Social Media brings out the best and the worst in the literary community. Yet, mostly everyone seems to be blaming the book bloggers.
Back in August I read a nondescript article on SLATE about social media changing literary culture. [1} {2} mistakes via twitter, Amazon and Facebook and taking Thumpers Mom’s advice, of not saying a word unless it is nice. It has more importantly trickled down into the reviewers mentality, because of certain negative retaliation via troll sites masquerading as “anti-bullying” sites.
The Result: A Fuzzy Bunny Mentality of Happy Reviews for All? This is great, if all you want to hear is applause and have cotton candy floating around your head. It is also great for the authors, with fangirl tweets raining upon them. And if this takes hold with a majority of bloggers then those idiotic troll sites and temper tantrum throwing authors have won! Grr!
But, what happens when you need to say something negative? Some have taken to not posting negative reviews at all…large review sites in fact. Like reviewers from the TIME’s and NPR. Not all of them of course, but a select few. Or just you as a personal blogger? Will you be afraid of negative backlash and trolls?
And while these rabid fans, or misguided authors who believe they are fighting for the good of authorship, go on the attack, the only people they are hurting are the authors themselves, who have inadvertently sparked a negative review. Because the first thought in most people’s head is that it is the authors themselves making these comments. Who else would care so much? Whether that persona attacking turns out to be the author’s husband, their agent, or just their Beta Reader…in the end, the repercussions fall upon the authors head and his /her sales are affected by the negative publicity.
I have never agreed with this fuzzy bunny mentality of “never review a book I don’t like.” And I have also never been intimidated with malicious anonymous comments or author disapproval. But, also, after it was demonstrated this past week via one of Lori’s Indie reviews [review of Love Can be Dangerous], negative reviews can bring out the very mean-spirited and angry trolls that attack very viciously on a personal nature. And trolls, like the name suggests, shouldn’t be acknowledged, yet sometimes their words cut, because you know it’s a real person behind those anonymous threats and a lot of the times it might be a peer, a fellow author or blogger. Which I in fact knew these trolls were, fellow reviewers and fans of the author. This, unfortunately leads a blogger to second guess her opinion, should she have written this review? Was she unnecessarily harsh? Should she pull the review?
Hogwash right?
Where is the line then? What do we do to keep the review on the “right” track? Reviews that evoke your criticism, but stem the hostilities and troll attracting verbiage. Thus, stemming the common thoughts that book bloggers are killing literary culture? (Boo! I know!) Research led me to an article by J. Robert Lennon, which also had me scratching my head. But, granted his piece was directed at authors reviewing other author’s books.
Some of his suggestions were:
- Read most of the authors works, so you of course can provide a detailed “shape of the writer’s career and show how the new book fits in it.” So, that being said, if you were to write a negative review on authors with prolific careers, you better have read a few of their prior titles.
- Your opinion is a small fish in a very big galaxy. Lennon wants you to tell readers that your opinion is just one of many and that your thoughts are not the end-all-matter-of-factness. Take them with a grain of salt. Humility in your reviews.
- Give debuts a little credit, even if it is the third book. First books are generally not as good as later books. And you need to “let the writer down easy” because they writer might be awesome in the future.
At about this point in the article I was rolling my eyes. Especially as I scrolled down and read “The writer worked harder on her book than you will on your review, even if the former sucks.”
Politics I think is the best representation of difference in opinion leading to negative representation and name-calling.
I do agree with him on some points, to not be a dick, to think things through that sort of thing. He actually argued the point that he is justified in writing critical reviews of the negative variety and actually got a hell of a lot of flack within the comments section. Once again trolls resorting to name calling just because someone varied in opinion from their own. And while I think Lennon’s take on negative reviews is a little PR friendly I would never call him out personally when differing in opinion from him. Just state that some of my opinions are different. I never understand this knee jerk reaction to calling people “across the fence” names. Why? It is just a matter of opinion.
