Do I have to provide the format the reviewer requests? No; do so if you can, but if the reviewer won't accept the only format you have available then they don't get your book to review.
I don't publish eBooks, only printed books. Can I still join in? Certainly, if your reviewer agrees to give you their address and you are prepared to bear the cost of getting a copy of your book to them.
How long do I have to post a review? It is entirely up to the reviewer. When an author sends you their book, the date it was sent is noted under your name; it is your choice how long that entry sits there with the ‘review posted’ part blank. Basically, it depends what reputation you want to build as a reviewer, and how many free books you want to receive. The authors will be checking the reviewer history before deciding whether to send out the requested free copies or not.
Which sites do reviews have to be posted on? All reviews must be posted on GR. Any other sites are agreed between reviewer and author at the time the book is requested.
What do I do if the reviewer posts the review on sites I don't want it on? Nothing; it is not the author's decision to make. Think 'wider world' than this group; would you expect to be able to control what reviewers do elsewhere? Of course not. If you choose to publish a book, you are implicitly giving reviewers permission to post what they think about the book wherever they want to.
What do I do if a reviewer promised to post the review on site xyz but only posted to GR? You can try PMing the reviewer with a gentle reminder and a request to post on xyz, but don’t plague them. The only requirement from this group is posting on GR; the rest is voluntary.
What do I do if I send my book out and the recipient does not post a review on GR? Nothing; there is no compulsion to review. The recipient of the book should be aware, though, that their reputation as a reviewer is not going to be a good one if the review posting dates remain stubbornly blank. Review posting dates are only completed (by me) when the reviewer posts the GR review link on Review copies sent.
Why can’t we discuss posted reviews? Authors have no right to comment on a review. Ever. All reviews should be treated as though from an anonymous reader, as though they were just posted out of the blue on Amazon or whatever. A review is not written for the author; it is written by a reader for other readers. If you publish your book you've got to accept that some reviews you won't like, some are just plain dishonest, some are intentionally hurtful. There's nothing you can do about it (bar unpublish your book) so just move on. Discussing reviews has the potential to quickly become very personal; it is not a professional way to behave.
I can try and encourage a friendly, supportive environment on the forum for authors and reviewers to get together, help each other past writer's block, give feedback and advice etc etc, but I will not, under any circumstances, interfere with the review process. By 'supportive' I do not mean inflating the ratings of the authors you know from the forum, or forbidding posting of low rating reviews.
What do I do if I don’t agree with a review of my book? Absolutely nothing – see above.
Why are you recording the review rating as well as the review date? The rating is public anyway, but I want it to be immediately obvious if a reviewer consistently 5* rates books written by close friends and 1* or 2* rates everyone else's books in the genre they themselves write in. If reviews are honest I would expect to see a range of ratings; sometimes we pick up books that don't live up to our expectations, sometimes we are pleasantly surprised, some books are OK but not the best we've read. Since we are choosing the books we review I would expect more 3, 4 and 5 ratings, but we are all sometimes mislead by the blurb and glowing reviews from other people. If you accept a review copy and it's only worth 1 or 2 then say so; don't let your own reviewing reputation suffer by leaving that 'review posted' date blank.
Why have you deleted my post? Why didn’t you PM me so that I could just amend it? It is your responsibility to read the instructions and act accordingly. I have sufficient time to do the basic admin you all need me to do. I do not have the time to hold your hands through every step. You are probably thinking it takes very little time and effort to send a PM, which is quite true for one member, but then start multiplying that by 1,000 members and you’ll appreciate my dilemma. Agreed we do not yet have that many members, but the potential is there, so I’m starting off with precisely defined procedures which I will adhere to so we all know where we stand; the only way the group can continue is if all members take responsibility for their own actions.
Do I have to send my book to anyone who asks for it? No. Check out the reviewer’s history (which will become more informative with time as the list grows); if a reviewer is seen to repeatedly request books but those posted review dates remain blank, make your own choice about whether to send your book out or not…
Do I have to give a reason if I decide not to send my book to someone who asks for it? No.
Is there a standard format for reviews from this group? No. Reviews are very personal things. If you want some guidance you can read my opinions here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... but as with reviews, this guidance is just one person’s opinion – mine.
I can’t find the ‘introduce yourself here’ topic. There isn’t one. Those threads are a waste of everyone’s time; if we want to know the details a member wants to be public we can link to the GR profile. Beyond that we get to know each other through our behaviour and what we say on the forum.
Why can’t I add my book to the group bookshelf? The group bookshelf is only available to members whose books are in the library. As posts are added in the library the moderator will add the book(s) to the bookshelf.
What if I don't agree with a rule, or I want a new rule added? PM me your thoughts/ideas; I'll consider what you say carefully, and I may act on it, but this isn't a democracy. I feel no compulsion to change things because an individual member wants it changed, or even a group of members. If I think the idea is a good one I'll adopt it. If I don't agree I won't change things.
I run this group the way I want it to run; I've had several years' experience as a moderator and this format is one I think will work well for the majority of group members and for me. You are free to join, and if you don't like what you find here you are free to leave. If you want things to be done differently you can start your own group.
Re the banner, what have clouds got to do with books? I like clouds. And can you think of a better example of perpetual motion?
