Indie and Proud discussion
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Queries Concerning Reviews
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1. Should I read my reviews?This differs from author to author. I have a friend who refuses to read hers. She doesn't want to know what people have to say b/c a bad review can bring you down or make you question your abilities or whether you should rewrite part of that book. She likes to publish it and hope for the best and not look bad. I, personally, read my reviews because I'm too freaking curious. Luckily I haven't had a review that slaughtered my book *yet*, but I do try to look at the "downsides" and see if it's something that many people complain about. I try to take it constructively. A lot of people felt my debut novel needed an epilogue, (which still confuses me lol) but it did help me find a more "conclusive" ending for my next book.
2. Should I respond to reviews with a thank you? Even if they are negative/non-constructive criticism? Or should I just completely ignore all reviews?
My thoughts, and again, my thoughts are worth zip lol... If you solicit someone asking for a review, I'd thank them regardless, even if it's bad. Simply thank them for taking the time to read and review it, even if it's just via e-mail. If they're part of a blog tour, I believe you should thank them for taking the time + promoting it. However, as far as basic reader reviews/non-promo reviews/non-solicited reviews, you can decide what to do. Most people say to just ignore it. I say ignore it before you respond defensively. No one likes "bad author behavior" and it definitely does come back to bite authors. I see it frequently online.
3. If reviewers post spoilers, should I politely ask them to please remove the spoilers, add a warning to their review that it contains spoilers, flag/report the review, or just completely ignore it?
I would ignore this. Goodreads allows you to hide spoilers, and most regular reviewers will work around spoilers anyway. But this is the internet. It'll come out somewhere. I'd just leave it as is.
4. If my reviewers start arguing with one another by commenting on each others reviews, should I politely ask them to stop, should I flag/report them, or should I just completely ignore it?
Ignore it. This could easily backfire on you. Readers/reviewers do not like argumentive authors, even if it's polite. It sucks, yes, that we're expected to bite our tongues and not defend ourselves, but not everyone will like our books. Not everyone will grasp the concepts we aimed for. Some readers will think a main character is an outright b!tch and some will think she kicks @ss. You just never know how someone will interpret your book. It's better to just step back and walk away.
Hi Nikki,
Thank you for your comments.
I do not really have an opinion about reading reviews. I think the only problem I would have was if a review crossed the line and ventured into the territory of harassment.
I do not personally believe that books need an epilogue if it is a series. If it was a series, I would not want to spoon-feed the story to people. There does not need to be a conclusion, because there is the whole rest of the series to tie-up loose ends. A good series is like a putting together a puzzle. :)
If someone posts something that is helpful, I am all for thanking them. One of my first reviewers was clearly not a member of my target audience... My editor and I realized that my book had been mistakingly categorized under Contemporary, Paranormal and Urban Fantasy. We had it moved to the appropriate categories. So, I thanked the reviewer, explained why I had thanked her and I left it at that.
What constitutes "bad author behavior"? I am very new to this. :)
I am not interested in defending myself, like if two people are arguing. I am a peace loving person and just do not want two people arguing no matter what it is about. I would ask them politely to either please stop arguing or to take their argument somewhere private where it will not detract from other peoples online experience. I really do not care how people respond to my books, unless it is constructive criticism. I love my books and I am confident in them and that is what matters. However, the last thing I want is people arguing over my books. I do not condone that kind of behavior.
Here is one last question... Is it considered bad author/book blogger/reviewer etiquette to contact an author directly with negative comments especially if it was a DNF/DNL? Over the last few days, I have received some harassing e-mails from a couple of different people. Two of these were nasty e-mails from failed authors I know personally, whom I had believed to be friends of mine. I have disregarded all of these e-mails, yet many book bloggers say that contacting an author directly with negative comments or a DNF/DNL is the cardinal sin of book blogging/reviewing... Is this true?
Thank you!
Stay Wicked,
Jill
Thank you for your comments.
I do not really have an opinion about reading reviews. I think the only problem I would have was if a review crossed the line and ventured into the territory of harassment.
I do not personally believe that books need an epilogue if it is a series. If it was a series, I would not want to spoon-feed the story to people. There does not need to be a conclusion, because there is the whole rest of the series to tie-up loose ends. A good series is like a putting together a puzzle. :)
If someone posts something that is helpful, I am all for thanking them. One of my first reviewers was clearly not a member of my target audience... My editor and I realized that my book had been mistakingly categorized under Contemporary, Paranormal and Urban Fantasy. We had it moved to the appropriate categories. So, I thanked the reviewer, explained why I had thanked her and I left it at that.
