…that is the question.
Book Binge is a blog dedicated to the books that me and my blogging buddies love and read. Sometimes we read books that we absolutely love and you’ll find all sorts of fangirl behavior in the reviews we post, and sometimes we can’t stand a book and you’ll get a passionate post about why we don’t like said book and where you can stick said book should you come across it. We totally understand that it’s a diverse world out there and there will be people who love the books we hate and hate the books we love.
But that’s besides the point because I’m not there to tell you what everyone likes about the book, I’m there to tell you if I liked the book or not and why. I don’t claim to be some extraordinary writer, I don’t claim to be an English teacher with perfect grammar and sentence structure, I just love to write blogs and I love to write about the things I love and share them with whoever wants to read them…now over at Book Binge, we have up on our sidebars a section that let’s authors know that if they want us to read and review their books on our site, we’ll be more than happy to do it but it also says in that very same section, that we’re going to be totally honest in our reviews, meaning just because you gave us a free book, doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get a glowing review.
Something that’s been weighing on my brain for the past week is this: How many reader reviewer blogs out there have skipped a review because they didn’t want to say anything mean about the book in case the author saw the review? Are there any reader reviewer blogs out there who have been given books to review by authors and have given them a good review even though you didn’t like the book and just wanted to keep the peace with the author?
Do any of these kinds of reviewers exist? I don’t think so, not in the blogging world I hang around at. We all know that there are authors aplenty that either google their names and read book reviews of their books or authors that are part of the romance book online blogging world. Are there any bloggers out there who read books and have not liked the book but have not reviewed it because they didn’t want the author to know that they hated their books?
And what about authors? Do you guys want reviews done for your books, ONLY if they’re good reviews? Would you be honest in your comments to the book review or would you fake the funk for the public to see ?
I’m curious to know this last bit because if an author sent a book out and asked for someone to review the book, why then would an author say something like this on a public forum?
That wasnt even a fucking review, it was just her griping about a PART of the book. and notice that she didnt even mention **** and **** getting buck wild either… its like it was a personal Jab at us…
Ugh i hate this.
After having replied to the very same review that she was not upset about the review, at all.
The author went on to talk about the review being a personal jab at the author herself…A personal jab? Why would you think that the reader would make a review personal against the author and not just the book? Why can’t it be that she just didn’t like the book and that was the main thing she couldn’t get over? Why can’t a simple, I didn’t like it because of this, this and this be sufficient enough?
What more do authors want? And if you sent your book out and asked for it to be reviewed on their site, why would you say something like this on a public forum?
And honestly, thats what hurts us you know? If she wasnt going to like it why post the review, why not just email me and tell me that she didnt like it, couldnt find ANYTHING she liked about it, and tell me she wasnt going to review it? that was a Jab at us.
So wait, she wanted the book to be reviewed but only if she liked what was being said in the review? Kind of like, she needed to edit the review before it was posted? So I’m really confused guys, Authors, when you give someone something to review, do you guys want their honest opinion or not? And what really makes me feel sorry for this author is this post that I read:
And normally i dont have issues with Shit reviews because lets face it, we all get the (in the literary business) But this one really pricked my pride, as she didnt say ANYTHING remotely postitive, and was stuck on ONE thing that it really wasnt a review. So please, pop by, read it, and comment if you liked the book, i think we got a bum rap with this one.
I wouldn’t want to review a book by this author anymore because its one thing to bitch and moan about a review in the privacy of emails between friends while pretending that all is well in public but it’s an entirely different thing to bitch in public and then sic your rabid fangirls on an unsuspecting reviewer.
Don’t you think?
“How many reader reviewer blogs out there have skipped a review because they didn’t want to say anything mean about the book in case the author saw the review? Are there any reader reviewer blogs out there who review books that they don’t like and say that they did in order to keep the authors on their good side?”
I have to confess the answer to the first question in my case is yes, one time I did do that. The answer to the second is no.
If I don’t want to deal with author reprecussions I won’t post at all rather than lie.
I’ve not reviewed a book I didn’t like before. One can only say “It sucked” so many times. lol. That or I was just too lazy and didn’t care one way or another.
Another reason is if I don’t finish the book and I feel I haven’t read enough of it, I don’t feel it warrants a review. Unless something really bothered me or if I feel a need to warn people to stay away.
Good post sweetie.
