Once upon a time, authors wrote books, and reviewers reviewed them. Usually, the reviewers were professionals who worked for newspapers or magazines, were paid by same for their reviews, and possessed at least some qualifications for the job. As a result, most of these reviewers, whether their reviews were positive or negative, could be counted on to get their facts right about the books they reviewed.
But with the advent of the Internet, suddenly, anyone could review a book, and since that time, countless people have done so, posting their comments at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and elsewhere. In the process, some have made names for themselves and established themselves as respected reviewers. Others are simply readers who want to voice their opinions about the books they have read. Still others are persons with their own private agendas, who are hoping to help or to hurt specific authors.
Not surprisingly, just like everything else on the Internet, the result of all this has been a melange of reviews ranging from the professional and factually accurate to the unprofessional and factually inaccurate.
But while it’s invariably easy to recognize a purely spiteful review penned by a person who is clearly a sociopath, it’s not nearly so simple to spot sheer misinformation about a book under review, unless one has actually read that particular book — and it’s this latter case about which I’ve increasingly heard rumbles and grumbles from my colleagues.
If an author can’t even recognize his or her own book from the description provided in a review, how in the world is the public ever going to know that the information contained about the book under review is just plain wrong?
Nowadays, mix-ups like misnaming the hero and the heroine are just the tip of the iceberg. Heroes are confused with villains. Books set in one country are inexplicably transported to another. Incidents that never take place in the novel are unaccountably described in detail as though they do. Paranormals are somehow transformed into time travels. And the list goes on.
Those who actually wrote or who have actually read the book under review are left wondering: What book did this “reviewer” read? Because it sure as heck isn’t the same one the author wrote or that other reviewers and readers read.
But what if you haven’t read the book under review? Will you miss a great story because some “reviewer,” for whatever unknown reason, gave you a cartload of misinformation about it?
And just how does such misinformation about a book get posted in the first place? Is it deliberate? In some cases, yes. But I suspect the vast majority of it is merely the result of the reviewer having been somehow distracted while reading the book under review.
These days, it’s virtually impossible for most people to sit down and read a book uninterrupted from beginning to end. Instead, we have dozens of other things competing for our attention. People often read while simultaneously engaged in doing chores or watching television, for example. Commuters listen to audio books while battling rush-hour traffic. People also read when they’re tired or otherwise incapable of devoting their full attention to the story, when it’s easy for them to be compelled to reread a page two or three times or more — and still not register what they’ve actually read. It’s hard to get engrossed in any story if little Johnnie and Janie have jerked you out of it several times already, arguing over whose turn it is to play the new video game.
So, what’s the answer? Authors have two choices: either set the record straight themselves, or else hope that other reviewers and readers do — and most of us are grateful to reviewers and readers who do just that.
Have you ever read misinformation posted about a book? Did you know at the time that it was misinformation? If so, what effect did it have on you — and what, if anything, did you do about it?
:smile:I’m not published yet, but this issue doesn’t really bother me. I’ve observed several authors publishing their first books, then second and so on. It seems to me that the roaring praise of their fans drowns out, metaphorically speaking, any negativity. Combining the two means more publicity for the author. Being the actual author in question might be rather annoying, though.:wink:
by Kimber An November 25th, 2006 at 8:29 amI was very excited the first time a professional reviewer at an established science-fiction site mentioned my name and stated in her column that my first ever published story was one of the best in the anthology. The euphoria diminished a bit when she went on to describe events that weren’t in my story. Interestingly, this increased awareness of the anthology and my story as various fan bloggers mentioned this error.
My first novel — Wolf Hunters — came out earlier this month to absolutely no fanfare whatsoever. I’ve stopped checking all the usual booksellers to see if anyone has reviewed it yet. Well, at least stopped checking hourly. With the next book in the series due out in a week or so, it’s unlikely my contribution will ever be reviewed. At this point I’d be happy for any ink (or phosphor dots) that included my name and the phrase “good book.”