What constitutes "bad author behavior"? I am very new to this. :)
I am not interested in defending myself, like if two people are arguing. I am a peace loving person and just do not want two people arguing no matter what it is about. I would ask them politely to either please stop arguing or to take their argument somewhere private where it will not detract from other peoples online experience. I really do not care how people respond to my books, unless it is constructive criticism. I love my books and I am confident in them and that is what matters. However, the last thing I want is people arguing over my books. I do not condone that kind of behavior.
Here is one last question... Is it considered bad author/book blogger/reviewer etiquette to contact an author directly with negative comments especially if it was a DNF/DNL? Over the last few days, I have received some harassing e-mails from a couple of different people. Two of these were nasty e-mails from failed authors I know personally, whom I had believed to be friends of mine. I have disregarded all of these e-mails, yet many book bloggers say that contacting an author directly with negative comments or a DNF/DNL is the cardinal sin of book blogging/reviewing... Is this true?
Thank you!
Stay Wicked,
Jill
I have one last question...
I have heard horror stories about competitive authors posting negative reviews of other authors books on purpose and not to ask other authors for reviews, even if they are friends. Is this true? Does this really happen?
I have heard horror stories about competitive authors posting negative reviews of other authors books on purpose and not to ask other authors for reviews, even if they are friends. Is this true? Does this really happen?
I also have a question about Goodreads "stalkers". At what point does someone go from healthy fan to unhealthy obsessive stalker?
If someone clicks "like" for every single one of my updates... Say I add new books, post a comment, begin a topic, vote on a poll, join a group... Even if they are not in those groups or read those types of books... And then send weird messages as well... Should this be cause for concern?
Should I block them before it could possibly escalate into something else? How can I block people on Goodreads? If I block someone, can they still see my profile?
I have two "fans" who are doing this and it makes me feel very uncomfortable.
If someone clicks "like" for every single one of my updates... Say I add new books, post a comment, begin a topic, vote on a poll, join a group... Even if they are not in those groups or read those types of books... And then send weird messages as well... Should this be cause for concern?
Should I block them before it could possibly escalate into something else? How can I block people on Goodreads? If I block someone, can they still see my profile?
I have two "fans" who are doing this and it makes me feel very uncomfortable.
Jillian wrote: "Hi Nikki,Thank you for your comments.
I do not really have an opinion about reading reviews. I think the only problem I would have was if a review crossed the line and ventured into the territor..."
I'm no expert in indie/self publishing, by any means. By "bad author behavior", there have been instances where a reviewer doesn't like a book or may complain about a certain topic/scene/content, and the author turns around and argues about it. As authors, we have to accept that we won't please everyone, but there are those few who can't handle any criticism at all and blast anyone who says anything they don't agree with. It's far and few between, luckily. :)
As far as readers arguing about varying opinions, I would personally say to just ignore it. I'm not sure what proper etiquette is on that or how deep the "arguments" are. Maybe someone else should weigh in here? I would personally ignore it and hope it'd end soon. Opinions, anyone?
I think any personal direct contact just to be negative is very rude, whether you're an author, blogger, reviewer, reader, etc. I haven't ever personally heard of a blogger/reviewer/author contacting an author with negative comments. I hate that this happened to you. I'd just delete the e-mails, maybe report it as spam so that e-mail address can be directed to your spam folder. I'm not sure which e-mail provider you use. Maybe you can see if you can block them from e-mailing you? People who do that obviously have nothing better to do with their time, and your former "friends" probably just want to bring you down because things didn't go as they'd hoped for themselves. I do hope they stop harassing you soon.
There are horror stories out there, but from my experience, every author and blogger I've met thus far has been super kind and helpful. It is tough when it comes to reviews because sometimes I read books by authors whom I adore, but the book just wasn't "my kind of book." It happens. I just choose not to review those. If it's a friend's book, I don't tell anyone I didn't enjoy it. I do help spread the word though b/c others may really enjoy it. I know you can block people on Goodreads, but I'm not sure what they can see, if anything. Someone else will have to fill in the gaps there for me.
Thank you Nikki! You really did clarify some things. I personally think that "bad author behavior" is just not very mature.
I might try flagging/reporting comments where reviews are arguing or have listed spoilers.
I do agree with you that direct communication sent to an author that are non-constructive criticism... Is just really bad form. And the police are already investigating the harassment.
I did find how to block someone on Goodreads. Do you think that I should block those two "fans" or do you think I am being too hard on them? I believe that their behavior is beyond the scope of a healthy author-reader or author-fan relationship and that it is somewhat unhealthy and obsessive. It has gotten to the point that I had to hide everything from my feed, because they kept liking and commenting on all of my activities... Even the ones that we do not have in common.
I might try flagging/reporting comments where reviews are arguing or have listed spoilers.
