I've discovered your channel a few months ago and I really enjoy your content. I also feel like you are more "real" (as in: less edited) than many book channels out there. Many of them I find to be too heavily edited and insincere, while you have a very genuine style. I find you are very eloquent and well spoken, respectful and you clearly truly love books. 🤗
I like when you review the so called 'trashy' books. They're a guilty pleasure for me. You brought my attention to the Edge westerns, so thank you for that, and thank for your great channel.
I've just found your channel and this video in particular is really helpful to hear as a new booktuber myself. It seems like such a welcoming and positive place to be!
Olly, linguists know and many others, too . . . is that place maker words like "um" are an integral part of spoken language, across languages. I never noticed a single "um" so please don't be the least concerned there. You speak very well. I liked your list and agree with you.
I think the fact you read so widely.. from trash to classics with such enthusiasm is an inspiration. I truly admire your speed too.. I’d read one to your 20… nice to hear the views of a Brit too..who would know what Charlie’s war is…stuff from our side of the pond as well as the yanks, who are great at their stuff but don’t know ours.. ( I am greatful for their reviews too) you present well and your vids are always fun.
Never stop reading trash. Too many booktubers will only read the trend (or pretend to be reading them all) and they parrot each other. This channel is so good because you dive into niches but they are still broadly enjoyable niches.
I wish I could stop saying “erm”! I’ve now also added to the list “so”, which is driving me crazy as I’ve started saying it at the end of nearly every sentence. Agree with you on all of these I think, my ethos is we should all read what we want!
This was such a great video! I like what you said about not making videos that bash an indie book. When I've talked about smaller authors I also try to avoid saying anything too critical because I feel bad. But I like that you reach out to them personally and tell them your critiques. I don't feel bad at all though giving negative reviews for books/authors that are popular 😆
You are my favorite book tuber for all the 10 reasons you mention. I have read several books you have talked about and now monitor the horror genre frequently, sometimes even pulp. Thank you for your wonderful videos.
Awesome video Olly! I totally understand that it must be over-whelming trying to answer so many messages. I respect you and admire you for reaching the heights you have. I remember in my newbie tag that I wanted to edit all the ums and ahs out of my videos. I felt this was insulting towards you, as you were the reason I was inspired to carry on. Keep on going Olly you are awesome!
Ive never even noticed the UM OLLY and Ive been watching you for well - ummm along time lol lol Your videos are brilliant . They are informative and Ive always felt your love of books and reviews are absolutely genuine & honest and your integrity has always shown through . I cannot disagree with any one of the 10 points you have made. Being yourself is the only way to be xxx I have not once ever doubted that we are seeing a different version of you - x this is a great channel , with great subs and one of my absolute favs x
Great video Olly! I love your sincerity and honesty with these things. Replying to comments can get especially difficult sometimes. Especially as the channel grows.
Haven’t been commenting as much lately but often tuning in still. As for #3… I’d consider you EXPERT. Your reading list and speed is one of the most impressive things I’ve seen. If there’s a better reader than you, I haven’t met them. I don’t want you to have to HIDE your politics. I like who you are, even when I disagree. So refreshing this video. Really reminds me why I love your videos. I’ll try and be more active cheers as always Olly!
Thanks John - I really appreciate that and nice to see you in the comments again! No worries about not commenting so much though, do whatever works for you!
I agree with your choices and style and authenticity. Keep up doing your work. I have a hard time talking bad about books but gotta keep it real and I wouldn’t attack the author themselves. Just like you said you may disagree with a point someone says but you don’t bash on them/ how they run their channel. That’s beautiful- thanks for being you!
Great idea for a video, Olly! I can't imagine not replying to every comment, but then again you have 20x more subs than I ever hope to reach so I imagine they can get out of hand rather quickly! As an indie author, your approach on that front does sound like a good compromise.
Your honesty was truly refreshing. Representation is technically political because a lot of voices are silent which reflects the world we live in etc etc. However, I totally get your point about calling a spade a spade.
