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My complaints about reader ratings on books
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This is a great topic for discussion. I was just thinking I need to start writing reviews again, more consistently. I know authors appreciate knowing what people think of their books. I used to always write reviews. I think I stopped because, well, I feel I am terrible at it. I tend to put too much thought into it, or, I'll have every intention of coming back after I have thought about it for a while, and then I forget to, or I forget what I thought.
I will add that recently I have had a couple authors ask me to review their work because they liked my reviews, so...At first, I was flattered. Now, I feel pressured. What if I don't like it?
Mod
1. If you give a book a negative rating, please state why you hated it. One line will suffice. What turned you off about a book may be..."
1. I don't generally read reviews or look at ratings. There are a handful of people whose reviews and ratings I trust, and they tend to be clear on what they did and did not like.
I don't know how I got dragged into this. Or why my name is misspelled.
2. I take off one star from any review I do for books outside my comfort zone. I tend to state that right up front.
To be honest, a lot of ebook blurbs are pretty bad. I've seen a few for books I'm familiar with that look like they belong to something else.
Ken wrote: "I have a couple of complaints about reader ratings on books:1. If you give a book a negative rating, please state why you hated it. One line will suffice. What turned you off about a book may be..."
Ken,
Excellent! I second every bit of it.
Kirk Alex, author of Lustmord: Anatomy of a Serial Butcher Vol. 1 (of 6)
I love it when people who don't get horror films can't wait to pan them; same thing with regards to splatterpunk: they love to tear them apart. The mystery to me is why they started reading the thing in the first pace, or why they bothered to take a look at a movie they knew ahead of time was "not their cup of tea."
Like I said: I love it. It's the "uneducated" haters who create controversy that makes a splatter flick big and can move a genre novel. Controversy sells. And makes those of us who get the genre appreciate it all the more.
So either way: they can pan it, or stay away. Makes no difference to us. It's win-win.
Fun topic, though.
What I find annoying is when people don't even bother to finish the book but write a review anyway. Some reviews on Ammy state that they barely made it through 20% of the book before giving up. I don't understand how you can judge a book without giving it a decent shot.
Amy wrote: "I will add that recently I have had a couple authors ask me to review their work because they liked my reviews, so...At first, I was flattered. Now, I feel pressured. What if I don't like it?"
Going to jump in here and tell you that you shouldn't feel any pressure about it! Your review is your opinion, it can't be wrong. Authors want to hear from their readers, whether they liked the book or not, and even a bad review is better than not hearing a peep from anyone, it lets the writer see where they've gone wrong.
Also if they don't like your review, go back and make it worse ;) I'm sure they'll have nothing to say after that.
Also re. the rest of the topic - people should never ever ever ever ever EVER review something if they haven't finished it. And if it's not their usual cup of tea, state that early on in the review, don't just leave a bad rating.
I completely agree. There have been books I simply couldn't finish (no doubt most people have this at some time or another) but I wouldn't write a review on it based on what I did read...I would simply know the book wasn't for me and move on. Just because someone doesn't finish a book doesnt mean they should be quick to judge it. Granted, it might mean the book is awful, but everyone is different and what doesn't work for one reader might work for another...I would only write reviews for books I can finish.
As an author myself I accept that if I offer a work for public consumption I must also accept that it means exactly that. We cannot determine who reads our work, and we are certainly unable to predict or control who likes it or dosn't like it. I also accept that people who review based on 20% of a book, (or who are clearly reviewing a book of a genre they hate anyway), will not contribute substantively to the judgement of that book; but I trust readers enough to be sensible and discerning in their consideration and interpretation of reviews, (that is, indeed, if they even give them any weight at all).The only thing that makes me angry is sock-puppetry. That is the real reason the review system has taken a knock. It is a knock, I am afraid, from which it is unlikley to ever recover properly.
I do write reviews on books that I COULD NOT finish. There is a difference between a book that was so bad that finishing it would cause an aneurysm and a book that I just mentally couldn't get into at the time. Any potential brain injury gets a 1 STAR, which I will explain in a review. The others just get shelved until I feel more up to the challenge to tackle them again.I have seen a couple of 3 STAR reviews lately that were "I don't have time for this book right now. I will get back to it later." In other words, I haven't even opened the book. So, here's a 3 STAR review that does no one any good, reader or author.
