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The Review Conundrum
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chucklesthescot wrote: "....I'm ok with authors contacting me to comment on my review, though I do worry slightly when it appears in the Inbox! If they were to say 'you're wrong, my book deserved more than that', I would get annoyed as they did ask for my honest review. But if they say something nice I do feel like less of a slug!..."
I once had a goodreads author contact me in goodreads in box to complain about the shelf that I put the book in.
He tried to tell me that I was wrong because his friends never told him that his book had an anti-christian spin too it.
The very title would suggest that it does, the synopsis, and the reviews that I had read of the title also supports my shelving of the book.
He wanted me to remove his book from that shelf.
I told him that these were MY shelves, I stood by the shelving. I never asked for his (or anyone else) approval of my shelves and never will.
This went one for 3 or 4 emails, until I told him that I would report him (and all the emails that he was sending to my inbox) if he kept at it.
Talk about a glass jaw! He surely could throw the mud out there, but could not stand to have it "shelved" on its proper shelve which, of course, he did not find appealing.
I ended up adding it to one more self "own but probably will never read."
Wow, Tammy that is definitely a horror story! I can't imagine ever doing something like that. I'm just happy people are reading my books!
This discussion has been so helpful! I really dread when I've agreed to read and provide an honest review for a novel and discover that it's a difficult story to get through. In these instances, I've written an email to the author, told them my honest thoughts (without being nasty about it) and gave them a copy of the review I would post. I point out what I liked, what I didn't like, what I thought they could try to improve on, etc. I ask them to let me know if they would prefer I leave any portion of my review out. So far, the authors I have contacted have urged me to post my full, honest reviews. One of the authors even acknowledged my point about typos and mentioned trying to save up for a beta reader. I offered to give her proposed revisions, free of charge, and was absolutely delighted when she consented to allow me to do so! I think that's what's so fabulous about the Making Connections Group! Everyone here seems genuinely interested in supporting and helping authors to succeed!
I have recently had just such an experience... Got a book for free, gave my honest opinion, that there were lots of editing mistakes, and enough little problems here and there that I thought it could use work (it was really enough to distract from the overall story for me). I did sort of what Shannon did, I posted a shortened review saying there were some problems, then privately emailed the author to say why I had some real issues with the book, and offered an in-depth explanation due to the fact that I share the same profession as her main character. The author almost immediately posted, as a comment to my review, a diatribe longer than my review with lots of all-caps segments telling me that my opinion was unfair and should be reconsidered.In hindsight, it might have been better to email the author first to warn that I had issues with the book, but at the same time, I felt like I was giving an honest opinion for other potential readers, and the copy I received was not an advanced/unedited copy, it was an ecopy of a recently released book. I tried to be respectful with my review, and gave reasons for the issues I had... Makes me feel a little wounded to be asked for an honest review then told that basically if I couldn't keep it nicer I shouldn't have posted it.
Rachel wrote: "I have recently had just such an experience... Got a book for free, gave my honest opinion, that there were lots of editing mistakes, and enough little problems here and there that I thought it cou..."I can relate to this. Some people think they have a divine right to a minimum of 4 stars, regardless of how good the book actually is.
I think that you should just post the review, even if you did not like the book. A book review blog is there to help other people make good reading choices, they should be informed of the negative points in the book. Then they will be able to decide for themselves if they are going to read it.You should always stay polite with stating negative points, but if the book really is not good you definitely should not lie to your readers and say it was good just to please the author. Just give good arguments and don't be mean.
If you DNF the book because of personal reasons or something I would make an exception of posting, because that does not mean the book is bad, it just wasn't for you.
Authors shouldn't give out free books for reviews if they can't accept negative comments.
Eveline (Eveline's Books) wrote: "I think that you should just post the review, even if you did not like the book. A book review blog is there to help other people make good reading choices, they should be informed of the negative ..."I agree. As an author and a reader, I find that negative reviews have their place. They help readers make informed decisions and those that go on and purchase a book despite the reviews (or perhaps because of them) are more likely to pick up something that suits their taste.
