When I am reading a book for review, I don’t usually read others’ reviews because I don’t want to be influenced.
Also, because time has a way of getting away from me for one reason or another, I don’t have a lot of time to check other blogs or sites and leisurely scroll through reviews. If there’s a book I’m interested in and I’m not sure about purchasing it, sure, I’ll take a minute or two to check it out, including reviews. But other than reviews by my TGTBTU-mates, I very seldom venture out in cyberspace for the express purpose of reading any.
But if for one reason or another I do wander through reviewland — a friend mentions a book she likes or even a specific review of a book she’s recommending or someone here at the blog will talk about one and my curiosity won’t be tamed, doesn’t really matter how — sometimes I’m simply amazed at what I read in other folks’ reviews.
You might see bad grammar or horrible punctuation. Or maybe the review is so lame it seems the reviewer couldn’t even have read the book. That’s nothing. What amazes me is the meanness, the hatefulness, the callousness with intent to hurt. It’s obvious that’s the reviewer’s purpose. They’re not leaving their opinion to benefit anyone, they want to malign and damage, all the while getting their three minutes of fame.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I agree totally. But what’s wrong with a little diplomacy when venting about another person’s work? There’s no need to stomp on it or degrade it, especially when the reviewer knows his or her words will also wound the author of the piece.
And that’s another issue with some reviews — the author is also trashed right along with their book. The author’s life, beliefs, antics, or anything else has nothing to do with the book being read and reviewed and should not be part of it. You don’t like something the author has said and done? Fine. Don’t read their next book. It has absolutely nothing to do with the current book you’re reviewing.
Some of you will say, “Well, an author needs to have thick skin” when reading reviews. That’s true. Not everyone is going to like every book they read. Even me (though Sybil will debate that!). I’ve given what I consider my fair share of bad grades here at the blog for those books that didn’t work for me. But I do try very hard not to be vitriolic in my discussion of why I didn’t like a particular book. I hope I’ve succeeded in that endeavor. At least I’ve never had an author tell me they were hurt by my words. Can an author ever truly be prepared for a bad review? Maybe. I know he/she is probably never prepared for a mean-spirited review.
If I give a book an F and tell why I feel that way, give examples of what’s wrong in the story in my most humble opinion, I think most authors would appreciate the effort and time I’ve taken in reading the book and writing the review. They may not like the F, and that’s fair. I probably didn’t like giving it. But when it comes to giving a book an F, one star, one rose, one coffee cup, one whatever and also calling the work trash, sacrilegious, it’s not worth the paper it’s printed on, don’t bother buying this book and so on and so forth but with no explanation of why the reviewer feels this way, what’s the purpose other than to be cruel? And why would someone do that? That’s the $64,000 question that may never be answered.
Though you can tell an author that reviews are not personal, that’s true only to a point. They obviously are personal because you are talking about that author’s creation, something they give their blood, sweat, and tears to. It takes maybe half an hour to write an intentional or even unintentional, hateful review. A reviewer should think about the review’s possible long-term effects. Any criticism is going to go down hard, but if that criticism is done tastefully, diplomatically, and honestly, it’s a different pill to swallow. I’ve told plenty of authors I’ve talked with that reviews aren’t personal, and though I may get an “I know,” I also get a look that tells me they’d still rather believe in the tooth fairy than such drivel I just spewed.
Is it easier to say mean things because the Internet doesn’t allow face-to-face contact; therefore, confrontation is nearly nonexistent? If an author attempted to contact the reviewer for a more in-depth explanation, would the reviewer even respond? Probably not. That reviewer has had his/her say, they’ve ripped the heart out of the book and the author, no need to face the consequences. I know we all remember our mothers telling us, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all,” “Treat others as you would like to be treated.” So why don’t we practice that anymore?
Or is that just the way we are today in our society? I hope not. I hope there’s still plenty of people out there who do care about how others are treated, in person or online. Just because we don’t see the person we’re reviewing doesn’t mean we have to lose our humanity, our kindness, our compassion, our willingness to care about our fellow human beings. It doesn’t hurt or take any extra effort to write words that don’t sting or cut but still get the same point across.
