This was posted by Creative Chronicler at CC Chronicles:
I just got my first negative feedback from an author. A book I reviewed last month and didn't give a good rating because the book misrepresented what it was about and was just not a good book. The author mailed me a letter, telling me I was unprofessional, he only gets 4 and 5 star reviews and he wanted me to remove the review from my site. I have not responded nor removed the review and don't intend to. I'm sorry he doesn't agree with my take but I gave an honest review and don't feel like I should have to retract it because he doesn't like it. I also don't feel like I owe him a reply, as that would just open the door to more pointless back and forth. While I understand his discomfort with the review, if what he states in his letter is true then he has plenty of others willing to write what he wants.
Which makes me ask the question... do reviewers who are being sent free books feel more obligated to write a higher rated review than they normally would? I have read some reviews of books that are absolutely dreadful and have discussed these books with others who feel the same, yet some of these same books have nothing but 5 star ratings on certain post and the post itself is so vague one has to wonder did the reviewer really read it. I realize we all have different opinions and likes/dislikes but what motivates other reviewers when they review?
Creative Chronicler left this comment under Your Thoughts: Negative Reactions to Book Reviews. If you missed that post, click on the highlighted text. Even though this falls under the negative reactions to book reviews, it highlights other issues.
In the first post, I mention that I personally don’t like dealing directly with authors. I’d much rather deal with a publisher, publicist, or promotional company. This is the reason why.
To answer the really big question, do reviewers who are being sent free books feel more obligated to write a higher rated review than they normally would? Personally, I don't like the word "obligated." I'd prefer to use pressured. And yes, I do when dealing directly with an author. Do I let the pressure get to me? Sometimes yes and sometimes not. Three different examples come to mind as I am typing this.
I'd been friends with an author on GoodReads, a site that I am no longer a member. I'd gotten to know her before I realized she was an author. One day, she contacted me to review her book and I accepted. I read the book. Keep in mind, that is a big deal. I'm ADD and can't tolerate things of non-interest. Although, I did complete the book, I had problems with a couple of areas. Long story short, the author took it very well. So why am I bringing this up? Because if I had been reviewing a book I purchased, I wouldn't have given my post a second thought. I stressed over the review for two plus weeks.
The next one didn't turn out so well. I couldn't make it passed twenty-five pages. I contacted the author and told her so. She wanted details and I told her my opinion. She dismissed me by saying that other reviewers have loved her book.
My last was recent. It was a YA romance that I found issues with. Having learned much in my two and a half years, I do agree that just because I have problems with a book doesn't mean others will. Wanting a second opinion, I let Nona read the book. She disagreed with everything I said. I kept my opinion and my rating, but added her thoughts and rating in with my review. Here is the question. Would I have gone the extra mile if not for the fact the author sent me the book? No, I wouldn't have.
Bottom line is I feel the pressure. Does it change my ratings? No and it doesn't change my view point. What it does do is curb the delivery of my review and I'm not so sure that is a bad thing. If you knew me when I first began book blogging, I was very crude in the delivery of my opinions. Back then, I'd say things like "...if he didn't have an ending for the book, then he shouldn't have started it to begin with." Then there was "What a great idea for a story. Too bad someone else didn't write it."
In 2010, I won't be accepting books for review like in the past. This means there won't be any pressure. Even so, I like to think that I've matured a bit. Although I can't say that I like the pressure I've felt, I think it's changed me for the better. I believe I have stayed true to myself and to viewers, but have learned to look at other sides. True, I might not agree, that doesn't make the person wrong in their opinion.
So what about you? Do reviewers who are being sent free books feel more obligated to write a higher rated review than they normally would? Also, what motivates other reviewers when they review?
40 comments:
I do, sometimes, feel obligated. Mind you, I have never let it get to me. No matter that said book is free, I can't not express my honest opinion. And so far, I'm glad to say, I haven't had any such problems about the author(s) contacting me after a negative review.
I've only reviewed a few books, for the simple reason I lack the time! But the ones sent to me were from publishers and publicists and I still felt the pressure. I think there's pressure either way, especially if a publicist has sent a book and set up a tour spot for the book. (And any review I've ever posted, the author tracked it down and commented anyway.)
But you're right - reviewing a book I've just picked the book up in a store holds far less pressure than one sent to me for review.
