There have been countless cases of authors behaving badly in blogland. Usually I’m horrified. I mean, I laugh, of course–how do you not laugh?–but I’m never dumb enough to say, “I’d never be that dumb.” Truth is, I’m pretty dumb. And the second you say you wouldn’t do something, you set a pot of crow to boil. You just gotta hope you have enough spice to make it taste good. These days, most of the bad behavior seen is because the Author/Reviewer relationship is being dragged through the mud and I keep wondering why.
Is it really the bruised feelings on the part of the authors? Could it truly be that all reviewers are evil incarnate who just want to bring someone down to feel better about themselves? Or is it just that this is a subjective genre and people are forgetting that?
I admit, when I grow frustrated with writing or my writing career, I generally get to wondering if maybe I could become a reviewer and have my revenge upon the industry. Well, it would look like revenge, anyway. Truth is I’m a bitch of epic proportions when it comes to book satisfaction and I’d come off as one of those playa’haters if I tried it. Not because I never like books. More because I need more than solid boink writing skills in my erotica. I need more than good jokes in my comedies. I want more than a chase in my suspense. I’m a romance fan. I need romance and how good in bed he is or how bad he wants his heroine in it with him never replaces my need for love to be forming. Oh, and giant erections are good and all, but if the guy hauling that sucker around isn’t kind, I don’t want to know him.
As you can see, this would not make me a popular reviewer with the current spate of trends.
I guess that I’m just not made for that side of the fence, but I have a pretty big appreciation for reviewers, even those that don’t like my work. They’re willing to put their names out there and say they don’t like something. They’re willing to say when they do, even against popular opinion. They put their names on it or at least their reputations. That takes balls and I respect that enormously. And yet, that respect leaves me in the minority as far as authors seem to go and again, I ask why? Is it unpopular to like reviewers? Is it unfair to make friends with ones you enjoy reading? Am I being a bad author for asking the question? Especially since I’m a relatively new author?
*gasp*
Probably not. But the questions are always valid. Will this strange apathy always been there? Will it continue or will it improve in a few years? Has it happened before or is it a product of new book markets opening up? Have eBooks upset the delicate balance of love and hate between reviewers and authors? Or is it just that blogging has made reviewing a bit easier for fans to do?
Well, people seem to like me. Actually, I think it’d be fair to say most people who comment and/or link to my blog are authors.
At the same time, I do reach out to authors, and I don’t know, maybe my being a writer too makes them feel more comfortable.
I’d say no, that you’re not behaving badly. Behaving badly would be accusing other authors of cosying up to reviewers.
Besides, I don’t think authors disliking reviewers is always a “I hate All Reviewers” thing. It’s more “I hate so-and-so reviewer who gave me a bad review.” No?
Has blogging made reviewing something everyone can do? Yeah, that and Amazon etc. It’s certainly changed the reviewer/author equilibrium.
I think the Internet has made a fundamental change in a lot of things:
– More reviews are being done.
– More reviews are (much too) public via blogs, etc.
– Authors can express their opinions on reviews.
– Comments to reviews allow for feedback directly between reviewer and author, or anyone else. This introduces conflict.
Think about it – before the Internet, reviews were done by a select few in printed publications or on television. Very static, very ploddingly done, and it doesn’t invite too much feedback between reviewer and reviewee.
The dynamism that is introduced by the Internet has changed this relationship on a very basic level. Anytime you do that, people are going to holler.
You ask a person what they think, or if they choose to tell you what they think, don’t be surprised when they answer.
WRT my feelings about an author and a reviewer being friendly – I don’t personally see why this is an issue, but there should be full disclosure. Similar to what a paper has to do when they’re reporting a story on their parent company or the like. That way the reader knows if they should take what someone says with a grain of salt.
I think most authors like any reviewers or bloggers who are open, honest and fair. What’s not to like? It only takes one behaving like idiot to ruin it for others (whether they be reader, writer or blogger).
I will say this — that authors seem to be expected to just suck it up. What about readers and bloggers? Honestly, do most people think that anyone who isn’t an author should be able to say whatever the hell they want and no one can respond? That seems unfair to me. If a reader, blogger, Aunt Mary — whoever — says that I’m an asshat, I should be able to say, “Takes one to know one” if I want to, shouldn’t I? I mean, if it were our dear Sybil being insulted, she’s going to respond. Maybe I should be a bigger person, but I’ve had people actually throw around accusations of plagarism (it was ridiculous) like it was nothing. They didn’t care what damage it might do to me, and yet, if I had responded I would have been made out to be the bad guy. I don’t get it.
