Booktubers

[threeSMEGfridges]

Jen Campbell- on one hand I genuinely enjoy her content, her book recommendations, and generally she’s one of my favourites.

on the other, she’s started to irk me lately with some of her super SJW opinions and -more so- her increasingly slightly smug “I’m-more-educated-than-you tone”. She made a blade off-the-cuff comment about “TERFS” last week which jarred me too, even though I don’t agree with the most virulent GC feminists, I appreciate their view point and concerns and listen to them, even if I don’t nescessarily agree. Critical thinking and open listening is important to a nuanced conversation.


also, I wish she’d check her privileges around still being able to work from home, supported by her husband (I don’t necessarily mean financially, but his presence definitely enables her ability to still be at home pretty much all the time). I was shielding/extremely vulnerable to during the pandemic (designated shielded like Jen) and it annoys me that she still isss the term shielding because for many of us we’ve been expected to go back to the workplace and be exposed/ catch Covid and get really ill like the general population since shielding programme and the financial support therein ended. Like if she’s choosing to shield then use adifferent term please because it implies she’s still under the government orders /protections here and -like I said- for many of us that ship has well sailed.
It’s late here so apologies if I’m not articulating this well.

 

[figgypud]

I agree it's annoying but he's literally having a tantrum and making his followers feel responsible for his mood. I'd feel worse for him if he'd just been like "that's not cool, I'm going to read something else" but it's multiple stories like "WELL now I'm in a BAD MOOD and I'm NOT going to read it anymore because of SOME OF YOU". Grow up.

 

[SoulDestroyer]

Speaking of sensitive booktubers .. Claire Fenby has posed a pic on IG of her graduation 3 years ago. Someone posted that all they will get is a virtual graduation, and CF replies with “well people are dying” Cue a grovelling apology from the original poster.
I mean FGS, she could have just sympathised a bit. I’m sure if it were her graduation this year she’d be a bit sad too!

 

[queenamber]

Does this annoy anyone else? He sounds so ungrateful and privileged! Clearly he’s not worried about sustainability with the hundreds of paper books in his library!

 

[rubysdeadfly]

Me seeing Jack start to get into Eve Babitz

 

[Millennial Pink]

Anyone seen this comment on Lauren and the Books’s insta? Bit of a pathetic response if you ask me

Ugh, the matchy matchy outfit with the covid tests are in poor taste IMO, and Lauren should have known better to make light of it, but I think that commenter was being unfair. Plenty of people end up with little to no symptoms after being vaxxed so may as well make the best of isolation.

 

[qwikti]

I think it was on Monday. I can't find the thread now but I'll have a hunt. It's definitely one of those ones where I rolled my eyes slightly.

Apparently him saying he was never taught about it in school = exploiting residential schools



I'm having to "not interested" so many tiktoks of people "calling him out"

I just looked into this some more, and I'm shocked... I guess anyone who writes about a situation they themselves haven't been through should be cancelled? if the whole 'i don't like that he made a serious historical topic into a fantasy book' criticism was meaningful, i think about 90% of the genre would have to disappear

I literally wonder if these people have read the book, because I didn't get the sense that he was romanticising the schools.... because in the book he literally has moments that show how horrible and destructive these kinds of schools/orphanages can be.

It must be hard being an author right now lmao. just spending all day batting off nutty 15 year olds on twitter who just learned what marxism means and consider themselves the epitome of woke

 

[Millennial Pink]

Does this annoy anyone else? He sounds so ungrateful and privileged! Clearly he’s not worried about sustainability with the hundreds of books in his library!

My opinion of him has taken such a dive in the past year or so. He's such a negative presence on SM even when he's trying to do something positive. He's hardly zero waste in any other aspect of his life. Always takes the whingy, spoilt route. "Waaah, my free books aren't in the right box!" Do one.

 

[alwaysbreading]

Yes! Ana Luisa seem to sponsor almost anyone (Gabriella Lindley included!)

Some of their products look lovely but no way am I going to buy them. Over-exposed.


On YA and MG: I think it's fine for adults to read the genres. However the sheer amount of adults buying those books have definitely changed the market, and as you all have said, the content often isn't actually what children and teens want anymore. It feels like it is written for the adult readers a lot the time.

I've ordered from Ana Luisa before some of their earrings are a little overpriced for the size. It seems like if you have at least 1k following they'll send some free jewelry your way.

It's honestly shocking to me how many adults including authors refuse to read adult fiction and overly brag about only reading YA and MG. Like the only adult books they'll read are ones that have crossover appeal like The Year of the Witching or Ninth House. Booktubers have a bad habit of either calling the adult books like they new adult(which is a category that traditional publishing doesn't even recognize) or YA. And women authors already have a problem with people not taking their fantasy work serious and dubbing it YA even when the characters are mid to late 20s.

 

[RosaGirl200]

I don't know if this has been discussed before but what's with the hour-long wrap ups some booktubers are putting out there? don't they know how to edit?

I love Kayla from BooksandLala but some of the videos she has put up lately have been about 90 mins long and I'm unable.