That said, I still couldn't post a really bad review because I am an author myself - I start bashing anyone else's work, and it', my image and reputation that take the hit.
LOL - guess that's why I just stopped reviewing books!
And I like that CC stuck to her guns! She's a friend of mine and I can't imagine her backing down for anyone.
I struggle with this too J Kaye as I always want to be true to my opinion on a book. As a book blogger/ reviewer I want people to read my blog and get a fair opinion on what I thought of the read. Always.
It is harder to do when you reviewed the book from an author, and I have had two occasions where I have contacted the author to let them know that I could not review their book due to my strong dislike of the read. Both times this went fairly well. No chewing out... yet. ;)
I do my best to keep it real and when I love a book I think it is easy to tell... I get pretty excited about it.
Your comment J Kaye about being crude in your early days of blogging reminded me of some of my early ones. There was one in particular that I remember well. I ended the review with this line:
"The book is a beach read. Good, but not deep… and its ok if you cover it with water and sand".
Ouch! I believe my reviews are better now.
When I am contacted directly by an author I send them back my terms for reviewing their book. the first item is this: I love to read books and only read books I love. If I don't love your book I will not finish reading it, I will not review it and I will let you know. If an author agrees to this, they know ahead of time what will be done. I have had to contact authors to let them know that I just could not connect with their book, therefore I would not be writing a review.
I also write for a website whose policy is if we don't like a book, we contact them and let them know, and we don't write a review. They contact the author to let them know. That is much easier. So far, no problems with either and I have had to say no to both.
Sheila your comment is so funny about covering the book with water and sand!! that had me laughing. I can always tell the very young, very new reviewers. But I love the off the cuff funny comments they make. Sometimes It is nice to be uninhibited and fresh....
I have only accepted one book directly from the author...i thought i would like it and i loved it! now, from so many comments here, i am very dubious about accepting any more. I could write a hard review without a second thought. ...well, about the author's feelings. I always have a problem writing reviews on books i don't like. the reviews of books i like seem to fly onto the computer. Those at the other end, i find hard because i want to make sure I am only critiquing the book and not the person.
I haven't given this much thought before really, but now that I think on it, It does make me a tad nervous when writing a review. Then again I haven't written any real negative review.
I have taken books from authors but I guess I just like a wide variety of books because I haven't read one yet I didn't enjoy. I never just accept a book from anyone until I research it a bit to even see if I'd like it. Maybe that's why I've enjoyed the books I've reviewed so far.
Funny this is what was posted today...
Just yesterday I wrote a review, and I hated the book. I didn't write anything good about it. I tell you, if the author contacted me and said that stuff to me, man he would be shocked with the unprofessional reply telling him to piss off.
If they don't like a bad review, they simply must write a better book.
Take it with a grain of salt. One jerk off in a hundred million authors.
Happy Remembrance Day!
I don't really feel obligated - I went into reviewing with the idea that I was going to be honest, and I have. I have only given negative reviews for 2 books, but tried to say something good - one author handled it graciously, the other did not.
To me, I feel more pressured to be totally honest, than pressured to just give it a good review - people who read my review could be influenced to buy, or not to buy, so I want to be honest for the reader - that is what I feel pressured about.
I have had this problem in the past. I wrote a negative review on the book that everyone had loved and I had to delete some comments because of readers cussing me out! I included in my review that the book was just not my type and I couldn't get past the first couple chapters. I did mention however that others might find it interesting and that it was only my honest opinion.
I don't feel pressured. I think our reviews and opinions are helpful whether we like it or not. The author gets to find out what they need to work on in their next book and the readers get to know what to look for.
Wonderful post Jkaye...
Firstly I totally agree with you - the least interaction as blogger you can have with author the better it can be sometimes... (I know it sounds harsh - but it eliminate all of this agro, and yes I know it's only a handful of authors that does it)
That is one of the things I decided on from the day I began blogging - no authors on my little slice of the pie, and I have not seen anything yet to make me change my mind... (don't get me wrong - I have loads of author friends - I just never invite them home)
As for review - I find I am more concerned about getting the reviews back in a timely manner rather than what to say..
the way I review It's quite straight forward
I -like, yes and I state why...
It wasn't for me - and I say why...
