I’m an honest reviewer. But can I be too honest? It’s been going around my head a lot lately. Are negative reviews worthwhile? Should we post them? Are they useful to the publishers or just a disappointment for them?
I gathered my shy courage and squeaked my questions to a few publicists. They gave me some awesome answers back.
Asking Amanda: Publicist @ HarperCollins
Asking Stephanie: Publicist @ Text Publishing
ME: How do you feel about blogger’s negative reviews?
STEPHANIE: I suppose it depends on what you mean by negative. All I can ask of bloggers, and reviewers in general, is for their reviews to be thoughtful, informed and constructive. We think our books are awesome but understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It’s more frustrating to read a review that is badly written than find out you didn’t like something, your tastes will just inform what I send you.
And I want your opinions as well! So I asked. On twitter! Keep your socks on though, blogglings, because I’m going to ask here too. And the responses were super awesome and interesting.
Note: For some reason I couldn’t embed them without the coding being messy…sooo, screenshots it is! But click on the tweet to go to the bloggers’ accounts!
If you’ve hung around Notebook Sisters for a while, you’ll know my reviews dabble in the snarky park. I use gifs. I make jokes. But I do my best never ever ever to trash an author, no matter what I think of the book. In fact, back in March, I wrote a post on do we have the right to criticise authors? (The consensus was: nope.)
But I’m a human (like most of you…don’t worry! I’m not putting you all in a box, dear aliens) and I doubt myself and my reviewing abilities and I wonder if they can be too harsh? What’s a blogger to do? Besides cry and eat chocolate.
1. Don’t trash the author. This one is pretty obvious, but even I need the reminder sometimes. Never spout of phrases like “the author didn’t know what they were doing” or “the author didn’t do their research”. We seriously can’t make claims like that!
2. Tell us why. Sure the book sucked, but please, for the love of all things bookish, EXPLAIN yourself. It’s no good putting fifty screaming gifs on there, because we still don’t know what the turn-off was. If I read a review that says the characters sucked, I’m going to zig-zag away. I love my characters. But if it’s the description that sucked? Well, that’s okay by me. It still might be my Next Favourite Read.
3. Remember your reviews are for readers, not for the author. I’ve always thought this, but I appreciate having the publicists above confirm this! Our reviews aren’t supposed to “help the author write better”, because we don’t know squat. Our reviews are to help readers who have similar taste to ours find books they’d like to read.
Sure we can be a little snarky and use funny GIFs and rant a little. Free world. We have opinions. But so long as we realise there’s a person behind the makings of that book and we don’t attack anyone, we’re good to go, aren’t we?
Cait is very nervous about this post. Just so you know. She’s been “book blogging” dedicatedly for less than a year, so she is still new to the world of ARCs and talking to (awesome) publicists and trying to appear intelligent and professional. Usually she fails, but self-five for trying. Cait reviews a lot of sucky books, but she tries to keep her snark in check. If you want to catch her reviews at best and worst, friend her on Goodreads.
This, I think, is a post that every blogger should read! As what seems to be the consensus, I think negative reviews are fine as everyone is entitled to their own opinions. However, I agree that you should never trash the author and always say why that particular book wasn't right for you. Thanks for taking your time and contacting publishers to create a fantastic post.
Negative reviews can be tricky in terms of either being constructive or downright slamming. I think that yes of course everyone is going to see a book differently, as reading a novel is a personal experience. If you didn't like it then fine, but at least consider the work that an author has put into it, and a reviewer should never attack them personally, just like you said. Constructive criticism should be welcomed if there are valid reasons in that person's opinion and it's always important to remember that even though there may be 'haters' there will always be those who love a certain novel too, for different reasons. It's especially interesting to see what the publishers had to say on this one – great post! (as always)Eugenia (Chasm of Books)
Great post! I thought Amanda's response about reviews helping the authors to be an interesting one 🙂
HEY LOOK, THAT'S ME! Heh. Anyway. This such a great post, because it's something that I think everyone is going to have different opinions about. But that's the beauty of books, right? They're so different and subjective and they can be perceived in different way. My opinions on the matter is pretty much summed up in my tweets; I think it's definitely important for reviewers to state WHY they didn't like a particular book. (:
Nooo, I had a lovely reply all typed out then it didn't post 🙁 Anyway, short of what I said:I only use .gifs for good reviews usually, rarely negative for some reason hahaAgree. Negative should be only about the book and it needs to be at least somewhat critical or else it's useless to me a reader. I likd negative reviews b/c it helps me ween out books I probably won't enjoy. Ie. if a reviewer with similar taste gives a book a negative review, chances are I'll skip it. Great discussion Cait!
I'm one of those weird people who generally enjoys most books. However, my reviews will definitely point out all the things that I thought were negative. Even if there's a lot of them, I'll be posting my review anyway! I try to at least talk about some positives though because I feel like every book has something good about it.To be completely honest, you're probably one of the bloggers that I read that has the most negative reviews. I know that it kind of suck for the author but I actually really love you reviews. In fact, even if you don't recommend a book, if I already have it, I'll read it anyway. But in the end, I'll love it a lot more than I would have if I didn't read negative reviews. Going into a book with lower expectations could actually help out sometimes. So I don't think there's anything wrong with a negative review!
Totally agree with all these things. And so lovely of Steph and Amanda to answer 🙂 I'm a softie to start with, so most of my reviews aren't too negative. And if they are, I always try to talk about something I liked in the book – other bloggers/readers may end up really loving the book, and I'd hate for them to miss out on that! Also, if the author is someone I've interacted with on Twitter or something, I probably won't post a negative review of their book/s. It just feels weird. Great post, Cait 🙂
Awesome post Cait! And good on you for asking the difficult questions.
