by Annie Dean
Today, there are a number of online review sites. Not too long ago, there was a kerfluffle because (uptight) paid reviewers took umbrage at the way online “amateurs” are infringing on the territory of professionals. What right do these upstarts have to give their opinions, the professionals want to know. Do they have credentials? Did they go to book review school? I can just imagine what that would be like, one “right” way to format a review, words you’re allowed to use. Down with free thought.
I’d ask instead, isn’t the ability to read enough? Everybody knows what he or she likes, and it’s a deeply personal thing, influenced by life experiences, background, and a bevy of other factors. I support anyone’s right to hold discourse on books because I can’t see a downside. When people are reading, there’s a level of mental engagement not found in a more passive entertainment like watching TV. And when people talk about books, they share their passion. It’s viral in a good way.
Many online review sites possess a significant amount of clout, possibly more than an endorsement that appears in some literary journal. That’s because online reviewers are smart, hip and funny, tuned into their audiences in a way that print reviewers can never hope to be. It’s the nature of the medium. One is static; the other is dynamic. Online communities spring up and the bloggers interact with their readers. Rapport builds. Generally, that includes a fair amount of snark, and people come back time and again, wanting to laugh. Wanting to be entertained. Some review sites transcend their own purpose, becoming centers of intellectual exchange beyond the book world.
But what happens when a review site “crosses the line”? It’s only funny until they rip on one of your books? Or one of your friend’s books? Suddenly authors are up in arms and the blogosphere is on fire. “I used to read her, but she just got too snarky…” Writers are dying to get a headline on one of these sites, but only if the reviewers promise to love, honor, and cherish their magnum opuses? Well, sometimes the magnum opus is a fungus foetidus in disguise. If an author has done her research, she knows the tone of the site before she sends a novel. If she hasn’t, then shame on her for opening the door without looking out the peephole first.
Asking for a review anywhere is a gamble. If it pays off, an author gets great press, and everybody’s talking about the book. If the novel comes up snake eyes (and just because Sally Author’s mom and her sorority sisters thought it was wicked good doesn’t mean the rest of the world has to squee), then yes, people will laugh over a story so dear to an author’s heart. Doesn’t that just make you puff up with indignation? Why, you went without sleep, missed a few meals, sat up late and slaved over your keyboard. How dare they talk that way about your book!
Well, crybaby authors, get over it. We can’t please everyone 100% of the time. Sometimes stories miss the mark. If you got a review, be happy about it, even if it’s a bad one. At least somebody read your book. There are a million writers out there, and most of them will try harder and want it more, if you’re not willing to learn, work overtime to please your readers, and improve with each subsequent story. Face it, people may say mean things. Don’t whine because somebody thought your heroine was a hysterical airhead or your hero had all the appeal of a rancid gravy boat. Just don’t repeat your mistakes. Write better. Tighter. Resolve to thank the reviewers for their time and rock their worlds with your next effort. Show people you’re a professional, not a temperamental primadonna who can’t accept criticism. Write off reader feedback at your peril — that’s a slippery slope leading to stagnation, a place where all your stories sound the same and nobody ever wants to read them.
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I prefer the amateur reviews. They mean more to me than a review from a site that won’t publish bad reviews.
Excellent post!
Fungus foetidus. I’m still trying to figure that one out.
Love your Latin. I do think some reviewers are snarky on purpose to entertain readers to their own blog rather than giving the book a fair shake. I review books on my own humble blog, but I try to stay positive because the authors always come back!:shock: Thankfully, they’re all good.:wink:
Good essay.
When focused on the craft of writing, I pay lot more attention to what is said by professional writers who critique my work than reviews — pro or otherwise — written by non-writers. However, when I want to know what the readers want, I read reviews.
This is very useful in online and electronic writing — particularly in specialized communities like games — because feedback is almost always instantaneous. I’ve made a couple of course corrections in my game writing based on what readers have asked to see. And it’s always very interesting to see how what readers get from your writing differs from what you put in. (If they didn’t receive your message, it doesn’t mean they’re deaf, it means you’re not speaking clearly.)
