Comments on YA Highway: A Really Long Post About the Author/Reviewer Relat...

I have written exactly one "bad" book re...

2012-02-20T16:06:29.869-05:00

I have written exactly one "bad" book review on Goodreads, and sadly, it is the only review I've written that gets any attention. I don't write reviews for the attention, I just think that it's sad when negative receives more "press" than positive. Even in my bad review, I tried to be very clear that my review was about the product, and about how I think the expectation of what the product was supposed to deliver was potentially misleading.

I much prefer to leave positive feedback, because I love books, I love writing, and I love encouraging creativity and passion.

That being said - I really enjoyed this post, and am so glad it was written, and most likely, I'll be linking many people to this in the future.

Thanks for being a professional, but for also being accessible. It's a delicate balance that you seem to achieve gracefully.

Thank you for such a wonderful, thoughtful, lovely...

2012-01-24T11:53:55.949-05:00

Thank you for such a wonderful, thoughtful, lovely post! As a reader only, I've kinda become disgusted by all the flame wars. The outrageous and petty behaviors on both sides have greatly turned me off to some blogs and to some author's works simply b/c I don't want to support either side. Same as if I'd witness bad behaviors/practices at a store or retailer and I stopped going/shopping there.

I hope many people link to this post and the parties involved or potentially involved read this and really think about your excellent points.

I agree that everyone has different reviewing styl...

2012-01-17T16:04:55.418-05:00

I agree that everyone has different reviewing styles. But, if your review style is super snarky and making fun at others' expense, don't be surprised if people don't like you!

And, I work in a profession that the wrong step will cost me my job. Immediately. And I have people call me names all the time. But, I have a choice. I can either keep my mouth shut and stay above the fray. Or, find a new job.

Awesome post Veronica! I'm new to book revie...

2012-01-13T00:14:20.731-05:00

Awesome post Veronica!

I'm new to book reviewing, and it's nice to see authors put some stock in our reviews, even the ones that are negative. I wholeheartedly agree with you. There are different ways to review book, just that are different ways to write a book, but that doesn't meant that there needs to be unnecessary negativity. There will always be someone who doesn't like a book and there is a tasteful way to express dislike, not at the expense of the author.

I loved this, because reviewing is something I str...

2012-01-12T11:42:12.844-05:00

I loved this, because reviewing is something I struggle with myself. I have pretty high standards. This was okay at first, but after a while, I realized how negative I sounded--and I also realized how pointless it was to critique a finished product. Would me saying the love interest needed more fleshing out change anything? Not really.

I started focusing on how much I enjoyed the book, instead--because then if I didn't enjoy it, that wasn't on the author, that was on me; I simply didn't enjoy it as much as someone else might. And that concept has helped me some.

Part of the whole issue with reviews, I think, is that they're considered to be for the authors somehow, when really they're not--reviews are for readers. We (as readers) tend to address reviews to authors because reading a book is so personal that you often feel connected to the author, but our report of that connection, our review, is for the people who may be looking for the same experience we had--the readers.

But anyway, rambling. There's so much to be said about this subject, it's hard to stop.

Thank you for posting, Veronica!
-Mandy

I'm a little late in coming to this, but what ...

2012-01-12T08:47:01.093-05:00

I'm a little late in coming to this, but what a fantastic post, Vee. Absolutely spot-on. Thank you for writing this. :)

Fantastic post. I loved the part about forgiveness...

2012-01-11T16:29:57.356-05:00

Fantastic post. I loved the part about forgiveness. I hope this helps move us in the right direction/close the author reviewer gap. Also, I loved your ring of fire analogy. I never really thought about how much authors are scrutinized until now.

I absolutely love this post. As an occasional book...

2012-01-11T07:36:53.807-05:00

I absolutely love this post. As an occasional book reviewer and wannabe writer, this really resonated with me.