Jon Recluse wrote: "Or why my name is misspelled...."I have no idea why you misspell your name!
Jon Recluse wrote: "1. I don't generally read reviews or look at ratings. There are a handful of people whose reviews and ratings I trust, and they tend to be clear on what they did and did not like...."Reviews are one of the first thing I look at when checking out a book, more on GR than on Amazon. I have a good list of GR friends that share a fair amount of similar reading interests, especially in horror and in Victorian mysteries. Its just a starting point. If I pull up a horror book with a 5 STAR rating and not a single one of my GR friends has even listed it in TBR more or less read it...warning, Will Robinson!
On the contrary, I haven't really developed much of a friend list in regards to the WWII historical fiction (Men's adventure?) that I like to read. I kind of feel a little lost at times when checking out a new author or title and find myself having to rely on community reviews. Not always a good source of info. Too many friends of the author. Too many ulterior motives.
I see nothing wrong with rating a book that I don't want to finish. If it's bad enough for me not to want to see it through to the end, then it's a low rated book. If I just set aside a book to get to later, then I won't rate it. I still don't like feeling pressured to write a review whether a book is horrible, eh, or fantastic. There have been times when a book is so fantastic that I just don't know how to do the book justice with my ramblings.I do hate it when people rate a book low because the subject matter is too unsettling or a genre they don't usually read. That is insane. I saw a 1-star rating for The Color Purple because it's about rape and incest and those are icky subjects for the reader.
Tressa wrote: " I still don't like feeling pressured to write a review whether a book is horrible, eh, or fantastic..."I don't think anyone should feel pressure to write a review good or bad. 4 or 5 STAR ratings usually speak for themselves. I am more interested in bad reviews. What about this turned you off? I will admit though that having a well developed friends list means more than the review in a lot of cases. If I see several 1 STAR ratings from friends on a book that I am checking out, that means something!
Here's a great example of a 1 STAR rating/review that should not happen (Just now saw this on a book that I am checking out):"didn't download since the charger corrupted my kindle, December 26, 2012
By ******** - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Taken! Box Set - Books 1-6 (Kindle Edition)
So I have no idea if it is any good or not. Unlikely to purchase any further books at this time."
Some people are knuckleheads!
I'm currently reading a book that I will probably one star it or if I actually finish the horrid thing I will reward it with two. Will see. The problem is, it's a very highly raved about book in the masses, and I've noticed that other reviewers who feel the same as I do have been attacked in their reviews. So-- I'm not certain if I feel it's worth letting all my feelings about this book hang out, or should I just quietly rate it and leave it at that. I have been leaving my disgruntled thoughts in my updates.
I have no idea if I have ever been attacked over a bad review I have written. I write the review as my honest opinion and move on. I don't look back at any of my reviews. I don't need the approval of others on my opinions.
I actually have never been attacked either but I did bring this topic up in another group and I could see that it was a bit of a touchy subject.
I guess that is a flaw of the social networking model, the need for approval from people you barely know.
I hate writing reviews. When I do, my brain freezes. It isn't so much an issue of my opinion being right or wrong though. I have a problem with writing down my feelings for a book. I know how I feel most of the time but not why. Especially when I like/love a book. When I don't it's usually easier. But harder too, I hate negative reviews even more. I have been trying to leave reviews on Amazon for the indie books I like, I'm behind at the moment. But I don't for the books I don't.
When I rate I do consider what I'm reading. I read horror, romance, young adult, fantasy, science fiction, etc. And I think of each on its own. I wouldn't rate a romance low for having too much romance (though I have seen this) nor would I give a low rating to a science fiction book with too much science... you get the idea. I agree too, I hate reviewers who don't read the book. If they admit to not finishing it and say why, I have less of a problem. But I've seen reviews on why the reader won't read the book. Like I care! The last Wheel of Time book (a fantasy epic that took years and two authors to finish) received a bunch of 1 star reviews because it didn't come out as an ebook until months later... That kind of stuff is bs.