More than anything else, it means readers are reading what you write. And believe me, for the solitary writer that means a lot. I’ve read every online review of every anthology that’s included my work. Back when Amazon.com was selling e-books, I followed what readers wrote about my Star Trek fiction. A reader in Ireland felt I’d missed what she considered an important point in “Orphans.” Her review was interesting. That I had a reader in Ireland who cared enough to write was exciting. (I just checked. Only one review of my novel Wolf Hunters on Amazon to date.)
Gamers and Trekkies are very opinionated people. I’ve been lionized and vilified for the same story. But good or bad, I read every word that’s written. They invested in my work and cared enough to write about their experience; the least I can do is listen to what they have to say.
I find this most ironic. So many authors fawn all over the more snarky review sites. As if the coolness rubs off. I guess laughing at other’s is fine, but they don’t particularly like having that snarky-eyed look turned toward them.
And it’s not just authors who set the blogosphere on fire. Fangirls quickly lose their sense of humor when a favorite author is skewered.
Great column, you stole some of the thunder from my next column–but did a much better job doing it.:mrgreen: I’ll have to come up with something else.:grin:
Very well said! I’ve recently started an ‘amateur’ review blog, more to keep a log of every book I read, than to share my opinion.
I thought long and hard before I started my review blog because from the outset I promised myself that I’d also mention any pet peeves etc. As a writer, I understand too well the pain and effort that goes into every word. But also, as a writer, I know I can never get enough constructive criticism and this is what I aim to give by airing any pet peeves I have.
I think that writers are in danger of forgetting that any review is subjective. It is *one* person’s opinion about a story and, in my case anyway, isn’t intended to be personal.
I, for one, would never *not* buy a book based on a poor review, if anything it would spur me on to read the book to see if I agree/disagree with the reviewer. On the other hand, a positive and enthusiastic review has me heading to read the book too.
Sue
Alessia, I feel the same way. Mrs. Giggles wrote a post not long ago about how those review sites don’t persuade her to read a book because every story gets “Five Wet Thongs,” “Five Fairy Flags,” or whatever the grand prize is. It’s funny and worth reading.
Kimber An, it means stinky fungus. Foetidus would be the root of the word fetid, I believe. Ask Bam, she’s studying Latin.
KeVin, I think it’s important to stay in touch with readers. I don’t think one should write slavishly to trends but if all readers are saying the same thing about the writing, then it’s not them, it’s the writing. Sometimes, though, a writer might get five different responses to one project, and in which case, it’s a subjective emotional response, not feedback one can really use to improve.
Thanks, Tara Marie! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve developed a thick skin over the years, and I think that’s really important to a writer.
Good point, Sue. Some readers will even buy a book because of a bad review. They want to see what’s so bad about it. I think it’s akin to rubbernecking at an accident.
It’s like Mark Twain insisted: the best practical joke to play on someone else is the one that’s already been played on you.
It’s at these explosive moments when I really see the cliquish nature of the online Romance community — as the sides line up across the firing line, so to speak. That’s usually more intersting to me than the details of the battle itself. I think there’s a good deal of insider/outsider anxiety going on, I don’t think a lot of people are comfortable feeling they’re on the outside (being snarked instead of sharing in the snarking). In this, perhaps, authors and readers aren’t so different from one another.
Best. Line. Ever.
Reviewing, like writing and reading, is all about perception. Everyone enters into a process with their own filters, likes, dislikes and biases. This is a basic fact of life and frankly, I think it’s kind of cool. One person’s rave book of the year is the next person’s, “OMG, this is utter shite”
Reviewers can give a comprensive review with what worked and didn’t – this kind of review, good or bad is the kind that I personally find most helpful as a reader and an author. There are things I watch for when I’m going to buy a book – storylines I avoid like the plague or ones I go crazy for. It helps to read something with some detail. I generally like sites that do reviews like this – be they professional sites or reader run sites like I Just Finished Reading.
It’s not a requirement. I’ve read plenty of reviews where I disagreed with the reviewer, agreed wildly or just have a “meh” over. I don’t mind much value in sites that try too hard to be snarky. I find that most people (with the exception of Smart Bitches and BAM) don’t seem to realize that snark takes intelligent wit. True snark is a lovely sight to behold, even when it’s aimed at your book or cover.
