Another Proof That Reviews Are Subjective
I just finished a book by Douglas Preston called "Impact". I love both Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, and I especially love them when they write together. Their Agent Pendergast books are great. Another author friend, Andrew Mocete, shares my love for these authors. I thought "Impact" was an awesome book, and I especially enjoyed it as an audiobook because the reader was so awesome.
I don't know what made me pop over to Amazon to look at the reviews. To my shock, there were more one star reviews on this book than anything else. Really? People were giving DOUGLAS PRESTON one star reviews? I think the book ended up with an average of three stars because there were almost as many five stars, and some other stars in between. My books range from an AVERAGE of 3 stars to 5 stars. As much as I feel like my writing is getting better, I am NOT as good as Douglas Preston. It's true that he writes in a completely different genre, but still…. At this point, I think I'm just going to disregard bad reviews. I've been pretty good at doing that this year, anyway, but now those bad reviews seem even more ridiculous (some of them were pretty weird, LOL). Does that mean I'm going to disregard the good reviews? Absolutely not. Because if someone likes my book and goes to the trouble to write a good review, I'm going to respect them enough to appreciate that.
So what makes me absolutely love this book, full of adventure and suspense, and yet makes others dislike it so much? Who knows? Reading likes and dislikes are so subjective. So, in your journey as a writer, be prepared to get all kinds of reviews from all kinds of readers. Some will like your work; some will not. Just keep writing what you love. And for those of you who are readers…keep those good reviews coming! LOL
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Such a great post, Lauralynn! I hope I can ignore the bad reviews, too. A fellow author told me that it's best not to get caught up in any reviews, good or bad. I think there's some truth to that. Like you, she said to write what I love and leave the rest at the door. Appreciate the good, and let the rest go, all while aiming to better our writing along the way! ~ Nadja
Hi Nadja,The first time I got a bad review, I almost stopped writing. I didn't realize that this is a normal part of writing and best ignored. Bad reviews usually don't keep me from reading a book. I almost always read a sample first, then make up my own mind. I hope other readers will do the same with mine. All books aren't for everyone. Incidentally, I don't leave bad reviews. If I don't like a book, I just don't review it.
Bad reviews don't stop me, either. I'm currently reading a book called 'Shantaram' - and a friend of mine pulled up a list of horrible reviews. I haven't read them, and probably won't. I'll judge the book on what I think of it. So far, I'm enjoying it quite a bit! My dad always says, 'Everyone's a critic!'...Ha! That's nice of you to only write good reviews. I tell the things I like and the things I didn't - although I rarely give full reviews. I usually just give stars. Hope your week is starting off great. ~ Nadja
One interesting thing to me, too, is "value". To some, a three star review is the WORST you can give a book. I had a woman give my book 3 stars (which here on goodreads means "I liked it" and yet, the book was also "not recommended". Generally, I would give a not recommend to a book that was 2 stars or below. All people feel differently about the ratings, is what I've learned. A four star for one person could be a 5 star for someone else.
Kate, it's strange how some people perceive reviews and the stars. I was very perplexed once when I got a VERY good review in the text, but it was only three stars. If I like a book that much, I'm going to give it at least four!
I've seen that happen, too. I guess it's hard to really know what three stars - or four stars means unless there is a text review explaining. Good point, Kate. ~ Nadja
