The Elite
question
Why are we afraid to give honest bad reviews?
Nika
(last edited
Apr 28, 2014 04:28PM
)
Apr 07, 2014 03:40PM
I've noticing a trend that is really beginning to bother me and I really wanted to share this with all the other members.
I don't write a lot of reviews but I rely on then to help me understand whether I should read a book or not. So the reviews need to honest and both from people who enjoyed and didn't enjoy the book. If its only from one group then its not helpful.
But more and more reviewers are apologizing before writing criticisms or putting caveats before the review. Some are even getting called out by fellow readers for good honest detailed criticisms. I can see authors behaving badly but fellow readers too!
Let's encourage fair criticism and encourage people who take the time to write them. Let's not make them feel they need to apologize or justify their opinions.
PS: I typed a book because the discussion needs a book. I am not discussing the particular book but all books on the site in general.
Edit: I agree with Melinda that just saying its terrible is hurtful but honestly saying I didn't like something about the characters or the plot is honest. I don't want to encourage trashing a book I just want everyone to feel comfortable expressing productive honest review...good or bad.
I don't write a lot of reviews but I rely on then to help me understand whether I should read a book or not. So the reviews need to honest and both from people who enjoyed and didn't enjoy the book. If its only from one group then its not helpful.
But more and more reviewers are apologizing before writing criticisms or putting caveats before the review. Some are even getting called out by fellow readers for good honest detailed criticisms. I can see authors behaving badly but fellow readers too!
Let's encourage fair criticism and encourage people who take the time to write them. Let's not make them feel they need to apologize or justify their opinions.
PS: I typed a book because the discussion needs a book. I am not discussing the particular book but all books on the site in general.
Edit: I agree with Melinda that just saying its terrible is hurtful but honestly saying I didn't like something about the characters or the plot is honest. I don't want to encourage trashing a book I just want everyone to feel comfortable expressing productive honest review...good or bad.
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personally, i think the reason that i feel like i sometimes have to qualify a bad review is because writing a book is very personal to the author and you never know who's going to read it. i always feel like i want to be honest, and i am....in the reviews that i post. i think though that while authors know that their stories won't be loved by everyone, it's still never fun to see that someone may not like it.
I think it's because writing a book is hard work that may take years and it can be a very personal story or have very personal aspects to the author. I try not to be too harsh or critical, because who am I too say it isn't a good book? If I don't like it I will say that I didn't enjoy it, sure, but people need to make their own decisions on what they think of a book. For example the other day I read Teen Angst...Naaaah and while I did not like it very much, heaps of people in the reviews gave it 5 stars. I'm not sure about everyone else but this is just how I feel.
Because we have been raised to be polite and until some lever even liars.
I give honest reviews, but then I do feel bad about them sometimes. I try to be tactful and always put good things with the bad, and explain that certain of my issues might not be a problem for every reader.
I do appreciate honest reviews as a consumer. What if everyone raved about a particular electric drill, for example, and it was trash? I'd feel betrayed by the reviewers if I wasted my time and money because of them. The same should work for books, though I do advocate tact and specificity.
As a writer, I feel that the reviews that are most hurtful are the ones like this: "It's bad. No...just no." I'd rather have a review like this: "I didn't sympathize with the main character and I thought the author used the word "sardonic" too many times." While this second review isn't pleasant for the author, it can actually be helpful and is easier to swallow because there's a reason.
I do appreciate honest reviews as a consumer. What if everyone raved about a particular electric drill, for example, and it was trash? I'd feel betrayed by the reviewers if I wasted my time and money because of them. The same should work for books, though I do advocate tact and specificity.
As a writer, I feel that the reviews that are most hurtful are the ones like this: "It's bad. No...just no." I'd rather have a review like this: "I didn't sympathize with the main character and I thought the author used the word "sardonic" too many times." While this second review isn't pleasant for the author, it can actually be helpful and is easier to swallow because there's a reason.
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