I think the thing that makes readers the most angry is to be caught by surprise, especially if the book is poorly formatted or edited and if the book is not the advertised genre.
I've had a reviewer give me the option of him posting the review or not, and I said post. Then I thanked him.
Tammy K. wrote: "chucklesthescot wrote: "....I'm ok with authors contacting me to comment on my review, though I do worry slightly when it appears in the Inbox! If they were to say 'you're wrong, my book deserved m..."You must've been tempted to name a new shelf 'idiot-author'!!!
Rachel wrote: "I have recently had just such an experience... Got a book for free, gave my honest opinion, that there were lots of editing mistakes, and enough little problems here and there that I thought it cou..."I think that you bent over backwards to accomodate the author. Sadly there are some out there who only want an honest review if that review is brilliant.
I'll admit, I don't like writing negative reviews. As an amateur writer myself I know how much effort goes into writing and how hard it can be to have other people not see your (possibly imaginary) brilliance. I get it, and I feel bad when I don't love a book. That said, if I read the book, I am by George going to post an opinion on it, regardless of whether it's a positive or negative one. I will never attack an author personally because of a book they've written, and I try my best not to be snarky or hurtful in my reviews. My reviews are highly subjective and my review policy clearly states the biases I have. I feel that it's the author's job to look into who they request their reviews from and make sure the reviewer fits into their target audience. Just like it's the author's job to make sure the book put in front of that reviewer is of as good a quality as they can get it. I will make allowances for the occasional editing / formatting error in an ARC, so long as the book does not read like a first draft.
I am not going to email the author and apologize for my opinion. Give me a book I love and I'll write a review you'll love. Easy as that. Give me a stinker and expect me to wrinkle my nose and turn away.
Sidenote, as a reader, I read all the negative reviews first before deciding whether or not to buy the book. By knowing what other people didn't like I am better able to decide if I can overlook those niggly bits. I only read the glowing reviews after I've read the book.
I try and make a distinction between the book as a piece of work and me as a reader. I've recently read a book - a piece of christian fiction - and I started out with saying that it's not my usual type of fiction but that I would do my best with the review. I tried to find the positives in the book (there were a couple), and noted the point where I began to dislike the book. I pointed out that if he had continued writing in style A, I would have had no problem writing an excellent review and it would have restored some of my faith (pun intended) in Christian Fiction. However the second half of the book was written in style B, which left me feeling hit around the head with a blunt instrument, which was exactly what I had feared when I started reading it.
My summary ended with that the book as a whole was a reasonable book, and that there would be some who would like and enjoy it, but that I wasnt one of them!
Frog wrote: "Yeah.Here's the thing: As a reviewer, you need to be able to say when a book doesn't sit well with you. Frankly, your main goal as a reviewer should be to inform your audience, not to serve the..."
I've recently introduced a review policy too, that will go some way (I hope) to weeding out certain books (I think you know what I mean).
I generally read books by people who have had at least some track record with publishers - even if these are small, relatively unknown publishers of only ebooks. Book View Cafe is one such publisher and I've had some great books from them over the years. That way I know that they meet a certain standard and I am more likely to give a positive review.
chucklesthescot wrote: "You must've been tempted to name a new shelf 'idiot-author'!!! ..."Ha Ha good one, I might borrow that idea sometime. ;)
It is very rare that I actually sign up for read for reviews any more due to the fact that get direct requests these days.
On average I get about 4-5 authors per month, whom I no direct contact with prior, email me here on goodreads asking for a review of their book.
I think it is because I have linked my amazon page to my goodreads page? Who knows how they find me but they seem to make their way...
Anyway, I have taken to telling them that I believe in fair and honest reviews, both for the sake of the potential purchaser and for the author.
(Authors want the right readers to find them and reviews are the best way to help narrow down that target customer/reader and as stated here earlier, readers do not want the Shock of finding something not expected in their purchase.)
So I add to their request that even if they are a friend of mine (here on goodreads) that they should not expect a 4 or 5 star review, because I rate them like I read them. And I refuse to give 5 stars to a two star book.
