Blogging to Get Free Books: Sometimes Necessary, not Evil

There’s been a sentiment expressed again and again in the book blogging community that bloggers don’t blog out of a desire for free books. When the accusations get hurled that bloggers are corporate shills or are paid for their reviews, bloggers are quick to respond that they blog out of love and passion for reading, not merely for the shiny ARCs blogging grants. The well-meaning outrage defending the hours bloggers put into their work creates a stigma, intentionally or not, against the notion that anyone would get involved in book blogging as a way to get free books. In fact, some go so far as to say that if you are starting a blog to get free books, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.

I understand the impetus to discourage people from thinking that blogging is an easy gateway to free stuff. Blogging is, in essence, a part time job. The amount of time and dedication it takes to build any kind of following and to regularly put out content requires that you enjoy reading and writing. Even after all the work you put in, you may not get ANY free ARCs from a publisher. Blogging is a lot of work for no pay, and I’m not here to dismiss that fact.

But here’s my dirty secret: when I started my blog three years and a half years ago, I did it for the free books.

How the Blog Started

When I first decided to make a book blog, I was financially solvent, but only just. I could pay my rent and buy groceries without issue (and that’s while living in Los Angeles), but something as simple as a night at Olive Garden made me wince at my budget. I was breaking even every month, as long as I didn’t do anything *too* fancy. Most of my book shopping (when I did any at all) came from second-hand shops and discount online stores that primarily carried backlist titles. The idea of paying $27+tax for a new release hard back? Out of the question.

So how did I come to make a blog? Enter my mother, who is a successful blogger herself, albeit in the classic movie world. She’s been writing for over a decade now, and has reached the point (after many years of blogging) where she gets a sizeable number of free review screeners. The way she approaches blogging stuck with me: it’s something she enjoys and would do regardless, but the free screeners she now gets as a result help support her hobby. It saves her a few hundred dollars a year, which isn’t a lot, but isn’t nothing.

So in the summer of 2018, there I was, having just returned from San Diego Comic Con, where a friend had introduced me to the wonderful world of ARCs. As I stared at my pile of free books (the dollar amount of which basically covered what I’d spent on my badge for SDCC), I wondered if I too, could find a way to support my hobby through blogging. Could I also convince people to send me new releases simply by sharing my excitement about them?

I will stress again that the ONLY reason I have survived 3.5 years of blogging is because it is something I enjoy. Having a creative outlet in my life is necessary to me, as is having a place to flail and rant about things in my life. I used to come tearing out of my room after finishing a book and unleash my thoughts on my poor roommate, who would listen with polite nods but not really *get* it. Blogging allows me to be in a community of fellow enthusiasts who are ALSO excited about reading, not just tolerating my thoughts because that’s what friends do.

The Math of ARCs

But blogging also meant that I could afford to stay on top of new releases, and all it cost me was a handful of hours a week putting my thoughts to page. I would be lying if I said that the free books were not a significant factor in encouraging me to keep at it. Here’s the simple math:

I was lucky enough to receive 36 ARCs in 2021. Let’s say, on average, each of those books in their initial release cost $20. That means I saved around $720 through blogging last year. Depending on how many of those ARCs were first released in hardcover vs. paperback, that number could in actuality be anywhere between $500 and $1000. Those numbers aren’t something to sneeze at, especially if you’re just getting by. So yeah, I blogged to save myself several hundred dollars. Is that really a bad thing?

(I’m not going to get into the math of manhours vs. value received. As stated above, this is a hobby and I’m not begrudging the time I put into writing my blog. I simply want to point out that free ARCs can represent a significant amount of money a person might not have to spend on something that isn’t a “necessity.”)

ARCs Keep You Current

I’ve been chasing ARCs not just because I knew I wanted to read them, but because there was a narrow window when it would be free (and therefore affordable) to me. The way my finances worked, if I didn’t get an ARC, I probably wouldn’t read it that year unless I got it as a gift. That’s why, despite best pledges to read more backlist, nearly 2/3 of my reading every year since I started blogging has been new releases. Getting an ARC was how I could afford a new release, and reading and reviewing that ARC in a timely manner was how I kept on good terms with the publishers. It’s easy to say “bloggers don’t owe reviews,” but steady reviews are what keep publicists happy, which keep ARCs coming which means I can continue to read new releases despite my budget.

Now, for the first time in years, I don’t have the pressure of relying on ARCs to read new releases. I’ve had some changes in my life and career in the last several months that mean I’m breathing easier when it comes to money. I no longer wince at the thought of buying a book. But that financial freedom also brought into relief how much of my blogging was driven by financial considerations. I was recently working on my monthly TBRs, stressing about when to read book 2 in a series because book 3 was coming out soon and I wanted to be ready to request it from NetGalley.

And then I had a realization. What if I just….waited and bought the book when I was ready? That was an option to me now where it hadn’t been in the past. I could wait a few months and pick a book up when it was convenient to me (or even after I’ve read some fellow bloggers reviews!), not just based on the release date. I was no longer tied down to the the ARC release schedule, because I could afford to buy a book at my leisure. In short, I no longer *needed* the ARC if I wanted to read the book this year.

Blogging and tweeting about backlist books is absolutely a focus you can build your blog around, and I know some bloggers out there who have made a successful community around such an approach. But on the whole you get more engagement if you can talk about the books that are new and exciting, especially if you’re a newer blogger. If you don’t have the money to routinely buy new releases as they come out, ARCs are the affordable way to stay current in the community. Are ARCs 100% necessary to build your audience? No, but they sure don’t hurt.

Blogging Needs Passion, But Money Helps

I want to note, even when my finances weren’t great, I was still pretty privileged. I was never in danger of unpaid bills or deep into debt (except for the lovely burden of student loans). And unlike some countries, I DID have the option of getting ARCs to provide me some “free” entertainment. So if I, a person who had a tight budget but wasn’t desperately struggling, felt some cringe any time someone decried bloggers who blog in the hopes for free books, I can only imagine what others less well off felt. And at the end of the day, if you are chasing free books, it is because you ENJOY BOOKS. Your love and work is not less valid because you are hoping to get some freebies thrown your way.

I’m not going to stop blogging now that I’m less dependent on ARCs. If anything, I’m overjoyed that I now have the time and the money to dive into the many, MANY backlist series I haven’t had a chance to read yet and to share my reactions with people. But I know I can’t be unique in my situation where free books was a draw to the book blogging life.

It’s absolutely true that you need to love reading and writing to succeed at book blogging (or booktube, or booktok, or any of the other marketing arms). And it is true that almost nobody is making money off their blog (at least nothing life changing). But if you came to book blogging out of a desire to financially support your hobby, you shouldn’t be ashamed of it. If you love books and want to read new releases, book blogging may help you afford it where you otherwise couldn’t. Yes, it takes a lot of work, and receiving ARCs is not a guaranteed outcome. But if you manage to make it and those free books help brighten your day? That shouldn’t be looked down on.