I am lucky that I started reviewing for other sited before I branched out on my own - so over time I learned the tactful way of saying "could have been a little better so not for me" rather than "Save your money and get something else"
I personally think a reviewer will lose credibility doing this - because at some point a reader will follow a reviewers advise and it will all bounce back and this is when the nastiness happens...
My firm motto is "Start as you mean to go on" - I choice to give a clear, fair and as balance a review as I am able to... irrespective of who it's for..
E.H>
Working directly with authors is really stressful, particularly if you tend to be a bit empathic and have a hard time anticipating someone's hurt feelings based upon your actions.
I try to be at least nice in the way I word things, and give suggestions but it does come with stress.. immense stress (and guilt!) But at least I remain honest.
I am hoping it is something that will get easier as the time passes!
I feel a bit of pressure but I don't think I've let that change my opinion. Luckily I haven't disliked any of the books I received as of yet. Time will tell. I have written in my reviews that the book may fall under a genre I don't normally read so therefore my rating may not be very high.
I feel more obligated to read it quickly and get the review done vs. rating it high.
What an intriguing post. I am an author and I would never argue with someone who was willing to review my book--even if they didn't like it. I always thank people for the review, regardless.
On the other hand, I've reviewed a few books too, and though there are some I didn't like I carefully picked out what I did like to comment on. Does that mean I think all reviewers should? Absolutely not, but that's what I have had to do because I know how hard it is to write a book.
Marilyn, the wimp when it comes to reviews
http://fictionfroyou.com
I only give honest reviews and yes I have been attacked by an author. At first I did remove the review because his attack was against me personally but then I decided to post the review again AND post the review to a commercial site. It was an honest review with exactly what I thought was wrong with the book. I once received a nasty email from a publicist, but he did apologize later.
I think this is why the FTC wants us to say if we get a book from the author/publisher.
As for me, I always warn authors that my reviews will be honest, and if I don't like it, I'll say so.
The only time I feel pressure to find SOMETHING good to say is if the author sends me an extra book to give away or I give away my gently-read copy. But recently I found out that somebody out there will want it no matter what.
I try not to feel pressured, but sometimes you can't help but to feel a bit obligated.
An author or publisher should never pressure a reviewer for a good review. I had a PR person for a publisher unhappy that I gave an so-so review for their book for a review site I review for. They couldn't use a cover quote for the review and the PR person wrote me wanting me to change to review to a more positive one. I told her no, that's they way it is and deal with it.
An author goes around telling reviewers they must give great reviews will give them a reputation and that is what we call bad author behavior.
I recently gave a negative review to a book I received from the author. She was very gracious about it, but I sure did feel bad, so I don't accept books from authors anymore.
I feel nervous when I'm reviewing for an author even when I'm giving a positive review. Thankfully, I've never been asked to change or take down any reviews I've done.
Everyone has different tastes in reading and I don't think there is any author out there who never received a bad review. The guy is blowing hot air and you are entitled to write what you thought about his book, whether he likes it or not. If he's worried about sales, he must remember ... just because you didn't like the book, someone else will and they will buy it. I'd almost be tempted to write to the publishing company and tell them about his nasty letter.
I'm not influenced by authors, publishers or bloggers to write a positive review if I think the book is not very good in some way. I will always write an honest review but I do feel bad in doing so. I try to make it as constructive as possible without book or author bashing. I know that it has taken a lot of time and energy for an author to write that book, whether I liked it or not, so I try to be as tactful as I can. However, sometimes my writing skills are not that great so i'm not sure I'm always successful but I do try. Also, a review is a very personal thing. I've seen reviews of books that I have loved but others have not. That's just the way things are. Authors have to realise that putting themselves out there they are going to get negative as well as positive comments. Luckily I haven't had any authors or publishers complain about my reviews, hopefully I wont have to, but If i do then I will try and not take it personally, it is just my opinion and I'm entitled to it. Great post J Kaye, you always get me thinkin'! :)
I've accepted 2 books by self-pubs. I couldn't get through the first book, so I told the author why, asked if she still wanted me to post a review, and sent her book back to her. I haven't read the second one yet, but if I hate it, I'll do the same thing. For some reason, I think Commander Pants will want a review whether I hate his book or not.