Sigh. I might make more of an effort to leave reviews on Amazon - I feel it's more anonymous. :)
When I rate I do consider what I'm reading. I read horror, romance, young adult, fantasy, science fiction, etc. And I think of each on its own. I wouldn't rate a romance low for having too much romance (though I have seen this) nor would I give a low rating to a science fiction book with too much science... you get the idea. I agree too, I hate reviewers who don't read the book. If they admit to not finishing it and say why, I have less of a problem. But I've seen reviews on why the reader won't read the book. Like I care! The last Wheel of Time book (a fantasy epic that took years and two authors to finish) received a bunch of 1 star reviews because it didn't come out as an ebook until months later... That kind of stuff is bs.
Sigh. I might make more of an effort to leave reviews on Amazon - I feel it's more anonymous. :)
I think Goodreads kind of sets themselves up for these types of ratings though. The rating descriptions aren't, "Bad, Good, Very Good, etc." They are:1 - Didn't like it
2 - It was ok
3 - Liked it
4 - Really liked it
5 - It was amazing
They ask readers to rate based on how they felt about the book, so they do. Which is unfortunate if you're the type of reader who only likes one genre and dislikes all others, regardless of the quality of writing.
I don't rate a book or comment if I don't finish because I couldn't get into it. But if I spend a significant amount of time reading it (usually 40% or more) and just can't finish it because it's that terrible, then I will rate and review. I do mention in my review that I couldn't finish it and tag is as did-not-finish. With that being said though there's only like 4 books on my shelves with such a tag.
Sometimes, if a book was really bad or if it just took far too long to slog through, I just don't want to give the book more time and energy by writing a review. Sometimes I have a headache after reading particularly terrible prose. Sometimes the writing style or plot or characters were just too dull to elicit any type of emotion from me, so I feel unmotivated to write a review.That being said, if anyone comments on my low rating to ask why I rated a particular book so low, I do make an effort to answer their question.
I feel pretty much the same way you do, Traci L. Megan, the rating system here is pretty much self-explanatory, yes. I want to make more of an effort to write reviews, but if I find that the "effort" is too much work, I will skip it. Sometimes, I just can't articulate how I feel.
Mod
Also not being able to finish a book and rate it is valid for me, people rate for themselves not for the masses, its like saying that zero is not a number, unfinished is still an opinion...what makes me scratch my head though is when someone reads a series and keeps reading it and reading it and they are on book #14 and they are still complaining about the overall story/style of the series, that is just self torture.
You are right, Kasia, or maybe they don't want to admit that they like something as much as they do. I know a lot of book snobs, and used to be one, myself.
I totally agree with Ken's original comment. I'm not an author, but I love writing reviews. I HATE it when I see a review that says "I don't usually read this kind of stuff...", and ESPECIALLY when it also says "I won this on GoodReads (or Library Thing, or wherever)..." If you don't usually read a particular genre, why on Earth would you put your name in the hat to win the thing? I'm also extremely irked by reviews like one I saw yesterday that went something like this: "to many errers. i dont like tht. dont by this its not wurth it." How would that reviewer even know an error when he saw one?Now for me, if I don't like a book because it's just a poorly written book, I usually won't review it at all. If I don't finish it because it's so bad, I definitely won't review it. I saw a 1 star review once that said: "I wouldn't download this if you paid me. If the author can't even spell the title right, I won't waste my time. Don't get this book." Now, admittedly, the author shouldn't have a spelling error on the cover, but that's no reason to throw out the baby with the bath water (I know I'm dating myself now). But a lot of titles are intentionally misspelled for a purpose very relevant to the story. Think "Pet Semetary" for one.
I love reading good books, and I love writing good reviews. IF and WHEN I have to give a low rating (3 or less) I ALWAYS indicate that it is just my opinion, and others may love the story. I feel after all the work the author went to, I have no business slamming the book just because I didn't happen to care for it. I absolutely hated "Water for Elephants" but it seems everybody else in the world loved it. I would have looked like a bit of a fool if I had told the world what a horrible piece of trash it was, etc. when it quickly became obvious to me that it WASN'T a piece of trash, I just didn't like it!
