tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post2074272277318133014..comments2023-09-29T05:32:04.308-07:00Comments on StrangePegs: "You're not my friend anymore!" (an IWSG post)Andrew Leonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-57641584345320552182014-11-24T10:48:37.202-08:002014-11-24T10:48:37.202-08:00Shannon: Only horizontal children would fit in our...Shannon: Only horizontal children would fit in ours.<br />Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-32311565253461653582014-11-24T00:38:15.539-08:002014-11-24T00:38:15.539-08:00I guess that's pretty much what I'm saying...I guess that's pretty much what I'm saying. :p Also, our attic is tiny, but I'm sure I could fit upside down children in it.Shannon Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934641808195675935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-52255112375195152852014-11-11T19:38:09.903-08:002014-11-11T19:38:09.903-08:00Birgit: Separating yourself from something you'...Birgit: Separating yourself from something you've created can be particularly hard, but it's something you have to be able to do.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-81551507065437608692014-11-11T13:38:41.633-08:002014-11-11T13:38:41.633-08:00You give very sound advice and it seems they rip i...You give very sound advice and it seems they rip it to shreds and then feel bad, insecurities take hold and say 4 stars. It reminds me of people who diss the hell out of you personally and are on the attack and then say "I love you"???? I don;t get it. Criticism is to be constructive whether it be negative or positive. In both cases one has to make the points why and what was done correctly in their eyes or could use improvement. The person receiving the criticism needs to be open and understand where the creitique is coming from and not take it so to heart...harder to do than one realizesBirgithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09439720285857050428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-24559195577965192872014-11-07T21:39:40.878-08:002014-11-07T21:39:40.878-08:00Shannon: Now you're making me wish I had an at...Shannon: Now you're making me wish I had an attic. That's a great threat. To threaten to fill them full of candy, too, and to then knock it all out of them?<br />And what you're saying about your reviews is that they come in "regular," "large," and "extra-large," right?<br />Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-18357546573496653062014-11-07T16:20:05.195-08:002014-11-07T16:20:05.195-08:00I do intentionally look at the bad reviews of book...I do intentionally look at the bad reviews of books (and other products) first, to see what they didn't like. Sometimes that thing they didn't like is precisely what appeals to me. For example, I'm primarily reading horror right now, so if a book gets 1 star because it was "too disturbing," well, I'll quite possibly like it more because of that. On the flip side of that, I tend to operate in a three star system, where a book if I like it is 4 stars, 5 stars only if I very much loved it (I believe I've only given 2 or 3 of those), and a 3 if it had too many issues for me to get past. I would be hard pressed to find a situation where 1 or 2 stars were warranted, though I believe there was a 2 star book that I chose not to review because mine would have been the ONLY review. I realize I still should have done it, but that felt harsh to me, so I left it. I don't recall what that book was, or I'd go back and check.<br /><br />Also, I hate that "you're not my friend" thing. My kids have been told not to do it on penalty of hanging by their toes in the attic. When I worked in an elementary school, the kids knew I was not okay with that. It is a major pet peeve for me.Shannon Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00934641808195675935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-88990039250852340452014-11-06T13:09:35.639-08:002014-11-06T13:09:35.639-08:00Tammy: We especially need to learn to accept it fr...Tammy: We especially need to learn to accept it from people who are offering actual criticism (objective(ish) positive and negative responses), because most people won't offer that.<br /><br />G_G: I remember that post from you. I think.<br /><br />Sheena: I think authors reviewing other authors is equivalent to doctors suggesting other doctors. Who else knows the field as well?Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-21234103381367944022014-11-06T09:11:05.660-08:002014-11-06T09:11:05.660-08:00Some people think authors shouldn't review oth...Some people think authors shouldn't review other authors. I disagree and think everyone has a right to their opinion. I'm glad you brought up this issue. Once I won two ebooks from author I knew online one was hers and the other someone else I later realized was a friend of hers. I read the latter and hated it. A lot of people gave it positive reviews but I could barely go beyond a certain point and one of the two characters I just couldn't stand. Plus the writing left much to be desired in my opinion. What did I do? I did hesitate for a bit but in the end I posted my review. Why? Because I knew I had a right to how I felt and also that I gave the book a chance. Plus I looked through all those happy reviews and found others who agreed with me. Being mean is never the way to go with a review but honestly letting someone know the faults of their work isn't wrong. I can only hope when I my book is finally published people will be honest with me as well.Sheena-kay Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17712661419116636671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-29680950531788050042014-11-06T05:02:33.616-08:002014-11-06T05:02:33.616-08:00That happened to me earlier this year with a book....That happened to me earlier this year with a book. It had lots of 5 Star reviews and good things to say. Bought the book and within the first chapter could see similarities to another book. I was so frustrated that I blogged about it, but then read a post about people talking smack about other writers and giving bad reviews on books that I deleted the post because I thought they were talking about my venting post. :/Gossip_Grlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06603645371306284338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-68084186840328002502014-11-05T22:07:43.652-08:002014-11-05T22:07:43.652-08:00well said. I always tell my friends of the best bo...well said. I always tell my friends of the best books I read. and when I review books for blogging friends I just keep it short and simple. but it's a tough world out there and we all need to learn to take the criticism no matter where/who it comes fromTammy Theriaulthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13128574900510175415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-71009598047764071342014-11-05T16:26:16.417-08:002014-11-05T16:26:16.417-08:00Alex: Part of being critical, despite popular opin...Alex: Part of being critical, despite popular opinion, is to also state the good qualities. That's what a critique is.