Certainly, the internet is the Costco of opinions and if I don’t like what’s on one aisle, there’s always the “back” key.
Kevin said: And it’s always very interesting to see how what readers get from your writing differs from what you put in. (If they didn’t receive your message, it doesn’t mean they’re deaf, it means you’re not speaking clearly.)
Never a truer word spoken! I am as yet unpublished, but even from my beta readers, I find this fascinating. Just as fascinating, but even more fun, is what they see that you weren’t aware of putting in there! I have friends who ‘know’ things about my characters that are news to me – and I love it. Was there ever such a confirmation that you are creating real people than when people start having opinions and feelings about them? There is nothing that thrills me more than when someone who has read my work says (of a character) “That’s so like her!” or “No, she’s not that kind of person. She would be more likely to…”
And on the subject of sucking it up, I agree. You put it out there, you have to be prepared to take the rough with the smooth. And if you want to come off well, be prepared to do it with dignity and manners. I’m sure in the long term, they will serve you better than slinging mud back, even when it is unjustified and grumpy-making mud!
I agree that complaining about bad reviews is unproductive, but I totally disagree with the implication that a bad review means there was something wrong with a book and the author needs to “write better” because of it.
A review — good or bad — is just one reader’s opinion. It’s not a writing lesson. Some readers will not click with an author’s work. Other readers will love it. Such is life.
Amen.
I stopped buying the books of a certain author after she got all cry baby about what reader reviewers were saying.
Oops, that last one was from me. I didn’t mean to be anon.
That’s where we differ, Sylvia. I’m always trying to write better books. I hope every novel I write is better than the last. I cringe thinking about what I came up with five years ago, including a virgin widow. Sometimes I stumble, of course, and my ability to execute doesn’t match up to this great, lofty idea I had. But perhaps in time, it will.
While I agree to a point, there’s no reason to rewrite a book, based on one person’s opinion, I think it helps going forward when you take into account what worked, overwhelmingly, for your audience and what didn’t. This is based on consensus, of course. If everyone who reads the book says, “I really liked it, except the fact that the hero was a were-clam” then why wouldn’t an author make a note of that? What’s the point of writing a whole series about were-clams if NOBODY likes it? I don’t advocate writing to trends — an author should always write the story of her heart, but she can certainly work to please her readers too.
*Apologies to anyone who is planning a paranormal series about were-clams, no were-clams were injured in the making of this post*
Kimber An, I think it’s important to distinguish between putting an author down and writing a bad review of a book. If I say, “Annie Author is a stupid hobag who can’t write her way out of a paper sack,” then I’m putting her down. If I write, “Annie Author’s novella, Pick Me Up suffered from slow pacing, shallow characterization and utter lack of setting,” then I’ve addressed myself solely to this one project. It doesn’t even touch on her ability to write, overall. It’s simply an opinion on one project, not a tar-and-feather job that will ruin somebody’s career.
Lauren said:
Exactly! That’s why I think it’s important to learn what you can (if anything from your reviewers) and just keep writing the best story you can. Nobody can hit the mark all the time with every reader.
Thanks, Vikki.
We don’t differ in that opinion. Less than 48 hours ago on this very blog I wrote, “Really, if we stop trying to get better, I think we need to quit.”
Exactly! And online review sites are not the general consensus of whether your book worked for your audience or not. I appreciate every review, good or bad. I figure the book affected the reviewer enough to spend time out of their life to write about it. But my audience isn’t review sites, it’s everyone (which does include reviewers, but they are the minority when looked at in relation to the reading population as a whole.) The reading population’s consensus of worked or not can’t be found in an online review or even a handful of online reviews.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve LOVED a book, then read a bad review(s) for it that would have changed the very things I loved.
I think we both agree that striving to improve as a writer is important, we just disagree on the point that using reviews as teaching tools is a way to go about it.
I look at it like this. Say you’re looking for a new agent and you’ve written a book that you think is great and your beta readers agree. You’ve revised and polished it, so you’re ready to query agents. Let’s say an agent tells you, “I don’t like this particular book but I enjoy your writing. Please send me something else, though, when you finish it.”
