members have carried on a discussion about writing reviews. One of the ladies
mentioned that she wrote a poor review on a well-known author. That kicked up
opinions from some of the others.
It shocked me to hear that a few of the authors
refused to write reviews at all. Not wanting to be in the position of having to
be honest on a poorly written book, they’ve opted out of being put in that
tenuous position. Of course that’s everyone’s prerogative and I respect their
choices.
Comments from some of our
colleagues:
have found this a very interesting topic. I’m surprised to hear people say they won’t review another author’s work. It seems to me that it is somewhat short-sighted, in that if a published author reviews your work with good results, it is a really good marketing tool. I can understand not publishing negative reviews, the ramifications are obvious I guess. But refusing to do a positive review seems odd. I’d like to give an author a good review if it is genuine, and why not? If I enjoyed the work, and I’m published myself (which I’m not, so IMHO) it is a good way to boost the whole publishing community and thank the author for the enjoyment I received from their work. ~ Sylvia Blenkin
in agreement with you. I think it’s beneficial to both the author and the
reader to hear an honest review. That being said, I don’t agree with people who
are rude or condescending in their remarks. It takes a lot for an author to put
their ‘baby’ out there for others to see, treat that with the respect it
deserves. ~Jacquie Biggar
been happy to review other authors work. If they’re a debut author and I’ve
found any enjoyment in their work, I try and give them a 5-star always
mentioning the fact that it’s their first release so others reading the review
will be a little less judgmental. If I can’t give a book more than three, I
refuse to write the review. Mostly the four stars will be because I don’t
believe the author put out their best effort as far as the formatting, editing
and grammar. And if I know or care about that writer, I usually send them a
personal note of encouragement to revise their work.
I never write a review based on whether the story
was a masterpiece of literature….but only on whether they were able to
entertain me with something I found interesting. Again, if it was really great,
my review will be that much more glowing. But, if it’s a nice story, with
interesting characters, and lots of conflict that kept me involved, you bet
it’ll get a 5-star.
Between you and me – I think some people have such
high expectations of what a book should be that they think everyone feels the
same. (Next blog on expectations!)Certainly publishers and editors do, that’s true. But the average reader
just wants to be entertained with decent content fairly well written. Most of
them don’t know if the re-action is following the action properly or if the
author is head-hopping unless it’s annoyingly obvious. If the story brings out
honest emotions like tears or laughter and it keeps them captivated so they
can’t put it down, then they’ll love it, hopefully review it and most likely
buy something else the author has written.
So… We’ve given our opinion. What’s yours???
on the right side and anyone who signs in December will have a chance to win a
$20 Amazon Gift Certificate. And…. an opportunity to enter an upcoming contest
based on the new Elvis Series where I will dedicate the next book to the
winner, choose the song they request and even use their name for a character. Great
Fun!!! (all addresses will be secure to only my
newsletter list)