Three years ago I decided to read some classics. I tried my best to suffer through the books that "intelligent people" are supposed to love. Despite my pretty high IQ I must be a seriously flawed individual. Anything that is supposed to be philosophical I don't get and I don't care. Romance. UGH. Religion. PUKE. Dosteyevski. Incredibly boring. Falkner. YAWN. The Great Gatsby? Bigger yawn. The Stranger? WTF. I almost DNFed Frankenstein with 20 pages to go. I couldn't take one more paragraph of Frankenstein whining. I wanted the monster to just kill him and shut him the hell up by page 25. Anyway I decided that life is too short (I'm 69) to suffer through books I'm supposed to like. I'm back to the stuff I like, mysteries, horror, science fiction, fantasy, Stephen King. All the stuff that the snobs call trash.
This is so funny, I didn't realize you said Uhm regularly, and now I can't unhear it. Honestly, I will never judge someone on that, as I "Uhm" and "Like" a lot myself. It's one of the ways you can still identify a real human speaker. Most AI speech I've heard cleans up the sentence too much. But I'm sure that will change. Thank you for your channel :)
I love this, and I really respect your stands! On a heavier topic, I actually really appreciate booktubers who are transparent about their political views; like you said, not by being preachy but being open when commenting about topics explored in books and relevant things like that. Books, writing and media in general provoke thinking a lot of the time and it's really great when people are respectfully open about their opinions. On a lighter note, don't worry about the um's! 😂 I'm the same, my brain doesn't work fast enough for me to sound as eloquent as I want to 😭
I don't mind the 'Umm's :D 'I umm as I umm' you might say. I just wanted to say, that your channel, and also the discord community has always felt so kind and welcoming and, which is most importantly, safe to me. The world, especially the online world, is so full of hateful, rude people, and it's nice to have this space where I don't expect (as I often, sadly, do in other spaces) people to say racist, sexist, etc. stuff. This community and your channel mean a lot, especially as someone with anxiety and depression and other mental health struggles, it's so healing and wonderful to have this safe space I can access from home. Thank you all, and you Olly!
I won't do trigger warnings. It's so tedious. If you come to a horror book review and then claim to be upset about the book's content you are just seeking attention.
Great video and I might have to steal the idea as well. Only one point I tend to disagree with you about and that's not negatively reviewing an indie author. I think if an indie author sends you a book to review and it is complete trash with no redeemable qualities, you should just not mention it. I think reaching out to the author and explaining why you can't review it is a great and noble move. But offering a title to your readers that is garbage without stating so doesn't help anyone. The work will reach more people and they could all hate it as much and that author will never have a chance to improve and establish a good reputation. If an author writes something so irredeemably awful, then maybe that author should just not waste their time pursuing an audience until their work is ready, if ever. Those are just my thoughts. I think your rule is coming from a very worthy place.
You did not mention, but I think you'd agree; not get into CZcams drama. I guess there is no guarantee that you won't have a falling out with friends, but I'd vow to be silent on the falling out.
I've never found a book with absolutely zero value no matter how much I hated it. This isn't one of them but I also like to watch Channels with very different taste than me so I can find things I wouldn't find otherwise and try new things.
Olly, you do understand that this concern for discussing representation in books is not something you probably would have engaged in some years ago. I did get a degree in British literature from a very liberal public university in NYC in the late 90s to early 2000s. Representation was never discussed because that wasn’t a topic that needs to be discussed in literature. I would assume if you’re taking a class on aspects of culture, you may discuss representation. Do you want writers to practice what screenwriters have to do in Hollywood? Make sure that there are percentages of correct representation? How is art created in that sort of environment?
Hey Juan. Maybe I could have phrased it better. If I’m reading a book set on medieval England and there aren’t any black characters am I going to comment on it? No, of course not. But if a writer uses lazy stereotypes or so on then I will.
Keep on saying "um" I never even noticed until you pointed it out - you sound like a regular kind of guy to me because that is how regular people talk.
with the uums i think it would be funny if someone done a complication of you just saying uumms The one where you talk about not shaming others for reading certain books. people need to feel free of what they read and not be ashamed of what they read. I sometimes read trash, I enjoy reading memoirs about fostering, and honestly I'm not sure why.