<br /><br />Hart: I'm not the kind of guy to say "you're not my friend," but, unfortunately, I am the kind of person who will say, "Fine! Be that way! See if I care!"<br /><br />As for hurting someone's livelihood, if your negative review is going to actually impact them, their livelihood is not derived from their writing.<br /><br />Elsie: There's a lot of that out there, the stroking of people's egos to avoid hurt feelings.<br /><br />Crystal: Unless someone says to me, "Please, don't review my book," if I read it, I'm going to review it. If I'm not going to review it, I'm going to skip it.<br />And, well, if I have someone saying to me "please don't review my book" (and I've had several), it means they don't believe enough in their work to have it out there.<br /><br />ABftS: Generally, if I start a book, I'm going to finish it. I do believe in finishing the thing before I review it. There is one book I read that got 2 stars from me instead of 1 because I did finish it. However, I suppose if I did actually find a book I couldn't get through, it would deserve a review.<br />All of that to say that I, of course, agree with you.<br /><br />Carrie-Anne: You have to just ignore the people who vote down your reviews. Mostly, those come from "haters" on 5-star reviews on popular franchises, anyway. And anyone wanting to look at the negative reviews, will still click to your review of the book. I'll have to check your review of Book Thief. I put that back down at the bookstore after just the first page. My reaction was "this is just dumb."<br />My review like that was for Snow Crash. I still get comments on that review on Amazon, which I find amusing.<br /><br />David: Sure, they're easy to spot, but they don't do you any good when a book has 10 of those insincere friend reviews and that's it.<br /><br />And I think, if you're going to be mean, it ought to be for entertainment's sake. :P<br /><br />Janie: The problem with that is that reviews are not for the author but for the reader so, if you take out the negative parts of the review for places like Amazon, readers are unable to make an informed decision.<br /><br />M.R.R.: Sometimes, I'm harsh. Like, I'm looking forward to the 3rd Hobbit movie only because it means I will be able to rip it apart in my review. However, I will have reasons for the ripping.<br />(Those movies cause me physical pain.)<br /><br />Lee: Well, I'm not suggesting that anyone spend more than they can afford and picking up free stuff is a good way to get around that. But, then, that just makes it even more important to read the authors you want to support and leave a review. It shows that you did the reading.<br /><br />Kim: I believe that disconnect is "I don't want to hurt this author's feelings and risk our friendship with a bad rating."<br /><br />Send me a link to your book, and I'll take a look at it.<br /><br />Jeanne: It really is a form of extortion. Author's dangling their friendship over other authors to get positive reviews. It makes me kind of sick.<br /><br />And I really do try to make sure I'm not bashing and never talk about the author.<br />Except Peter Jackson and those horrible movies he called "The Hobbit." Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-6260896733155968852014-11-05T14:39:35.361-08:002014-11-05T14:39:35.361-08:00The problem with reviewing books when you're a...The problem with reviewing books when you're an author is the whole "not my friend anymore" thing, which isn't a worry if you're just a reader. I don't know why it's such an issue. You can pout and feel bad about a critique, but you don't get to bully your fellow authors into five star reviews.<br /><br />Anyway, I've read your reviews and nothing has even come close to the line between critiquing and bashing.J E Oneilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09780097298061829471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-49333393075356047872014-11-05T14:23:07.473-08:002014-11-05T14:23:07.473-08:00It doesn't make sense to me that a reviewer wo...It doesn't make sense to me that a reviewer would list a litany of things he disliked about a book, but then give it a four or five star review. There is a disconnect there. I am one of those people who thinks that a three, four, or five star review is pretty good. For me, I really have to connect with a book to give it five stars. There are plenty of books where I enjoy the writing style or the plot or the characters but I am not crazy in love with the way everything comes together.<br /><br />As far as I'm concerned, give real examples to back up your rating, don't nitpick, and be nice. If you do that, the author can't really gripe about what you say. You certainly have that right--same as she did when she decided to write for publication. Plus, you know what they say about publicity! I promise, if you ever decide to review my book, I will respect your opinion and be honored you took the time to read it!Kim Van Sicklerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04957877837203134260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-34658375163108101652014-11-05T13:37:55.151-08:002014-11-05T13:37:55.151-08:00I like honesty in reviews. As long as there are s...I like honesty in reviews. As long as there are solid points that support the arguments a reviewer is making then I think it's a useful review. Rave reviews or bashes that have nothing to back them up are reviews I pay no heed to. I have actually bought books that sounded good to me based on a scathing review that I've read and more often than not I've found that the reviewer had different tastes than what I had.<br /><br />I wish I could support more authors by buying their books but with my current state of income in retirement it's not something I can do. If you look at my reviews you can see the most recent ones are for old products that I own and bought back when I was working. Any others that are more recent are because I got them for free one way or another.