Have you seen reviews out there that made you think, “Ouch, that’s mean,” “Wow, that person went a little over the top” or something similar? Are you an author who’s been the recipient of a mean-spirited review? Do you think I’m off base with this opinion? Do you have a differing one? Have you left a review for an author that crossed the line? Did you regret it later or did you feel you were spot on? Do the less-than-kind-hearted reviews out there make a difference? Should they be taken into consideration by other readers? Or should they be ignored if they contain no pertinent and only harmful information?
What have you got to say about it all?
I’ve felt this way quite often when I see reviews on the smart bitches site. I agree it’s humorous. But sometimes it seems (at least to me) very mean. I admit I enjoy some of it. But I usually feel guilty for enjoying it. Feels like I am having fun at someone else’s expense 🙁
I don’t think it’s always possible to be pleasant when writing a review which slams a book. Is there a pleasant way to tell an author that the grammar in her book doesn’t accord with the rest of the writing world’s? How does one say, pleasantly and diplomatically, that the characters in a book are as flat as last year’s pancakes? Even though I agree that personal attacks on the author should be avoided, probably the author will consider most things said about it personal in some way, for as you say, the book is hers; thus nearly every negative about the book might be considered personal despite one’s best intentions.
No matter how it’s written, a bad review is a bad review. Could you write a bad review more compassionately? Sure, but I have had some nut jobs (and I wouldn’t even dare call those people “authors”) go all out batshit crazy on me over reviews written by the team I used to supervise that may not have been glowing, but definitely were not bashing by any stretch of the imagination either. It’s a no win situation with bad reviews.
Reviewing is all about choices, personal ones, and as long as the reviewer is happy with the choice made and as long as the reviewer is aware that every action carries a reaction, that’s all that matters, at least from my perspective.
Really really good essay, and I don’t disagree with any of it.
When I start to read a book for review I want to like it. More often than not, I’ve paid for the book and I want value for money. I want a few hours’ entertainment. If I don’t get it, I’m disappointed.
I know that I spend far more time on a D or F review than I do on an A or B one. And I try very hard to keep it specific to a book.
Dick, you stick to the book, and you tell the author that’s what’s wrong. You deal in specifics, not in vague “this book sucks” comments.
I’ve seen quite a few sites springing up recently which seem to exist just for snark, to try to make a name for the site owner rather than the author. I feel the same way as Sandy, except that I do reserve the right to say when I don’t like a book.
If I get a galley for review, then I feel obliged to review it. That can be a problem. I’ve only refused to put up a review once, and that was when I was sure that I couldn’t do the book justice. It just didn’t work for me, but I could see it was well written and executed. I thought it deserved better than the lukewarm review that was all I could give it.
It has to be pretty bad to make a reader of reviews feel guilty, Natasha. That’s exactly what I mean!
Dick, I think if you’re specific as to what you find wrong with a book, you can find a way to write it so it doesn’t hurt. Characters as flat as a last year’s pancakes is exactly my point. Let the author know in simple words her characters are flat, no depth, here’s why. It doesn’t have to go beyond that. I believe if one’s best intentions are stated succinctly and, yes, diplomatically, there shouldn’t be a problem on either side.
Though, Mireya, I know there are some authors out there who won’t take criticism well no matter how it’s stated. That’s a-whole-nother Pondering! It’s unfortunate that some authors have to be that way, especially if your reviews are written honestly. I’ve not had that happen, so I can’t speak to it that thoroughly. I’m just sorry it has to occur at all, because it’s the usual one bad apple, gives the rest a bad name, etc., etc., etc.
I agree with you, Lynne. I start reading a book for the same reasons, and disappointment comes fast if it’s there. LOL, I agonize over writing a bad review too. Takes me forever. Even a C review, which isn’t a bad review even, is hard to write. Though it’s an average grade, folks really don’t want to be average nowadays either. Heck, even some of our Olympian athletes feel they’ve failed if they don’t win the gold medal. So telling an author her book is average is sometimes difficult.