Okay, I’ve reread this a picked up something I had missed the first time around …
you’re talking about when you are asked to review their work!
I gothcya now!
In that case you are obligated to post- good or bad.
Either way- you can’t lie. And really, who wants a blog full of harriet klausner reviews, anyway?
My one case where I felt I didn’t want to post my reivew was because it had hot button issues that I just didn’t want to get into on my blog…
I have to chime in here.
Just as you, as a reviewer, are entitled to voice your opinion of a book, the author is entitled to voice her own opinions about her review, particularly if she feels it was an unfair one.
There are such things as bad reviews. (And I don’t mean a “bad” review, where the reviewer disliked the book, but provides concrete reasons for that dislike) I had one review wherein the reviewer made glaring errors about key plot points and character names, making it quite clear that she hadn’t even read the book – and indeed, when I confronted her about it, she admitted as much. Don’t I have a right to defend myself in the face of that?
Whomever this author is, she has a right to be displeased with your review, just as you have a right to dislike the book in the first place.
Hearing that someone dislikes your book isn’t easy.
Yeah, that’s fine…I’m not saying that she has no right to be pissed off about the review, but why would she say one thing on one blog and then say something completely different on another one? Why not be honest everywhere?
How many reader reviewer blogs out there have skipped a review because they didn’t want to say anything mean about the book in case the author saw the review?
If I don’t like something about a book, I post it. I don’t HIDE because of it.
Are there any reader reviewer blogs out there who have been given books to review by authors and have given them a good review even though you didn’t like the book and just wanted to keep the peace with the author?
NEVER. If I don’t like it, I don’t like it. While I don’t SLAM the book, I do tell why I didn’t like it.
Whoever that author was that acted like a pouting little baby, he/she needs to grow up and realize that if you’re going to put your reading out there, you’re going to have to take the feedback, both positive and negative. Not everyone is going to like your book, no matter how good it is. That’s just a fact. Now while I agree it’s constructive to try and find something about a book that’s positive, I don’t go out of my way to make it seem like the one or two good points overshadow the bad.
BUT- lately it seems, if a reviewer says anything negative about a book, the author(or her pals) slam them and that’s just wrong… and one reason that I don’t post many reviews anymore. Also, if I do post reviews, it’s only for books that really impacted me, good or bad, because I just can’t be arsed to get slammed for something mediocre.
Most of the reviews I’ve done have been for books I’ve liked. I’m kinda with Isabel: I don’t post a review for a book I didn’t like because I just don’t care. I prefer to save my energy for the books I do like. Reviewing for me is not easy – there’s a fine line between getting your point across yet not giving away too many spoilers, so I’m only going to make the effort if I care enough.
That being said, I recently blogged about a book from an author whose work I like a lot, but her latest book disappointed me. I didn’t hate it, but I was clear that it wasn’t her best work, imo. I saw her over the weekend, and she may or may not know my opinion(I doubt she visits my blog) but it didn’t stop me from having her sign some of my books.
Now I love coming here because I love how honest you all are, but you’re not nasty about it. I think you give valid reasons why you don’t like something, and sometimes I agree…unless it’s about Kingdom of Dreams, right Ro? *g*
There’s nothing wrong with that Zeek, but I wanted authors to know that we don’t do that here at Book Binge.
Big Hugs,
Wena
First, I’m with Chantal. I’ll pop the corn and pour a cold pop and you tell me where I go to rubberneck. C’mon, that’s just entertainment!!
Second, I am slowly discovering there are many people out there better than I. If I sat and read the entire book and it blew chunks you better believe I’m going to rant about it on my blog. Now. I’m never mean to an author – I don’t think I have ever said ‘don’t quit your day job’ cause in reality, the things that I hated might turn another reader’s crank.
Of course, I have never had an author ask me to review their book so I have wondered what that might be like for me. Then again, I don’t claim to be a reviewer and sometimes my so called review is a huge ‘squeeeee’ post where I cuddle the book and call it ‘my precious’. So I’m just posting my opinion and if an author thinks that I have a personal problem with them then they need to seek professional help because their ego is outta control!!
Rabid fangirls suck and I’m hoping I would be mature enough to just let them sling their hash until they left again. It’s like getting pneumonia, it sucks and it’s rotten and you just have to suffer through until you get better. I figure that’s what a fangirl attack would be like 😉
One more thing! Sorry. If an author feels that facts are not right or that the person hasn’t read the book then absolutely they should confront the person. Other than that, grin and bear it.
