Why I don't write (or read) bad reviews

[karenkincy]

I once was a bad review aficionado. I'd cherry-pick all the most negative reviews and read them first. 1-star? Surely more useful than all the gushing 5-star reviews that didn't say much about the book beyond, "I <3 this!!!" I preferred snarky, intelligent commentaries exploring the mechanics of why a particular character sucked or why the author

Comments

[kbaccellia]

Good post. I'm amazed at how nasty some reviews can be. I'm like you. I'm leaving the negativeness out there and not dwelling on it. Or I try to anyway. I've learned one thing in this biz. It's all subjective. Plus, it's a real accomplishment to actually write and publish a book. Lots of people say they want to do this but seriously how many actually do it?

I also won't let a negative review stop me from reading a book. Nathan Bransford had a fab post on the whole what should readers ask. The same can be true of reviewers.

[karenkincy]

Ooo, could you link to the Nathan Bransford post? Thanks for your thoughts! I agree that a book reviewing world that was primarily recommendations rather than excessively negative reviews would be a nicer one, overall. That's why I brought up my cuisine analogy; most people taste-test themselves rather than rely on other opinions. Granted, some people are more choosy about gourmet foods and restaurants, but there are less of them, I think, than there are picky reviewers in the book world.

[kbaccellia]

Here it is:
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/07/one-question-writers-should-never-ask.html

One of my critique buddies sent it to me when I got this one not so great review. Nathan's post perked me up.

[karenkincy]

Excellent, thanks! This underscores the need for writers to look beyond their opinions and inspect the craft of a novel, instead.

[hooton]

I agree that a snarky review that's there to show how funny the reviewer is serves little purpose. However a good review that says nothing other than OMG this book is so good 11!!! doesn't have a lot of use either

[karenkincy]

As I already said, I agree that "OMG!" good reviews or "This sucks" bad reviews are equally useless. And I'm not arguing that bad reviews discourage reading *in general*; however, I am making the point that there have been many incidents involving myself or another reader where a particular novel was scorned thanks to scathing reviews, only to be sampled later and found quite tasty. That's what I'm arguing against, here. Judging books solely by their reviews, rather than giving them a chance

[hooton]

Okay. Coolio.

Not, of course, implying that people who read or write critical reviews aren't freethinking; just advocating for more recommendations in the book world.)

Yes to this in a big way.

[edgyauthor]

As someone who runs a book review blog, I have a slightly different viewpoint. I agree that negative reviews shouldn't be all about the snark, but if a book rubs someone the wrong way, then they should be allowed to tell others why and not simply review books they want to praise. While I do write mostly positive reviews, since it's hard for me NOT to like a book, there ARE books that I just don't like, and I state exactly why in my reviews of them. However, I also try to point out the good parts of the book that didn't quite make it redeemable for me, but that just might make this book great to others. (I think only once I didn't do this, and that was for my one-and-only one star review.) This way, even when I'm not praising a book, my blog readers will still see something in my review that may make them pick up the book anyway to see for themselves.

[karenkincy]

I think it's a good idea to try for a balanced viewpoint when writing a review, and I'm all for people sharing their opinions, good or bad.

I am, however, making the point that if someone hates a particular novel and feels the need to share that dislike, it has about as much influence upon me as someone sharing their loathing for vanilla cherry ice cream. Regardless of how articulately and fairly they discuss their dislike, I'm very likely to ignore their opinion and taste it myself.

With food, at least, everybody thinks it's *obvious* that we all have highly subjective tastes, so our opinions may not count for much... but there seems to be this tendency with books for people to become impassioned about their opinions to the point that they aren't helpful anymore.

Disclaimer: there's definitely a middle-ground, where reviews, positive or negative, can be helpful for those seeking a second opinion. I'm mostly trying to discuss why books inspire such passionately negative or positive responses, and whether they are always useful to

[a_hoffman79]

Similar to edgyauthor, I believe that negative reviews can be just as helpful, if not more so, than positive reviews if done the *right* way. As someone who reviews books regularly for Amazon and Goodreads, I've found that the negative reviews that are well-written typically say much more about the perceived strengths and weakness of a book than do positive reviews.

Negative reviews have also never stopped me from reading a book. Contrarily, they've often prompted me to pick up something I otherwise wouldn't b/c I wanted to compare my reaction to that of the masses. Often, I'll go back to the reviews after I've read a book and use them as a way to process the book, see others' perspectives, and sometimes engage in a discussion thread about it.

And, even in the rare cases that a review does turn me off to a book, I don't worry about it: there are too many books and too few hours in my life to read them. Any constructive reviews that might direct me to use that precious reading time in a better or more enjoyable way are appreciated.

[karenkincy]

If people genuinely find negative reviews helpful, then more power to them. But as I said in my post, I used to seek out reviews detailing "perceived strengths and weakness," and like you, I thought the negative ones did a much better job of it. Now, however, the "perceived" part of the equation is enough for me to discount the whole review and just read the book myself.

[lisa_schroeder]

Great post, Karen.

I will never do a bad review, because I'm an author and I understand the blood, sweat and tears that goes into a book. A book may not be my thing, a book may have some issues, whatever - but behind that book is an author who worked hard, and I respect that.

Negative reviews are going to happen. But I have to say, when I see another writer (published or unpublished) reaming on a book, it makes me really uncomfortable. I don't get the point. Why do that to your fellow writers? Fine, you don't like a book, you're entitled to your opinions. But to put that negativity out there, and to sound all high and mighty, as if you know more than another writer about what makes a good book? It sort of makes me sick to my stomach.

[kbaccellia]

I totally agree with you, Lisa. I also know how hard it is to get a book out there. I told my husband and others, my stories are my 'babies'. It's hard to read when someone tears your work apart. I try not to do the same thing when I review others books. If a book is 'not my cup of tea' I'll just leave it and not comment.

I do like those reviews that show what didn't work for the reader without trashing the book. But the really nasty ones? Those make me queasy.

[karenkincy]

I'm beginning to wonder this: how does *any* reviewer, be they a writer or purely a reader, "know more than another writer about what makes a good book?" Isn't it ultimately too subjective for people to pass judgment like that?

Granted, readers will vote with their dollars, but if I can continue my food analogy, that's more like a large group of customers who happen to find a new flavor of potato chip tasty, because each of them tried it individually, and shared it with their friends if they really loved it.

I doubt that potato-chip buyers would feel the need to meticulously write up a nasty review online if they *didn't* like that new flavor--because frankly, who cares?

(If anyone can point out how books are different enough products from foods bought for pleasure, please explain.)

[karenkincy]

I remember reading this. Thanks for sharing the link, Cynthia! :)