I hate to write negative reviews, but I have written a couple. But I agree that a blogger who posts some negative reviews is more reliable. I loved to see what the publishers said!! Great post, Cait!! TW Wrightravensandwriting.blogspot.com
there have been a few books I've reviewed that left MUCH to be desired. But, when I have those books, I have a creed which I stick to. if the book just didn't go with me well, I pick three, and only three (well. it can be less but no more than three) negative things to focus on in detail. But, in turn, I have to find something that the book did right, that I liked, or I could see as a valuable assets for the book to have to make it's little way in the world. I have to find three good, three bad, and talk about them. Because, I don't want to totally bash the book.
I don't even see reviews as positive or negative, I just see them as a review that someone has written. They might not have enjoyed the book, but it doesn't make it a negative review necessarily, it just means they didn't enjoy it, the same way a positive review doesn't exist, it just so happens they enjoyed reading it. I review all of the books I read (other than comics and graphic novels because we'd be there all day otherwise) but I consider them all important because it's my opinion and the people that come to my blog come for my opinion, so I give it 🙂
I write honest (which sometimes means negative!) reviews and I've never known a publicist to have a problem with that. However, I cringe every time I see a blogger tweet a negative review at an author – why would you do that? And I don't like those gif-filled negative Goodreads reviews. Most of those are just way OTT and personal. I guess those people think they're being funny and smart when in actual fact, they're being the total opposite!
I'm crying a little inside because I JUST AGREE SO MUCH. I love reading and writing reviews for books I didn't like because these reviews can be a good outlet for my mental screaming. But it bothers me so much when people say whatever to the author! Especially the bloggers who kind of want to be in the writing industry in the future–don't trash the authors because karma will get you. By all means, go and tell the world why a book wasn't for you! Just don't talk trash about an author because you have no idea what they've been through to write their book. That being said, I think negative reviews are really helpful. They tell me what to expect when reading a book, so I can lower my expectations and actually enjoy the read! Awesome post as always, Cait! <3
I haven't actually posted any reviews on my blog, yet, but I have written a few reviews that I've scheduled for later posts. In all of my reviews, even if the majority of the review is negative, I always try to find something that I loved in the book, because there is no book that is complete trash.Then, I put my description of what I loved first in my review. I also never criticize the author because I know how much work he/she put into the book and if I were to publish a book, I know that it would hurt for someone to criticize me as a person in their review.http://www.butterfliesoftheimagination.weebly.com/
This. Is. Perfect. I can't say I write a whole lot of negative reviews because I tend to either DNF a book (and I don't write DNF reviews) or keep going and like it enough to give it 3 Stars. I guess I'm getting better at picking books I'm sure I'll like and I have been having FANTASTIC luck with ARCs since I started with them back in January.
Negative reviews sound tricky. I think it's awesome that you asked, and awesome that they answered.My opinion? Author slamming is obviously out. But it can be hard to separate an author from their writing. (For instance, I would view the researching comment as an important criticism of the book, not necessarily an insult to the author.) Once you start calling an author hideous names though, or telling them to kill themselves (which totally happens), you've definitely crossed the line. The point about reviews being for readers, not authors, is super important. I see a lot of teenaged Goodreads reviewers who think they know something about writing, and have detailed criticism for the author and the way they chose to write the story. Frankly, it's arrogant and makes me cringe. And that's not the purpose of a review. When you write a review, you shouldn't be channeling some inner, persnickety English professor. You should be talking about the way you connected or didn't connect to the story. (Which you always do, btw, so you're doing excellently. In my opinion.)
As both an author who must publicize her own books (because she chose the hard route of self-publication) and a reviewer, I view negative reviews as Hard Facts of Life. I've both received them and given them. I've given them to books that I really wanted to enjoy, and I've received them from reviewers who I really thought would enjoy my book more. Yes, they hurt. If I must give a low rating on goodreads, I always try to include a why.Not all authors read reviews of their books, but I do – in fact, my most recent negative review I actually liked, because, frankly, I probably would have written the same thing had I came to the book not as the author. I probably would have given one more star (because I'm generous with stars, never having given anything lower than a two star and that was to an "Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" board book that gave me nightmares as a child), but the three big issues that she brings up are three issues that I would have had. And this month I've been holding a giveaway asking for reviews for one of my books, THE ANKULEN, and I told my readers that I WANT them to give honest reviews, to tell why they enjoyed it and what they did not, even give a negative review if they feel they deserve it.But I agree that you should not give a regurgitation of negativity when you write a review. Thankfully I've never received one, and I honestly hope that I've never given one. Always approach the author with respect for the time they spent writing it, and give logical reasons why you didn't like it (and if you don't have a logical reason, make sure that other potential readers know that they might actually like it).
If I write a review that's 3/5 or less, I don't tag the author in the tweet. Which is sad because 3/5 means I enjoyed it, there were just some things in particularly that really didn't gel with me. I'd probably still read sequels and stuff.
I try to always be respectful, and even if overall the book wasn't a favorite, try to find some positive thing to point out. When I was a kid and a super picky eater, my parents trained me to say that "Broccoli wasn't something I personally cared for" at a friend's house so I didn't sound like a little brat to the parents, and I try to apply that to my less than favorable reviews – acknowledging that it's a matter of taste more than anything else!
Haha after reading this I suddenly went back on my recent post and checked if I was too harsh with my review or if I unconsciously trashed the author. I hope I did not. :pHonestly, negative reviews doesn't really influence me that much on deciding what to read, but I admire those who post negative reviews that aren't offensive. And you're right, we write reviews for readers and not too complain and trash an author.