"...and even if you read classics I won't come after you." 😂 (Go ahead. Make my day.) Criticizing what others read.... I loved Harold Bloom (RIP). I think he was a force for good reading; he was always great to listen to. But I'm afraid there were times where his negative comments on certain modern literature probably did more damage than helped. I'm thinking of a specific instance where he ripped a big one into _Harry Potter._ (Is he really qualified to say there's nothing worthwhile in Harry Potter? Has he made other deprecatory comments on other "good" literature?) My point here is that apparently elitists hate garbage literature, but I think like you do, that there are a lot of hidden gems in them thar trashy novels.
Phew...I'm relieved. I was worried sport and non-fiction would be on the list 😅😅 I've only just noticed the um, you shouldn't have mentioned it 🤭🤭 Probably coz I do it heaps myself. When I speak, I start every sentence with an um. Apparently talking with your teeth closed is a (possible) way to get rid of it. You'll have to do that in front of a mirror though, it'll just be unbearable on camera 🤣
It might surprise you but there are AI programs out there that will eliminate your "ums" automatically. I'm getting big into AI and there are several available.
I like the ones where it is about stories and books. I especially hate booktags, copout filler garbage. This service message is not much better. Maybe it is just me.
I feel there isn't much point massacring an indie or self-published writer's book for the content. Readers are smart enough to know that indie writing is going to be hit or miss, and accentuating the positive to inform them of which books are most likely to be hits for them seems the best way to review them. And in the case of a book you'd have to be negative about, contacting the writer and telling them that beforehand seems a mature way to do things. Panning an indie book would be like punching down, since they're usually written without the benefit of a professional editor and without consulting an agent or publisher. I think you can be kind to indie writers without being dishonest about what you think about a book.
Some people just existing is "political" to some but honestly if I were you I'd be glad to lose those sorts of subscribers. Keep the umms I've seen channels that edit them out and it is far more annoying to see the video skipping about, it's like having mini blackouts or something.
As Meatloaf almost once said: 'I would do anything for BookTube, but I won't do that.'
Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night; I can see paradise by the Booktube light...
@@Mondomeyer Two Out of Three Stars Ain't Bad...
@@Mondomeyer reading a good book is like Paradise by the Bedside light.
@@javelin60 Oh, that was better.
@@eriebeverly Ha!
I've discovered your channel a few months ago and I really enjoy your content. I also feel like you are more "real" (as in: less edited) than many book channels out there. Many of them I find to be too heavily edited and insincere, while you have a very genuine style.
I find you are very eloquent and well spoken, respectful and you clearly truly love books. 🤗
I agree completely
I like when you review the so called 'trashy' books. They're a guilty pleasure for me. You brought my attention to the Edge westerns, so thank you for that, and thank for your great channel.
Thank you! Glad you're enjoying the trash!
I've just found your channel and this video in particular is really helpful to hear as a new booktuber myself. It seems like such a welcoming and positive place to be!
My videos are rife with "ums." I just cant stop. I prefer the more casual and conversational booktuber style so um on!
Sold! Sounds good to me. I like that your channel is a safe space for everyone ❤
It really is
Olly, linguists know and many others, too . . . is that place maker words like "um" are an integral part of spoken language, across languages. I never noticed a single "um" so please don't be the least concerned there. You speak very well. I liked your list and agree with you.
Great video, Olly. Love that you won’t stop being you. Umm… we love you just the way you are. 😊💙
I think the fact you read so widely.. from trash to classics with such enthusiasm is an inspiration. I truly admire your speed too.. I’d read one to your 20… nice to hear the views of a Brit too..who would know what Charlie’s war is…stuff from our side of the pond as well as the yanks, who are great at their stuff but don’t know ours.. ( I am greatful for their reviews too) you present well and your vids are always fun.
Thanks for this video, Olly. Just know we will always support you and this channel.
The open book pun gets my like. LOL
Never stop reading trash. Too many booktubers will only read the trend (or pretend to be reading them all) and they parrot each other. This channel is so good because you dive into niches but they are still broadly enjoyable niches.
Always great to hear from you. Keep it up!
Loved hearing your answers Olly, this is a great video idea
This was a terrific discussion, thank you!