I recently had a DNF on a galley I requested and felt bad for that. But what do you do? If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work and you have to tell both author and publisher why. I’m just glad Syb doesn’t subscribe to the “if you don’t like a book, the next reviewer might” theory, so pass the book on to the next person like other review sites do. And those do exist. I’ve reviewed for them. And glad I’m here at TGTBTU now!
I say just be professional and considerate in a review, even if you’re disemboweling a book. It makes no sense whatsoever for a review to ever be personally negative to the author. It would be like blaming a dish you don’t like on the cook’s marriage. It might have something to do with something tasting off, but it’s still apples and oranges – your opinion vs. someone else’s personal life. Doesn’t compute.
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Talk about the work. Not the worker.
Sandy, is this amazon reviews you’re talking about? Because I don’t think I’ve seen a review like you describe in any of the blogs I visit, and I do visit quite a few. If anything, bad reviews tend to be even more explicit than good ones about just exactly what made the reviewer think this was such an awful book. I agree that a “this book is trash” review with no other explanation would be completely useless to me, but so are those “Best book ever!!!” ones you also sometimes see in amazon.
And I’m sorry, but the “If you can’t say something nice” thing has NO place in reviewing, as far as I’m concerned. Keep you comments to the book and not the author: yes, absolutely. Don’t say that anyone who likes this book must be a moron: that too. Provide an explanation for why you’re saying you didn’t like the book: yes, otherwise your review if pointless. But if you think the book is really, really awful, I believe you have the right to say it, without having to come up with something positive to temper your criticism.
For the most part and because they’re the ones I remember the most due to their ferocity, they are Amazon reviews, Rosario, though I’ve run across several of these types of reviews on independent blogs out there. LOL, thanks for reminding us there is the opposite “best book ever!!!” faction that doesn’t do a thing for a reader seeking a recommendation.
As for the “if you can’t say something nice” thing, I meant it more in line with the rest of the pondering, keeping the hatefulness and cruelty out of reviews instead of adding something positive after explaining your reasons for not liking a book. That didn’t occur to me either while writing this piece, but now that you’ve brought it up, I think I disagree a tad with you on that. I see nothing wrong with adding something positive to a review, if you did find something positive in the reading of the book, that is. What can that hurt at that point? It certainly would be a positive for the author after such a grueling time going through her bad review. One small positive isn’t much in the whole scheme of things after all is said and done.
As a reader, I think I prefer a review come right out and say that a book lacked a comprehensible plot, the characters were flat, and the writing style unimpressive or even downright dull. Otherwise, it’s rather like “damning with faint praise, assenting with civil leer.” Perhaps pleasant manners grease society’s wheels, but they also serve to disguise. I don’t think a review is meant to do that, is it? Of course a reviewer should concentrate on the book itself. But taking the author’s attitudes and feelings into account surely diminishes that concentration.
🙂 ok I am giggling and honestly haven’t read the whole post and am out the door to vote but will do so when I get back.
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and will comment then… for the most part though I have to say – which will come as NO surprise – I disagree *G*
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A book, is a book, is a book. Once an author puts it out there it is just that – out there in the big bad world. If an author can’t take a ‘mean’ review of their baby, uh book, they need too create a yahoo or google group and just let their fangrrls read it. And let them tell them how much they ROCK! And never ever ever let anyone else read it. Cuz I don’t care how much a book is great grand and wonderful – someone, somewhere will hate it muchly. And that is there right.
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Should reviews stick to the book and only the book, in my view yes. And any review that doesn’t – isn’t a review or review site – although we do all bring our personal bias to the reading table. But that is something else altogether…
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Oh and there is always there HUGE fact that reviews are not for the author but for readers….
