To be a book blogger is a dream come true for every bibliophile. A platform to talk about our favorite topic – books. A privilege to promote and support our favorite authors. Whether you are an avid reader or a passionate writer, you cannot overemphasize the importance of book blogging.
Daniel Pennac’s Reader’s Bill of Rights
What is the correct way to read a book? Is it okay to quit a book midway if you are not enjoying it? Is it okay to browse books in a bookstore without feeling guilty? Do I need to defend the books and genres I enjoy reading?
First published in 1992 by the award-winning French author Daniel Pennac, the Reader’s Bill of Rights continues to shape readers. The manifesto outlines the ten key principles that a reader is entitled to. Reminding readers that books are meant to be enjoyed.
Allow me to refresh your memory on the Reader’s Bill of Rights.
- The right to not read
- The right to skip pages
- The right to not finish
- The right to reread
- The right to read anything
- The right to escapism
- The right to read anywhere
- The right to browse
- The right to read out loud
- The right to not defend your tastes
A Book Blogger’s Bill of Rights
A book blogger is a reader first. Blogging comes secondary. Blogging is not as easy as it is made out to be. Some genres require more hard work without due rewards (traffic or monetary). At the end of the day, most of us blog for the love of it.
Taking a leaf out of Daniel Pennac’s book, The Rights of the Reader, I share with you my Bill of Rights as a book blogger. Some controversial, some evident. All in all, key principles I believe in as a book blogger.
Before we proceed, a fair warning. Some of them are controversial. Feel free to disagree with me. I am up for a good debate.
Right to not review every book I read
Let me eat that frog first. By far the most controversial topic when it comes to book blogging. A topic that has the book community divided. The right to not leave a review.
Hear me out. In a perfect world, a book blogger would review every book read. That said, I am sure a lot of book reviewers would agree with me that reading for a review is different than reading for pleasure. Sometimes you just want to enjoy the book and not take notes alongside. More often than not, it is due to the lack of time.
As a book blogger, I do have the right to only share a rating or a short review instead of a complete analysis.
Right to not talk about books I don’t like
Continuing from the previous, I reserve the right to not talk about books that don’t work for me. This year has had a record number of DNFs (Did Not Finish) and I also read some review copies and ARCs I chose not to leave a review for (since it was for a promotional purpose). The authors and publisher were kind enough to understand.
That said, I will never shy away from talking about problematic books that need to be called out.
Right to read more than one book at a time
I am all for mindful reading but let’s be honest, not all books work all the time. At any point in time, I have an ongoing light read for days my mind is too saturated to engage with a deep read.
Reading two or more books concurrently does not mean I don’t appreciate the book or the writing. It just indicates that I prefer picking it up when I know I will enjoy it better.
Right to explore different formats of book blogging
An honest confession. When I started out, book blogging for me meant writing reviews.
I was privileged to discover book communities that expanded my horizons on what a book blog post can include. Apart from the usual suspects such as book reviews, listicles, interviews, updates, and discussion posts, I became privy to bookish content including book tags, playlists for reading, makeup looks, and reaction (gif) posts. Not to miss decor ideas to set the vibe complete with scented candles and snacks to go.
Right to not schedule posts
Every book blogger worth their salt would advise you to plan out and schedule posts beforehand. I have nothing against it and it works well for a lot of bloggers I know.
But… I am a mood reader as well as a mood blogger. Although I do plan a content calendar every month, it is more of a fallback when I am out of ideas. I am also a bit of a control freak when it comes to publishing and auto-sharing a blog post. I just prefer to not automate it.
Right to blog about topics other than books
Although I am a niche blogger, I have the right to blog about topics beyond books. I have previously published a series on allergy awareness, shared tech tips (Blogging 101), celebrated my tribe (the amazing women who raised me), and even dabbled in a bit of poetry.
The golden rule of blogging. There are no rules. Just write with all your heart and you will find your readers.
Right to participate in reading challenges
Reading is not a race. Absolutely!
Reading challenges and setting up a target of x number of books in a year continue to get a bad rap. As a book blogger, I reserve the right to participate in challenges to diversify my reading, explore genres out of my comfort zone, or just plain for the fun of it. Similarly, I reserve the right to participate in readathons. Reading as a community is rewarding.
Right to read and blog at my own pace
Life happens. Family and work take priority. Reading takes a back seat. Sometimes we are just too busy to pick a book, let alone write about it.
I have the right to publish a post as and when it works for me. I also have the right to read at my own pace and not skim a book for the sake of publishing a review. It serves no purpose and is a disservice to the author.
Right to not stick to a TBR
If you have been following me for a while, you would know I am notorious for setting up a monthly TBR and not sticking to it in its entirety. Again, it is more of a fallback for me.