And that is the basic point when crafting your reviews. A review is an opinion and you should always state your opinion. You should state your opinion with vigor and belief behind it. You should not make things personal, much like you would when critiquing someone’s outfit, what sounds better:
“You must be some kind of slut to wear that outfit.”
or
“Honey, you are showing a lot of skin, you might want to reconsider wearing that, it might give boys the wrong idea about your bedroom proclivities.”
Neither are of a sugar and spice mentality. But the difference was insulting the wearer, or casually pointing out what is wrong with the outfit and the reasons behind the “wrongness”. Yet, both are opinions. My idea of slut attire might vary very differently from say a more conservative person and much more differently from say a person of the nudist variety. I do believe if your opinion is covered in a review, with your feelings back it along with evidence of why you feel this way, it can’t be that bad, right? It is just an opinion. That snark behind it, might sting, if you are prone to snarkiness and if you really can’t find any redeeming qualities in the book, but would saying, “I respect this author, but the book sucked” make it better in the end regard? It is like a southern “Bless Your Heart” saying, yes, it sounds nicer then “you are an idiot” but frankly it is conveying the same meaning.
Personally, my advice in the regard to writing a review, especially as a blogger, is to just be honest. Don’t be a dick, or take a personal tone with the author. Stick to the book and back up your disregard with a clear argument. Much like you would in a debate.
This is why I did not like the book. X, X & X.
Yes, we are not literary critiques or professional reviewers. But, this does not limit our influence. Our review if read 100 times could influence a good bit of readers to purchase the book. You are like one piece of the cog in a consumer’s book buying experience. And if your opinion becomes trusted, as an honest book blogger, your street cred will continue to rise in readers opinions. You do this with honesty, you do this by giving thought out opinions and by “not being a dick”. You also do this by not letting trolls and misguided “justice” sites bully you into changing your opinion.
Reader Question of the Week:
I have recently gotten some negative feedback on actually a positive review that I wrote, because I mislabel the genre. I believe it is the author because of how the comments are written, but they are coming from a few anonymous accounts. I don’t know what to do, it is very annoying and I don’t understand it. – Kathy
You won’t understand it. It could be anything. I always titter whenever I see Nicki Minaj get offended when being compared to Lady Gaga, even though you know she was probably aspired by her awesome. Maybe the author doesn’t want to be categorized in that genre for some personal reasons or misguided dislike. Or who knows, it might just be some random reader that just wants to offset you by pointing out your mistakes. It happens. I actually had a troll that would read my reviews and point out grammar issues and things like that, in public comments. It was another blogger, I guess she considered me competition and thought to knock me down a notch or two. I would just delete her comments. I would do the same with these if they keep popping up and if they are anon – disable anon comments on your blog for a bit. No reaction is the best reaction, because people like this are commenting to get a response from you and when nothing happens — they’ll lose interest. If you feel it is necessary, fix your mistake and maybe this will also stave it off.
Book Blogger News:
Nothing really crazy happening in the Book Blogger world as of late. Or at least I don’t know about it. Romanticon is about to start up, so I’m sure we will be seeing a bunch of jealousy inspiring tweets from attendees.
I would like to keep you informed of any inspiring or note worthy news — so if you have any events that focus on book bloggers, or start up memes (not giveaways please) you are free to email me and let me know!
Happy Thursday. Talk Less. Read More. Blog with Integrity.
Have a question? Fill out the form by clicking on the button to the left. This will go into a spreadsheet to be looked over at a later date and hopefully answered on this blog. This is completely anonymous, you do not have to leave your real name. Urls will not be included in your question unless it pertains to the question.
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Great article Rachel! I’m always terrified of putting up a negative review. The backlash I’ve seen online is really awful and it intimidates me.
This had never come up for me before because generally I give up on books I really don’t like, but I recently read one that is a very popular book, that just wasn’t for me. It’s the first time since I started reviewing that I’ve finished a book and yet decided not to review it.
I also never want to be accused of putting down another author for personal gain. At the same time I, I love raving about wonderful books I’ve enjoyed. I think I am going to have to stop calling mine “Book Reviews” and just label them “Books I’ve Loved” so that I can still shout from the walls about books I really like, without risking professional backlash.