It would be particularly helpful if they went on to describe “Wolf Hunters” as a ninja elf biker chick historical as I’m sure the resulting debates would boost sales…
by KeVin Killiany November 25th, 2006 at 12:52 pmReviews can be fun to read but they do not influence my buying habits at all. If I had read something so wrong from one reviewer I might comment on it, but most likely would just never read that person’s reviews again.
by Robyn November 25th, 2006 at 12:59 pmYou made an excellent point in the middle of your post, when you said, “These days, it’s virtually impossible for most people to sit down and read a book uninterrupted from beginning to end. Instead, we have dozens of other things competing for our attention. People also read when they’re tired or otherwise incapable of devoting their full attention to the story, when it’s easy for them to be compelled to reread a page two or three times or more…”
I find that this herky-jerky reading has diminished my joy of reading in a HUGE way. Life is so fast and busy and hectic, that by the time I pick up a book after a day-long break, I’ve forgotten nearly everything important about what I read.
It’s very sad to me. I wonder if that’s why Harlequins and short stories and novellas seem to be popping up all over the place, these days.
by spyscribbler November 25th, 2006 at 3:20 pmOne reviewer changed my hero’s name three different times in a two paragraph review.
by Jordan Summers November 25th, 2006 at 3:31 pmOne reviewer called my heroine ‘Kate’ - I think she must have been thinking of me, the author.
by Kate Allan November 25th, 2006 at 4:17 pm
Well, you are a heroine for not throwing things at her!:lol:
by Kimber An November 25th, 2006 at 4:57 pmDoes it really, really matter?
by Kimber November 25th, 2006 at 9:01 pmStudies show that a mention, whether negative or positive, increases booksales.
And an inaccurate review harms the reviewer more than anyone else (because reviewers usually care about their rep too).
I used to write reviews for a national magazine. One time I inadvertantly left out a word that completely changed the meaning of a sentence. Had the author not written to point out my error, I wouldn’t even have noticed. I felt bad, and I chose to stop reviewing soon after that. It was never the sweet gig I thought it would be, and I prefer to spend my time reading good books instead of slogging through mediocre crap.
by EmJay November 25th, 2006 at 10:32 pmI never read reviews unless the person is someone I know so I can comment on their great review. For movies, books and other things, I don’t pay attention to reviews.
by Sara November 26th, 2006 at 8:33 amI like reading reviews, but try to stick to well established sites/reviewers. I’ve never NOT bought my fave author’s books based on a bad review, but I’ve certainly discovered a lot of new authors based on good reviews. (did that make any sense *g*?)
by Wylie Kinson November 26th, 2006 at 10:02 amMost reviews I’ve had have been good but interestingly the couple that weren’t quite so good were both the ones with factual errors, which made me wonder about the reviewer.
by nell dixon November 26th, 2006 at 12:49 pmI enjoy reading reviews as a reader and they do bring authors to my attention that I might not have noticed otherwise.
Yes, the factually inaccurate reviews bug the heck out of me. But what are you gonna do? Can’t prevent those anymore than you can prevent the crazy, chip-on-the-shoulder ones. It’s part of the biz.
But the ones I take real offense to are the online reviews that aren’t complaining about the product, but rather about the shipment. If I’m on Amazon and I come across a one star review that says, “this product never arrived” then I always report it.
by Diana November 26th, 2006 at 1:35 pmI am inclined to believe that anyone who bases their book decision on an Amazon review is a bit dim. We have all been blessed with a brain with which we can evaluate the sources from which we get information. No one needs to be internet savvy to perhaps recognise that some anonymous chap or dame with the name “bookworm”, jotting a few lines (or paragraphs), with a flourish of one or five stars is probably *not* the best source.
There is not much you can do to solve that problem.
by Chris November 26th, 2006 at 2:58 pmI review for http://www.romancereaderatheart.com, and we publish the back blurb above our reviews - it keeps us honest, and makes our reviews more about our opinions instead of plot. Unfortunately, lots of books get very little attention in the marketplace, and if one reviewer gets the facts wrong, it can hurt a book. It’s a good thing there’s no such thing as bad publicity! Or so they say…
by Heather Hiestand November 26th, 2006 at 6:49 pmI say that it’s for the good. The majority of the books I read are now based on on-line reviews from people I trust, and it seems to me that the occasional inaccurate review wouldn’t be as important as just having your name out there.
by Nicolette Rivers November 26th, 2006 at 9:30 pmAll…thanks so much for your comments! I appreciated hearing your experiences and viewpoints.