I do try to be nice. Yet above all I want my reviews to mean something and not just be a rubber stamp.
I also wrote a review of an ARC a while back (A thriller set in a bank) and it was a decent enough read, but as someone who has worked in IT in a bank I felt I had to pick him up on a couple of things technology wise. So: part of the denouement was based ont he baddy regularly writing data to a CD. I felt that I had to point out that the majority of CDs can be only written to once, and are of a certain size, so it would make more sense for the baddy to write to a dongle, which holds more data, and is easier to slip into a pocket and is less noticeable when carried around.He did comment on my review - think we agreed to disagree over the CD - but he didnt seem too bothered by such a relatively small issue. I havent read a later edition, so dont know whether he ever changed it!
Alright here you go a prime example of what can and does happen when you write a review that debunks a title's five star running streak.Take a look at my (T.reader) amazon review and its comments of The Phoenix Project by M.R. Pritchard
http://www.amazon.com/review/R10JGS6J...
Please take the time and note that "helpful" ratings of all 5, two star reviews and the one star review. Any and all comments on the lower star reviews where made by "new" amazon reviewers who just happen to comment only on this one title/author.
I stand by my review. I did not read nor rate the sequel.
Just look at what they are saying in their comments... mental health .. tell me that has anything to do with the review.
Update 7-18-13
Amazon customer services deleted the comment made by the amazon customer that I referred to in this post.
Agreeing with me that is was a personal attack and not relevant to my review.
My complaints and Amazon's decision have not gone unnoticed.
It's still a point worthy of consideration, when a reviewer publishes a review that fans/authors do not like, it can result in hostiles outbursts and attacks.
I'm thankful that Amazon attempts to moderate the comments that get tossed at their reviewers.
I have just reviewed a book from an author who has told me not to post it, because my review was negative (but constructive).I'm a little conflicted on what to do now. I'm willing to revise my review and focus more on the narrative, character, and writing style rather than content, but I definitely don't want to lie. This author's writing can be improved, but as it is now (at least with this particular book), it's just not good enough to be read seriously. The pacing is too fast, the characters are all cardboard (even the narrator), and though the author creates good imagery, he later has a tendency to tell rather than show.
That's a tough one, Iris. I'd say post it, unless you gave the author an option to ask you not to before you agreed to review the book. Also, I wouldn't change the review to be more positive if you really don't feel it's accurate, but it wouldn't hurt to do one last sweep for objectivity.
Iris wrote: "I have just reviewed a book from an author who has told me not to post it, because my review was negative (but constructive).I'm a little conflicted on what to do now. I'm willing to revise my re..."
There's really no way to be honest and helpful to the author in a situation like that.
I guess it goes back to why you write reviews. A review is your voice as a reader. It's where you the reader can voice your thoughts, feelings and experience to potential readers/purchasers.
It can also be a promotional tool for the author. Yet that is in my opinion not what other readers Purchasers want to see.
As I have said before, the reason I started writing reviews on Amazon and other sites was because I was feed up with seeing books that had a dozen or so good reviews which raved about how awesome of a read it was.... then I'd buy the book to find it was rubbish!
Most of the time I would find that the reviews were written by someone who owned a blog and got the book free and so they needed to give fluffy reviews to keep their blogs going (one hand washes the other sort of thing).
That is when I wised up and made a vow to write honest reviews so that customers in my same situation could know the other side of the coin before they put down their $.
I can imagine it takes courage for an author to put their work out for all to read. It's like releasing a bit of your soul, your hopes and your pride.
Yet once the book is out there, it no longer belongs to you (the author) alone. It now is an experience for the reader (purchaser). As an experience rather than an author baby it will sink or swim, through the reader's experiences. What the author "wants" is besides the point. The author released it so from then on he or she should stay out of the readers (reviewers) way. I'm not trying to be mean there but authors are just the story tellers. The story needs to grow inside the listener (reader) if it fails to grow then the reader needs to be able to voice this freely to other listeners (readers).
In short, I feel that a review is meant to be a Honest account from a reader about their "experience" with the story not a fluffy feel good half truth.