Enough for now. I've got a lot of good books waiting to be read!
I've been lucky so far and have only gotten one negative review. I was even luckier in that she felt bad for not liking the writing style which was her primary reason for the 2 star rating. Of course I've also just gotten started on this whole indie writer thing and there aren't too many opinions on it thus far. When I write reviews I tend to stick to books I know aren't big bestsellers. I might review say a Kim Harrison novel or something by Jennifer Weiner because it really grabs me but overall I like to know my review is going to help a writer get some readers or help people with similar taste avoid a book that's going to frustrate them.
On negative reviews: Yeah I don't appreciate the people who give it a bad rating for not being their cup of tea but I can't really attack them either because as a reader I've had that happen too. I do think it's good to hear why someone didn't like your book. It lets you know what could use some work and lets you know if it's someone that just didn't like the idea. As was said somewhere above it also deters those who don't like those sort of books and draws in the readers that will.
I think a lot of writers kind of have to put themselves in their reader mindset and look at the review from that perspective. It's hard to do that with your own work but it can give you some perspective on why it didn't work for that person.
It also makes it possible to try and blow it off if the person just isn't being fair.
Nobody should feel pressured to write a review but they should also know that most writers are just dying to have ANY review on their book good or bad so that more people will give it a serious look. Tons of writers give up every day because they can't get people to read or buy their books no matter how good they might be. We THRIVE on reviews and even the addition of our books to tbr shelves.Don't feel like you have to write a dissertation to write a review either. Even if it's just a couple sentences about what you thought that opinion garners more interest and a little bit of insight for the writer.
If all of that seems a bit all over you'll have to forgive me. I swear my 10 month old and all the book promotion are eating my brain!
Mod
A few people who reviewed my first book start with ''I dont usually read poetry..'' Which I dont mind but after 3 times its like okay okay we get it your not in your comfort zone of reading or dont usually read this type of book but just tell me if you like it or not!As for my own ratings and reviews of books I have two books I didnt finish of try to because I just couldnt get into one and the other I found to be utterly awful. I feel the need to review because it shows people what you think of the books even if you didnt like them. The thing that annoys me is when people try to talk about good they saw in a 1 star..no..if you 1 star it you hate it and you should have found nothing to like about it.
I gave ''The Sugar Frosted Nutsack'' No stars and bashed it in my review and I dont regret it because the author seems like he has a fanbase and the type who can take it. But mostly, if you rate a book just keep on point, I agree.
I always give an explanation as to why I hate a book. I agree that giving a book a 1 star review without explanation doesn't help me at all to understand the problem and why I should avoid it.I also agree that you shouldn't give a book a low rating just because it's something you don't normally read, but if you didn't like it, you didn't like it. As long as you explain why you didn't like it, it's fine with me. I did that with Jeff Strand's Bad Day For Voodoo. It was really a YA book and I tend to avoid those because I find them too sanitized but I wasn't aware of that until after I finished it. My review explained my low rating as not caring for the sillier tone the book took tryin to appeal to a YA audience. Anyone who reads my review will understand my problem, and if they don't care about the YA level then they can read it for themselves.
Mod
1. If you give a book a negative rating, please state why you hated it. One line will suffice. What turned you off about a book may be a turn-on for the next reader. "Too much sex and blood. 1 STAR." The dingbat soccer mom that lives next door to me would now skip this book and pickup the latest "Chicken Soup for my Pathetic Existence" book. John Recluse would put it at the top of his TBR.
2. I hate reviewers who give a book a poor rating and then claim, "I don't usually read books of this genre". Okay, you normally read Christian fiction and accidentally wandered into an Edward Lee meets Richard Laymon sex and gorefest. That's your fault for not looking into it better first. Put down the book, skip the rating and go pray about it for a while. I don't 1 STAR rate all 92 parts of "Left Behind". Leave my serial killer appreciation books alone!
Please discuss!