We have our opinions, and at the end of the day, they are just our opinions, and they are more to inform readers (like they used to do for me) but yes, tactfully done. We can hate a book, we can be snarky about said book (which, we all have at some point), and I can't leave out the gifs, sorry. But, it doesn't mean you're attacking the author, unless of course you mention the author and then yeah, nope. I wouldn't tag the author to it, I'd jus be too scared for that anyway, I hate sending them to the publicist, whether they're good or bad reviews. It's just awkward. I do negative reviews, not every book is going to work for you, but it's the why they didn't work for you, explanations are helpful, and if you post the good ones, why wouldn't post the negative ones? It may be mean, but frankly I wouldn't take a recommendation from someone who only posts good reviews, because you wouldn't know what you wouldn't like from it if there's no negatives or constructive criticism. Same with books that have a stronger rating, I always have to read a negative review before buying. I love reading negative reviews, they're always fun to read (and yours are awesome so shh), I'm not a 'ohh, I'll pick this up because it sounds good' kind of reader when it comes to "me" books, so I need to read both the negative and positive. Seriously though, you're brave to ask the publicists!
This is definitely a super important discussion topic. I also loved that you asked the publicists for their opinion! I made a blog because I wanted to write down all my thoughts when it comes to reading a book, especially when it makes me angry or frustrated or just super excited or fangirl-y. I would never lie about anything, but when it comes to ARCs, I try to tone down my rage (if I have to). Sometimes it's very hard because I just have so many emotions, so I usually slip-up. Definitely my worst fear when it comes to book blogging is having the author or publisher email me and be like, "your review is awful!" and then never approving me for ARCs again. But then you have to wonder, what's the point of a review if the opinions aren't true? You'll be misleading your audience. So it's best to just step up, explain your feelings, use a couple of gifs if you're that type of blogger, and never bash the author. Also, always remember that some people may like/love the book, while others won't.Also when I finish writing a review about a book I didn't like, I'll always go on Goodreads and read the other reviews for entertainment. Plus I also love reading ranty reviews about other books as well. Everyone has their "evil" side, I suppose.
This is something I've been thinking a lot about recently as well. I don't post an entire review of nothing but negative things. I talk about everything I liked, from the cover all the way to the ending. Then if something is really bothering me, or I feel like I have to get something off my chest, I usually do so. I try to be positive, and kind, knowing just how much work went into making the book!Lisa http://www.turningpages94.blogspot.com
In my opinion, even if you didn't like the book, you should always try and find something – even if it's a tiny piece – of what you did like. Negative reviews are fine, as long as they're decent and fun, not loud and trashy. Oh, Cait, congratulations on asking publicists' and other peoples' opinions. I don't think I could have done that.
Negative and critical reviews are important. I know some of us get flack sometimes for saying what we think but reviewing the book as a product is important not as a review of the author themselves. So targeting it at the book yes, attacking the author, no. I have had many "negative" reviews that have actually prompted me to pick up the book because I saw things there that I wanted to read.It's nice that you got some feedback from the publishers on that. I don't try to soften my reviews but I definitely try to also include any kernel of good I might have found and I'm also specific about saying it wasn't for me but it might be for people who like "this and this and that" etc.
Oddly enough, I saw this post as I just posted my first negative review. Although I finished the book about a week ago, I kept debating with myself whether or not to post the review at all. I asked myself generally the same questions like who am I helping if I write this? In the end, I chose to post it because I have a rather strong opinion on the matter of why I didn't like the book and I wanted to get it off my chest. I hope I didn't trash the author in any way because that was not my intent at all. I understand the amount of work that goes into a writing and publishing a book and I respect the hard work and effort that goes along with it. However, my other reason for deciding to post my review was because I intended it to be for readers like us and I think it's important to read about the pros and cons of a book before investing money into purchasing it and time into reading it. Thanks for writing this post! It's really helpful info for newish bloggers like myself and just bloggers in general especially to hear what publicists had to say!
I'm really glad you posted this, Cait. I think it's a really neat idea, I love your honesty with it and I think you did it super well. So thank you.xx
Hiya! Good post idea. Cait stop worrying! I think you're one of the most diplomatic people I've read/met on the internet. I always notice it in the way you write comments, and especially in your "negative" reviews. The first time I came onto your site was when I had bought and read "Cracks in the Kingdom" the day it came out (I LOVE Jaclyn Moriarty) and was disappointed that I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped to. At that time you were the *only* person that had a negative/"this is not really for me" review on the whole internet!!! Instead of jumping up and down and shouting about much you didn't like it (which is what I picture in my head when people write in all-caps… come on…) you calmly explained why it wasn't for you but why someone may enjoy it. When you do this you usually invite contradictory opinions at the end, which is awesome. I like negative book reviews for that reason – because I wanted to read something to help me understand what it was that I didn't really enjoy about the book.On the old app I had for saving book reviews I often kept my 'negative' reviews hidden because I would write them as soon as I finished reading the book and I was irritated and angry. When I was transferring stuff onto goodreads last month I decided not to hide anything and instead I took a leaf from your notebook (see what I did there, ha I'm hilarious) and changed things to make it more diplomatic and presentable. Even now I go back sometimes and edit things. The hardest was probably reviewing a novel I bought because not only was it set in the city I grew up in, it was set in my old childhood *neighbourhood*!!! It was hard not to be disappointed when the description didn't really make sense geographically……. Anyway I'm still trying to figure out how much snark is appropriate because I enjoy snark as much as the next booknerd.Ps, I finished my review of Panic which I gave 2-star and do you remember how I asked you about the humour? I gave you a shoutout at the end of my review and included some quotes of the humour that made me go what?? So just scroll to the bottom if you want to see: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/927407582
I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE. Notebook…*winks winks*
Aww…this was such a super encouraging comment. *tackle hugs comment* THANK YOU. That is really good to hear, because sometimes I get so frustrated with books I just want to stomp around like a 5-year-old and rant and wail. BUT. I can’t. I need to be logical. The “why I didn’t like it” is so super important to me, and I’m glad I actually achieve it. x) I kind of enjoy reading negative reviews too…particularly for books I haven’t read because I can find out IF I want to read them. The negative reviewers are the ones who say if the writing sucked or was good and give examples. So they are useful!!