 

[queenamber]

Jen Campbell- on one hand I genuinely enjoy her content, her book recommendations, and generally she’s one of my favourites.

on the other, she’s started to irk me lately with some of her super SJW opinions and -more so- her increasingly slightly smug “I’m-more-educated-than-you tone”. She made a blade off-the-cuff comment about “TERFS” last week which jarred me too, even though I don’t agree with the most virulent GC feminists, I appreciate their view point and concerns and listen to them, even if I don’t nescessarily agree. Critical thinking and open listening is important to a nuanced conversation.


also, I wish she’d check her privileges around still being able to work from home, supported by her husband (I don’t necessarily mean financially, but his presence definitely enables her ability to still be at home pretty much all the time). I was shielding/extremely vulnerable to during the pandemic (designated shielded like Jen) and it annoys me that she still isss the term shielding because for many of us we’ve been expected to go back to the workplace and be exposed/ catch Covid and get really ill like the general population since shielding programme and the financial support therein ended. Like if she’s choosing to shield then use adifferent term please because it implies she’s still under the government orders /protections here and -like I said- for many of us that ship has well sailed.
It’s late here so apologies if I’m not articulating this well.

There's a calculated side to Jen. I noticed yesterday she was posting about her Patreon "on the first of the month like I always do" (sure it's not to align with people's paydays when they have the most disposable income, Jen?). She likes to remind everyone that her content is free, but not that she earns advertising revenue from it all. We're not idiots - we know she's not making this content out of the goodness of her heart! She loves to get digs in about shielding, sort of shaming people for going back out and living their lives when they don't have an alternative like her.

 

[SoulDestroyer]

I don’t normally engage with booktubers on social media but I replied to someone on IG today ... won’t be making that mistake again. Some people are so wrapped up in their own very specific views and take things so personally that I can’t see how they get any engagement if they expect people to moderate their communication to such an extent that even an innocent throw away comment can turn into receiving a condescending lecture.
I was sympathising with the person in question, who shall remain nameless but deals with disability a lot, but you wouldn’t know it from the reply!

(I ramble when I’m annoyed...)

*edit*
actually had a bit of a cry, I’m ashamed to admit. Feeling low at the moment and I was just shocked that someone who seems quite kind on YouTube could be quite unnecessarily rude in a private message. It was v.obvious from my message that I was speaking generally but they turned it into a lecture about their disability with a sarky endnote.
Sometimes saying nothing is kinder.

 

[DietGossip]

I think its nice that she tried to achieve something by her own effort. She could have gone the easy way and published as a "booktube author"

That being said, she should know that achieving things are hard and complicated in real life. The most cliche example for failure is JK Rowling's failures while trying to publish Harry Potter. And i dont think anything Hailey wrote can compete with Harry Potter.

She should acquire more realistic expectations for herself and failure is still a step towards achievement

Someone shared some excerpts elsewhere...

 

[Kitt]

I personally don’t know how Emmie has so many subscribers and views. I personally find her so low energy and boring honestly and can’t get through a full video of hers.

 

[queenamber]

Typical Simon: Here's a photo of my cat wearing a cone and missing an eye, but please don't ask what happened or give advice. If it's that traumatic then maybe don't post it on the Internet? But of course he loves the attention.

 

[zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz]

The whole wishlist thing displeases me greatly because it is blatant manipulation.

 

[Limonica]

I find it so weird when Booktubers hide things like a book club behind a paywall- I could probably go find a free one that's local to me and not have to pay or set one up myself with friends, so why should I be paying them for essentially just saying "we're going to all read this together". I feel the same about youtubers who have discords only for those who pay them. I feel weird about it, like they're monetising access to themselves.

Totally agree! I would be willing to pay if the booktuber made interesting analysis, or asked really good questions, gave information and made the necessary research. Lauren only reads comments. That is not running a bookclub. I am a member of another free book club where the runner researches interesting background stories about the book, the author and prepares good questions to open up discussions. I do not believe that most booktubers understand or cherish a book fully because they try to read as much and fast as possible.

 

[Kitt]

Uh oh, Lauren and the Books has put her wish list out there and is thanking people on her insta stories for buying her books which will only encourage more people to buy stuff off there for her too.

Do not understand the wish list stuff. You have a patreon to supposedly fund your channel, you don’t need your viewers buying you books to fill your shelves either. Unnecessary and greedy.

 

[qwikti]

I just checked because I literally don't follow any authors, I have no idea what they're up to. She liked a lot of transphobic tweets. Can't fault Simon for not supporting that.

Ah yes, her oh-so bigoted likes saying such horrible things like 'women are human' and recognising that sex is real and significant in reality. If supporting women's rights is an issue to a booktuber, then their opinion means nothing to me.

 

[DietGossip]

It's awful when a pet is ill, but I don't really know how to feel about asking your followers to foot the bill.

Maybe because I have only 25 followers and they would all say no

Out of principle I won't donate to people who make money by making content online. Becca has multiple sponsorships, a patreon and a business that she runs. She earns a LOT more than I do, and I would've expected that she would be being smart with the money and saving/paying pet insurance.