I never write reviews of books I disliked. I know some people think that you should be able to rip into a book that you thought was bad, especially if you paid money for it. And, yes, sometimes a book will be so bad (especially when it is offensive) that I like to rant to my friends or, at the most, to my blog readers about it, but when it comes to reviews life is too short. You should recommend books that you liked and not seriously upset a hard-working author or their fans just because it wasn't to your taste. Spread word about the good stuff to fellow readers instead.

Of course, everyone has the right to be annoyed or offended by something. But I see so many reviews where the reviewer gave one-star just because it "wasn't their kind of thing" and I think starred reviews like these can be damaging because they discourage readers who may love the book from purchasing it.

Wow. LOVE this. Esp: "Plenty of people have j...

2012-01-10T19:08:41.061-05:00

Wow. LOVE this. Esp: "Plenty of people have jobs where they have to deal with difficult feedback on a daily basis, and they do it admirably."

Authors blogging before and after publishing (esp when they're book lovers/reviewers too) has made all the lines that much more hazy.

This is excellent. I love reading these fantastic ...

2012-01-10T14:30:27.816-05:00

This is excellent. I love reading these fantastic updates by YA authors that are setting things straight and undoing the damage to their image. :)

But srsly, there should be some sort of public-interaction/PR guidelines thing. Haha.

Thanks for this. Totally saved me a long blog post...

2012-01-09T11:14:43.953-05:00

Thanks for this. Totally saved me a long blog post on the very same thing, saying mostly the exact things you have. Very thoughtful. Hope your advice is heeded by all.

Following a link back from ReadReactReview...hope ...

2012-01-08T11:02:37.087-05:00

Following a link back from ReadReactReview...hope it's okay to post my thoughts...

I'm not a YA author, but I am an author and I've been writing since 2003. I've seen so many author blow- ups, and many relate to reviews, opinions or whatever.

A lot of the author blow-ups happen for that very thing... "I should be allowed to voice my opinion..."

I'm a nurse...kinda sort, don't do it much any more.

Say I was dealing with a patient...I dunno, hypothetically and I'm going to paint an over-the-top picture here just to show my point.

But say I had a patient who had come in, got in my face, physically pushed me around, was abusive, rude, etc.

Should I decide to do the same back to this patient? I would get fired.

The proper response...the PROFESSIONAL response is to remove myself from the situation. Depending on wherever I'm working, hospital, doctor's office, whatever, I follow their protocol for dealing with this-there is protocol for this sort of thing, related to safety, for the staff, other patients, etc. I keep myself safe, other staff, other patients, etc. AND...bonus I keep my job. By being professional.

Now, the review blow-ups haven't happened because the reviewers were abusive. Perhaps the author perceived the negative review as an attack...? Yes? No? Maybe?

Doesn't matter. Proper, professional response is to remove herself/himself from the situation. No, there's no physical danger, but it's still not wise for the author to wade in. It never ends well.

There is no protocol for this sort of thing, but it's not a bad idea to keep professional behavior in mind.

While I get where authors come from when they feel it isn't 'fair' that they don't get voice their opinions publicly...I'm kind of curious where they ever got the guarantee life would be fair.

Besides, that is what friends are for. If I need to rant, cry, scream and grumble, I do it with a friend. My guy. The sky. Or I go kill a character in a book. That's awesome therapy.

Reviews are not there for the author. They are there for the reader.

It doesn't do an author any good to get bent out of shape over the negative reviews...we can't please everybody and it's insane that authors expect those who didn't like our books to just keep quiet about it.

I think it was over at the Bookpushers blog (in comments) that somebody said it's just another form of censorship... and she's right. It's censoring somebody's right to voice their opinion. If we don't like it, all we have to do is stop reading.

What an amazing and insightful post! It's bee...

2012-01-08T01:27:50.349-05:00

What an amazing and insightful post! It's been disheartening to see all the drama on the internet lately. There's been a lot of hate spewed on both sides. There has been bad author behavior AND bad reviewer behavior.