Iris wrote: "I have just reviewed a book from an author who has told me not to post it, because my review was negative (but constructive).I'm a little conflicted on what to do now. I'm willing to revise my re..."
Iris - this sounds exactly like the dilemma I just had. The author gave me an ebook for an honest review, and the imagery was great, but character dialogue was mechanical and the plot had some holes in it. As you will note from my earlier post, I posted what I thought was a review that respectfully addressed some of these issues with careful thought, and was blasted (publicly) by the author for it, and even asked to revise my review. I have thought it over for a few days, and I do not think I said anything that other potential readers don't deserve to be advised of. The author said I knit-picked at little things that didn't matter and should have kept my review to just whether or not I liked the story, but to me there were SO many things (big and little, from unrealistic characters to bad grammar and sentence structure) that for me they made it difficult to enjoy or even appreciate the story. There are very few people who buy a book with the intent of just getting the overall picture of the story - if that's all you wanted you'd read the synopsis. People read for the experience of the story - and if all you can say at the end is that the overall storyline was pretty good, the experience wasn't there. Post away!
Rachel wrote: "Iris wrote: "I have just reviewed a book from an author who has told me not to post it, because my review was negative (but constructive).I'm a little conflicted on what to do now. I'm willing to..."
You know it's too bad that there isn't a reviewers support group on good reads like they have for authors. One that only reviewers could join and vent their horror stories. This thread shows that there is a need for it.
If the author was expecting you to give a honest review, then post it.
As an author I'd prefer a heads up. I think part of the reason why a lot of indie authors are sensitive is because it's very hard to get reviews and ratings, so a one star review could be a deadly blow to future sales (note: I'm not saying that people should automatically get 3/4/5 star reviews, and it certainly doesn't excuse writers being angry with reviewers).
Thankfully I have never had anyone get mad at me for a review, but I also look at the blurb for the books before I say I will review them. I give 2 stars to books I don't like because there was nothing wrong with them, and I always recommend who I think will love the books :) I know I have bought several books that people have given poor reviews to but I read the blurb and it was my type of book. Books that I thought were 4 and 5 stars, but I rate on my enjoyment of the story.I know myself well enough to see whether I will like them or not. If I'm not interested in it, I will tell them no. If it seems interesting, but I've never read anything like that before. I will tell them that and that I will try, but if it just isn't for me I will tell them and just drop it.
I haven't written reviews on a couple of my DNFs because I just don't think I was in the mood for that type of story, but these weren't ones I promised a review for. I won them or got them free. I will read eventually because there is nothing wrong with them.
I don't post my DNFs because they just weren't my style book. I wouldn't ordinarily buy those books so I don't think it is right to post that I didn't like it and didn't finish it. This of course is just my opinion. I believe there is an audience for all books, but it doesn't mean it is always me :)
I know I have commented on this before So I should drop it but I just wanted to show you just how far the author of The Phoenix Project (Phoenix Project, #1) M. R. Pritchard When to get her fan base worked up and posted negative comments/votes on my review of her title http://secretlifeofatownie.blogspot.c...
She did not have my permission to quote me on her blog, to send her friends after me (By My first name) or encourage them to harass the other reviewers who also gave her negative reviews...
I wrote amazon showing them the link to her blog and showing them that she baited the fan base to harass me here and on amazon.
Seriously folks this is how nasty it can and does get.
I have a question. If you offer a book for free for a HONEST review and the person gives you a one with NO review as to why it got a one. Then when u ask what was wrong they say it just wasn't their kind of story and never even read past the first chapter. is it fair they give you a review when they didn't give you a real try? She was aware that it was paranormal romance and accepted it anyway. Can I ask her to remove her review since she NEVER read the entire story?
S.L. wrote: "I have a question. If you offer a book for free for a HONEST review and the person gives you a one with NO review as to why it got a one. Then when u ask what was wrong they say it just wasn't the..."Bestselling authors have to deal with this a lot. "I started it, but couldn't finish it, blarg!" Usually, on Goodreads, they file it under a no-star rating system. If they don't though, there's not much that can be done. And you definitely cannot ask her to remove the review.