<br /><br />When I review I try not to be overly harsh and I try to lean toward the positives, but I do try to be honest as well. A bad review is better than no review if it's a legitimate honest review. That's the way I see it at least.<br /><br />Lee<br /><a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Tossing It Out</a><br /><br />Arlee Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663942782929929334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-77470209296361207502014-11-05T12:43:17.332-08:002014-11-05T12:43:17.332-08:00Admittedly, I can be a little harsh when I don'...Admittedly, I can be a little harsh when I don't like a book (or a movie, or whatever I'm reviewing). But a review should be telling people why they might or might not enjoy something, not just mindless praise or hate.cheerfuloptimistichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02348764562955222219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-74922897937151487552014-11-05T11:19:44.987-08:002014-11-05T11:19:44.987-08:00If I have constructive criticism of a book, I emai...If I have constructive criticism of a book, I email it to the author and put in on my blog review. When I put the review on Amazon or Good Reads, I take out the negative parts. I don't like to hurt or discourage people, and I've never said that a horrible book is great.<br /><br />Love,<br />JanieJanie Junebughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10573607241326291404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-49703601250025999412014-11-05T10:37:19.005-08:002014-11-05T10:37:19.005-08:00I do appreciate honest reviews. And they help me f...I do appreciate honest reviews. And they help me find things I would not have otherwise found. One's trash could be another's treasure, etc. There are some that are just plain mean for entertainment's sake. The overly inflated, insincere ones are easy to spot. :)David P. Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17259276981865439853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-12968408136449593742014-11-05T08:25:34.579-08:002014-11-05T08:25:34.579-08:00I like to read 1, 2, and 3–star reviews first. A ...I like to read 1, 2, and 3–star reviews first. A well-written negative review is often more helpful than a parade of mindless, regurgitated praise. Though it's so frustrating and annoying when people by Amazon give "not helpful" votes to reviews that dared give a bad review to a book, film, or album they liked. I'm kind of afraid to leave my scathing review of the massively overrated Book Thief by Amazon, for fear of a host of hateful comments personally attacking me, and hundreds of revengeful "not helpful" votes. My blog post ripping that book a new one was even rejected by Ink Pageant as "too demeaning."Carrie-Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05810154378449825641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-76126883399804994922014-11-05T07:57:26.973-08:002014-11-05T07:57:26.973-08:00No, Alex, that's the exact reason WHY you revi...No, Alex, that's the exact reason WHY you review it! And that goes for Crystal, too. I firmly believe that "this book was so bad, I barely made it to the 100 page mark" counts as a solid review. I paid for the book, and I hated it so much I couldn't even finish something I willingly spent money on. That truly says something about the book.<br /><br />I mean, if we don't leave negative reviews, how will people know a book is bad? People can naively focus on the good, yes, but I don't want to buy a book that has solid 5 star reviews only to find out it's absolutely terrible because people just didn't want to be "mean" and tell the truth.A Beer for the Showerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17029139745335325356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-40470647566913467442014-11-05T07:50:09.629-08:002014-11-05T07:50:09.629-08:00I think there is a point at which you back off fro...I think there is a point at which you back off from reviewing if you really did not like a book. I've had that happen. I try to focus on the good of the book, but sometimes it just really didn't resonate with me. Which reminds me, I have two books I need to go review!<br /><br /><a href="http://crystalcollier.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Unleashing the Dreamworld</a>Crystal Collierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03912469552483168148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-40824925758050269792014-11-05T07:22:49.310-08:002014-11-05T07:22:49.310-08:00As much as I'm dreading a terrible review from...As much as I'm dreading a terrible review from someone when I finally publish my book, I'd rather have that honesty than someone blowing smoke. How will I learn to improve if people aren't honest with me? I'll think my work is gold when it's plain crap. Like you said, if it's constructive and not mean, I'm more inclined to change.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-46960148857080640932014-11-05T07:17:34.689-08:002014-11-05T07:17:34.689-08:00I was always the kid who said, 'well you'r...I was always the kid who said, 'well you're still my friend' which caused no end of drama... <br /><br />I think an 'honesty only' policy is admirable and I think a book with only 5 star reviews looks highly suspicious. That said, I fear backlash. I give honest reviews, but if it is below a 3, I don't actually post them unless the author is a millionaire (in which case they can take it). I don't want to hurt anyone's livelihood and I don't want to get into a battle with someone small enough to notice me.Hart Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17599570189253229318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7658526372996117205.post-68196372248403338992014-11-05T03:45:31.834-08:002014-11-05T03:45:31.834-08:00Sounds fair to me. Although if I disliked a book e...Sounds fair to me. Although if I disliked a book enough that I would give it two stars or less, I wouldn't finish it, and thus, never review it, because reviewing a book you haven't read isn't right.<br />That favorite review of yours with the ripped four star - I had one of those. Wasn't dishonest though - the reviewer was just uber critical.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.com