I do understand you want to be a writer when you grow up. Since you may need these author peeps or their publishers it has always seemed you didn’t want to really review the books. Bella, I think that is fabulous because fangirls need a home too.
But I do think it was a good idea for you to explain in detail to anyone who didn’t understand (well at least the ones who read RtB) you don’t post ethical literary criticism of romance fiction but post happy, happy, joy, joy, rah, rah “Reader’s Opinions” and not reviews. Not to say that is bad of course, I think there is room for all types of blogs (not only the detailed review blogs). And as one can see by reading the comments on RtB, some authors will always respond to kissass positive people.
Maybe we should find a cover model to get his deep thoughts on the matter. I mean we wouldn’t want to set up rules for every person in blogland without some input from others. I mean hell, people might think it is okay for them to do whatever they want.
Next thing you know heroines won’t be virgins, heroes will be rakes that have sex or the first wife will not be a fucknut but a good person the hero really loved. And then who knows what would happen, readers might think they can make up their own minds! Or le gasp, decide what they want to buy for themselves.
They may even figure out the deep dark secret of the internet. You know… that it is all opinion.
Sybil Cook
redwyne@redwyne.com
a real name, never watched talk soup, not a wanna be author and nary an ass kissed reader… so really what do I know
feel free to make up your own mind… What do you think? Should we start to censor free thought and turn romanceblogland into pollyannaville?
Just left my remarks. I find it completely ridiculous.
She talks about readers deliberately writing slash reviews to get attention, whilst writing about the oldest and most inflammatory romance subject since the year dot, but whatever.
Have you noticed that authors rarely ever give props to the readers who blog about books period?
Wouldn’t it be nice if we saw that column on RTB?
Oy.
I used to like Romancing the Blog. But I keep dipping into it when there’s another author complaining about readers. Makes me think that maybe that’s all that gets written over there.
Like I should talk. Haven’t written anything in almost a month. Nor read much either. What was that thing? Oh. Christmas. Right–took up a lot of my time recently preparing for Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Men. (And Authors and Readers and Bloggers.)
Finally! Some drama… I truly was looking for it during my vacation. Ask Jane. I was bugging her everyday for gossip.
Ugh. Another one?
I am so sick of these women making us all look bad. Groan. And people wonder why romance is looked down on as a genre. Maybe because so many of its writers behave like children? And apparently so many of its readers and reviewers too?
Have you noticed that authors rarely ever give props to the readers who blog about books period?
That’s an excellent point, Karen. I do try. I try to link to readers blogs, too, but sometimes the people running the blogs decide they don’t want authors reading or commenting and change their url for that specific reason. So how can I plug their blogs when they don’t want me there, and hide from me?
There was supposed to be a little winkie at the end of my comment there.
IMO, I read the snark before I read the happy-go-lucky. If the motives are impure, it’ll work itself out, but there are FAR more popular happy-happy-joy-joy romance websites out there in comparison to both the snark and constructive-critiquing websites. Speaking with just the romance genre’s online community and putting aside the so-called assessment that it’s because “we’re women” that we play nice, I’ve found that it’s the aspiring writers who’ve set up a lot the websites devoted to romance books and authors who have unwittingly forced the majority of readers and writers to entwine The Book with The Author, causing all of these unnecessary rifts and hurt pride. As a reader, I do make my own decisions, but when I read a review, it’s because I: a) want to see other opinions and b) it always sparks discussion about the book. It’s a bit hard to discuss a book when everything is either all Positive and even if everything is all Negative. Viscerally I want to be buried beneath positive fan letters and receive nothing but A+ and five-starred reviews with every book: but it’s not realistic. In the end, as a writer, all I’m here to do is write, and write without obsessing over reviews from both my peers and readers.
Arg, it’s: Speaking with just the romance genre’s online community in mind I knew I should have proofread before sending.
geez, has this been brought up again?
yes, there are nasty evil reviews on the internet. So what? There’s a little of everything out on the web.