It goes back to why I blog my reviews. I’m not trying to be a voice to help guide consumers, I just want to sing the praises of books I liked. I’ve made several acquaintances through good reads after leaving reviews on books, because we find we like similar authors.
Yes I do believe that might be an appropriate stance, especially for an author that is trying to make her way in the community. Recommendations. The only way as an author, I would pen a critical review would be if I was hired to review for a site or media outlet. Putting you firmly in the professional reviewer / author category, which some authors are.
You make a lot of great points. When I first began blogging, I did not write negative reviews, I instead focused on only those elements I enjoyed about the book I was reviewing. Now, I feel much more confident in expressing my full opinion about a book both positive and negative. I think some authors are misguided in their fear of a negative review. Sometimes a negative review can draw as much interest to a book as a positive. I know I can think of several times I’ve bought a book because of a negative review that said it was too dark or shocking or one of the many things that I enjoy but other’s may not. Usually, if I really dislike a book, I will add a link at the bottom to a review that enjoyed the book to give the reader another perspective.
I certainly hope that most bloggers do not change their review styles to appease a bunch of crack-pot bullies and their cronies at that ridonkulous website.
I love your advice “Just be honest”. I live by that in my reviews too.
When I am looking for a book to read and I peruse the reviews and if a review states, “the book sucked” and that is all that is offered, I disregard.
I need to know why they felt the book sucked. I personally don’t care for the snark as I am more a cut and dry person who just likes it laid out for me. When someone is striving for witty-snark while negatively reviewing I am a bit turned off because it seems to be more about the attention their review will get than why they didn’t like the book. I just want to know why it wasn’t their cup of tea.
I still complete negative reviews because I stick with the “just be honest” mantra. I just like to be really clear on why I didn’t like the story. My reasons for not liking could very well be someone else’s reasons for reaching for the novel to purchase.
I stick with the “honest but fair approach” and always give a reason for a negative. I also try to read books in genres I actually like. Nothing makes me angrier than seeing a snarky nasty review that starts “I simply loathe dystopians and…..
Awesome, thought provoking post my dear!
I don’t shy away from a negative review, but I am more careful about my wording than I might have been early on. Especially after being contacted by the author about it. Which made me feel horrified. It was the first time I realized someone was actually reading my reviews other than me and my family.
Granted, these days I don’t review many books negatively because I typically can’t justify spending the time if they make me so frustrated and angry or bored. If I can’t at least “like” a book, or find some merit to it, I can’t imagine spending hours reading it.
I would still hope, even with all the negative backlash, that reviewers aren’t cowed into remaining silent about their honest opinions. Even if they do decide to pull back some of the more snarky comments they might otherwise have included in their review.
Saying a book wasn’t for them, that they found it not to capture their interest or attention due to X, Y or Z is just the same as saying that they’ve had more fun getting a root canal, just a bit less likely to draw trolls and fans alike.
I’m all for negative reviews and reviewers who write them for the purpose of sharing their thoughts. It’s those reviewers who only (or mostly) review things negatively just to get attention that I ignore/avoid. Just as everyone can’t love every book they read, they also can’t hate every book they read unless they’re seeking them out just to write that contentious review.
I don’t think there should be a “right track” for reviews. Unless someone is getting paid by a media outlet to write a review that fits in with a certain style of the publication, I don’t think anyone should have any limitations on what or how they say it. No one has to visit that site if they don’t like what the reviewer has to say or how they say it. If they do, they’re trolls which should be ignored, if possible, IMO.
And oh, I find that Southern charm that coats a negative comment to be way more biting than someone saying I look like a skank.
Thanks for another great and thought-provoking topic this week.
Bravo! I understand when people disagree, and its a shared learning process for everyone involved. I like to understand why I disliked a book and state it plainly in review. If I’m having an issue with someone’s comment, I’m looking at their statement through my own filter, as they are looking at mine through their own.