*dashes to goodreads to read your Panic review*
The why , I think, is particularly important. Because one person's "taboo" isn't another's. But I'm sooo glad you found it helpful. x)
I find it hard to find the balance because there are some books I absolutely loathe . And I'm prone to be LOUD about my feelings. And, eeeeeh, I absolutely don't want to bash a book or author (also because I hopefully want to be published someday). SO YES. It was especially awesome to get these publicists' opinions, right?! They are SO awesome for stopping by!
Ooh, me too! I though EVERYTHING they said was mega interesting. And since these are the people In The Know, I'm really happy I've (pretty much) been sticking in this guidelines. Phewf.
LOOK AT YOUR AWESOMENESS. And you can give your opinion in just over 140 characters so I say you win. x)
Cait, this was an amazing post! It sparked some thoughts, too, I see. Personally, I LOVE "colorful" reviews – GIF's, jokes, snarky remarks, rantings about how much the blogger LOVED the book (as long as they tell me why), or even how much they disliked it. (Again, as long as they state why.) They catch my attention and make me laugh. I even laugh at negative posts, and I do like reading negative posts sometimes because they make me want to read the book myself and see what I think. I mean, come on. Don't judge a book by a blogger's review. 😀
The WHYS are the most important part of all, aren’t they?! THAT’S why I read reviews. The ranting and sass and snarkiness and gifs are all like awesome…but if there’s no WHYS then the review kind of loses it’s point. x) Bah! I love that though: “don’t judge a book by a blogger’s review”. THAT IS THE BEST.
I think negative reviews are an important part of the whole reviewing gig. Just because someone wrote a negative review doesn't mean that review is going to turn everyone who reads it away. I decided to try THE SELECTION because of a negative review. The blogger gave examples and reasons and those allowed me to decide whether or not it was something I'd be interested in. Personally, I don't like reviewing books I didn't like. It's not fun and it's a lot harder in my opinion.
Giving the examples is a great idea. I’ve only done it a few times…mostly because I never remember to take notes and save the section I’m thinking about! (Lazy, lazy reader over here.) XD
I enjoy writing and reading negative reviews. Sometimes those negative reviews are more fun to put together than stellar ones. But, I totally agree about keeping the author out of it. For every negative review I do, I try to include something positive, even if it is a tiny aspect. And, I think negative reviews are good for books. If every review on goodreads is a 5 star, I get very skeptical. There is no way one book will appeal to every person. But by averaging out the snark and the squee I get a better picture of how I will like it.
*whispers* I kind of do think writing negative reviews are harder than 5-star reviews, sometimes. All I want to do wtih my 5-star reviews is party and say “everyone read this” in all-caps. Which isn’t THAT helpful. -_- Which is why I end up writing a lot of my reviews divided into lists of what I liked and what I didn’t.
There was a recent example of a book that was reviewed recently, where the blogger didn't enjoy some aspects, but overall it was a really positive review. It's rare that you'll enjoy EVERY aspect of a storyline. But apparently the author thought differently and went to town on the blogger, incredibly abusive. I'd hate to think how many bloggers who didn't enjoy his book and reviewed it honestly, that were the brunt of his wraith. It's sad. I review honestly as I can, but also review not only for myself and what I thought, but for the intended age group as well. Even a book that might have been too young for me, it still may be perfect for middle graders or young teens if it still has a positive message. I love sassy reviews. A bit of humor goes a long way. It's entertaining and one of the reasons that brings me back here, that, and I'm an honorary smushy sister too. A not so favorable review with GIFs and snark, it actually makes me want to read it to see what the deal is. So for me, it's a great thing.
Oh it’s definitely rare! And I think I know which review you’re talking about and I SAW that and was quite shocked. It kind of half sparked this…although my lately tendency to be rating books so low also sparked it. 😐 I’m becoming a cranky ol’ bookworm, I guess. I think it’s sad when an author bashes a blogger…I mean, gosh, it’s not like that blogger will ever support/promot them again, right? So they’ve really shot themselves in the foot.
Sass FTW is what I say. x)
Interesting answers from the publicists, but I really do agree – reviews, positive ones or no, are mainly for readers and not for authors, because they have their own support group and stuff for constructive criticisms. As for me, you already know what I think, but I write and read negative reviews, and send mine to publishers all the same, but I always make sure to focus only on the book's aspects. It may feel awesome to write an absolutely snarky review dissing every aspect because WOW OMG SO MANY PEOPLE LIKE ME FOR THIS THEY FIND MY FUNNY but I dunno, I don't ride that train. I wrote some snarky ones, but they were mild, not full of gifs, and full of explanations why I didn't like this particular aspect or why it made me rage. And also, I love your negative reviews, Cait. I find them extremely informative! :)Faye at The Social Potato Reviews
And I mean, it’s impossible to even contemplate trying to please EVERYONE. You just can’t do it! But it was nice to have this all set in stone from the publicists themselves. 😉
Love this post!! haha reminds me of something…… ;)With me, when I do any kind of review, no matter a DNF, I ALWAYS put something in the review that I liked about the book. Gifs are really cool in reviews (recently started using them), and even if it is used in a bad review, it gives it humor and lightens the mood from it all being negative. Usually, I will only send 3 stars and over reviews back to the publisher (if the book was a review copy), because it's still publicity to the author, and they would want to share the review if it is positive to get others to read it. It's the same concept with reviewing books for blog tours. If your review is under 3 stars, then you need to change for some sort of promo post, because that's not promoting the book in the hype-y way. P.S. I'm reading Dangerous by Shannon Hale, and when I saw that Masie likes lists, I thought of you!
