I won an ARC of Taking Care of Business written by Lauren Dane and Megan Hart. I've won and read a previous ARC of Lauren Dane's novel Undercover and loved it. So I was excited about reading Taking Care of Business because the blurb posted made it very intriguing. Once I started reading it and pushing myself to finishing it I was so disappointed.

I was supposed to have reviewed it by March 31st at the lastest and I did finish reading the book a couple of days before that but I have been dreading writing up the review. I've always had the great fortune of reading books I like and I've only once or twice had to bad luck of getting a book that didn't do it for me. But a writer friend of mine said that I have to write an honest review even if it's bad so others can give credibility to my reviews.

Jo-Anne wrote: "To: The Book Reviewer

What if you agree to do a review and the book is crap. Your name is a reflection of that review. What do you do? I look forward to your feedback.

"
It would depend on the type of review that is requested. If you agree to write a review, then you are bound to write your true observations. Your reputation is on the line with every review you compose.

If the review is to solicit input or feedback, this, of course, can be done without publishing a review.

luckily I have liked almost all of the books I've had to review. There was one I couldn't get through so I sent it back to the company I review for in hopes that someone else would like it enough to write a better review than I would.

It is hard to write a bad review especially if you know the author will read it but you have to be honest and hopefully they will realize that it is just one person's opinion and not everyone likes the same sort of books

If I agree to review someone's work and it is not up to par I make suggestions to improve it. The whole reason for a review is to be helpful and learn. If someone reviews my book, I want to know EXACTLY what they think and how they would improve it. You can't ask for a review and have thin skin.

*QUESTION - What if you agree to do a review and the book is crap. Your name is a reflection of that review. What do you do? I look forward to your feedback.*

I think you have to be honest. No Holds Barred. Really. Your name is a reflection of that review.... absolutely. I was just having this conversation with a friend the other day....

We have all seen the reviews posted by folks that are too scared to be honest... or to politically correct to be blunt... the review ends up sounding hollow, and they are certainly not pieces of prose you would bother quoting on the back of your next novel. The specifics are always best. If they loved your work - GREAT. Wow them again. If they didn't.... well, isn't learning how to take healthy criticism part of Creative Writing 101????

Great question Jo Ann!

Vessel wrote: "Jo-Anne wrote: "To: The Book Reviewer

What if you agree to do a review and the book is crap. Your name is a reflection of that review. What do you do? I look forward to your feedback.

"

I would try and find something positive about the book and then state(constructively) what I didn't like.
It would ..."

I just had this happen with a short story anthology. The book wasn't total crap, but it wasn't well edited. Most of the stories were well written, with interesting characters. One problem I had was that the book dealt with a genre I don't read or particularly enjoy. I equivocated. I mentioned the good writing and well-drawn characters, but said some of the stories were too far out for me. I pointed out that lovers of the genre would probably react differently than I did.

I have done a lot of reviews and rarely had a bad one, even though many are out of my genre. In those rare cases, I try to put myself into that genre and then review it from that point of view. I pick out what was done well, if anything, and then go into what I would have expected of the author, what I didn't like, and why. As said, I've very rarely had to take this route, but there it is. I know it may affect my own name, but hopefully my other reviews will compensate. I find it especially difficult with first-time authors in not wanting to deter them from carrying on, but truly, I am amazed at the quality and promise of first-time authors overall, most that I have read are awesome. The disappointments are more likely to come from high expectations on the readers' part with an established or a favourite author, but the truth is, very few can write with 100% achievement of expectations 100% of the time or they would burn out. I congratulate the authors who are capable of doing 100% or very nearly. My biggest problem seems to stem from an overabundance of "4-letter words" (and I don't mean love), and crudity. Even then I have to consider the context and subject matter. So there you have my opinion, for what it's worth! (is this long enough for publication? just kidding!)

I like Betty's comment and I too consider the context and subject matter in my readings. This is important as most reviewers judge by their own intersts and they mostly go by the trend (vampire, magic, violence, supernatural stories for now). If your book is not in one of those categories, you will have a very hard time to be noticed.

As a new author I want reviewers to be honest. I do not want to be given a false perception of my work. I also want to know if there is a problem in terms of editing, etc, because that gives me the opportunity to go back and improve my work for the next readers.

In terms of reviewers, I prefer a diverse group of reviewers who can be objective even if they do not favor the genre I have written. If they can not, I prefer they not do the review at all because it shows in their presentation.

Much Love,

Tracy

www.TracyLDarity.com

That's a tough situation especially if you know the author. I think you have two choices in that situation. 1) Write a mildly critical review. Most people will read between the lines and know what your real opinion was. 2) Contact the person who requested the review. Explain that you disliked the book and could only write a negative review. Then ask if they still want you to complete the book review.

Michael

I have been enjoying the inputs and exchanges of opinions here, but I just was attacked by a writer on another discussion group for raising a point that I believed was beneficial. She is 17 and had asked other writers to answer to certain questions she had raised and needed some feedback for her book. I expressed my opinion referring to a quote she had chosen (something like: there is no need to leave your small environment to write to the world). I suggested that the dynamic literature is completely the opposit and referred to my book where the hero must leave that small environment to gain awareness. Her response was quite unkind. She said "your need to promote your book should not be the priority". I simply recommended my book to show a different style and a new approach in dynamic writing. With great regret, I will not be part of any more discussions...

Re: Book Reviews,

There is something good in every book written. Something. Focus on that and be sure to mention it. However, as an author I would much rather have a review from a site that takes reviewing seriously and not one that awards 4 and 5 stars to every book they read. This diminishes those 4 and 5 stars very rapidly.

I have also seen many scathing attacks and reviews about the authors personally or the "content/genre" of books personally. If you don't like gay fiction or for example, inspirational, PLEASE pass on reviewing the book. Your review is bound to be biased and that's not fair to the author or other readers who love the genre.

Be tactful. Rather than pointing out all the negatives, find one or two good points and then go ahead and state objectively what bothered you about the prose, the grammar, the head-hopping, but keep it very non-personal.

Anyone can slap a blog together and call themselves a book reviewer, but authors learn quickly who to avoid because of their non-objectivity or bias when reviewing.

Always remember that a lot of blood, sweat and emotion went into every book that has been written. Authors don't intentionally write bad books nor do they set out to offend people. They believe in their book and consider it their "baby". Please keep this in mind when reviewing.

Happy reading, Keta Diablo
http://ketadiablo.blogspot.com

Thanks Jo for your heart-warming words. I love this community and I have learned a lot from them. As you said I shouldn't shut myself off.

Keta's message touched me a great deal, and especially her last paragraphe is so beautiful that I want to quote here:

"Always remember that a lot of blood, sweat and emotion went into every book that has been written. Authors don't intentionally write bad books nor do they set out to offend people. They believe in their book and consider it their "baby". Please keep this in mind when reviewing."

Hi Ruby,

Thank you for responding. I wanted to state right off the bat that I am an author, but I have also been asked to review friend's books. I know how difficult it is. But I always learn something from a book and always find something good about it.

I think sometimes authors forget readers are real people and readers maybe forget authors are too. We care deeply about our books and try our best to please. That doesn't always happen and we must learn to accept that not everyone will like this book. Maybe the next one.

Once again, thank you. I have always maintained that without readers, authors would not have such momentum to keep on writing and without authors, readers would find slim pickings when looking for that one special book that will knock their socks off.

Happy reading,
Keta Diablo

I like this group discussion a lot.