So you do that. Six more times! Over the course of your back and forth agent-search. (Ask Lauren Baratz-Logsted, it does happen. Hee!) Well, at that point, it’s safe to decide this agent is probably never going to like your books, even though they enjoy your writing (which oddly enough is also possible).
I think review sites can be like this. If they consistently hate everything you write, then possibly they’re just never going to get you, so you can dismiss their feedback as not being relevant. But before that point, an author might miss something that can help her write better books. I don’t advocate changing styles, but if a review site said they would like to see more (X) in my writing, I’d consider it before automatically saying, “They don’t know what they’re talking about.” That’s just how I see it anyway.
I’m coming to this late, but I have to weigh in on Sylvia’s side, actually. Authors have editors and agents to direct our writing and careers. What seems to be missing here is that book reviews, like movie reviews, are for *readers* — they aren’t meant for writers, good or bad. If we get a good one, it’s just out luck to be able to use it.
Writers have no obligation or need to take a review as advice, and I would even caution against it. Reviews are a recommendation from one reader to another, and that’s it.
If there is a large enough demographic that doesn’t like the book or who doesn’t want to buy it for some reason, if our sales drop, that will show in numbers and editors and marketing will help an author find the problem — could have been many things, packaging, time of year, other books on the shelf, etc. If it was a writing issue, they will target that too, and more reliably than the random blog or review site.
And as for writers just shutting up — sorry, but I think that’s a HUGE double standard. So, reviewers should get to be as snarky and verbal as they like, but writers should sit and take it quietly? Reviewers can get snarky and personal, but a writer has to be quiet? Why? Why can’t a writer express their feelings about a review? Why isn’t that a legitimate response? Why shouldn’t we question a reviewer’s opinion? Isn’t that the same freedom of expression that allows a snarky review in the first place?
Let the snarky reviews exist, and let writers say what they want. If one person gets to share their opinion, why not everyone? Let it just be one big free for all…
Sam
[...] Miriam Goderich of Dystel and Goderich Literary Management advises writers to take criticism gracefully. Meanwhile, over at Romancing the Blog, Annie Dean says to “Show people you’re a professional, not a temperamental primadonna who can’t accept criticism.” [...]
I agree with Annie. I am not published, but since I am in school and am majoring in creative writing and art, I connect reviews with the grading and feedback I receive in my writing and art classes. When I hand something in, there is a check-list my teacher and my peers utilize when grading. If the majority of people notice the same hindrance in my piece, a hindrance that could harm the reception of the entirety of the work, I need to sit up and listen, whether I agree with it or not–at that moment. It’s the only way I’ll become a better painter or a better writer.
The way I see it? If a reviewer can’t quibble with the author’s grasp of the basic writing tools(characterization, structure, Voice, scene and sequel, etc) than that piece of art just didn’t speak to them. Otherwise, IMO, the review has merit even if the delivery of it isn’t appreciated.
THEN, not THAN. And I call myself a writer…:oops: *g*
I’d actually had a long reply ready to go yesterday, but the RTB gremlins ate it.
However, basically I have to side with Sylvia and Sam on this one, mainly because, in my experience, most criticism stems from personal taste — choices in characterization, voice, style, etc. that didn’t work for the reviewer. That doesn’t mean the comments aren’t valid — as Sam said, reviews are for readers, enabling them to make better choices based on their own criteria for what constitutes a “good” book.
If, for instance, the reviewer takes a book to task for certain elements, then those readers with similar hot buttons would do well to steer clear of that book. Then again, readers who don’t have a problem with, say, headhopping POV, won’t pass on a book simply because of that aspect…nor should the author, who may be selling quite well despite that particular technical quirk, be expected to “improve” her skills in accordance with that, or even a handful of other reviewers’, tastes.
It just doesn’t work that way.
In the ten or so years since I’ve been published, I’ve rarely, rarely seen a real “consensus” about any book, online or anywhere else. Yes, if someone says, “Oh, I just hated the TSTL character in Wanda Writer’s latest book,” it’s a sure bet a dozen other people will jump on the bandwagon and say, “Me, too!” More often than not, some brave soul will jump into the fray and say, “Wait a minute — I thought she was gutsy and wonderful, and the book’s gone on my keeper shelf!”, and then people will “Me, too!” that, and a lively discussion ensues.