In the beginning, I paid a lot of attention to reviews. The past year or so? Not so much. My life is a lot easier when I don’t obsess over things like reviews. Not everybody is going to like what I write, and not everybody who likes what I write is going to like every book. As long as I’m satisfied with it, and as long as there are readers out there that do like them? That’s good enough for me.
I guess I don’t know who these bad bad reviewers are. Negative reviews are necessary and wanted by the readers. Not because they are negative, but because it provides balance. and yeah, no one seems to want to talk about the positive reviews or book giveaways or such.
I don’t agree with the post, obviously. I also am not sure to whom the RTB column is aimed. One of the commenters said that they see some anonymous bloggers begging to be outed. I don’t see that either. Jessica Inclan said that there was one blogger than is determined to write bad reviews about her books. Haven’t even seen a review on a blog except for Jayne’s (which was positive). I wish someone would do some linkage for us!
Karen S pointed out an important point and that is no one ever talks about the good that blogs do. Like Sybil’s blog which is constantly pimping books and making me spend my money. Are there truly blogs out there that do nothing but focus on the negative? Because I just haven’t seen it.
Pollyannas do no good for the romance community. How many people have said – I don’t trust the RT reviews or I don’t trust xyz review. There is no credibility for a blogger who is so one sided.
How many slash and burn blogs are there? I certainly don’t come across too many. Most post honest opinions about books. If it’s a lousy book it’s likely going to get a snarky review, that doesn’t make the reviewer “mean” just honest.
When I say that I don’t like snark – I’m talking the extreme. A snark here or there isn’t bad as I’m guilty of it too. But what baffles me is the constant push for bloggers to be more nice and pollyanna, focus on the positive, not the negative. Why are romance authors such a sensitive bunch of people? Writers in general. I mean I remember when Anne Rice had her meltdown on Amazon.com but that might have been years of fustration on her part. LOL. And the author of the piece at RTB, completely ignores the other comments and apologizes to the Ja(y)nes. That had me puzzled because I didn’t know where that came from. Heh. She was completely mortified and everything. I guess reader blogs are something to be reckoned with, I guess.
Keishon, I noticed that she was avoiding the dissenting views, I noticed and wasn’t effing surprised.
These people seem to forget that it’s us readers who buy their books, not their author friends. The author friends usually get the arcs for free, and don’t bother buying the books afterwards.
It would be interesting to know how many authors actually read their friends books without skimming.
Some of these people ought to get their priority straight that’s for sure.
I said it somewhere else before, but this idea that authors don’t understand why readers are so very mean and readers don’t understand why authors need constant ego stroking from fellow authors really reminds me of various discussion boards dedicated to horses.
There’s a whole pool of them which are all about twelve year old girls putting sparklies on their ponies and they get upset when “big bad adults” tell them to learn how to ride. Then there’s a whole other pool of them which are about competing (whether in eventing, dressage, breed showing, or endurance), and they don’t understand why people who own horses never take them off the property. I’m very interested in the genetics and attitudes of a very very small subset of horses and it’s really hard for me to find a group of people on the internet who share that same focus.
I was blown over when I found a group of reader blogs where people were reading the same types of romances and latching onto the same themes that I enjoy.
I sort of see a lot of these blogland blowups about nicety and reviewing standards as being some kerfuffle over on the sparklie pony board. They seem to be very upset about it, but I truly don’t understand what the fuss is about, and it seems to be directed to other sparklie pony posters, who very mcuh get it and are very upset about it.
I really can only shrug and keep focused on what I do understand about romances, horses, discussion groups, and the internet.
I was wondering this, too. If not the Ja(y)nes, if not Smart Bitches, if not Bam (who use their names, so it can’t be one of the anonymous sites referenced in the letter — and each also gives their undying love to books they find worthy, so it’s not all negative, all the time) then who are these uber-snarky, tear-em-up, attention-seeking reviewers?