I do agree with you that direct communication sent to an author that are non-constructive criticism... Is just really bad form. And the police are already investigating the harassment.
I did find how to block someone on Goodreads. Do you think that I should block those two "fans" or do you think I am being too hard on them? I believe that their behavior is beyond the scope of a healthy author-reader or author-fan relationship and that it is somewhat unhealthy and obsessive. It has gotten to the point that I had to hide everything from my feed, because they kept liking and commenting on all of my activities... Even the ones that we do not have in common.
I think blocking people is a personal decision. I think it'd all really depend on what would make you feel more comfortable and safe.
Honestly, I am torn... I would feel more comfortable if I blocked them. Yet, I would also feel bad about blocking them since they might just be good people who do not have a healthy sense of boundaries.
I have to admit... I did bring up their profiles just now and found that they are not just doing this to me... They are consistently doing this with other people as well... But I am the only author they are doing this to. I can understand liking that I added a book to my list if they read and enjoyed it too... They are both in middle school so I sure hope they are not reading Game of Thrones, Kushiel's Dart and Daughter of the Blood since those books all contain graphic sex, nudity, violence, brutality, torture, rape, b&d, s&m, etc. They also keep liking all of the books I add on Paganism, but neither of them are Pagan and nor have they read books on Paganism. Something... Just does not feel right.
They also like when I add friends they are not friends with and join groups they are not members of. Is it just me, or am I the only one hearing Han Solo saying, "I've got a bad feelings about this."
I want to take the time to thank you all for your comments. I am sorry for my delayed response... My iMac, iPhone and MacBook all crashed and it took me a while to get them all up and running again.
To me, reviews are a double-edged sword. An indie author needs them (both good and bad) in order to boost sales. Despite that, it would be perfectly okay if the author wanted to avoid reading them at all costs. I once said in a blog post that it doesn’t matter why someone buys a book in the first place, because no matter the reason, it’s money in the author’s pocket. That means if a mega-troll wanted to buy a hundred copies of Twilight just to set them on fire, it doesn’t change the fact that said mega-troll is giving his patronage and money to Stephanie Meyer and making her richer than she already is. Be thankful for the attention, not the hate. Love and hate are two polar opposites that are permanent parts of life. What you choose to do with them is completely up to you. I hope this helps with moving the conversation along. And by the way, there’s never been any shame in blocking people from your account. Avoiding hateful confrontations is absolutely necessary to enjoy life on the internet. -Garrison-
Hi guys! I apologize for my delayed response. I have been out of town and having problems with the display on my laptop... It keeps going black. LOL! And now I am playing catchup.
So, as for reviews, I have been reading them. And honestly, I am pretty indifferent towards the negative ones that don't contain constructive criticism and very thankful for the positive ones. I received a very wonderful constructive e-mail from a friend (who loved my book) and also caught a few proofreading mistakes which I will correct. I even asked if she'd proofread my next novel. :)
Other than that, I completely ignore them. Although, I thank everyone who takes the time to actually e-mail me.
I do love the attention either way. A wise blog said hate mail is fan mail in disguise and I agree. If something I write makes someone feel so passionate (whether it's negative/unpleasant or positive/pleasant passion) that's awesome and they're paying attention to me. ENFP, ftw. LOL!
Although, I deeply appreciate my fans and supporters. I love them. They are awesome! :)
So, as for reviews, I have been reading them. And honestly, I am pretty indifferent towards the negative ones that don't contain constructive criticism and very thankful for the positive ones. I received a very wonderful constructive e-mail from a friend (who loved my book) and also caught a few proofreading mistakes which I will correct. I even asked if she'd proofread my next novel. :)
Other than that, I completely ignore them. Although, I thank everyone who takes the time to actually e-mail me.
I do love the attention either way. A wise blog said hate mail is fan mail in disguise and I agree. If something I write makes someone feel so passionate (whether it's negative/unpleasant or positive/pleasant passion) that's awesome and they're paying attention to me. ENFP, ftw. LOL!
Although, I deeply appreciate my fans and supporters. I love them. They are awesome! :)
1. Should I read my reviews?
2. Should I respond to reviews with a thank you? Even if they are negative/non-constructive criticism? Or should I just completely ignore all reviews?
3. If reviewers post spoilers, should I politely ask them to please remove the spoilers, add a warning to their review that it contains spoilers, flag/report the review, or just completely ignore it?
4. If my reviewers start arguing with one another by commenting on each others reviews, should I politely ask them to stop, should I flag/report them, or should I just completely ignore it?
Personally, I prefer asserting myself in a verbal yet tactful manner. I dislike avoidant and passive-agressive behavior. Yet, in my experience, what works IRL tends to only cause problems over the internet.