Kimber…I’d be interested in reading the studies you mentioned. Do you have any links you can share?
by Rebecca Brandewyne November 26th, 2006 at 11:19 pmI think we have to differentiate between real reviews and reader opinions. I consider what we see on Amazon.com etc. as the latter (except for the excerpts from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus etc).
As a reviewer (The Historical Novels Review), I don’t like to be lumped in with people who leave inaccurate and often nasty comments at online booksites. My reviews are edited and approved. If clarification is needed, I’m asked to revise. I’m pretty sure Amazon doesn’t do that *g*. I know they DO vet what goes up, but nowhere near as closely as my editor. I also have a wordcount limit, so have to be precise and articulate or the review just won’t be accepted.
by Teresa November 27th, 2006 at 12:17 amGood point, Teresa.
One aspect of the internet is it lends the aura of legitimacy to even the most spurious of articles. There are professional reviewers who are held to, well, professional standards and they should in no wise be placed on the same level as the folks who vent their spleens on Amazon.
The professional reviewer who misrepresented my story did the same with a few novels as well. She was replaced. (Unfortuantely, the new reviewer didn’t like my work nearly as much. On the other hand, she actually read it.)
by KeVin Killiany November 27th, 2006 at 11:21 amI’ve recently been choosing books based on online recommendations and reviews. Suggestions from sites like this one, smartbitchestrashybooks.com, superlibrarian, etc., are ones that I’ll heed.
On the other hand, I HAVE been known to decide NOT to buy a book because of an online review. I can’t trust Harriet Klausner’s taste. If hers is the only review I can find for a specific book, and I’m on the fence about it, I’ll pass. Unless it has been corrected recently, her review for “Fairest” (Levine) made me think she had only perhaps skimmed the book. She had some important character details completely wrong.
I’ll only review a book on B&N or Amazon if I really loved it, really hated it, or was misled by the back blurb or cover art and want to let others know what to expect.
by Wirdald November 27th, 2006 at 12:42 pmThis frustrates me more as a reader than an author - strange but true. One time I was reading a Barbara Bradford to review, and since this was the last of a saga of books, I looked online for reviews of the others to help orient myself. Bad idea. I found so many tht copied others reviews verbatem, and some that used the same review for the WRONG BOOK. If I was a reader, trying to find out which order the books came in to buy them, I would have been quite confused!
by Jenna Bayley-Burke November 29th, 2006 at 4:50 pmRebecca, it’s almost amusing to have found this topic AFTER the fact. My book released Nov. 28th and it didn’t take long for the most ridiculously inaccurate review (a negative one at that) of my book to appear. I am a brand new author with a kind of fairytale contract story I guess, which was a topic of furious and resentful conversation on the board of this same reviewer. Coincidence I was trashed? I think not. So yes, you see that there can be agendas to these fly by night reviewers. But this doesn’t hurt me because when it comes right down to it and according even to the RWA’a 2005 statistics, most people buy in a bricks and mortar bookstore and not on the internet.
I’m open to whatever constructive criticism I can get from a knowlegable source that doesn’t have ulterior influences. How are we, as authors AND readers, going to know exactly who is qualified to do that? I mean, more power to Freedom of Speech and all that, I exercise the right frequently, but it doesn’t mean if I started loudly expounding on the nature of physics I would know what the heck I’m talking about.
What do you suggest we do, Rebecca? For myself, as a reader, I go by the reccomendations of friends who I know read similar things I do (not that THEY are always right either!) Or, I read cues from industry resources. Still, I have been known to not buy something because of customer reviews on Amazon. It would be foolish to ignore twenty one-star reviews of a product.
Your thoughts?
by Jacki Frank December 1st, 2006 at 11:48 pm