The really good news is, most avid readers see that she only read one chapter, read why she only read one chapter (offensive material, choppy writing, etc.), and then won't even be swayed by it. I have never refused to read a book because someone who didn't read it said they weren't interested. I can't imagine many people will.
Rachel wrote: "I have recently had just such an experience... Got a book for free, gave my honest opinion, that there were lots of editing mistakes, and enough little problems here and there that I thought it cou..."I think that most authors would welcome what you did. You went the extra mile to contact him/her. As a well published author, I can tell you that for me personally, I LOVE indepth reviews that help me improve, even if it's stuff I don't exactly feel good about hearing. What I do NOT like is people who rate (usually low) and who don't bother to give any useful feedback, or don't actually seem to have read the same book I wrote.
Tammy K. wrote: "I know I have commented on this before So I should drop it but I just wanted to show you just how far the author of The Phoenix Project (Phoenix Project, #1) M. R. Pritchard When to get her fan ba..."Just as it's a reviewer's right to post their opinions as they please (and they do), it's an author's right to respond to reviews as they please. You have to understand that it's a punch in the gut when people cut down something you've put your heart and soul into for a long period of time. You can't whine because someone "blogged" about you when you didn't have nice things to say about their art. It's venting, everyone does it. I read the blog, and there are no names named until the comments, which people can easily find if they read the reviews on Amazon. If you don't like it, don't read the blog. If you don't want people to quote you, don't post them for everyone to see. Once it's all out there, the author has no control over who comments to you or what they say to you. It's unfair to crucify the author if you have no idea if they even know the person commenting to you. It's vain to toy with the idea that so much effort went into "baiting" her fans to "torture" you. You have to be aware that as passionate as you are about your negative review, there are going to be people passionately positive about the book you're reviewing. I've been on both sides of this, hating a book and loving a book and having great heated discussions about why I feel the way I do and how it's different from other people's feelings.
As a reviewer, it is easy to give a tasteful negative review without tearing a person down. Reviews are opinions and I personally never read reviews when I read books because they rarely line up with how I feel about the books. So to be honest with you, reviews don't matter to readers as much as you might think. So as you said, just let it go. As an author has to have thick skin and deal with criticism, so should reviewers who put their opinions out there.
K. wrote: " Just as it's a reviewer's right to post their opinions as they please (and they do), it's an author's right to respond to reviews as they please. You have to understand that it's a punch in the gut when people cut down something you've put your heart and soul into for a long period of time. You can't whine because some on me "blogged" about you when you didn't have nice things to say about their art. It's venting, everyone does it. I read the blog, and there are no names named until the comments, which people can easily find if they read the reviews on Amazon..... ."Welcome to the group. I'm not surprised to see that this is your first (and only) post in this group but of course you just joined the the group the day of your post (3 day ago).
I am also not surprised to see on your goodreads profile that you read this book in March giving it five stars nor that you are goodreads friends with the books author or..that you read the second in this series giving it five stars, and finally I'm not surprise by any of your views on me as an individual or my reviews.
Honesty and sadly your comments speaks to my original point.
Tammy K. wrote: "K. wrote: " Just as it's a reviewer's right to post their opinions as they please (and they do), it's an author's right to respond to reviews as they please. You have to understand that it's a punc..."So my minimal online presence undermines my personal opinion and passion about a book I actually read more than once and carefully chose my stars for? Wow. That's really sad that you feel that way. I have a life. I have a child with special needs that requires 24-hour attention. I only give my time to things that are truly worthwhile to me. I haven't had a lot of time to be on goodreads when I am taking care of my child and spending the very little free time I have actually reading and enjoying books, hence my scant history. I also reviewed SM Reine's book, do you assume I'm her bff as well? Because I have no idea who she is.
I have no opinion of you as an individual other than you're overly defensive and sensitive. I have no beef with you, I just choose to see things objectively and I understand that other people's feelings may not align with mine. There should be good healthy debates about books & content, but not about the person who has that point of view. I don't believe anyone attacking you is proper either, which I did not do. I never said anything nasty, only that once you're online, you're subject to anything; like people assuming that they know all about you just because they looked at your profile. Stop looking for ways to attack anyone linked with authors you don't like, it's creepy. Happy reading!!