Great post! I agree with you. To be honest, I rarely put up bad reviews, but it’s just a tad different for me than for you because, technically, I’m not a book blogger. I’m just an author who posts reviews every so often. Of course, if someone asked me to review a book, I’d give them my honest opinion even if the book wasn’t for me. I agree with your first line about how all social media can bring these trolls out. I’ve been having a FB feud over a political issue with someone I went to high school with and haven’t seen in ten years. We simply believe differently, but she commented on a post I put on my personal FB page, told how stupid my point of view is, and then blamed me as though I was picking the fight! (Argh!) It’s the same kind of thing. I’m not one for drama on the internet, but if someone outright attacks my opinions or beliefs, I feel compelled to stand up for myself. You always say things like they are and hit the nail right on the head. Thanks for a great post!
I would have no respect for myself if I failed to share my negative opinions as well as my positive. And I have trouble trusting review sites that only post positive reviews.
Just as one other commenter pointed out…sometimes the negative reviews can attract readers as much as the positive…what someone loved about a book my turn another reader off, and the things that I may not like (gore for instance) might be just someone else’s cup of tea. As long as the review is respectful (not a personal attack on the author) and the opinions are backed up by examples from the book.
I do find that I have less enthusiasm for books that I’ve not liked or enjoyed less…so my 1-3 star books tend to get shorter reviews, mini reviews, or are lumped together in a “DNF Thoughts” post (a few times a year) if I wasn’t able to complete the book. (Yes, I also believe that posting reasons why books were left unfinished can also be valuable)
Great post Rachel! Ever since I began blogging I’ve always committed to sharing my honest opinion with the books I review. I also use my blog as a tool to share all the books that I personally enjoyed. That being said, if ever I encounter a book that couldn’t finish reading, or disliked etc, I actually give my feedback directly to the author or person that sent me the novel for review. This way, the author receives feedback for their book, and the reviews that go live on my blog are only those that I really enjoyed. I’d much rather spend time sharing my thoughts to my readers on books that I liked and really want to talk about rather than books that I disliked. Of course, that’s just my personal preference lol.
I don’t like leaving negative reviews either, but as an author I do appreciate an honest review, especially a thoughtful one that gives good feedback (like, you know – you totally forgot she left her gun in a cave back in chapter six, so how the heck did she shoot blah blah in chapter eleven with it…that is a very good point!)
But if I think I might have to give a one or two star review, I tend to put the book down and not finish it.
What I really hate is a bad review that makes no sense. Probably these people have other motives for what they write, but it’s not helpful to just say, it sucked.
(Although you are certainly within your rights as a reviewer to do that and no author should ever tell you otherwise.)
I got slammed by a fan when I gave a negative review on a Terry Brook’s book. I had to remind the guy that I’m not saying Terry Brooks was a bad writer or that he hasn’t wrote awesome books…I was saying that this particular book sucked.
I’ve adjusted my policy so that if an author requests a book review from me, I don’t publish a negative review without their permission. I ask ahead of time if the author wants the one star reviews or not. You’ll be surprised how many authors don’t mind. And that the ones that do – well, at least if you think the book sucks, you can stop reading by chapter 2 without feeling guilty.
I’m still pretty new to book reviewing. I am just getting comfortable writing reviews, let alone negative ones. However, that being said I will not stop being honest in my reviews. For every one troll that comes out of the wood work there are several more people/bloggers that would rather read an honest negative review, than a faked positive review. I honestly, can’t thank Rachel enough for her support and mad hacking skills through that whole deal.
After giving an author a negative book review, I went to her blog and she did a whole post on my review. I felt bad, so I changed it to a nicer one, and she was happy after that. I’ve deleted it since, but she’ll never know how happy it makes me now whenever anyone else leaves a negative review. Also, I’ve decided never to read a single book by her again, though I was looking forward to reading the next in the series before she wrote that blog post. I don’t think I could stand reading her work knowing that she wrote it.
I just don’t really appreciate when people tell me my opinion and my review is wrong.