Author bashes author
Where do I begin? I think the title says it all. A simple habit led to the discovery of an author outwardly bashing another author under the reviews/rating column of the new author's book. Makes sense? Oh, for the record, I love reading reviews in between my readings (not really sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing).
Anyway, since there are two authors in this story, and I don't want to confuse anyone, the author that gave the bashing is simply going to be known as The Reviewer.
"The first half of it was complete shit."
Those were the words that caught my eyes. The Reviewer didn't stop there, obviously. There were quite a number of vulgarity thrown into the review. What irked me was that The Reviewer knew that the work he was condemning was from a new author.
Instead of private messaging the author and telling him about the flaws or whatever it was that got him (The Reviewer) so pissed, The Reviewer decides to post a NEGATIVE review and embarrass the author to a point where even I felt all choked up.
I'm still trying to figure out what The Reviewer thought he'd gain from that. For one, he certainly lost my respect! I don't even think he's a humble person.
Shouldn't authors help one another? I mean, I know everyone is looking to come up with a bestseller and all, but lending a helping hand is not going to jeopardize that right? So why this attitude?
A quick check (fine, fine... a tiny investigation from my part) showed that The Reviewer had only written one book. ONE BOOK! So what gives him the rights to bash another's work? Even if he had 1000 books, that still doesn't give him the rights to humiliate another like that.
I hope The Universe keeps reviewers like that away from me! For good! Till the ends of time!
Anyway, since there are two authors in this story, and I don't want to confuse anyone, the author that gave the bashing is simply going to be known as The Reviewer.
"The first half of it was complete shit."
Those were the words that caught my eyes. The Reviewer didn't stop there, obviously. There were quite a number of vulgarity thrown into the review. What irked me was that The Reviewer knew that the work he was condemning was from a new author.
Instead of private messaging the author and telling him about the flaws or whatever it was that got him (The Reviewer) so pissed, The Reviewer decides to post a NEGATIVE review and embarrass the author to a point where even I felt all choked up.
I'm still trying to figure out what The Reviewer thought he'd gain from that. For one, he certainly lost my respect! I don't even think he's a humble person.
Shouldn't authors help one another? I mean, I know everyone is looking to come up with a bestseller and all, but lending a helping hand is not going to jeopardize that right? So why this attitude?
A quick check (fine, fine... a tiny investigation from my part) showed that The Reviewer had only written one book. ONE BOOK! So what gives him the rights to bash another's work? Even if he had 1000 books, that still doesn't give him the rights to humiliate another like that.
I hope The Universe keeps reviewers like that away from me! For good! Till the ends of time!
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Bruce wrote: "Also, I am disappointed an author would stoop (yes, I said "stoop") to using swear words in a review. If the reviewer didn't like the book, fine..."I agree Bruce. The author (reviewer) didn't have to stoop that low. He did say why he didn't like it. He should have stopped at that before inserting swear words in every sentence.
I've come across reviewers who stated that if they don't like a particular genre, they won't even give it 3 stars. Then why pick up the book in the first place?
It does seem strange for one to read a genre he (or she) doesn't like.
Bruce wrote: "It does seem strange for one to read a genre he (or she) doesn't like."I kid you not! I can always PM you a link, so that you may see for yourself :-)
In my humble opinion any person who has the stamina to complete a book, then have the guts to publish it and put it infront of the world deserves kudos. I will never give lower than four stars. I will communicate privately if there is an issue that drops it below that and give the author the choice if they want that review posted. I believe helping one another is the best way to learn and build a network. As for the genre issue (I personally don't like horror), I would rate on what a person who does read that genre would look for. Is the writing good, is the content good. Is the structure, plot, flow and descriptives for that genre good. Giving a bad rating due to not liking the genre screams to me the reviewer is looking for a reason to complain. I never give any weight to those type of reviews.
I'm a book blogger and an aspiring author (nothing published yet) and when I dislike a book, I address the writing issues. I never attack the author. I think it's very unprofessional and nobody will take that person seriously. I know how difficult it is to write a book. And, like you said, all of us writers want to become bestsellers. If somebody reviewed my book, I'd want to hear constructive criticism so that I can become a better writer, so I try to give other authors the same courtesy. When people are nasty like that reviewer, I just remind myself that hurtful people are hurting.
Marni wrote: "In my humble opinion any person who has the stamina to complete a book, then have the guts to publish it and put it infront of the world deserves kudos. I will never give lower than four stars. I w..."I couldn't agree more!
Jenny wrote: "I'm a book blogger and an aspiring author (nothing published yet) and when I dislike a book, I address the writing issues. I never attack the author. I think it's very unprofessional and nobody wil..."Let's just hope we don't come across negative people like this. I have personally written to authors to tell why I couldn't finish their books or what I felt was wrong with the stories. Likewise, a couple of authors have written to me as well. These kind of things help us grow, and write better. But bashing gets one nowhere!
I would hate to have something I wrote completely torn up by someone reviewing it. I try not to; but I do think things that are bothering me about a book should be mentioned. When it is done in a positive manner, it should be constructive rather than destructive. However, some authors don't even like this. To avoid doing that to someone in this group or who has asked me to review a book, I always send potentially negative reviews to the author first, then post it with their approval or redo it. If it is a book I know right off that I will not like, I tell the author I can't read the book. Sometimes I might be able to read it later, but that isn't even assured. I find the authors appreciate it. I do not go for bashing. I hope this makes sense since it is almost 1AM!
I would hope authors would contact other authors privately to let them know why they did or did not like a particular book. Every book has an audience, but I am not the audience for every book.
Also, I am disappointed an author would stoop (yes, I said "stoop") to using swear words in a review. If the reviewer didn't like the book, fine. It would be helpful to know why the reviewer didn't like it. After all, a book that "stretches believability" could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what the reader is looking for.