Group moderator... Please check this thread
S.L. wrote: "I have a question. If you offer a book for free for a HONEST review and the person gives you a one with NO review as to why it got a one. Then when u ask what was wrong they say it just wasn't the..."I don't think you should. I generally don't like paranormal books especially romance so if an author offers me a free copy to review, I'll politely decline if I read the blurb and I don't like it.
on the other hand, If I like the blurb, I would accept it. if I don't like the book(for any reason other than that it's not my genre, I would still read it(to the end) and write what I think.
Tammy K. wrote: "Group moderator... Please check this thread"What exactly are we checking for? Our only rule in this group is to be respectful, so keep that in mind when commenting and replying.
Tammy K. wrote: "Group moderator... Please check this thread"Thank you for validating the limited opinion I had of you (previous post). Don't worry, I'll stop "harassing" you by exercising my first amendment rights. I've wasted enough of my precious time on this conversation as it is. Back to what really matters: reading books! And you can quote me on that!
Sheri wrote: "Tammy K. wrote: "Group moderator... Please check this thread"What exactly are we checking for? Our only rule in this group is to be respectful, so keep that in mind when commenting and replying."
Exactly my thoughts and what I wish to have looked at
K. wrote: "...It's vain ...." next comment "...Stop looking for ways to attack anyone linked with authors you don't like, it's creepy..."
vain + creepy = respectful?
Tammy K. wrote: "Sheri wrote: "Tammy K. wrote: "Group moderator... Please check this thread"What exactly are we checking for? Our only rule in this group is to be respectful, so keep that in mind when commenting..."
It's interesting you chose those things out of all I had to say to highlight. It says a lot about your character in general. There are dramatically more insulting and disrespectful things to be called. And had you actually read the posts, neither of these were you called directly. Since you apparently missed the moral of my posts, my point is: Don't dish it out if you can't take it. I feel comfortable with my posts as they are not disrespectful, they are my feelings and my opinions laid out as objectively as I could. None of it is any more insulting than your review of The Phoenix Project on Amazon ("..main character...hoped she would die at the end"). So as I have already emphasized, I will no longer waste my time on you or this conversation-per your request-and moderator: check away.
Respectfully yours,
K.
Tammy K. wrote: "Group moderator... Please check this thread"As a second moderator, let me weigh in as well. It matters not if anyone joins 30 seconds ago, and decides to post their thoughts on this thread. This is not a contest to see who is online more or not. New people, readers and authors and fans alike, join our group everyday.
In respect to the situation, and blog posts you brought up Tammy K., they have been removed all together from the author's blog. I've not had time to go through Amazon reviews and/or comments, but then again this is a GR group, not an Amazon group.
I am all for discussion, and being able to have meaningful, non-destructive banter about different issues (especially from both sides of the fence- author and reader) but I want to keep it clean and respectful.
Tammy K. wrote: "Sheri wrote: "Tammy K. wrote: "Group moderator... Please check this thread"What exactly are we checking for? Our only rule in this group is to be respectful, so keep that in mind when commenting..."
Are you an "IT", Tammy K.? By your own quotes of the comments... "it's vain" "it's creepy"
If I say, "it's hotter than Hades" that doesn't mean I am claiming to be a 'hottie' or that anyone else in the room is hot. You were not called names, the issue of that review, that blog post, things you brought up were being discussed. I cannot control if you take offense to the way it was put, but K. did not turn troll on you. I've seen UGLY things before on GR, and this didn't even make my radar.
Making Connections
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As an author, I can say that I don't mind a bad review as long as it makes sense and it's got critical/constructive point..."
I'm ok with authors contacting me to comment on my review, though I do worry slightly when it appears in the Inbox! If they were to say 'you're wrong, my book deserved more than that', I would get annoyed as they did ask for my honest review. But if they say something nice I do feel like less of a slug!