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But hey who knows maybe I will come back and read your post and TOTALLY change my mind *g*
As an author, I’ve gotten some snarky reviews that were average grades. If someone doesn’t like a book, no problem, but I’ve never understood how one can’t be critical without being sarcastic. I remember one on Amazon that Paraphrasing here, “I didn’t like Helen. She was mean to Sebastian when he was doing all he could to help her.” I thought it was honest opinion without saying something like…”OMG I can’t believe this book got published. What convinced an editor that this herione was something other than a bitch. Seriously people, this heroine isn’t just TSTL she’s the worst bitchy heroine I’ve ever read.”
A thoughtful review that doesn’t degrade is worth more IMHO. Reviewers who write reviews with colorful language tend to do so because a)it drives up the numbers. Let’s face it people slow down for car wrecks on the highway. We want to know that there’s someone else out there worse off than us. It creates a mob mentality, something the Internet is exceptional for given the recent death of a young man who was outed on You Tube b)there is a sense of power one gains in creating a review that draws attention. Works the same wayfor authors too, it’s why there are divas (*grin*). c) some reviewers just don’t know how to express their likes/dislikes well. They might know they hate the book, they just don’t know how to express them selves well.A tough, critical review thoughtfully prepared is a hell of a lot harder to write than one you can slap together with sarcastic commentary. It’s one of the reasons I’ve never put much stock in the NYT reviews. They live to skewer authors (or at least they did, haven’t read one in a LONG time) A review is an opinion, it’s to give the reader an idea of why a reviewer didn’t like the book. Target practice doesn’t enhance the review IMHO, it just makes me think the reviewer either doesn’t have the time, inclination or ability to write something concise and thoughtfully negative about the book. And my personal experience is that it’s more about an author’s voice than actual exectution. Dan Brown can’t write a book worth a damn. But OMG the man can tell a story and hooks me completely. I buy all his books. I can forgive just about anything if the book is compelling, even flat characters. On the other hand, there’s a well known romance author on the NYT consistently who I’ve read and I ask myself WTF am I not getting? I just don’t understand what the big deal is. I’ve concluded it’s the voice. Bad reviews don’t bother me if they’re well written, I often learn things from them (Wendy’s commentary about Kismet was helpful and I remembered her pet peeve was communication when writing Pleasure Me). While a review is primarily for a reader, reviewers should note that authors (not all) do take to heart what’s pointed out so they can improve. Improving means more sales. But I don’t get value from a review that says nothing or God forbid the ones on Amazon, Goodreads, wherever they rate you but they don’t tell you why they gave you a 1 or 2 star. Tell me what you didn’t like, I can learn from it. Ok, off soap box. Great post, Sandy
Clearly I don’t know HOW to put breaks in because that’s one long-assed post Without BREAKS! Sorry
LOL, Sybil, doesn’t surprise me one damned bit you disagree! But I don’t really think I said to sugar coat a review or anything like that. A bad review is fine. I have no problem with that, and I believe I’ve said that in the post. My question is why do people think it’s okay to be intentionally cruel and mean just because they can. Yes, I know I’m nowhere near being the queen of bad reviews, but I’ve given a few and I hopefully had plenty of decorum in my words and attitude, because there’s no need to skewer an author for any reason.
Dick, I don’t disagree with a word in your second post here. If reviews are said that way, that’s all well and good. It’s when a review goes beyond that that begs the questions I’ve asked here. Okay, if an author premeditated murder or molested a child, maybe I wouldn’t read her. A personal reason for not reading a particular author would have to be pretty darned egregious for me.
Monica, thanks for the author insight on this issue. I’ve had a number of authors say the same thing you have about a bad or lower graded review having more meaning to them than those that snipe at an author and her works, giving nothing helpful at all. I’m assuming if you don’t have thick skin when your first book is published, after being lambasted by those reviewers you’ve listed in your response, you probably have a tough hide after your tenth or more book. Wendy is a great example of what I’m talking about in my Pondering. She’s clear, concise, and tells it like it is without getting out of hand, so to speak. And I know exactly what you mean about hoopla over certain authors and you don’t get it. I keep reading them, though, thinking maybe some day something might click for me. LOL, I might have a long wait.