I reviewed books for a review site who got books from various publishers before. I was informed by the owner of said site that publishers complained about some negative reviews I posted, and said that they would no longer send books to the site for review if I reviewed them. Not surprisingly, I got thrown under the bus for some free books, and the site routinely rates the majority of the books reviewed at 4-5 stars.
I still get books for review on my own blog from authors, with the understanding that my opinion is MY OPINION, and I won't change it to suit anyone.
the last negative review i did gave me fits! i really wanted to read the book. all the reviews i had read were glowing. i thought i was nuts! how could i be the only person in the universe who did not like this book. as it was based on a real person, i googled. that just seemed to make it worse. then i called my mom. after asking her a zillion questions, i explained what i was reading and felt and what i had found out and how it effected me, as well as all the reviews i had read. just talking it over with her, i finally wrote my review. i was honest that i seemed to be the lone decenter and then said my piece. it's like someone said yesterday about a good writer but a bad story teller. but boy would i hate to say that so bluntly.
What a great conversation. I'm an author and I expect reviewers to write what they think. Isn't that the whole point? Readers want to know what books to pick and which to avoid, and honest reviewers help with that decision-making process. As long a reviewer isn't being mean or vindictive, then they get to say what they want. Not everyone is going to like my books, but I'm not writing them to please all the people all the time. I'm writing them in hopes that they might connect with the right audience. If a reviewer is not among that audience, so be it.
This author who demanded that a certain post be removed doesn't seem to me to be behaving very well at all.
ccqdesigns....
LOL ;)
I have also seen on sites like PBS, books might get great reviews so that someone will pick them and the owner can get credits. If it is a book I have never heard of, I always check Amazon first before ordering the book if there is only one or two reviews on PBS. I have even hesitated when about to put a negative review on a book I have listed. But alas, I went ahead and put it on there.
Just one more reason for me to keep only reading and writing thoughts about books I choose to read.
I know what you mean. I do not feel obligated to write a positive review, but I temper my words more than I might otherwise. When I started blogging, I didn't think anyone would really read my reviews. So I was pretty harsh. I think if I don't enjoy a book now, I will still say so- but I also point out things that I dislike which probably wouldn't bother other people, or areas where I feel I'm in the minority on my view. I think I've just gotten nicer because I've come to realize more people read my blog or have access to it than I ever thought. And I would never want to be thought of as cruel.
I have never had an experience of an author giving me such negative feedback, however. Yikes.
Of course you feel the pressure. Especially as a new blogger like myself. You get excited with that first unsolicited, published author/PR person contacts you. So then when the book doesn't "float my boat" I feel almost bad for giving a negative review, but I still give it. I might try and put a positive spin on things, maybe highlight some of the good parts of the book - but I do relate the bad parts. I am more tactful though.
My first negative review was actually the first self-published novel that I have read. I didn't notice she was self-published when I bought the book - I just read the reviews and they were all good. 4/5 stars. Sounded like a great premise. The book was terrible though, badly written, spelling and grammar mistakes and I laid it all out in my review. The author was so upset with my review that she made some very nasty comments, including some public insults in posts directed at me. She even got her flock of followers to insult me. It was a very interesting reaction. So, I posted her nasty reply on my blog.
I can honestly say that where or how I receive a book has no bearing on how I review it. Maybe this is why I run into trouble?!?
Sure, when I first started blogging, there was a book that was sent to me by someone pretty "high up" in publishing. I didn't love the book, so I didn't want to review it. Only after reading and giving positive reviews to some of the other books she sent me did I review this one. I kept it honest, but respectful. I felt that I earned it somehow. I promised myself that I wouldn't allow myself to crumble like that again.
I won't stop writing negative reviews either. Some reviewers (like you, J Kaye, and that's fine) choose to skip the negative reviews, thus avoiding most of this drama to begin with. I feel as long as I am respectful of the work and its creator, I can keep doing what I'm doing.
It wouldn't be my review if it weren't completely honest.
If I don't like a book I will say so in the review. However, I do stress over how to word the review more if I received it for review rather than buying it. I don't want to be insulting since I know it's more likely the author will read my review. What I try to do is list what bothered me and if there is something good then I also list that too.
This is a great topic. I've only just started getting books for review from publishers and publicists, no authors yet. And by the way, you were right...I got one, now I have at least one email a day asking me to review a book.
