SERIESous Discussions: Every once and awhile I will post my random ramblings about a bookish or blogging topic. Feel free to join in by making a comment below or linking back!
To DNF or not to DNF ARCs
Back in 2016, I wrote a post about how I wanted to DNF more books. Not that I wanted to go out of my way to stop reading books; more like I wanted to be comfortable saying “this book isn’t for me” and putting it down without feeling guilty for doing so.
And I have to say, since I’ve created that post, I’ve come a long way. I DNF’d a lot of books in 2017 and I went through fewer reading slumps because I wasn’t pushing myself to finish a novel I wasn’t all that interested in. I’ve come to live by the philosophy “you aren’t going to enjoy every book you pick up” and I don’t get so down on myself for not finishing something. But not every reader feels that way.
Views About DNFing vary from blogger to blogger…
This is something I’ve noticed a lot when I read various discussion posts around the blogosphere.
…especially when it comes to ARCs/review copies.
ARCs and review copies (but simplicity sake, I’m going to refer to anything you get for review purposes as ARCs) are always a delicate subject to bring up but it gets even dicey-er when DNFing is brought up.
I get why lots of people don’t DNF ARCs. You are given the copy with the expectation you will provide an unbiased review upon completion. Giving out copies costs authors and publishers money, and not finishing it seems like a waste of their investment.
I want to argue that that isn’t the case.
See, you received that ARC in exchange for providing an honest review–a review that should not be influenced by your source or your means of obtaining it.
So isn’t DNFing a book your honest review?
Like I said above, you aren’t going to like every book you pick up. It’s unfortunate that you didn’t like this book despite the promising synopsis or cover or author, but that’s OK. You were asked to write an honest review and your honest opinion is that you didn’t enjoy it.
I’m one of those people who has DNF’d ARCs in the past. I don’t enjoy doing it by any stretch of the imagination. It sucks because all the books I pick up for reviewing purposes are books I’m genuinely excited to read. I go in wanting to love the book and sometimes that just doesn’t happen. And I never want to force it.
Remember: you aren’t obligated to give a positive review.
You are obligated to give an honest review for the novel you’ve been provided a copy of. Honest can mean positive or negative feedback. And it’s important for titles to have both available so potential readers can make a decision on whether or not to read it.
I still write full reviews for ARCs I DNF, though I rarely give them a star rating. I look at the book from a critical angle and try to articulate what worked and what didn’t work for me. That’s why all my DNF reviews on my blog have a different format than my usual reviews so I can highlight certain aspects. I also try to recommend who I think would enjoy the book given the features I saw/
Just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean someone else won’t and I want my review to showcase that.
Do you DNF ARCs? Why or why not?
Really great discussion. I never really thought about other views regarding DNF’ing ARCS, but I love your take on it!
Thank you! Sometimes I think ARCs and DNFing are a bit of taboo topics for us bloggers so we don’t really talk about them that much.
This is such an interesting discussion 🙂 I rarely ever DNF books at all, but I have to say that I wondered a few times about how it would feel to DNF an ARC if I’m really not feeling it. I think I might feel a bit guilty, but you’re so right about being honest – if we just can’t go on for some reason, we are being honest and that’s what matters the most 🙂
Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books recently posted…Are we too into new releases ?
I remember DNFing my first ARC that someone had requested through my blog and I definitely felt guilty. But the author was (seemingly) cool with it and appreciated my honesty. Sometimes they don’t even respond back; but no one has ever been rude to me.
Now when I accept requests, I make sure I put in a line about what happens if I DNF the book and that I still plan to write a review.