YES. IT IS PARTLY INSPIRED BY YOU. (I meant to link to you, but I’ll tweet now anywho!) It’s also partly inspired by me being a cranky ol’ bookworm recently. I feel like I rate a lot of books 3 stars at the moment, and it worries me. >_< Putting in that at least one-positive-thing is pretty important too, I say. I send all my reviews back because I want the publishers to know I AM reading/reviewing and therefore trustworthy…even if I didn’t like the book. But it’s awfully hard sometimes.
Aw, dang, don't you hate it when blogger eats the replies?! Actually I'm concerned it's my blog, because someone else had that happen to them about 2 days ago. o.OI'm fully okay with using gifs, but I DO understand how they can become too much. Like your eyes feel like having an epileptic fit and it's hard to concentrate on the content. x) I tooootally agree with you about the similar taste! I have several bloggers whose tastes I match up with about 90%, so I pretty much trust them if they hate a book. Saves me great pain.
Oh, lucky you!! I'm finding myself increasingly harder and harder to please. o.O It's a worry. Maybe I should take a reading break? (Haha! I LOVE it waaaay too much, though.)And a HUGE thanks for being honest! That's one thing that kind of sparked this post is I'm fully aware I write a LOT of negative reviews. It makes me sad. I used to give mostly all 4-stars, but now it's mostly all 3-stars. *sigh* But I agree with you on the lowering expectations. It does help!
Aren't they amazing?! I was soooo nervous about asking…haha! (I'm a shy little turtle.) I absolutely refused to review for people I KNOW. And I feel weird when an author is super nice on, like you said, twitter and then I don't like their book. 😐 Makes me sad.
Thanks, Mum. 😉
You definitely get a more rounded opinion of that blogger's tastes, right?!
That's a terrific idea! I tend to put my positives first, too…although that backfires, when I want to END on a positive note. >.< I never want to bash books, though I think I've been guilty of it in the past.
I review EVERYTHING too!! Even if I never intend to blog it! Reviewing for me is foremost just a way to remember what I read. It's the ARCs I find tricky…particularly if I get an unsolicited one and I know it's not something I'd pick out to read.
OH I know!! I have accidentally hashtaged a book's title, and I guess the author had the hashtag on watch, because they replied to the tweet. I was mortified. >_< I NEVER wanted them to see it! It's not fair to rub in their faces that little ol' me didn't like their work. Because I totally appreciate how much time and effort and braincells go into writing a review.
AW, THIS COMMENT MADE ME SO HAPPY. I'M GLAD YOU LIKED IT. And yes, duuuude, the karma will come back, and I've seen it happen to writers and wannabes. Ugh. It's messy. And also, sometimes, as a writer I KNOW what the author is trying to do, but as a reviewer I don't appreciate it. And then my brain clashes opinion. And it hurts. But yes. Reviewing can be difficult.
Finding that little "something" is really important, I reckon!! I have a super-negative review going up in a few weeks time and I ACHED when I wrote it, but I needed to be honest. Although, I honestly picked up the things I liked and highlighted them a lot. Because reading is just so darn subjective, right?!
I rarely DNF because..hehe…I'm too OCD about my reading habits. But I don't post DNF reviews here, because I feel like I really got only half the story (which is true) and no matter how much I couldn't handle it, I don't like to only be half informed. x)
(It is! I'm really tickled that the publicists took the time to answer. THEY OBVIOUSLY ARE AWESOME PEOPLE.)I'm with you on the arrogant reviewers…especially people who "claim" they know more than the author. And all I can think is, "you know more then the author and agent and publishing house and editors and publicists…who are all industry professionals?" It doesn't add up, to be frank!
Oh, definitely. You've brought up good points here too! And I can't even imagine doing all the promo work for my books, so hats off to you! XD I think I will quietly freak when I'm published and get downer reviews, but in all honesty? I know they'll happen and I'm steeling myself. x) lol It'll be fine. There are only, maybe 2 books that I've read that I'm quite brutally honest about NOT recommending them. Mostly, I just say "try it and see for yourself!" but those 2 books? I honestly say, just no. (I didn't review them on the blog though.)
Same! And I agree! Because to me "3" is a good book just not an excellent book, you know? But I guess I write in my review more negatives then positives, and I only want to tag the author if it's almost ALL positives.
Oh, your parents are awesome. 😉 And that is an EXCELLENT way to phrase it too!! I should keep that in mind myself…
(Don't worry! I double guess myself aaaall the time.) I think it's not really up to an author to read their negative reviews. I mean, it's not like we know anything about the writing world, not like they do. So I can't see the point in them reading negative reviews.
There is a fine line with the "what's bashing and what's not" I reckon. And I think it has to do with personalities too! I mean, a really soft-hearted author could feel bashing really really easily, while to others it might just roll off their back and not affect them at all. Right? Same with reviewers. I try to write funny sassy reviews, even if I hate the book. But some people might take that offensively! WHO CAN KNOW. PS. I like your reviews too. They're FUN.