I can’t count how many books I’ve purchase because of reader blogs, review sites and discussion — and not just the positive reviews, either. Any discussion about an unusual or controversial aspect of a book is more likely to make me take notice of the book. I can’t see that as a bad thing in any way.
oops
Guess
janeI need to look into the background color of quotes in the comments :).Part of me just thinks it is an attention getting post. And yes I have already been beaten for giving it the attention it didn’t deserve. But at the same time… I am all for talking about things when people have valid points.
Only with half the info (if even that) you can’t really decide if it is a valid point.
Even though I tend to avoid these “discussions” like a bad rash, I will say this: All this is just a variation of a very old and tired tune. Five years ago everyone was talking about the meanie reviewers over at TRR and AAR (and Mrs. Giggles! That evil, vile woman!). Now it’s meanie reviewers on reader blogs. Same tired argument focussed on a different location.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Hey, since this is the same old argument just cooked in a newer casserole dish, can I drag out the perennial bulletin board favorite:
“Why can’t you youngsters type in full sentences using correct grammar?”
“hey old fart..f i want 2 typ lik dis den U need 2 get wid de times rofl i’am dislexic and thats not for you to judge and when i use ppl instead of people its not being lazy its keeping up with the 21st century text somthing you should do old man, and yea i dont care about you eather… i hope u dont have kids cuzz by the sounds of the person you is u probably put them through hell.”
“OK. Well then. And BTW, I don’t belive you’re dyslexic.”
And a flame war began….
I don’t often read RTB so when I saw it mentioned on Karen’s blog I kind of skipped it by last night, but then I went back again today and read it more carefully and then really got pissed off. I see she didn’t respond to any of the posts asking her who these slash and burn bloggers are which to me says she’s doing exactly the same thing she is accusing the reader blogs of doing. AND she’s making grand sweeping statements that will please authors but not backing it up with examples!! That pisses me off. And as Karen says, not often is credit given to reader blogs who review books and convince other bloggers to give them a try. If she said Amazon reviews I’d give her points but reader blogs? Nuh uh.
It’s not a grand sweeping statement to say the author of the piece made grand sweeping statements that will please authors–but it is a generalization.
If I could rub a lamp and have one wish granted during these review/blog/reader/writer discussions it would be that the posters who tend to lump all writers together as if we were The Borg remember, we’re separate, individual and will have varying opinions–and levels of those opinions–on pretty much every issue. I mean that, sincerely, when praise or criticism is expressed.
Because if I do something cool, I want the props for it, and if I screw up, I’ll take the lumps. I don’t wanna share.
Don’t mean to pick on Kristie in particular–there’s a tendancy, it seems, in some reactions to speak of writers are if we were all one.
Readers are not all one voice or type or style, and neither are writers.
I don’t know what sites this woman is referring to…most of the ones I read have both negative AND positive reviews. You can’t lik’em all and it really hurts (our pockets) when we read books with glowing reviews from RAH RAH RAH reviewers..cough…Harriet Klausner…cough…and then realize the reviews were all loaded with bull. Readers don’t like investing time and hard-earned cash on books that leave A LOT to be desired….especially when they have to wait months, sometimes years for them (due to publishing delays, authors’ writer’s block, etc).
I’ve gotten plenty of positive feedback from authors whom I’ve given so so reviews to. Authors welcome this…it may hurt, but they welcome it. I wonder if Michelle refrains from giving movies negative reviews….or does she have only nice things to say about Mariah Carey’s GLITTER?
or does she have only nice things to say about Mariah Carey’s GLITTER?
OK, that was too funny!
BTW, I wonder if she remembers that the last anonymous blogger who wrote slash and burn reviews turned out to be an author, pretending to be a reader, who wasn’t savvy enough to realise that IP addresses are there for a reason?
OMG!! Nora Roberts typed my name!! Wow! I’m serious! Do you know how much I adore the In Death books? OK – gushing over.
