisa:
I’m with you 100% on the reason I blog.
I think there’s plenty of room for both types of reviews. I look at both professional reviews and “regular” people when I’m choosing movies to go to. And I love for the professionals to point out something that’s really well-written to me and steer me away from things that are poorly written. I also like to go to blogs where I know the blogger has similar tastes to see what he/she thought of a book. I think the bloggers are now the driving force in the book industry but I don’t, in any way, think that will dumb down the books that sell. We may not get paid, but there are a lot of very intelligent readers out there!
My target audience is other readers–particularly those that have an varied interest in the books they read.
June 14, 2009 at 11:23 am
Amy @ My Friend Amy:
I agree that there are two different audiences and that they may overlap a bit. I don’t and can’t understand for the life of me why it matters to the professionals that other people are sharing their own perspectives.
It really and truly isn’t the fault of a bunch of bloggers that print reviews are shrinking. Print is shrinking end of story, newspapers are dying, this is just a much bigger problem. It would be much more productive to me, for the “professionals” to figure out what they can do to keep their art and work alive without attacking the voices of those who do this for the sheer love of it, to join in a conversation where before we were excluded. We’re not saying “go away” to them, why do they seem to need to belittle us in order to prove their own worth? That’s what it feels like. And that’s what bothers me.
June 14, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Belle:
I feel like there aren’t any “right” answers when it comes to blogging; it’s just too fluid and flexible a medium to be tied down to any one thing when it comes to the question of the day.
I love your target readership question – I think you’re right on point with that one. Without considering target readership, you might end up comparing oranges to apples. My target readership is composed (I hope!) of people who love to write, people who love to read and (ahem) people who like to read what I write.
June 14, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Michelle:
LizB – I think you’re description of fearful is far more apt than my threatened. I’m going to comment on something Amy said later in this post that you may or may not agree with but it was a passing thought that kind of relates to what you’re saying here.
iwriteinbooks – I agree I wouldn’t want to necessarily pigeon hole myself to a particular audience. I’d like to make my blog a place that is comfortable for everyone. I don’t know how possible that is though. We can’t be all things to all people (not that you are saying that) and I recognize that those interested in in depth analytical literary critique aren’t going to be quite as happy here. While I do try and provide more than “great book” I generally skim the surface of a book. But as I said, there is room for everyone and enough of an audience for each of us to continue to enjoy what we do.
Lithousewife – You aren’t rambling on at all and I wholly agree with you. I have advanced degrees (though not in English) and could write critically if I so chose but honestly I have no desire to. I enjoy the experience reading gives me and the community blogging about it provides as a result. I’m not in any way among the heavy hitters like The Horn Book, NYT Review, or other more prestigious literary critics nor am I remotely interested in being so. Kudos to them for the hard work they’ve put in to be as successful as they are…but I’m unsure why I need to be made to feel like the poor little guy as a result of their fear.
Rhapsodyinbooks – I’m not entirely sure where all the perceived animosity is stemming from though I do think LizB makes a good point in saying that professionals may be fearful. I’ve also got a thought to expound on when I get to respond to Amy’s post below. It kind of makes a little more sense to me and might to you as well. Stay tuned ☺
Nymeth – Power is a funny thing isn’t it? When you have it the thought of losing it certainly makes you act in ways you may not otherwise. I don’t know that this is the case here because I don’t know the players well enough to comment on their behavior. All I can really comment on is my feelings and opinions on what I perceive of what it is that is being said. I will say I’ve not been a person who has really been all that interested in the type of literary criticism that the professionals offer. I will also say that if I was in the market for it I would almost assuredly frequent their magazine/blog/outlet as clearly they are the leaders in their niche. Your comments about the Internet being the scapegoat lead me more fully to a thought I have as a result of comments Amy made a few posts down. I’m going to reply to her with my idea so please comment there too if you feel the same.
Lisa – I don’t know that bloggers are **the** driving force in the book industry but I like to think that we are somewhat influential in some capacity. I know that 95% of my purchases this past month were as a result of a review or recommendation made by a blogger though. So we have to be making some impact don’t we?
Amy – your thoughts gave me a real lightbulb moment. I’ve not been a follower of print media (though I do know that magazines and newspapers are shutting down right and left) as it relates to literary criticism so your comments (coupled with LizB’s) on the matter gave me some good perspective. Your comment in particular gave me some clarity about what could be happening. I’m envisioning this whole role reversal thing – where the professionals are being phased out of their current role as print outlets dwindle. If they want to keep their voices alive they need to adapt and find another outlet (as you say) namely digital. With all of the blogs and literary outlets (wave A, B, C or D who cares) already existing that seemingly puts the pros back at square one. How frightening it must be for some to think that after all the hard work put in they now become the low man on the totem pole once again. Of course I say this not really thinking they will become that low man because once you have your reputation you’ll have your readers confidence regardless of the medium. I’m just thinking that perhaps some are fearful of moving back down the ladder (in their own eyes) by jumping into the digital fray “too late”.
June 14, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Roger Sutton:
I just want to note that the quote Michelle is arguing with is me glossing Times movie critic A. O. Scott, not me as me.
June 15, 2009 at 4:21 am
Michelle:
Roger, my apologies for being so vague. I’ve updated my post to reflect that your comment was summarizing comments made by another source.
June 15, 2009 at 4:56 am