THAT'S WHAT I'M SCARED OF TOO. That I won't get ARCs anymore because I'm too tough of a reviewer!! *hides under the bed* Buuut, I want to be honest. And I want to write funky, maybe a bit sassy, reviews and just have a plain ol' good time. (Oh and I also go on Goodreads and read negative reviews, because I have no idea why. I'm awful like that?)
Exactly! You and me both! And I've been thinking about it a ton lately too, and it just kind of all spewed into a post. I'm just glad my ramblings ended up making semi-sense. x)
Exactly! That tiny piece is always useful too, because it might be something someone else ADORES and make them pick up the book!(I was very shy. But I did it. Cake for me.)
Oh, same! I saw a bunch of negative reviews for Dorothy Must Die, and then a bunch of positive ones, and it just made me need it even more. Now I'm super keen to read it and make up my own mind. XD
I had a LOT of trouble posting my first negative reviews! But now I feel like I post at least one a week. 😐 eeh. It makes me feel like a bad bookworm. I have to post mine, since I've usually got them as review-copies and that's kind of the agreement of getting them. But, definitely hard!I'm sooo glad you found it helpful too. x) That is a fabulous thing to know. eeeep!!!
Eeep. THANK YOU, ROMI. I was nervous, buuut, I did it. Cake for me, right?!
I think it's fine for people to give negative reviews, as long as they aren't plain mean. Not everyone is going to like every book they read. It is so true every taste is different. I've given 5 stars to books that others have given 2 stars to. Reviews are to help readers, like you said, with the same taste as you decide if they want to read a book. Just because you give a book a negative review doesn't mean that no one is ever going to read that book again. I feel sad when I read a book I don't like, and I try to pick out the good points, that is if I review it, if it's not an ARC I probably won't, just because of the time it takes me to write a review. Really great post, thanks for sharing 🙂
I almost always review everything I read (I’m OCD like that) but I do understand the need to just skip the negativity altogether. IT’S TEMPTING.
You just named two things that REALLY bug me:tweeting negative reviews to authors and bashing the author. Why do people do this? WHY?!Reviews that personally attack the author are just horrible. There's a difference between being constructive and being an asshat and I wish more people knew that 😛
I WISH MORE PEOPLE KNEW THAT TOO. And the whole tweeting to authors? WHY WOULD YOU EVEN DO THAT.
Great post and I completely agree. I think negative reviews are important, I wouldn't trust a book that only had positive reviews because that just doesn't happen. We're all different and we all have different tastes. I think negative reviews are just as important as positive ones.I never tag an author in a bad review. I still remember when Huntley Fitzpatrick followed me on Twitter and I was super excited. But then I remembered I had posted a link to my review of her new book, I HADN'T TAGGED HER, and face palmed. I didn't really enjoy the book and she had obviously seen the link because she proceeded to unfollow me. I hadn't even tagged her but I felt bad – to be fair though, I still gave the books 3 stars and wasn't harsh nor did I bash her. But I have never felt the need to link an author to a negative review. I usually only link them if I 5 star love the book 🙂 I also don't agree with bashing authors. If I don't like a book then I comment on why but I never mention the author in my posts. Definitely agree with Allie, above me, on that one.
Eh, I mean I guess unfollowing isn’t the most horrible thing….but it feels odd if you’re only going to hang around people who 100% support you. *shrugs* I mean, I know bloggers who give 3-stars as a GOOD rating. And they never give out 5s. I’ve hashtaged a title but NOT tagged the author, and it was a 3-star review…aaaand, the author replied and thanked me for the review! OMG I felt sooooo bad! I hadn’t even tagged her.
I thought along the lines of point 3 as well, that reviews are for other readers not authors, and it’s great to see that the publishers think the same way too. I don’t want to write negative reviews, and I don’t particularity like writing them either. But I find I can pin-point what didn’t work for me easier than finding the words to say how much I love a book and all the things I liked. I actually write two star reviews a lot quicker than a five star – I think my brain goes on lockdown with love for the book, and I can’t think of the words to do it justice! I like that old adage “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” We can get our points across in so many ways and I don’t like seeing a negative review that focuses on the author personally. I don’t think it’s necessary anyway unless to mention something in relation to the book, like writing style or something similar. And with gifs, I don't mind a few, but, say, twenty… that's a little too many!
Eeeeh, that’s what I think too. x) I mean, why would know more than the author and publishers, anyway?
But same for me! Negative reviews are SO much easier actually…hehe. I find I need to seriously edit my ranting out. When it’s a 5-star review all I want to do is throw the book at people and demand they read it. xD
Such an interesting post. Truthfully, I generally try to see the best of things in the books and movies I read and watch – I like to think the best of people, and that often rubs off into my criticism. However, I have my hidden snark and on rare occasions, when I do find myself ready to criticize, I can do it rather ruthlessly. But when I come to write negative reviews, I try to include and share the things I DID like, along with the negative stuff, so that I am not just trashing an author needlessly. If I read a book, and it goes against my beliefs, has things I am really unhappy with, I do not refrain from pointing those out. When it comes to weak writing though, a story that wasn't very gripping, I will share what I think were weaknesses to the story, and why it made it disappointing or less enjoyable to me, but also find the winning points, or the things that the author did do well in as far as my taste and judgement can see.But I echo what Alma Reads said =), it is so much easier to put my thoughts in a review when I have more negative things to say about it then when I totally loved, loved a book. It is really hard to write a review about a novel you are head over heels in love with ;).I generally like your reviews, Cait. Honestly, I have not yet been piqued enough to pick any of the books you've so far reviewed on your blog, but that is not to do with your reviewing skills – I am just not very much into modern secular fiction, generally :). However, your blog is simply a lot of fun to read, and I enjoy your reviews and the funny and yet sensible way you put your thoughts together. You've also given me a knowledge of fiction books and authors out there that I never knew about.