I can tell you as someone new to dealing with a review copy, I do feel obligated to review the book timely, but not to write a postive review. I think that because the book was sent to me, and I agreed to review it, I need to explain myself further in my review. I think you touched on this J. Kaye. If I had bought the book, I might have said that something was crap without a second thought, but the fact that I agreed to review it, makes me feel that I need to say WHY I thought something was crap. I haven't had to do it yet, so we will see! I do appreciate the insight for all of you bloggers who have been there and gotten nasty comments back. I have had authors comment on my reviews from personal purchases, but those were all good reviews!
i had this topic on my blog already too- pretty much what i advised my readers was you can generally find something to be nice about in any book (character build up, good idea, etc.). But if it just doesn't thrill me (ie a 2/3 star) book, my readers are gonna know simply by the fact that I'm NOT gushing. i tell them what I can, point our a couple of things and point out that it is MY taste that had the issues with the book, there's may be different). If an author can't deal with constructive criticism, they really should not be in the business. I mean, their own editors will knock out whole chapters. You have to take the bad with the good...
I think you summed up my feelings pretty well J.Kaye. I do not feel obligated to give a better review but I do stress and fuss more with the writing of the review. This is true of all the books I get whether from authors or review sites but particularly true if I "know" the author from online chats.
Right now I have to struggle with a review on an erotic book which is not something I normally read. It will get a fairly good review as I am guessing it would be liked by others and is probably tame for many! It certainly doesn't deserve to be knocked down because I'm not crazy about the genre.
I have had a couple of different responses to "so-so" reviews. One was a "good" book rating but nothing special - the author graciously responded that she thought that the review was an acceptable review with the comments I made.
Another review was on the moderate to good side with some specific flaws that I identified. The author was not happy and asked for another reviewer to read and give her feed back. I actually had more issues on the book than I had put in the review and ended up sending that information along in case it would help. We did not withdraw my review and the site did not give a second review. I don't know if the other reviewer posted her review eleswhere... someday I might ask!
I'm an early reviewer on Librarything, and I end up giving negative reviews more often than not with those books, it seems. I try to find something positive to say, but I don't force it. They say on that site that you won't be penalized for a bad review, and I hope that's true, b/c I tend to give bad reviews if a book doesn't hook me. When I post book reviews on my own blog they're usually mostly positive, b/c I just don't care enough about the bad books to write a review (I buy those books, though, I don't get them for free).
Jess
"What a great idea for a story. Too bad someone else didn't write it."
That one made me LOL and I needed a good laugh. But, I am glad you keep this type of discussion going because I think it's important to have. I have had a couple of books that I did not like at all and I've not reviewed them. In each case I contacted the person who sent me the book and told them how I felt. A couple I passed on to others to review and 2 of them I didn't review. I try really hard to be as honest in reviews for ARC as I can but if I'm honest I am more careful with the language I use. Like you if I don't like a book I don't finish it so I never have to slam a book I didn't enjoy.
It's been a very busy and I'm just now getting over here. Thank you J Kaye for posting this and thank you to all the commenters for your points of view. When I got the letter I was mad for about 10mins, then I reread my review and didn't feel as he put I had mistaken his book for another, so I just dismissed his letter as sour grapes, because someone actually pointed out his book wasn't what he said it was. Diane's right I won't just back down. I will listen to argument, but I won't change my opinion unless I found that opinion based on wrong information. In this case, I didn't. I think most authors are professional enough to handle the reviews they receive regardless of outcome. I tend to get a number of books from first time authors and so I try not to be caustic when I don't like a book. I feel the pressure point is a great one however I feel obligated to my followers (not the author) to give them honesty and if every review I posted was 5 star whether it deserved it or not, I would lose credibility.
I realized after posting my last comment that I have had one book sent to me that I wasn't that thrilled with. Green by Ted Dekker is the only book that I have received for review that I ended up not being very excited about. the only obligation I felt towards this was getting a review up in a timely manner which didn't happen. I just couldn't get to reading it after all due to family emergencies, etc. Luckily the publisher was kind and understood and didn't have any hard feelings.
I am much more careful now with what I select for review now. I'm not as adventurous in my requesting! But if I do request something that I am excited about and do not enjoy it, I think i will feel okay with being honest.
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