And sometimes, for whatever reason, perhaps for fear of looking uncool on that particular blog or site or whatever, nobody takes the other side. But just because no one seems to be taking the other side, that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
And even a dozen “boos” doesn’t qualify as a mandate.
Editors buy books because they feel enough readers will love them as much as they do to justify the expense and energy of publication. But nobody’s naive enough to assume *everyone* will love them, or that some people won’t have issues with various aspects of the story or the writing. But the reverse is also true — that no book will be universally hated, either. There really does seem to be a readership for everything, and simply because a particular book doesn’t fire someone’s jets doesn’t mean readers should be deprived of that book — yes, exactly the way it’s written.
I think it’s fairly safe to say that few authors turn in a book that’s not the best they can make it, at that point in their creative journey. It’s also a good bet that most of us continually work to improve our craft, within the parameters of our unique voices and the characters whose stories we have to tell. But to expect authors to mold that craft to reviewers’ personal tastes is absurd, especially when — in the vast majority of cases — there is no such thing as a “consensus.”
My husband and I watched the Coppola MARIE ANTOINETTE over the weekend. Having heard the reviews were mixed, we went into it with pretty low expectations. I liked it more than I thought I would, he didn’t. But we both understood what Coppola was trying to do with her material.
For giggles, I looked up the major reviews for the movies, which ranged from A to D. Some reviewers loved it, some clearly thought it was a pretentious piece of crap, others were ambivalent. Whether or not Coppola’s vision “worked” clearly depended on the individual reviewer’s POV and personal taste.
So I ask you — should Coppola have considered the dissing, by a handful of reviewers, for her avant garde approach a “consensus” that she needs to rethink her movie making philosophy? And if she were to do that (not bloody likely, I’m thinking) wouldn’t she then be betraying those who love her work, just the way it is?
And would any of those reviewers expect her to alter her vision to please them?
I doubt it.
We (writers, movie makers, etc.) can only do what we can do. Once a piece is published (which means it’s already gone through God knows how many rounds of critiques, revisions and editing), it’s out of our hands. Readers/reviewers are free to love it, hate it, or have no reaction at all. If a criticism resonates with us, and we can effectively incorporate it into our future work, that’s one thing. If sales suddenly drop, as Sam said, then obviously something needs tweaking. In most cases, however, it’s NOT the writing at fault, or the characters, or the story. It’s the five million things totally outside the author’s control. Brilliant books languish on the shelves (or never find them at all); mediocre books can sell through the roof.
And no publisher or author is going to tinker with something that’s actually working. NO ONE.
Because in the end, it’s not about our ability to TAKE criticism (or at least, to take it gracefully), it’s about the impossibility of pleasing everyone. So. Writers tell their stories, and reviewers give their opinions, and readers make their choices.
And, well, that’s it, really.
^
When I said in my post that I’d made a couple of course corrections in my game writing based on what readers said I didn’t mean I’d made substantive changes in my voice or craft. The market/readers I was referring to is a membership site, folks pay to come read stories. And there is an active BBS community wherein those stories are discussed — so it’s an instant feedback environment.
I like hit-’em-fast-and-leave-them-thinking writing, and for the first year or so I was writing for this market my stories averaged just under 6,000 words — with a couple under 3k. 10k was long for me. The readers on the boards consistently commented that they wanted longer stories. “We just get to know these characters and they’re gone.” was a recurring theme. So in response to a consistent pattern in reviews of my work, I started writing longer (though I still throw in a few short stories). My last five sales to BattleCorps have been 24k. 3k, 39k, 36k and 10k respectively.
Oops. Bad link in that last post.
The BattleCorps site is:
http://battlecorps.com/BC2/index.html
(And the free sample story “Last Full Measure” available for download is mine. If you know someone who wouldlike a space combat short story.)
Well, authors can respond in any manner they choose, of course. My concern with engaging in a scratch-hiss contest with a reviewer is the possibility of alienating potential readers. There’s a difference between saying, “I respectfully disagree, but thank you for your time in reading my book,” and beginning a word war.