Aw, I just think it’s nice that you read my blog even though I don’t really read books in your interest! THAT’S IS REALLY NICE. x) But seriously best. compliments. ever. *hugs this comment*
Negative reviews can be easier to write, eh?! I find that. But I have to edit my reviews, particularly when I’m really angry when I write them. (I’m glad they turn out semi-entertaining at least.) XD
Wow, my wifi has been down for the past couple of days (so basically I was dying) and this post is exactly what I was hoping to come back to. It's definitely been thought provoking. I feel that when I want to review a book, I want to write my honest feelings about a book. The majority of the time I don't love everything about the book. I usually break up the review by writing about the positives and the negatives of the book then. I feel like this way it's just not me hating on the book. However there's rare times when I abhor everything about a book and get a bit ranty. Even then I take care to remain focused on the book. It's not the author who I have the issue with, it's the content of the book or its characters or whatever. I also do love the snark and humor that comes with negative reviews. The negative reviews are also quite helpful, it allows me to choose what books I want to read much easier. I feel like there is a fine line between snark and utter book bashing. That line would probably be insulting the author in my opinion. Wonderful post <33 I love how you got publishers involved to show us the other side of the issue
THAT IS THE WORST NEWS OF EVER. NO WIFI?!! *offers cake of condolences for your time of distress*
Oh I definitely think you reviews are hugely fair. I like it when people list the goods and the bads, and kind of do it in a logical way. Sometimes I DO rant about every little thing…hehe, and then I edit my review and cut all the ranty bits out. And that way I DO feel like I vented, but I present something nicer. 😉 Mwhaha. I’m so weird.
I absolutely loved this post, Cait! I think it's really important for people to realize this! And I'm so glad to know that reviews aren't for the author, I'm always afraid that when I'm writing a review I might hurt the author behind it. I don't write many negative reviews, because I tend to like most of the books I read, however the only time I've full on ranted was with Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea, and You Had Me At Hello. I didn't insult the authors, because frankly I can't expect that they'll cater to everyone's taste. Sometimes I pick books up BECAUSE of the negative review, and end up loving them. So negative reviews can actually be helpful. Great post!! 🙂
Eeeeh! I’m glad you found it useful, Marianne! I really enjoyed getting the publicist to confirm this, too…because who can argue with the publishers, right?!! And I think we can totally hate a book. I mean, some books just tick us off, right? BUT the bashing the authors is never acceptable, right? x)
(Me too, negative reviews can sometimes really peak my interesting. 😉
Thank you for sharing this post! I recently read a book, and didn't like it. I've been trying to write the review for a while, but I just don't know how to start. Your Q&A with the publishers and bloggers certainly helped, so thanks! I'll definitely follow your tips :)Wonderful post!
Woohoo! I’m glad this was helpful (and timely right?!!) XD
What a really great post! Negative reviews are a tricky thing. Fortunately, I don't not like all that many books (I read a lot of books that have already been reviewed so most of the books I pick up I expect to like, and do). But I am honest, to a fault. So when I don't like a book, or a book makes me really mad, I don't know how "soft" those reviews end up being. But I don't think I am ever too mean. (At least I hope not). And I NEVER attack the author, or other readers. I just explain why it didn't work for ME. It's good to know publicists don't hate us when we write these kinds of reviews. I have worried about this. Thanks for sharing this! Your blog is great :)Nicole @ The Quiet Concert
Me and you both, then, particularly for the needing to write the negative reviews anyway. I hope I’m not too mean either. >_< But I like being honest, and soooometimes I might be a little too snarky? I’m more aware of it now though!
Fantastic post Cait! I shared on this week's Sunday Post 🙂
Ooh, thanks for the shout-out! THAT MEANS A LOT.
Seriously great post. This is something I’ve always worried and wondered about but never wanted to ask any of these people xD So, kudos! Anyways, I think just about everything has been said. As long as a review is never bashing an author personally, I like to read negative reviews and to be honest, they are more fun to write than positive reviews.
Eeeh! I was really nervous about doing it, but then I asked in a brave moment and I’M SO GLAD I DID. It answered a lot of questions, just getting it straight from the publicists. They’re such super nice people, too.
Great post Cait! I’ve struggled with this because when I dnf a book, I usually have spent longer trying to push through than many books I do read. So if I quit, I have definite reasons why. I just started playing what i call a dnf report – not a review exactly, but a list of why it didn’t work for me and how far I made it before quitting. I also say what was working that kept me reading that far. I’ve had people decide to read a book off these little reports, so I think it works as a positive way to share negative reviews.