And don’t worry about the formatting! I don’t know what to do about it either, I just double drop and hope it works! Thanks for the comments.
Monica is it something fucked up in the template… I put a period in the paragraph but yep…. annoying
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Snark for snarksake is something I don’t really get. If you like the book and you are snarking the hell out of it, I think AnimeJune does this (should double check the name). It seems to me that you are just trying to show how cleaver you are. That has more to do with the reviewer than the book. BUT again a blog belongs to that blogger and they can do whatev they want… and for the most part she is clever so just because it doesn’t make sense to me doesn’t mean I want or even expect her to stop it.
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And she is just one blogger off the top of my head, there are I am sure tons more I don’t read or know of.
Bad reviews are part of life for a writer and a world where all reviews were good would be dull (not to say unhelpful). Sometimes they are painful (or annoying, as when I was accused of plagiarizing a book I had never read) but it’s part of the business and should be shrugged off. However, as a *reader* I have been horrified by poor blog reviews. Not by the reviews themselves which seemed fair if tough, but by the piling on of dozens of comments by people who haven’t read the book in question but enjoy the jeering. There have been occasions when it seems like a lynch mob. It may be amusing to read a really bad review, but please refrain from throwing in your 2 cents unless you’ve actually read the book and have something to add to the conversation.
(still no subscribe button..sad)
I had to laugh when I read this post, Sandy, because I knew Sybil would be by to disagree. lol
I think a lot of it comes down to the emotional reaction you have to a book. For me, when I’ve read a book I hated, one that touched me in some extremely negative way, I get very worked up over it. And I want to share that with the world. Do I call the author dirty names and say she shouldn’t be published? No. But I have been known to say the heroine was TSTL and should be beat. Because that’s how I felt while reading it.
To be fair, I’d be just as likely to say as much to the author in person. I remember meeting an author at a signing once and having her glare me out of the room because I questioned the direction she took a series. But..well, I was emotionally invested. When emotions are involved it’s hard to be diplomatic. How often do we say things in anger or in the heat of the moment we wouldn’t normally say? Same concept, right?
I understand the point you’re trying to make, but I think an honest review is more powerful than a diplomatic one. I do try to include both negative and positive points in all my reviews, though, because I believe in being fair.
I appreciate Sandy. I appreciate any reviewer who states clearly what she or he liked about the book and what did not work for them and why. Sandy taught me an invaluable lesson. She reviewed my very first work of romance, gave it a C+ and explained why she gave it a C+ in a very detailed and professional manner. Because of the level of detail, I knew she actually read the book as opposed to some reviewers who skim or read the blurb and excerpts. I took her criticisms to heart and 18 months later, I had to opportunity to revise the book for another pub. It’s since been re-released and the reviews are outstanding. With Sandy’s review in mind, I made changes based upon what she considered to be the story’s strengths and weaknesses.
Yes, I do think it’s possible to write a review that is useful for both potential readers and the author. I don’t necessarily want a rah rah yay yay review. Yeah, sure, it’s great to get a pat on the back, but it doesn’t mean all that much when the reviewer says – oh the hero was hot and the sex was amazing! Five stars! I want to know about my story…did the story work? Was it a good, solid story?
When Sandy reviewed my book and discussed what she felt were the story’s weaknesses, she didn’t hurt my feelings – I wanted an opportunity to make the changes she suggested so as to make the book better.
What does hurt? Snark at my expense. Comments that make fun of a cover I have no control over. Flat out making fun of an author or a book – it’s like bullies on a playground only you get to be a bully on the internet and remain anonymous.
BUT Julia….. a C+ is a good review really!
See, everyone wants that gold medal!
Thanks for stopping by, Julia!
Sybill – I agree, a C+ is a good review! But I was a straight A student in school! LOL! My point is, Sandy made some valid criticisms and I actually listened instead of feeling all sad…
reading books is my hobby and Dan Brown is one of the best authors that i have known ‘~”