diff --git a/beets/importer.py b/beets/importer.py
index eca578f6f..93d2bbed5 100644
--- a/beets/importer.py
+++ b/beets/importer.py
@@ -894,7 +894,7 @@ def manipulate_files(session):
                     item.move(True)
 
             if config['import']['write'] and task.should_write_tags():
-                ui.commands._item_write(item)
+                item.write()
 
         # Save new paths.
         with session.lib.transaction():
diff --git a/beets/library.py b/beets/library.py
index 49ba4a9ca..100c0201b 100644
--- a/beets/library.py
+++ b/beets/library.py
@@ -371,15 +371,26 @@ class Item(LibModel):
         self.path = read_path
 
     def write(self):
-        """Writes the item's metadata to the associated file.
+        """Try to write the item's metadata to the associated file.
+
+        Returns ``True`` if the write was successful. The method catches
+        file system read and write exceptions and logs an error message.
+        If any of 'write' event handlers returns a truthy value the
+        write will not be performed and an error message is logged.
         """
-        plugins.send('write', item=self)
+        if any(plugins.send('write', item=self)):
+            log.error(u'plugin aborted writing {0}'.format(
+                           util.displayable_path(item.path)))
+            return
+
 
         try:
             f = MediaFile(syspath(self.path))
         except (OSError, IOError) as exc:
-            raise util.FilesystemError(exc, 'read', (self.path,),
-                                       traceback.format_exc())
+            log.error(u'could not read {0}: {1}'.format(
+                util.displayable_path(item.path), exc
+            ))
+            return
 
         for key in ITEM_KEYS_WRITABLE:
             setattr(f, key, self[key])
@@ -387,12 +398,15 @@ class Item(LibModel):
         try:
             f.save(id3v23=beets.config['id3v23'].get(bool))
         except (OSError, IOError) as exc:
-            raise util.FilesystemError(exc, 'write', (self.path,),
-                                       traceback.format_exc())
+            log.error(u'could not write {0}: {1}'.format(
+                util.displayable_path(item.path), exc
+            ))
+            return
 
         # The file has a new mtime.
         self.mtime = self.current_mtime()
         plugins.send('after_write', item=self)
+        return True
 
 
     # Files themselves.
diff --git a/beets/plugins.py b/beets/plugins.py
index da4588a5c..6a58777cd 100755
--- a/beets/plugins.py
+++ b/beets/plugins.py
@@ -30,15 +30,6 @@ LASTFM_KEY = '2dc3914abf35f0d9c92d97d8f8e42b43'
 log = logging.getLogger('beets')
 
 
-class BeforeWriteError(Exception):
-    """May be raised by plugins in a ``write`` event handler to abort
-    prevent writing the item's file.
-
-    Beets will catch this exception during a call to ``item.write()``
-    and display it to the user as an error.
-    """
-
-
 # Managing the plugins themselves.
 
 class BeetsPlugin(object):
@@ -362,10 +353,7 @@ def send(event, **arguments):
     name of  the event to send, all other named arguments go to the
     event handler(s).
 
-    Returns the number of handlers called.
+    Returns a list of return values from the handlers.
     """
     log.debug('Sending event: %s' % event)
-    handlers = event_handlers()[event]
-    for handler in handlers:
-        handler(**arguments)
-    return len(handlers)
+    return [handler(**arguments) for handler in event_handlers()[event]]
diff --git a/beets/ui/commands.py b/beets/ui/commands.py
index 75ad37b49..1fd18f7e0 100644
--- a/beets/ui/commands.py
+++ b/beets/ui/commands.py
@@ -76,20 +76,6 @@ def _do_query(lib, query, album, also_items=True):
 
     return items, albums
 
-def _item_write(item):
-    """Wrapper for ``item.write()`` that handles exceptions and logs
-    errors during user interaction.
-    """
-    try:
-        item.write()
-    except (mediafile.UnreadableFileError,
-            util.FilesystemError,
-            plugins.BeforeWriteError) as exc:
-        log.error(u'could not write {0}: {1}'.format(
-            util.displayable_path(item.path), exc
-        ))
-
-
 
 # fields: Shows a list of available fields for queries and format strings.
 
@@ -1148,7 +1134,7 @@ def modify_items(lib, mods, query, write, move, album, confirm):
         else:
             changed_items = changed
         for item in changed_items:
-            _item_write(item)
+            item.write()
 
 modify_cmd = ui.Subcommand('modify',
     help='change metadata fields', aliases=('mod',))
@@ -1245,7 +1231,7 @@ def write_items(lib, query, pretend):
         changed = ui.show_model_changes(item, clean_item,
                                         library.ITEM_KEYS_WRITABLE, always=True)
         if changed and not pretend:
-            _item_write(item)
+            item.write()
 
 write_cmd = ui.Subcommand('write', help='write tag information to files')
 write_cmd.parser.add_option('-p', '--pretend', action='store_true',
diff --git a/docs/dev/plugins.rst b/docs/dev/plugins.rst
index 418414806..408c002c3 100644
--- a/docs/dev/plugins.rst
+++ b/docs/dev/plugins.rst
@@ -142,8 +142,8 @@ currently available are:
 
 * *write*: called with an ``Item`` object just before a file's metadata is
   written to disk (i.e., just before the file on disk is opened). Event
-  handlers may raise ``plugins.BeforeWriteError`` to prevent beets from
-  writing the file and display an error to the user.
+  handlers may return a truthy value to prevent beets from writing the
+  file. In that case make sure that you log an appropriate message.
 
 * *after_write*: called with an ``Item`` object after a file's metadata is
   written to disk (i.e., just after the file on disk is closed).