Excellent video. I watch your channel as you are interesting, honest and genuine.
Always killing it with the great vids and great content.
Being an indie author is an uphill climb well worth it
I never noticed the um's before, i will do now 😂
Dammit!
Yesss love that you did this!!!
I wish I could stop saying “erm”! I’ve now also added to the list “so”, which is driving me crazy as I’ve started saying it at the end of nearly every sentence. Agree with you on all of these I think, my ethos is we should all read what we want!
Love your videos! Keep up the good work, thank you for all the great book recommendations 😊
“Even if you read classics, I won’t come after you.” 😂
You're safe, Shelly!
@@CriminOllyBlog Ha!
This was such a great video! I like what you said about not making videos that bash an indie book. When I've talked about smaller authors I also try to avoid saying anything too critical because I feel bad. But I like that you reach out to them personally and tell them your critiques.
I don't feel bad at all though giving negative reviews for books/authors that are popular 😆
You are my favorite book tuber for all the 10 reasons you mention. I have read several books you have talked about and now monitor the horror genre frequently, sometimes even pulp. Thank you for your wonderful videos.
Awesome video Olly! I totally understand that it must be over-whelming trying to answer so many messages. I respect you and admire you for reaching the heights you have. I remember in my newbie tag that I wanted to edit all the ums and ahs out of my videos. I felt this was insulting towards you, as you were the reason I was inspired to carry on. Keep on going Olly you are awesome!
This is one of my favorite youtube channels. Don’t change a damn thing!
Awesome video. Very helpful for someone new to Booktube, as well as new to your channel. 😊
I’ve never found ums annoying, for me they almost make the flow of things easier to follow as a listener!
Thank you
Ive never even noticed the UM OLLY and Ive been watching you for well - ummm along time lol lol
Your videos are brilliant .
They are informative and Ive always felt your love of books and reviews are absolutely genuine & honest and your integrity has always shown through .
I cannot disagree with any one of the 10 points you have made.
Being yourself is the only way to be xxx
I have not once ever doubted that we are seeing a different version of you - x this is a great channel , with great subs and one of my absolute favs x
Fantastic video, Olly! 😊 I love your sincerity. You provide quality content, and I have enjoyed watching your channel.
Great video Olly! I love your sincerity and honesty with these things. Replying to comments can get especially difficult sometimes. Especially as the channel grows.
I never even noticed the "ums"
Fantastic video and they’re all reasons why the channel is so great.
Great video! I love hearing from successful Booktubers about their "operating procedures", so to speak.
Haven’t been commenting as much lately but often tuning in still. As for #3… I’d consider you EXPERT. Your reading list and speed is one of the most impressive things I’ve seen. If there’s a better reader than you, I haven’t met them. I don’t want you to have to HIDE your politics. I like who you are, even when I disagree. So refreshing this video. Really reminds me why I love your videos. I’ll try and be more active cheers as always Olly!
Thanks John - I really appreciate that and nice to see you in the comments again! No worries about not commenting so much though, do whatever works for you!
Fantastic video Olly.
I agree with your choices and style and authenticity. Keep up doing your work. I have a hard time talking bad about books but gotta keep it real and I wouldn’t attack the author themselves. Just like you said you may disagree with a point someone says but you don’t bash on them/ how they run their channel. That’s beautiful- thanks for being you!
Solid ethos if you will. I always appreciate when people are genuine.
Great idea for a video, Olly! I can't imagine not replying to every comment, but then again you have 20x more subs than I ever hope to reach so I imagine they can get out of hand rather quickly! As an indie author, your approach on that front does sound like a good compromise.
Thank you for not hating me because i love Wuthering Heights.
Wuthering heights is hypnotic ❤
Your honesty was truly refreshing. Representation is technically political because a lot of voices are silent which reflects the world we live in etc etc.
However, I totally get your point about calling a spade a spade.
Great channel, great ethos underlying your channel, hope you continue to make videos for years to come....