If I can speak for my fellow book bloggers, checking out book recommendations and adding them to the TBR is fun. I refuse to be judged for not reading those books. That said, I honestly do plan to read them in the near or distant future. Or they wouldn’t be on my TBR at all.
Right to charge or not charge for a book review
I end the list with another controversial topic — paid reviews. Reviewing a book is hard work and time-consuming. Contrary to popular opinion, paid reviews can be honest too.
It is the book reviewer’s prerogative to charge for a review. It does not warrant being judged for it or being chastised for ruining the “market” if not.
With rights come duties and responsibilities. I had originally planned to include them but did not want to subject you to a 2500+ word article. Stay tuned as I will be sharing what I consider my duties as a book blogger.
What are your thoughts on the Bill of Rights I listed above? Would you like to add to them or chart out your own list? Do share in the comments below.
A Book Blogger's Bill of Rights: 10 Key Principles #BookishLeague Click To TweetThis post is part of the Bookish League blog hop hosted by Bohemian Bibliophile.
This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Dr. Preeti Chauhan.
Photo credit: Canva.com
November 2, 2023 @ 10:58 pm
My favorite is “Right to not review every book I read”
It becomes such a mental pressure and somehow takes away from the joy of reading for pleasure/leisure
November 3, 2023 @ 10:07 am
I agree with everything you said. I think everyone has a right to decide how they enjoy their hobby and to what extent they wish to engage with it. I do think its okay to get paid for writing reviews and not just in free books. And I love listening to people talk about why a book didn’t work for them. Its an educative experience.
November 3, 2023 @ 10:36 am
It’s a fun (and unique) post. And I agree with the points mentioned.
As a reader, I don’t follow any rules (not that I follow too many rules as a writer and painter). Except when I request a review copy which comes with clear instructions to review. That’s why I have decided to be very sure before requesting a review copy.
I post a detailed review when it’s a review copy or when I really, really feel for the story and characters. Otherwise, I just post reviews on Goodreads, Amazon and my social media handles.
I love talking about books I enjoy, but, yes, I avoid talking about books that I don’t like/leave unfinished. I quietly remove them from my Goodreads bookshelf.
November 3, 2023 @ 11:39 am
I don’t review every book I read. I can discard a book midway and forget it altogether. I can be incisively critical in my reviews….
November 4, 2023 @ 6:32 pm
Wow Ritu! I initially thought this post was just a satire about reading habits. Little did I know that these are facts. The French Author Daniel Pennac made my life so much easier three decades back with this Reader’s Bill of Rights and I did not even know they truly existed.
November 9, 2023 @ 10:34 am
It was like someone read my mind and made this list. How perceptive of Pennac to have come up with it. Since blogging and reading are and will always remain things I do for love I let my moods guide me. I refuse to let them become a compulsion.
November 12, 2023 @ 8:01 pm
What an interesting post! Thanks for introducing me to the book, ‘The Rights of a Reader’ by Daniel Pennac.
November 14, 2023 @ 2:08 pm
I like all these rights. I have many books lying half-read and I do feel guilty about not reading them, though they are by the most famous authors. But I don’t feel inspired to read them and that’s my right. I also don’t feel like writing about every book I have read or even discuss it. I guess, we all have our rights and we love them because we can keep changing them along the way.
November 14, 2023 @ 8:05 pm
Everyone has the right to choose and review books as per their opinions and that takes time just like any other hobby. If a hobby can get you paid some extra bucks it’s amazing.
November 15, 2023 @ 1:09 pm
My view is right to stop reading if you don’t like it at all. Just because someone review it beautifully and you don’t like it at first half then you should stop reading. And I don’t mind to re- read the same book which I love.
November 15, 2023 @ 1:14 pm
I never heard of this Bill of rights for reading before, Ritu. Another new thing I have learned from you. Thanks for sharing your bill of rights as well. There are books I start and leave halfway and may get back to it later. There cant be any hard and faxt rules about reading. I feel each to his own.
November 15, 2023 @ 4:35 pm
Right to read and blog at my own pace is important, cause there can be various reasons for not completing a book on time.
November 17, 2023 @ 9:43 pm
What a delight–loved this post. And this set me thinking on what would my book of rights would be. And I learnt about different formats of book blogging from your post. I also thought book blogging should be strictly reviews.
November 17, 2023 @ 10:43 pm
Something different and so upfront from you Ritu… ofcourse it is book related… no doubt about that. Initially I too used to think that book blogging is only about reviewing books… until I started reading your posts. So thank you for broadning my knowledge and giving us the endless list of recommendations along with this kind of posts to spice up the journey.