CindyS
I once took a review off my blog after a few days because I was afraid that the author would happen to see it. I was REALLY mean. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.
Fuck, the book SUCKED though.
I plan to re read it this month and see how I feel.
If an author gives someone a book to review, then the reviewer should post about it…no matter how good or bad it is. Sure, an author has the right to be pissed about what the reviewer says. SHOULD they bitch out loud about a reviewer not liking the book though? I don’t know. *shrug*
What I do know though, is that if *I* wrote a book I would do my very best to only read reviews that I know are good ones. I’d make my friends screen every review for me before I read it. LOL
I’m not good at taking critique, and knowing that someone hates my work would turn me off of writing.
I really believe that some of the authors I come across on line need to grow thicker skin, or STOP READING REVIEWS.
Now, who is the author that started this post. Come on, tell me tell, me tell me 🙂
I try not to write up a book if I hav nothing good to say, because like Stacy, it takes up too much of my valuable time. I do make the occasional exception *coughChasingStanleycough*, but for the most part, unless I can make some type of constructive criticism or at least some positive comments along with the negative, I don’t waste my time.
Hey Rowena 🙂
It’s not that I don’t care about authors, but let say that I don’t think many lurks at my blog LOL 🙂 I’m actually more intimated by fans, rabid or not. I actually have differing opinions on a lot of authors than the general mass. Eg: Anne Stuart, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Lora Leigh… so I’m kind of intimidated to say I didn’t like it, when so many ppl did. So yes, I will say that it didn’t do much for me and probably just down-play it ^^; I know, I’m weak.
I agree with most that if an author sent you the book and that you’ve read it, then you should post your review either bad or good.
Seriously, I’m bad at reviews because in many instances, I can’t say what really bothered me and I don’t pay much attention to the writing and the voice like so many do… and I don’t really care about it. All I want to know is the review is did the reviewer liked it or not and WHY!!! Seriously, I thought your review was absolutely okay, Rowena. You said you dislike it and I knew why and I’m not going to stay away from it because you gave it a bad review… I’m going to stay away from it because I don’t like my heroes to sleep around either!
As for what Kayleigh said, true, authors are allowed to be pissed at bad reviews where they are plenty of mistakes about the storyline and characters and the reader obviously didn’t read the book. I’d be pissed to. And it’s okay for the author to be displeased with a bad review (as in, reviewer didn’t like the book)… that is totally understandable. It’s also okay to complain about the bad review you’ve received and get a pat on the shoulder or some sympathy… but to tell your fans to go to the blog and say how much THEY like their books, that was just plain mean. Fans can really be mean when they protect their idol and that was just plain childish, really. I didn’t see anyone telling the readers who have NOT enjoyed the book to go to the blog and comment! You’re not helping yourself by siccing your fans on a reviewer, especially when it’s obvious that they are not objective.
oh and by the way, Rowena’s review was a review… and it didn’t attack the authors personally in my opinion.
Anne,
When we first put up the SF blog, it was a place where we could let eachother know which books we thought were good and which books we thought were bad. I would read through Holly’s reviews, Izzy’s reviews and that would direct me toward which books I was really going to read and which books I was going to stay far away from. We were always honest in our reviews and I don’t want to change that.
If I read a book that I absolutely hated, I’m the type of person that’s going to rant on it and that’s my right as this is my blog.
The author knows who she is and I just wanted to let her know that I didn’t appreciate her siccing her rabid fangirls on me because I didn’t like her book.
Stacy,
But see, that’s the thing about authors, not every book that they write are going to be winners for EVERYONE, even my favorite authors have written books that I absolutely hated but one bad book isn’t going to ruin an author for me.
Siccing your rabid fangirls on an unsuspecting reviewer will ruin them indefinitely. And I was pissed off at JRW? I love the woman now!
And thanks Stacy, you’re sweet and I’m going searching for the Toni Blake book you reviewed on your blog last week sometime, I loved your review and am so going to get that book today! I can’t wait!
Chantal,
My issue wasn’t with the author seeking sympathy from her fans or friends in public. My issue was with her directing her fans over here to tell me why THEY liked the book and how I’m not smart enough to enjoy a book like the reviewed book.