You are a good man, Olly. 👏🤗
Thanks for being honest 👍
Olly . . . this is why I love you. ❤
I never noticed the umm till you mentioned it lol. Glad your happy to say you love trashy books me too
Despite what some people may think, "um" is part of the language. Cheers
Three years ago I decided to read some classics. I tried my best to suffer through the books that "intelligent people" are supposed to love. Despite my pretty high IQ I must be a seriously flawed individual. Anything that is supposed to be philosophical I don't get and I don't care. Romance. UGH. Religion. PUKE. Dosteyevski. Incredibly boring. Falkner. YAWN. The Great Gatsby? Bigger yawn. The Stranger? WTF. I almost DNFed Frankenstein with 20 pages to go. I couldn't take one more paragraph of Frankenstein whining. I wanted the monster to just kill him and shut him the hell up by page 25. Anyway I decided that life is too short (I'm 69) to suffer through books I'm supposed to like. I'm back to the stuff I like, mysteries, horror, science fiction, fantasy, Stephen King. All the stuff that the snobs call trash.
“Umm” is a hard habit to break. 😅 You are wonderful, Olly. You’re doing great things on your channel.
This is a fun video...I cannot do this myself though as I am fairly certain I'd burn bridges LOL.
You carry on umming away Olly lol
This is so funny, I didn't realize you said Uhm regularly, and now I can't unhear it. Honestly, I will never judge someone on that, as I "Uhm" and "Like" a lot myself. It's one of the ways you can still identify a real human speaker. Most AI speech I've heard cleans up the sentence too much. But I'm sure that will change. Thank you for your channel :)
Well done! Yeah, I’m two weeks late but better late than never my friend! 😂🤗
I love this, and I really respect your stands! On a heavier topic, I actually really appreciate booktubers who are transparent about their political views; like you said, not by being preachy but being open when commenting about topics explored in books and relevant things like that. Books, writing and media in general provoke thinking a lot of the time and it's really great when people are respectfully open about their opinions. On a lighter note, don't worry about the um's! 😂 I'm the same, my brain doesn't work fast enough for me to sound as eloquent as I want to 😭
I just love seeing some Mack Bolan flashed on the screen 🔥🤘
I wouldn't change a thing, Olly!
Great video and an excellent philosophical approach. I also can’t stop saying “um” and can’t be bothered to edit it out 😅
Cheers Vin - yeah it would take me forever to do!
Never noticed the uhms and now I do!! 🧟♀️🧟♀️🤣
oh no!
Keep it up, ums and all.
Thank you!
I really don't mind the ums, it makes your reviews more laid back like a conversation with a friend.
Renaming this video “Ten Things We Love About Olly”
As Patton Oswalt said I'm glad to see anybody reading anything these days 😂
Great video! I've enjoyed many of your videos. You speak clearly and organize your thoughts well, so a few "ums" are completely fine! 😊
Um, that’s okay
I don't mind the 'Umm's :D 'I umm as I umm' you might say. I just wanted to say, that your channel, and also the discord community has always felt so kind and welcoming and, which is most importantly, safe to me. The world, especially the online world, is so full of hateful, rude people, and it's nice to have this space where I don't expect (as I often, sadly, do in other spaces) people to say racist, sexist, etc. stuff. This community and your channel mean a lot, especially as someone with anxiety and depression and other mental health struggles, it's so healing and wonderful to have this safe space I can access from home. Thank you all, and you Olly!
Own your umms and uhs. 🔥
I have no choice but to do so
I won't do trigger warnings. It's so tedious. If you come to a horror book review and then claim to be upset about the book's content you are just seeking attention.
I have my notepad and I’m currently scribbling furiously in it 😂
Great video and I might have to steal the idea as well. Only one point I tend to disagree with you about and that's not negatively reviewing an indie author. I think if an indie author sends you a book to review and it is complete trash with no redeemable qualities, you should just not mention it. I think reaching out to the author and explaining why you can't review it is a great and noble move. But offering a title to your readers that is garbage without stating so doesn't help anyone. The work will reach more people and they could all hate it as much and that author will never have a chance to improve and establish a good reputation. If an author writes something so irredeemably awful, then maybe that author should just not waste their time pursuing an audience until their work is ready, if ever. Those are just my thoughts. I think your rule is coming from a very worthy place.