Thanks for this post, really useful to read the feedback from the publishers! I’ve always been a bit scared of submitting negative reviews, but I’m glad to see that as long as it’s not a snarky one (mine aren’t, I hope!), then it’s all okay 🙂
Really good point! I don’t think of low rating reviews as negative, actually. I only call them “negative” when they’re mean, snarky just for the hell of it, trashing the author and being an all-round smarta$$ just to get attention to the review’s author instead of focusing on THE BOOK. Sometimes as I read I find out they didn’t even finish it, but they’re rating it something. Honey, if it’s a DNF, mark it as one, tell me why it was one, but it’s not a book you can rate cause you haven’t READ it :))) Am I right? I mean I post reviews of low ratings and DNFs too, and support my rating with arguments, but a DNF is a DNF is a book you Did Not Finish so you Did Not Read… *sigh*
Anyway, I like the point that the reviews aren’t meant to help the authors. They have to hire help, there’s an industry out there helping them, that’s how I see it. Reviewers aren’t meant to work for them, they’re meant to “work” for their readers, they have the moral obligation to be honest and express their thoughts, rave or DNF, in their voice and in their style of course – cause that’s why people read their blogs, right? 🙂
Awesome topic and really love the opinions of different parties involved 🙂
It was interesting and helpful to hear from the publicists that they expect some negative reviews, and that it’s OK to write them. I’ve rarely given a totally negative review; I usually try to highlight something or some things that I liked or the book did well, along with the things that didn’t work for me. I also try to distinguish between things that are objectively wrong with the book (continuity errors, flat characters, inconsistent worldbuilding) and things that have to do with my personal preferences. (For instance, I’m a bit fed up with love triangles at present, unless they’re both necessary and well handled, but I know some readers love them.)
I’ve been known to send feedback privately to the publisher/publicist and just not write a really negative review. And I don’t think I’ve ever written a DNF review on the blog. I do have a DNF shelf on Goodreads; the few books on it have one or two sentences about why I didn’t finish, and again, I try to make it clear if my reason for not finishing was just that the book wasn’t to my taste, or if there was something wrong with it from an objective standpoint.
As for authors, I try not to get personal, at least in the negative; the review should be about the book, not the person who wrote it. However, I don’t think that questioning the author’s research counts as trashing the author, assuming I can back that up by pointing out factual errors.
I think my own rules for writing a review boil down to: Write it for the reader – make it useful. Remember the author has feelings. Be objective where you can, and be clear about when you aren’t objective.
Thanks for the topic and the chance to think some of this through!
I think things were covered well here. I don’t think a person should tweet the author negative reviews, which is something I see sometimes. I think a balanced review is important, and to keep things classy. I don’t mind a bit of snark sometimes, but generally it’s not something I prefer to see in reviews because I tend to think it’s more harsh than needed. But it depends… it’s not always that way.
One thing I like is seeing WHY that person feels negative about the book. Like someone might not like that someone was bullied because they were bullied and if they say that we see that they had a personal connection to that aspect and may not see it the same as others.
I also think it’s good to be reminded that we aren’t writing the reviews for the authors. I know that even I forget that sometimes, and want to try to soften things for them. But really I just need to make it informative for other readers.
Wonderful post!
I love that you asked publicists for their opinions! And I’m glad to see that most people agree that it’s ok to write negative reviews for their constructive value in helping other readers to pick books according to their tastes.
Awesome post! 🙂 I don’t mind negative reviews as long as they’re thought out and well-written. Reviews that are basically, “i think this book sukked!” drive me crazy. 😛
I see posts about this a lot – and they're all important – because I feel like when we start blogging we automatically feel like we need to be even *more* judgemental than normal – so that we can be "good" reviewers. Whereas, that's not the case at all – just stating our opinions (albeit in a respectful -even if it's funny or snarky way) is just fine! Sometimes I feel "bad" because I don't really post a lot of negative reviews. I've always been a person who loves most of what I read – and I also tend to overlook things I didn't like in favor of the majority I DID like. So it's been a bit of a challenge for me to really analyze a book and make sure i mention those small things I didn't like too. But I totally agree – it's kinda mean and snotty to act like we're holier than thou and start calling an author out and making statements like 'the author didn't do their research" – it also depends on wording too, for instance if someone said it like "it didn't feel like to me the author did very much research" that's a big difference for me, the difference between stating it like a complete fact and stating it as how you felt as a reader, your opinion.
I love love LOVE this post! I always ask "should I?" when writing a negative review. But here's what I end up with: As a reader, I would absolutely want to know if another reader did not like the book. And more importantly than that, like you said, I need to know why. When I am reading reviews (especially if I am on the fence about buying/reading something) I look really in depth at a variety of reviews. Why the reviewers who loved it loved it, and why those who did not didn't. Honestly, I feel like I would be lost without negative reviews. Also, if I see that a reviewer ONLY has glowing, positive reviews, I am going to wonder why. Maybe it is their policy to only write positive ones, but I always tend to wonder what the deal is.Now, mean and nasty reviews are a whole different beast. I too would love to be an author some day, and I feel like one of the absolute hardest parts about being an author is pouring your heart and soul into a book and then letting the whole world critique it. I feel a twinge of guilt every time I have to say I didn't like a book, and I really hope that the author never stumbles upon it, because it has to sting. So for me, there is absolutely no reason to be awful or attack an author- ever. I won't read reviews that do.
Wonderful posts Cait, when I first started blogging I was always scared to post negative reviews or even posting them on Twitter or sending them to the publisher. These days I know they value our opinion, as long as we don't trash them! I think this is a lovely discussion topic and it's great to see what the publicists think.
I'm mostly commenting because I want to be comment 101. And you think you're a wallflower. Obviously everyone loves you.
Well thought out post. One thing I will take away from it is that yes, indeed, reviews are for other readers and not for the author, its an obvious one but one to keep in mind. Thanks.
At first, i was quite hesitant with writing negative reviews, but then, I got more confident posting them since to me, negative reviews are enlightening. I don't know why but you could see what kind of person a reviewer is based on her negative review. Since its his/her opinion, its all based on what she/he likes and what she/he dislikes. I think it makes sense that reviews are for the readers and not for the authors too.Don't worry, even if I've been reading long now, I'm still hesitant to post my negative reviews, but I think just as long as you aren't hurting anyone's feelings then you should go for it.