Really chapped my hide, especially since the author was just over here thanking me for the review and then telling me she wasn’t upset about it at all.
Lori,
You’re nicer than I am though because I write my thoughts on every book that I read, regardless of if I like the book or not.
I rememeber your CS review, that one made me smile but it wasn’t mean and I thank you for it because I know that I like a lot of the same books as you so you saved me money! =)
Cindy,
LOL, you do always know how to make me smile! I don’t know if I would call myself a reviewer either, the reviews I write are not for any magazines or whatever, I write them to steer my FRIENDS either to a book or away from it and because I love talking about books, good and bad ones.
You and me are in the same boat, if I sat through a book and actually finished it and it was the most horrible thing I’ve ever read, you can bet the farm, I’ll be rantin’ on my blog for sure.
And you’re so right, an attack from the rabid fangirls is very much like how you described and really, the only way to get passed it is to suffer through it, I’ve been attacked plenty of times so I should know. =)
That last part of your comment is totally right. =)
Nath,
That’s exactly what I was thinking! Why couldn’t it be that I just didn’t like the book? Why did it have to turn into all that other crap? If she didn’t want me to review her books honestly then please believe I won’t be reviewing her books anymore, someone else will have to do it.
I hope Holly likes her other books because you know how hard to please Holly is.
Thanks for that last part of your comment, seriously, I couldn’t have said it any better!
Hugs!
Yikes, I had no idea the authors did that.
I just went and saw all the replies to the review.
Yikes!
The fans they sent over here did nothing but turn me off even more than your review did.
Like I said-some authors are big babies. They proved it.
I haven’t read any of the other comments so please forgive me if this was discussed above.
I think the author is right when she says:
“That wasn’t even a fucking review, it was just her griping about a PART of the book”
I have no idea what book, author, or review we’re talking about, but if in fact, the person who wrote the post only talked about one part of the book and didn’t find one single positive thing about it, then it wasn’t much of a review, or a fair one at that.
Even the worst books out there *cough* Outlander *cough* have good things; a line, an interesting bit, a ridiculous part that made you laugh or something you learned from it. At least that’s been my personal experience (might be different for everyone I suppose) even god awful books *cough* Gone too Far *cough* will have one redeeming quality and it would be unfair to write a “review” and gloss over most of the book and just talk about one scene that drove you nuts. That, in my opinion, is not a review.
And that folks is why I don’t review books LOL. I either love them or hate them, and there’s no way I can be bothered to write a fair review about the whole thing. I just comment on the parts I hated or the parts I loved. 😛
Chantal, both Harlot (my blog mate) and I HATE HATE HATE Outlander. Funny how most of our readers love it though. Only god knows what is romantic about verbal/physical abuse, rape, pedophilia, beatings, adultery, spousal abuse etc. etc. etc.. There are so many things wrong with that book I wouln’t even know where to begin or end LOL
I think if I hadn’t been told it was a romance and THE most romantic book ever I would’ve liked it as historical fiction. But that…. thing is NOT a romance.
OMG, someone else who hated outlander! I thought I was the only one.
Hmm, I personally am not encouraged to post a review for a book that particularly didn’t interest me enough–e.g. I ended up just skimming most of it. I think it’s too much of a waste of time. And I don’t think that authors shouldn’t take personally what readers say about their work because, admit it, not all people have the same opinion and/or opinion. (But if everyone despises your book that’s entirely a different story. LOL!) But if I review a book even if it doesn’t really warrant one (although in that case I really don’t know why I bother) I do say WHY I didn’t like it, even if it’s just because of a certain PART. I don’t really care how the author would react to it (because similarly like Nath, I don’t think any author found themselves in my book blog yet *sniggers*) but mainly because I want to know what OTHER READERS think of it and if I could look at the situation at a different angle.
(Dee, you just made my overly tired brain think but great post, sweets!)
Vicious Trollop,
I realize you said you hadn’t read the review, but it WAS a review. She said what she didn’t like and what made it hard for her to get into the book, but then she also said what she did like and that she’s be checking out the rest of the series. So it was just her saying: @#)(*$&)!^*(% book, I’m done.
Chantal,
I’ve tried reading Outlander like 5 different times and have yet to be able to get into it. 😉
Book Reviews are not for the author. You wanna learn about your craft get a fucking CP, talk to your editor and a class.
You wanna hear what readers are saying read blogs or review sites.