You did not mention, but I think you'd agree; not get into CZcams drama. I guess there is no guarantee that you won't have a falling out with friends, but I'd vow to be silent on the falling out.
I like this idea, but I don’t think I can think of 10 unique things I would never do
I've never found a book with absolutely zero value no matter how much I hated it.
This isn't one of them but I also like to watch Channels with very different taste than me so I can find things I wouldn't find otherwise and try new things.
Olly, you do understand that this concern for discussing representation in books is not something you probably would have engaged in some years ago.
I did get a degree in British literature from a very liberal public university in NYC in the late 90s to early 2000s. Representation was never discussed because that wasn’t a topic that needs to be discussed in literature.
I would assume if you’re taking a class on aspects of culture, you may discuss representation.
Do you want writers to practice what screenwriters have to do in Hollywood? Make sure that there are percentages of correct representation? How is art created in that sort of environment?
Hey Juan. Maybe I could have phrased it better.
If I’m reading a book set on medieval England and there aren’t any black characters am I going to comment on it? No, of course not. But if a writer uses lazy stereotypes or so on then I will.
Keep on saying "um" I never even noticed until you pointed it out - you sound like a regular kind of guy to me because that is how regular people talk.
The ums are not distracting. Don't worry about them. Take care!!
with the uums i think it would be funny if someone done a complication of you just saying uumms
The one where you talk about not shaming others for reading certain books. people need to feel free of what they read and not be ashamed of what they read. I sometimes read trash, I enjoy reading memoirs about fostering, and honestly I'm not sure why.
👍
Omg, can it be? Colour in your wardrobe?😂
😂😂😂
"...and even if you read classics I won't come after you." 😂 (Go ahead. Make my day.)
Criticizing what others read.... I loved Harold Bloom (RIP). I think he was a force for good reading; he was always great to listen to. But I'm afraid there were times where his negative comments on certain modern literature probably did more damage than helped. I'm thinking of a specific instance where he ripped a big one into _Harry Potter._ (Is he really qualified to say there's nothing worthwhile in Harry Potter? Has he made other deprecatory comments on other "good" literature?) My point here is that apparently elitists hate garbage literature, but I think like you do, that there are a lot of hidden gems in them thar trashy novels.
Are those shelves from ikea??
They are!
💚🖤
Why in the 21 century does having a opinion offensive.
Phew...I'm relieved. I was worried sport and non-fiction would be on the list 😅😅 I've only just noticed the um, you shouldn't have mentioned it 🤭🤭 Probably coz I do it heaps myself. When I speak, I start every sentence with an um. Apparently talking with your teeth closed is a (possible) way to get rid of it. You'll have to do that in front of a mirror though, it'll just be unbearable on camera 🤣
It might surprise you but there are AI programs out there that will eliminate your "ums" automatically. I'm getting big into AI and there are several available.
I love these videos....and keep the ums! We need to normalize ums!
I'm not bothered by "ums." I do get a little crazed when people on public radio or the news say "ya know" every other sentence. 🤬
I like the ones where it is about stories and books.
I especially hate booktags, copout filler garbage.
This service message is not much better.
Maybe it is just me.
I feel there isn't much point massacring an indie or self-published writer's book for the content. Readers are smart enough to know that indie writing is going to be hit or miss, and accentuating the positive to inform them of which books are most likely to be hits for them seems the best way to review them. And in the case of a book you'd have to be negative about, contacting the writer and telling them that beforehand seems a mature way to do things.
Panning an indie book would be like punching down, since they're usually written without the benefit of a professional editor and without consulting an agent or publisher. I think you can be kind to indie writers without being dishonest about what you think about a book.
All these policies seem eminently sound to me, especially the one about not replying to every comment. You'd have no time to read anything else.
...why?! we need every men
Some people just existing is "political" to some but honestly if I were you I'd be glad to lose those sorts of subscribers. Keep the umms I've seen channels that edit them out and it is far more annoying to see the video skipping about, it's like having mini blackouts or something.
Keep the 'uhm's and drop the over edits.
I have observed that everyone that has a channel on book tube is a Liberal. It’s almost a law. Luckily, I like you anyway 😂