Excellent point on forgiveness. We all need to remember no one is perfect.

This is the best post yet that I've read about...

2012-01-08T00:16:23.032-05:00

This is the best post yet that I've read about the author/reviewer relationship. Thank you for stating things in such an understanding and balanced way.

As an avid reader, a bad review of a book is not g...

2012-01-07T21:28:21.234-05:00

As an avid reader, a bad review of a book is not going to stop me from reading it. Not every book is for everyone. I have greatly disliked books that are well reviewed and LOVED some that weren't.
As a bookseller, I am very careful about my opinions of books because again, we don't all like the same things. While I will gush about books and authors I love, I will not say anything negative about books I don't. I will share with my book club members and friends, but not customers.

I'll just add my bit to the pile of 'well ...

2012-01-07T20:16:31.477-05:00

I'll just add my bit to the pile of 'well said' comments, shall I?

This is such a wonderful post that really breaks d...

2012-01-07T17:34:51.675-05:00

This is such a wonderful post that really breaks down the relationship so well.

As a new author, my book recently went out in the world in the form of ARCs for the first time, and it's been a wonderful, scary, amazing, and nerve wracking feeling. Part of me is excited for people to read it and see what they think, and of course part of me is nervous now that I don't have the chance to go back and revise it ever again.

But I love the end of your post about forgiveness. It's so true, and remembering that is what makes this community a wonderful place.

It's a scary and exciting thing to think that ...

2012-01-07T15:44:30.965-05:00

It's a scary and exciting thing to think that people read what I post on my blog. Exciting because it's cool to know people are reading, but scary because people are reading! This is a great post! It is a tricky relationship and I admire all you authors who do it so well!

fantastic analysis. Really, you hit it on the nai...

2012-01-07T14:35:53.349-05:00

fantastic analysis. Really, you hit it on the nail on every point.
As a reviewer I try very, very hard to mix good with the bad on books I didn't enjoy. Yet sometimes I really don't have anything nice to say outside of "make sure to check out this glowing review, from someone who DID like the book".

However, I cringe at the thought of the author reading those reviews, because as you say, it's not personal. And I would never want to hurt their feelings, but I would be a poor reviewer if I only ever liked every book I read.
It is a tiny dark hole smooshed between a rock and a hard place. And we must all live there as amicably as possible.

From one author to another - nicely put!

2012-01-07T13:55:55.172-05:00

From one author to another - nicely put!

Very insightful, Vee. What a wonderful, wonderful ...

2012-01-07T13:46:11.365-05:00

Very insightful, Vee. What a wonderful, wonderful post. Thank you!

Oh, I'm so glad you posted this, Vee. Wonderfu...

2012-01-07T13:27:40.631-05:00

Oh, I'm so glad you posted this, Vee. Wonderful and thoughtful. Well done. <3

Wonderful post. I'm not a book reviewer but I&...

2012-01-07T12:57:12.662-05:00

Wonderful post. I'm not a book reviewer but I'm an aspiring author and it's important to remember that I'll have to remain professional at all times online. I hope other authors/reviewers take note too!

Great post! I hope no one has been too harsh about...

2012-01-07T12:36:42.181-05:00

Great post! I hope no one has been too harsh about your work!

But I do like what you say about being able to forgive, which I'm sure is especially important as a writer. Otherwise, we'll get bogged down hating people, and our work will never thrive.

Thanks for your post!

I'm a reviewer who writes both positive, negat...

2012-01-07T12:34:49.433-05:00

I'm a reviewer who writes both positive, negative, and semi-positive semi-negative reviews. I review because i love to do it, because I love to express my feelings and talk about books and the writing in them. I know, as an aspiring writer, that it is very difficult to take criticism, so I try my best to make my reviews informative while still making my review fun for it's reader to read.

It's great to see this balanced post; thanks for writing it and sharing your opinion. I hope this fighting ends soon so we can all get back to what we love best: books.