I was planning on spending the day doing housework and then reward myself by going on the internet. Well – I ended up rewarding myself first dang it all – first thing in the morning when I was barely awake! Now there isn’t the insentive to do housework. You’re right! That was a generalization I made and I should have taken a breath first. I felt my friends were somewhat attacked by the writer of the article and once I started reading and got annoyed, I should have slowed down. I made the same kind of generalization that got me het up in the first place. I have to say I love authors and I sure didn’t mean to lump them together. They are all as different as bloggers with different styles and different opinions. I hold authors in very high esteem and I have heard privately from some the during my recent loss that moved me incredibly. I don’t have the words for how much it meant. And fellow bloggers have also meant so much to me – again more than words can tell. They have both helped me get through some very hard times. That is why I am a bit protective and it seemed that as Sybil said, it was written to get attention. I normally don’t get involved in any kind of attacks or things – I just sit on the sidelines and wait til it’s over.
OK – so now I’m going to get back to the houswork and think of something else to reward myself with when it’s done. I know!! A book.
Thank you, Nora.
You know, it’s boggled my mind ever since I first stepped foot online why there seems to be an ‘us vs them’ mentally between readers and authors online. We don’t exist without each other so what is the problem? I write a book and want readers to like it and get upset when they don’t? Yeah, I guess. Or readers buy my book expecting me to deliver what they want and then get upset when I don’t? That too, I suppose. l don’t get it. It’s not like I’ve done anything to them — readers in general — on purpose.
And I understand that they spent money on that book. Please understand that of that $5.99 I probably only see about $0.48. And of course, when someone buys my book at a UBS or checks it out of a library I don’t make anything, so it’s not like I’m out to rob readers with my awful, awful books. I’m doing a pretty poor job of it if that is my goal.
Anyway, this stuff just makes my head spin. I get so wrapped up in it and then I realize I’ve lost valuable time. Time that I could have spent writing, or with my husband, or curled up with a good book. These wars take too much energy and having been a reader, reviewer and author, I see too many valid points in every argument.
This topic does seem to come up a lot over at RTB. Boy does Michelle Buonfiglio seem angry! It makes me wonder who pissed her off so! This particular take was interesting, coming as it did from a “reader.” Well, Ms. B. is certainly entitled to her own opinion, and to a forum to express it in, for that matter. As we all are. But it’s starting to seem like a made-up issue, to be regurgitated when there’s nothing else to write about. At RTB, people said that it’s not professional to point fingers, but how can we be bothered to care about these so-called “slash and burn” bloggers, when I’ve never seen any evidence to back it up. I’m sure it’s been pointed out before, but the blogs that I’ve read have reviews that have obviously been given a lot of thought. There is also positive as well as negative commentary. I have read pointlessly nasty and negative reviews at Amazon. Is there confusion here between the two? I’m officially done with the whole “meany, meany readers” nonsense. I will endeavor to avoid any blog posting about it in the future.
But I’m feeling a little guilty because my most recent review was a little mean. Oh well, what can you do?
The truth is, sometimes I feel the need to strive to be meaner in my reviews. For the most part, we at SF, try to be very fair in our reviews. If I hated a book, I’m certainly going to say I hated it, but I still try to be fair about it. Sometimes, I’ll re-read a review I did and think, “Huh. I hated this book WAY more than I let on” and want to scrap the whole thing and write it over. I want to say, YOU SUCK AT WRITING. GIVE IT UP! But I don’t. Because that wouldn’t be “fair” to the author. But sometimes I just about choke on “fairness”.
I have to agree with what everyone else said about wishing more authors would acknowledge reader blogs. Some of them are very sweet. Others not so much. But over-all, it’s a major community. So, you get a bad review? Like you never saw that coming? Bitch please. As long as there are different people in the world, there will be bad reviews. We can’t ALL like the same things. How boring would that be?
I say, SUCK IT UP! If you can’t stand the bad reviews, DON’T WRITE. Quit whining about it and MOVE ON.
Course, could be that I don’t have a clue. It wouldn’t be the first time. 🙂