So you know all those great reviews I’ve been getting? Yeah, nice huh? And so, as an author, when I get a lot of really great reviews in a row, I begin to wait because I know the bad one is lurking out there.
And today I saw it. Cringe. See, the thing is, there’s no point in being hurt by it, even when it gives away key plot points (spoilers) and various other things I don’t consider all that accurate a picture of what the book actually says and does. (BTW, I edited this sentence to be more clear)
So okay, I get that not everyone is going to like my books, that’s life and it keeps you grounded. And unlike some authors, I won’t say that all reviews should be nice because romance authors are too sweet and fragile to take one in the crotch. Sucks that not everyone loves me, because they totally should, damnit!
(And I’m not saying this is a terrible awful review, btw. It’s a bad review, no doubt.)
Awwwwwwwww! I love you. What else do you need? :(
O! Chocolate.
by Lili May 2nd, 2006 at 3:23 pmLOL! Thank you sweetie! I’ve gotten worse reviews, although thankfully, I’ve only gotten four total - those are the breaks.
Chocolate is always good!
by Lauren Dane May 2nd, 2006 at 3:42 pmSee, I didn’t think it was a horrible, awful review. But then again, I didn’t write the book, lol. Look at it this way, if they give you a glowing review in the future, it will mean that much more because you’ll know there’s no gushing going on there ;)
by AngieW May 2nd, 2006 at 5:07 pmI didn’t think it was a horrible awful review (nor did I say that). I think it was a bad review that gave spoilers. But that’s life and it didn’t say I kicked puppies and so I deal.
There are some inaccuracies, which annoys me. There are some turns of phrase which paints the book in a light which is not correct.
But you know, not every single person is going to love my books, even though they should, LOL.
by Lauren Dane May 2nd, 2006 at 5:33 pmI also didn’t think it was that bad. And hey, I’d already bought the book. :-) We’ll see how much I agree with them after I read it.
by Nicole May 2nd, 2006 at 7:22 pmGreetings from one not-so-fragile flower to another. ;-) I’m sorry about your review, Lauren.
I love listening to old Fred Astaire songs on CD when I write and I keep the lyrics to a few of them tacked onto my bulletin board. The first thing I happened to glance at after I read my…um…not-quite-5-star-review yesterday–LOL–was this stanza from Pick Yourself Up by Jerome Kern:
Don’t lose your confidence
If you slip
Be grateful for a pleasant trip
And pick yourself up,
Dust yourself off
And start all over again.
It’s a fine mantra for us strong, sturdy flower types. :-)
by Daisy Dexter Dobbs May 2nd, 2006 at 10:54 pmI like this…Some people’s taste is all in their mouths.
by Meljprincess May 3rd, 2006 at 10:53 amwell to be completely fair, regardless of where their taste is or is not it is valid because it is theirs…
Reviews are just that reviews by people who are going to look at things in different ways. And as the writer of the book, I know you have a vision of how you want people to understand or see your story, but that isn’t going to work for everyone.
It is an odd question I think about a lot. If the author, who is the creator thinks X happens because of B. But the reader, who is going to read the writers words and draw an understanding from them, sees that X happend because of C.
Does that make the reader wrong? Or does that make the writer unclear. Or does it mean the author is always right?
Don’t know… but really I didn’t think the review was that bad. And even if it was, so what. As long as you wrote the book you set out to that is all that matters. LOL with the ereview sites I have seen (limited) authors might decide they wish blogger has said away from ebooks after all.
by sybil May 4th, 2006 at 1:22 amGood or bad, it’s reality. Shrug. Do I wish everyone read more carefully? Sure. Do I make the same mistakes from time to time when I read? I’m sure I do.
Like I said, I signed up for it AND not everyone is going to like my books.
It’s not like I’m railing or whining (not about this anyway, LOL). But this life is filled with ups and downs and it’s my blog and I think it’s fair to give a bit of a view into both the highs and lows of it.
by Lauren Dane May 4th, 2006 at 7:45 amoh I don’t think you shouldn’t post, it was an honest question…
I shall blog about it at some point but really I can’t make up my mind. Part of me thinks no matter what, it is the authors world so the buck stops there.
And part of me thinks no one can expect everything to be seen one way.
Then there is that ‘fact’ thing. If in the authors world such and such is a fact, well it doesn’t matter if it works in real life or ‘makes sense’, does it? The world is the authors. So it is fact.
but…. LOL see can’t make up my mind ;) I often argue with myself. Not a good thing for a person named sybil.
hee
by sybil May 4th, 2006 at 11:18 amYou know, one thing that bugs more than people who don’t think I’m brilliant - authors who think no one is capable of reviewing them because no one can understand their world and they’re all just special snowflakes.
Feh.
Look, to a certain extent, a bad review is my fault because I clearly didn’t communicate something to the reader. Be that my world and my rules or not. A review should be about whether that appealed to the reader.
Now, are there readers who review things they don’t like repeatedly? Yes. I know a woman who reviews paranormals even though she hates them. I think that’s pretty unfair and I’ve said so but she holds that it’s her duty to do so.
But I think the majority of reviews, good and bad are really about how the reader connects with the material. Sometimes the two people (reader and author) just don’t click.
SO I don’t think my books should be sacrosanct, or anyone’s books for that matter.
And yeah, it’s the world I created, but if you don’t like something in it as a reader, it’s certainly your right to say so. And other people who read that can say, “oh, I loved that!” or “No kidding! I hate that too.”
It’s all about perspective. I happen to love Charlaine Harris for instance but one of my very dear friends just doesn’t get her at all. My friend is smart and savvy and a great writer too, but it doesn’t resonate with her.
At the end of the day, all an author can hope for is that she communicates with more people than she fails to communicate with.
I think I’m going to put this up as a post because it’s a really interesting topic and I’d love to hear more perspectives on it.
by Lauren Dane May 4th, 2006 at 3:17 pmVery interesting.
And you’re THAT Lauren on the board with She Who Reviews Paranormals But Dislikes Them. I dunno how I never figured that out til now.
by Nicole May 4th, 2006 at 4:34 pmLOL!! I thought you knew, Nicole. I only figured out you were “that” Nicole like a month ago.
by Lauren Dane May 4th, 2006 at 5:30 pmI think more reader reviews can only be a good thing. I might take one in the crotch right next to you, Lauren, but them’s the breaks. I’d rather have people honestly discussing books than not reading or feeling like they had to censor their opinions for fear of internet flame wars.
by Charlene Teglia May 5th, 2006 at 4:38 amHey THAT Nicole… email and explain it to me cuz I don’t know what you guys are talking about ;)
nosey be me
LOL I have a book by both of you to Ebuzz *eg* haven’t read them yet though….which many of the EBUZZ reviews so far are read already while I try and do some AAR reviews. But soon *VEG*
by sybil May 5th, 2006 at 10:52 pmBy both of us? LOL! Me and Nicole? Nicole do you write and I missed that? Or do you mean Charli (who is a fabulous writer!) or Daisy (who never fails to make me laugh and has become my heroine of late)? See, I’m nosy too, LOL!
And Nicole and I are on a few of the same romance boards at Delphi. I’ve been there for many years now, long before I started writing. I don’t say much about my books, I just participate as a reader really, because that’s how I started out there.
by Lauren Dane May 6th, 2006 at 8:31 am