Authors Reading Reviews
When it comes to reading reviews of our work, there are two kinds of authors: those who read everything and those who claim they don't.
I thought of this the other day when I came across a goodreads review of one of my books in which the author of the review said she felt constrained in what she could say by the knowledge that I read the goodreads reviews.
To which I have the following response:
Please go ahead and criticize my book if you think it deserves it. I can take it. It's part of my job. I love most of my books, but I don't think I am that one writer in the universe whose work is going to please everyone. Most of the criticisms are fair and accurate and just reflect the fact that we all have different taste. Some folks complained about the ending of Tessa Masterson Will Go To Prom. I knew it was fairy-tale-ish when I wrote it, and I love it for that reason, but you might not. Which is fine.
My favorite parts of Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance are the parts at the Shakespeare festival. Many readers didn't like these parts and wished the action of the novel had stayed in Hollywood. Fair enough! If you didn't like the move to Oregon, I get it. We just disagree on this.
Most of the early response to A Really Awesome Mess has been positive, but the few negative reviews seem to focus on the tone. Trish and I made a deliberate choice to try to write about very serious issues that are very close to both of our hearts while still having a book that overall felt like a fun read. We are both really proud of the book and feel like we made the right choice. But some readers won't. Which is fine!
All of which is to say, I obviously write because I want people to like my books, but I know some people won't like them and some of the people who do like them will have quibbles, as I do with just about every book I read, even the ones I like a lot.
Having said all that, it's a good idea (and something I try to keep in mind in my own reviews) to keep your criticism on the book and not on the author. "This is a shitty book" is a fine piece of criticism. "You are a shitty person" is not. One thing that all authors hate is having their minds read. So maybe skip the "Author X is obviously trying to be...." whatever. Literally every time this criticism has been leveled at me, it has been suggested that I was trying to imitate a book I hadn't read.
All I'm saying is, if knowing the author is going to read your makes you treat them with the civility that all humans deserve, cool. If knowing the author is going to read your review makes you feel like you can't be critical, please reconsider. We all benefit from passionate discussion of this art form, and if an author tees off on you because you wrote a bad review, then that author is a baby who deserves the public shaming they'll get as a result.