I’m not defending authors behaving badly, but am I alone in thinking that there are also readers and bloggers and reviewers behaving badly as well? And before anyone thinks I’m talking out my butt, before I got published, I was a reader, a reviewer and very vocal on romance boards. When I sold to Avon I had to face some women whose books I had torn apart, and to whom I had been less than fair. It was an eye-opening experience for me.
I don’t need someone to defend me, but in the 8 years that I’ve been doing this, it’s been my experience that it’s not acceptable for me to defend myself either.
bbbbwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh ::wipes eye::
I agree! I am dear and sweet damn it!
I figure, I have a blog and I run my mouth. I am honest to a fault and where I may not seek a person out to say ‘yo, your shit sucks’ if I am sent the book, am given the book to review or buy the book I am going to honestly say what I think and why.
Of course I like tons of shit other people hate because they are over it, think too much or even because they want to show look at me I am the smart the author tis the dumb.
AND SOMETIMES THE BOOK JUST DIDN’T WORK FOR THEM.
We are all right. We all have a right to an opinon and we can disgree without anyone being wrong. I often disgree with many a blogger I adore.
Of course I can’t say that I trash authors, nor do any of the reviews on my blog. And it would be a laugh to say any of us don’t support authors. A book getting a low grade is not saying Kathryn Smith sucks arse, it would be saying Kathryn Smith’s book does. [le sigh if I had it to read. hmph]
Now If Kathryn Smith did a really asshat thing like, oh I don’t know… pulling something out of the air at random… like posting on a reader blog and telling the blogger they should be ashamed of themselves and give all writers equipt with a pussy good grades because the poor dears might keel themselves over it and it would be all the bloggers fault.
wwwweeeelllllll I would have to point and mock…
Being an author Mz Smith is screwed because life is not fair. That could be her honest opinion and she may want to say well Sybil you’re a fuckwit too. And she could say that…
But I am not selling anything. I am not even selling adspace. I do not really even have ‘readers’. This of this as a party. All are welcome. If you go home that is cool with me just drive sober.
For an author… you do want people to buy your shit… sooo… it is what it is
At the same time I do hold the view, as I do with books, that an author is welcome to comment on my REVIEWS. Or any reviewers reviews. Yes I know shocking… there are reviewers that will say authors need to grow up and be big girls than run and cry when someone laughs at their work.
No really. And that my friend is a pussy. You don’t crit someone’s work and then cry if they comment on yours. At the same time you don’t trash the reviewer anymore than you should trash the author.
Gee whiz. Sybil, I think we agree! lol. If you’re putting something otu there, you gotta be prepared for the bad as well as looking for the good. Plain and simple. I’m more apt to rib a reviewer about not liking one of my books (waving to Jane) than throw a fit. It’s the book, not me. I mean really, who wouldn’t like ME? lol.
My take is this — everyone has an inner retard. Whether or not you choose to let it out is up to you.
I realize ‘retard’ is not PC. I just couldn’t think of another word to use. Isn’t that sad?
And here is the fundamental difference between 4th estate reviews and Internet reviews. We don’t have fact-checkers and a Legal Department overlooking us.
We, the Internet reviewers, can cast all the aspersions we want, can falsely accuse some poor author of torturing little bunnies to write their books. And if we do, there is not a blessed thing the author can really do other than yell back at the reviewer and accuse them smoking crack while they wrote the review.
There’s no Managing Editor to say, “Hey, Sybil, did you actually see Kathryn torturing little bunnies, or is this just something you pulled out of your ass?” There’s no corporate lawyer asking if Kathryn saw a crack pipe in Sybil’s hands.
There’s no moderator except the owners of the sites, and our own good conscience. Jung said it best: “Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to us, ‘Something is out of tune.’ ”
We just have to listen to ourselves and practice the Golden Rule.
N’cest pas?
Wow. Kate Smith tortures bunnies. I am soooo going to blog about that.
I do think that there is a double standard but I am not going to object if someone thinks my opinion is wrong wrong wrong. But oftentimes, the accusations leveled against readers and bloggers are personal. These women are mean. They are just trying to lift themselves above others. They are frustrated wanna bes. That is what I am against. If I can’t talk about what type of drugs author A apparently was on when she wrote her crack induced shit, then the reverse can’t be true either.
I also believe that those “crash and burn” reviewers, whomever they may be, don’t hold alot of credibility with the reader.
ssshhh we weren’t gonna tell about the bunny thing…
And hello, maria-of-many-names already told us who they were!
It wasn’t torture. It was ritual sacrifice as a gift to the blog gods to smite all those who diss my books. 🙂
Still, I’d like to see Sybil pull bunnies out of her arse. While holding a crack pipe.
Kate, I don’t want dem Sybil bunnies anywhere near my rabbit pie, thank you very much!
Amen, sister. 🙂