Reviewing as an Author

Many people have mixed feelings about authors being able to review other people's books on Goodreads. Since I was a reviewer on Goodreads for several years before I published my books, this topic is near and dear to my heart. Particularly since, with Goodreads's being purchased by Amazon, there has been some speculation that Amazon might impose its own rule of authors not being able to review books within the genres they write on Goodreads.

Well. I have several thoughts on this. Because I like to think of myself as a lady, I'll concede to the opposition first. It's only polite.

Why It Makes Sense

1. Authors aren't unbiased.
You could argue that nobody is, but authors actually have incentive to be, hmm, shall we say less than 100% honest in their opinions of other people's books. Particularly their competition...or their friends.

2. Authors are 'public figures' so their opinions will be seen by more people and have a magnified effect.
There is some concern that authors might abuse their fame and fanbase to achieve the ends listed in reason #1.

3. When authors review other people's work, they are putting their own work at risk.
When authors write negative reviews they are opening themselves up to 'revenge reviewing.' Therefore it is in the author's best interests to keep silent and preserve the integrity of their own work.

4. It creates more temptation for sock-puppets.
Authors might write a review and then create several sock-puppet accounts to 'upvote' it. If authors were not allowed to review in the first place this would not be as prevalent an issue.

The Benefits (Yes, There Are Benefits!)

1. Writers generally have an intimate knowledge of the genre(s) they are writing in.
In order to be a good author, you have to read many books--both good and bad. Why? Because you can't know what's already out there unless you open your eyes and take a good, long look. Fantasy authors tend to read a lot of fantasy books, science-fiction authors read a lot of science-fiction, and so on and so forth for all the genres across the board. Reading inspired them to write because they found a genre they really liked and said, "Hey, X has never been done before. Maybe I should write a story just like this about X!" In this sense, I think writers can provide some very interesting insights about the books they've read, including those which they found especially inspirational.

2. The people who read a specific author writing in a specific genre tend to have similar taste to that author.
If a reader is looking at the reviews of an author who writes fantasy novels with strong female protagonists, it is very possible that he or she doesn't like romance novels with extremely passive heroines. So if the author has reviewed a book that the reader was on the fence about, but proclaimed that she found the heroine more representative of the damsel-in-distress archetype, the reader will probably take a look at a book's summary and nod in agreement. If a reader likes an author, it's highly likely that they will have similar tastes in reading to that author. Authors tend to write what they love; the books that inspired them to write will likely appeal to their followers. I know my fans tend to share my tastes quite closely, and we have very lively discussions about the books we love (and hate). Even if authors are not permitted to review, readers will still seek out like-minded individuals and put more stock in what they say than people who do not share their tastes and opinions.

3. Writers are very verbal, and are generally pretty good at putting their thoughts and impressions into words.
I think this is really important for reviews; when you read a review of a book, you want the impression the person had at the moment they were reading it. This is crucial for both positive and negative reviews. I love it when I'm reading a review and someone mentions some small detail that I can completely relate to, and I think, "Oh my gosh! I wasn't the only one!" and you immediately feel that warm spark of affinity with the reviewer. That's priceless. That's how friendships are made!

4. The type of individual who feels compelled to break the rules won't be deterred by more rules and restrictions.
In my experience, I've found that more rules and restrictions tend to force the nice, rule-following people into silence (because they are nice, rule-following people) while simultaneously providing an irresistible lure for those who take an especial pleasure in breaking them.

What do you guys think?