- a post by Jeanna Mason Stay
This week I finished a book that I wasn’t certain I was going to enjoy. It was a kindle freebie many moons ago, and I picked it up (because, hey, free!). Then it languished until a week or so ago, when I finally started it.
I really rather enjoyed it. Yes, there were quirks I did not
love (I thought the author’s figurative language simply didn’t work in many
instances; I also didn’t find the main character’s personality entirely
consistent). But I found the story to be overall enjoyable and tense enough to
make me nervous reading it at night (it was a thriller). My biggest beef was
the ending, which I found abrupt and far too unfinished, even for being the
first in the series. This ending probably knocked half a star off my enjoyment
level.
Still, I figured that I could give a fairly honest, fairly
positive review. I used to write scathing reviews of books I didn’t like, but
now I don’t bother with a review at all unless I can honestly say that I enjoyed
it well enough to merit at least 3 stars out of 5.* In my opinion, that’s
pretty reasonable. Three stars says, “Hey, I liked this. I didn’t love it, but
if this is a genre you enjoy, this book is worth a look.” So I clicked over to
Amazon to write a review.
And then I saw the ratings.
Out of about 150 reviews, there was only one 1-star review. Every
single other review was either 4 or 5 stars. This is incredibly unusual, and it
made me suspicious. Out of curiosity, I clicked the 1-star review. Which is
when I discovered that the 1-star reviewer had received bucketloads of comments
(almost all deleted by Amazon) from either the author or the author’s friends—all
because he had given a 1-star review.
Note to authors:
Bullying your readers is NOT COOL, even if they don’t like your book.
In skimming through some of the other reviews, I found that
the author had told someone else who didn’t like his first book that they
should give the second book a try anyway—it was even better. While that might
be true, I was really uncomfortable with the tone going on here: like my book
or be pressured into liking my book.
Now I’m sitting on what I would have considered a positive
review, torn between posting and not posting it. I’d rather not get into a
fight with the author of a book I enjoyed, you know? And I’d also rather not
have an indie author out there gunning for me when one day I am published. I’m a
bit angry at this author’s handling of negative reviews, too. Sure, indie
publishing is hard, and negative reviews can hurt; but dishonestly positive
reviews feel, well, dishonest.
So I guess I’ll figure it out. Or maybe I’ll just let it all
slip because I’ve got better things to do with my time. Who knows?
In the meantime, have you ever faced a situation like this
(either as the reviewer or as the receiver of a negative review)? If so, how
did you handle it?
* Actually, I will still
write reviews of books I hated if the author is either a) dead or b) so rich
and famous that my negative review is just a drop in the bucket. But they’re
usually not scathing anymore.**
** Unless the book is named Wuthering Heights or Romeo and Juliet. Then all bets are off.
Bullying is never appropriate or acceptable.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a review once, that was actually a very positive review, but the first two paragraphs made it seem otherwise. I actually went back and deleted the 2nd paragraph because when I wrote it, while meant as a positive, and then read it later, it had changed somehow and seemed to be really negative. The impetus for this was the book's author, but he did so in a very non-confrontational manner.
I think that as long as a review is honest, straightforward, specifically and constructively critical, and not emotionally charged then it is valid and worthwhile. If I were you, I would post the review, because I think you’d be doing the author a favor. It’s like a free critique, and even if they chafed at it, you’d better believe your words would still be in their head the next time they wrote a book.
ReplyDeleteIf it were me, I would leave the review and welcome any followup comments from the author. If you stand by your review, you should be willing and able to handle anything the author (or other commenters) might throw at you and maybe make a point to them that not all reviews are from trolls- some of them are from intelligent people who really appreciate great stories but are even more appreciative of good storytelling.
Personally, I have discovered that the best way to craft a less-than-stellar review is to couch every negative in some positives and to be very specific with my negatives so that no one can accuse me of just being silly or mean.
I say go for it!
I love your asterisks.
ReplyDelete