No; do so if you can, but if the reviewer won't accept the only format you have available then they don't get your book to review.
I don't publish eBooks, only printed books. Can I still join in?
Certainly, if your reviewer agrees to give you their address and you are prepared to bear the cost of getting a copy of your book to them.
How long do I have to post a review?
It is entirely up to the reviewer. When an author sends you their book, the date it was sent is noted under your name; it is your choice how long that entry sits there with the ‘review posted’ part blank. Basically, it depends what reputation you want to build as a reviewer, and how many free books you want to receive. The authors will be checking the reviewer history before deciding whether to send out the requested free copies or not.
Which sites do reviews have to be posted on?
All reviews must be posted on GR. Any other sites are agreed between reviewer and author at the time the book is requested.
What do I do if the reviewer posts the review on sites I don't want it on?
Nothing; it is not the author's decision to make. Think 'wider world' than this group; would you expect to be able to control what reviewers do elsewhere? Of course not. If you choose to publish a book, you are implicitly giving reviewers permission to post what they think about the book wherever they want to.
What do I do if a reviewer promised to post the review on site xyz but only posted to GR?
You can try PMing the reviewer with a gentle reminder and a request to post on xyz, but don’t plague them. The only requirement from this group is posting on GR; the rest is voluntary.
What do I do if I send my book out and the recipient does not post a review on GR?
Nothing; there is no compulsion to review. The recipient of the book should be aware, though, that their reputation as a reviewer is not going to be a good one if the review posting dates remain stubbornly blank. Review posting dates are only completed (by me) when the reviewer posts the GR review link on Review copies sent.
Why can’t we discuss posted reviews?
Authors have no right to comment on a review. Ever. All reviews should be treated as though from an anonymous reader, as though they were just posted out of the blue on Amazon or whatever. A review is not written for the author; it is written by a reader for other readers. If you publish your book you've got to accept that some reviews you won't like, some are just plain dishonest, some are intentionally hurtful. There's nothing you can do about it (bar unpublish your book) so just move on. Discussing reviews has the potential to quickly become very personal; it is not a professional way to behave.
I can try and encourage a friendly, supportive environment on the forum for authors and reviewers to get together, help each other past writer's block, give feedback and advice etc etc, but I will not, under any circumstances, interfere with the review process. By 'supportive' I do not mean inflating the ratings of the authors you know from the forum, or forbidding posting of low rating reviews.
For further information about reviews please read this:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
What do I do if I don’t agree with a review of my book?
Absolutely nothing – see above.
Why are you recording the review rating as well as the review date?
The rating is public anyway, but I want it to be immediately obvious if a reviewer consistently 5* rates books written by close friends and 1* or 2* rates everyone else's books in the genre they themselves write in. If reviews are honest I would expect to see a range of ratings; sometimes we pick up books that don't live up to our expectations, sometimes we are pleasantly surprised, some books are OK but not the best we've read. Since we are choosing the books we review I would expect more 3, 4 and 5 ratings, but we are all sometimes mislead by the blurb and glowing reviews from other people. If you accept a review copy and it's only worth 1 or 2 then say so; don't let your own reviewing reputation suffer by leaving that 'review posted' date blank.
Why have you deleted my post? Why didn’t you PM me so that I could just amend it?
It is your responsibility to read the instructions and act accordingly. I have sufficient time to do the basic admin you all need me to do. I do not have the time to hold your hands through every step. You are probably thinking it takes very little time and effort to send a PM, which is quite true for one member, but then start multiplying that by 1,000 members and you’ll appreciate my dilemma. Agreed we do not yet have that many members, but the potential is there, so I’m starting off with precisely defined procedures which I will adhere to so we all know where we stand; the only way the group can continue is if all members take responsibility for their own actions.
Do I have to send my book to anyone who asks for it?
No. Check out the reviewer’s history (which will become more informative with time as the list grows); if a reviewer is seen to repeatedly request books but those posted review dates remain blank, make your own choice about whether to send your book out or not…
Do I have to give a reason if I decide not to send my book to someone who asks for it?
No.
Is there a standard format for reviews from this group?
No. Reviews are very personal things. If you want some guidance you can read my opinions here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
but as with reviews, this guidance is just one person’s opinion – mine.
I can’t find the ‘introduce yourself here’ topic.
There isn’t one. Those threads are a waste of everyone’s time; if we want to know the details a member wants to be public we can link to the GR profile. Beyond that we get to know each other through our behaviour and what we say on the forum.
Why can’t I add my book to the group bookshelf?
The group bookshelf is only available to members whose books are in the library. As posts are added in the library the moderator will add the book(s) to the bookshelf.
What if I don't agree with a rule, or I want a new rule added?
PM me your thoughts/ideas; I'll consider what you say carefully, and I may act on it, but this isn't a democracy. I feel no compulsion to change things because an individual member wants it changed, or even a group of members. If I think the idea is a good one I'll adopt it. If I don't agree I won't change things.
I run this group the way I want it to run; I've had several years' experience as a moderator and this format is one I think will work well for the majority of group members and for me. You are free to join, and if you don't like what you find here you are free to leave. If you want things to be done differently you can start your own group.
Re the banner, what have clouds got to do with books?
I like clouds.
And can you think of a better example of perpetual motion?