November 18, 2023 @ 2:23 pm
What a delightful read this post is Ritu. I do agree with all the rights. My favourite is of course, the right to not review. sometimes I don’t want to write a review because I do not have anything good to write about the book. In that scenario, a no review in my opinion is better that a bad review. Also the right to read at my own pace. I hate being rushed, only for the review
November 19, 2023 @ 7:58 pm
Loved reading this post and I was nodding on all your pointers. I believe everyone should decide how they want to enjoy their hobby and the level of involvement. Personally, I don’t feel the need to write about every book I read or talk about it. We all have our rights, and it’s great that we can adjust and change them as we go along.
3 / 3
November 20, 2023 @ 5:27 pm
Oh Ritu, first of all congratulations for being so honest in your thoughts about your blogging and reviewing rights. Not just 100% but 200% I agree with you in every points that you mentioned above. I will highlight the last point here. The job of a book reviewer is not easy and so it calls for a definite pay. I came across many such authors who things paying for review is buying 4 or 5 star ratings. I really dont know who gave them this view. As a reviewer I have every right to rate a book even 2 even if I am paid for the same. This thought process is found in many debutant an best seller authors. Over and above they want their reviews to get shared across all social media platforms and Amazon and with No pay… how even they think of it I dont know. Its the personal choice of the reviewer to ask or not to ask for pay. Thank you for being so honest. Love you
November 22, 2023 @ 7:47 pm
I love this Ritu. You had me at “Do I need to defend the books and genres I enjoy reading?” I honestly agree with everything you’ve said here—including the controversial. I once came across a very strongly worded post about how taking money to review a book is NOT okay. I was super shocked by the strong and harsh phrasing in the post and realized there was a highly polarised view out there. But I agree 100% with your view which was what I was discussing with a friend too. I think it’s each blogger’s style and prerogative how they wish to pursue their blogging. It requires its own hard work and effort as any other occupation, so why must we put down anyone for their choices to monetise or not?
Gosh I remember how guilty I used to feel about DNF-ing. I still try not to, but I definitely keep it in mind that I need NOT read anything that is not feeling good. I LOVE reading books and not reviewing them sometime. Joy reads, I call them. Sometimes the reverse happens too! I joy-read a book and find it so wonderful I WANT to review it! I love letting myself feel and do what I want. I’m a mood reader too!
Love love love this post Ritu.
November 23, 2023 @ 5:12 am
Love how you made rules like this. I found it interesting and enjoyable reading through all of it and it actually makes sense. I’m sure bloggers would learn a lot from it and make it their own as well.
November 28, 2023 @ 11:39 pm
These rules are pretty new to me. I remember when I received books from authors from Goodreads, I never cared about these rules. I always review those books as per my understanding of the plot. It was nice to read this information.
November 29, 2023 @ 11:50 am
Hi Ritu, as I looked through your post, I truly felt you were privy to my innermost thoughts, for it cleared many doubts and concerns that got me stranded at various junctures of my blogging, reading and reviewing books. I have no more guilt about a sizable number of unread books penned by authors of fame taking space on my bookshelf. And thank you for educating me on ‘book blogging’ and my bill of rights in its constitution.
November 29, 2023 @ 4:03 pm
Fantastic insights! Your Book Blogger’s Bill of Rights resonates with authenticity. Addressing controversial topics like not reviewing every book shows transparency. Engaging and relatable—great job!
November 29, 2023 @ 11:25 pm
I agree with all the points you made. If I reviewed every book I read, I can honestly say I’d start hating writing book reviews! I also think there’s no harm at all in charging for reviews (but do authors/publishers pay for them?). And I also prefer not to blog about the books I don’t like, unless I have to, in which case I do try to be constructive with my criticism.
November 30, 2023 @ 2:24 pm
I feel so guilty when I read a book and don’t review so I maintain a journal where I scribble down my thoughts just to get over with the guilt! Well, I didnt know of ‘The Rights of the Reader’ by Daniel Pennac, and I was really thrilled to know of such a book!
I must say that this has been such a fun and refreshing book post!
December 1, 2023 @ 3:51 pm
Right to skip pages and not scheduling post I want to try this. Coz it’s always make me anxious. Thanks for sharing this insightful blog.
December 5, 2023 @ 4:35 pm
I was not aware of the concept of a reader’s bill of rights. It makes sense. We should read what we want to read. A very different kind of post.
December 5, 2023 @ 9:17 pm
Your fantabulous post on books and bloggers’ rights. Choose to not write about or talk about a book you don’t like.
December 17, 2023 @ 5:45 pm
These points are Bang on! I personally like “having the right to not like the book” part. Sometimes it becomes an obligation to write positive reviews despite book being dumb.
January 5, 2024 @ 11:13 pm
Your emphasis on participating in reading challenges, reading and blogging at your own pace, and not sticking to a TBR resonates with the genuine and personal essence of reading.
January 18, 2024 @ 10:43 am
Very well put and I agree with your views! Some of these are the reasons I stopped accepting books for review. Now I read solely for the pleasure of reading.