Can a book totally and completely suck ass for a reader? Yes. And that doesn’t need to be validated by anyone. Nor do they need to present their case in a fair and pleasant way.
I will almost always say what I like about a book even if I hated most of it because I do see something in almost every book that is good. But however I decide to do things does not make how someone else does it wrong.
And hating a book does not mean the person hates the author. If a person can not disconnect themselves from their work, they have no business publishing it or selling it much less asking fucking people to review it.
You wanna hate on the reviewer? Fine, call up your BFF and talk about what a whore that holly chick is for failing to see the genus that is you. Posting it in public makes the author look like that asshole not the reviewer.
And newsflash if the review was honestly trashing the book beyond need – readers are smart enough to know that. They will speak up and say something. Having the author call out for minions is beyond stupid.
Crap on an effin’ cracker! I’m just catching up my blog hopping, and I just read the post you’re referring too. All you are required to do is say why the book didn’t work for you, which quite clearly you did. You didn’t say it stunk, you said the authors were worth giving another chance, and you made it very clear that the book wasn’t your cup of tea. Not mean at all. The authors’ crybaby behavior is annoying, as was sending that parade of characters your way.
I love how folks pull the “you just weren’t smart enough” card, when I doubt most of them actually read your review themselves, just went off based on the whinging of their fearless leader. Some of their “rebuttals” were nonsensical, and you were quite polite to them, IMO.
Reviewing to me, is about explaining why the book didn’t work for me and me alone. What others get out of my ramblings is up to them. Occasionally I get nervous that I might hurt someone’s feelings, but again, it’s just my opinion. And if I don’t like a book, it certainly doesn’t have anything to do with my feelings about the author personally. Although I would think twice about reviewing a book by those two. Your review made the book sound interesting, actually, but if I wrote about it less than glowingly, they might send a bunch of commenters with funny fantasy names to hound me.
Or maybe that would be fun.
Reviews aren’t for the author – they’re for readers to decide if they want to buy the book.
The best thing an author can do if they get a bad review is politely thank the reviewer for taking time to read their book then quietly step away – otherwise they’re just gonna get trashed.
Personally, I’ve never reviewed something I totally hated because I never bother finishing anything I don’t like. I have way to many books – if it sucks, I chuck it and reach for the next one.
::raising hand:: I didn’t like Outlander either …
I don’t know if I didn’t like Outlander or not… I haven’t read it and really have no plans too.
You wanna hate on the reviewer? Fine, call up your BFF and talk about what a whore that holly chick is for failing to see the genus that is you. Posting it in public makes the author look like that asshole not the reviewer.
That’s exactly what I think, Syb. Bitch in private to your friends, but don’t try to sic your fangirls on a reviewer just because you felt misaligned. And if you ARE going to sic your fangirls on a reviewer, do it in private, not on a public forum were anyone could find it.
Or maybe that’s just me.
VT,
What Holly said…and as for Outlander, it would have been okay if you chopped that sucker in half and nixed the whole Jamie you know what stuff.
Kookie sweets,
Sorry sweetie! You’re right but for me, if I’ve read it, I’ll either gush or vent about the book, it’s what I do. =)
Sybil,
Can a book totally and completely suck ass for a reader? Yes. And that doesn’t need to be validated by anyone. Nor do they need to present their case in a fair and pleasant way.
Exactly.
You wanna hate on the reviewer? Fine, call up your BFF and talk about what a whore that holly chick is for failing to see the genus that is you. Posting it in public makes the author look like that asshole not the reviewer.
Exactly again.
And newsflash if the review was honestly trashing the book beyond need – readers are smart enough to know that. They will speak up and say something. Having the author call out for minions is beyond stupid.
Amen to that too! =)
Devon,
Thanks, I’m glad you saw what I meant, I didn’t think that I trashed the author, I didn’t think that my review was a shot against her, I had nothing against her until she sent her little rabids over here to defend her honor, that was beyond dumb.
Reviewing to me, is about explaining why the book didn’t work for me and me alone.
This is the same for me!
Jaynie R,
First off, welcome to the blog, I don’t think I’ve seen you comment around here so I wanted to welcome you!=) As for your comment, you’re right…I don’t review the books for the authors, I don’t have anything against any authors, but for me, I’m reviewing these books for my friends and for the readers that read this site..nobody else.