“Let’s Talk” is something new I’ve recently started here on Epilogue. It’s basically a time where I can have a heart to heart with all of you awesome people. Hopefully it’ll be a time where we can interact and share are thoughts and feelings!
This topic is one I am sure many of you are familiar with: authors commenting on reviews. I have heard a few different opinions on this, some in discussions and some in passing comments. It strikes me as a “hot topic” right now and I’m not really sure why.
Personally, I LOVE getting comments from an author, even if it’s just thanking me for taking the time to review their book. If an author asks me to review their book of COURSE I expect them to read my review, why wouldn’t they? I feel that they have as much right to comment as anyone else, as long as they remain respectful (just like reviewers should remain respectful in their reviews). To me that’s no different from what any other commenter should do! Now one thing I seem to have heard a lot is “I don’t mind if they comment on a positive review, just don’t comment on a negative review.” To me that’s not very fair. When they give someone a book to review they don’t say “I don’t mind you writing a positive review, just don’t write a negative one” (at least none have said that to me). The main thing is respect. If an author, or normal commenter is going to write a hurtful comment: DON”T COMMENT.
I pride myself on writing fair, respectful reviews. When I see reviewers who start saying things like, “They should just go kill themselves, they can’t even write a good book” or “Seriously, how could they think ANYONE would EVER read this crap.” I think the reviewers are just being rude. Someone who would be so cruel is probably not worth the time to comment too. Besides, any comment an author would make would be dissected or taken as mockery. However, on a normal negative review where the reviewer points out what they didn’t like and why the book wasn’t for them, why shouldn’t an author thank them for their time or for their constructive criticism? They are helping the author become a better writer and oftentimes they (the reviewers) were asked specifically so the author can hear their opinion. I don’t see what’s wrong with that…
So what’s your opinion on the matter?
If you’re an author do you comment on reviews for your book? Does it matter if it is positive or negative? Do you comment even if you didn’t ask them for a review?
Fellow reviewers: do you agree or am I completely off base and just don’t understand the issues? Have you ever had a bad experience with authors commenting?
Let me know what you think, I would love to hear all your different opinions!
I think a thank you is really nice (though of course not necessary) and I have gotten several thank you comments from authors. I love it when an author tweets a review of mine. I've even had authors ''like'' reviews of mine on Goodreads that weren't exactly glowing. Those are the authors I respect!
ReplyDeleteBut the author should never tell a reviewer that their opinion is wrong or that they just ''don't get it'' or anything negative like that. It's just called being professional. A restaurant owner wouldn't tell their customers that they're wrong and mean for not liking their food and the same rule applies to any professional.
Of course they have a right to be upset when someone doesn't like their book but they can rant all they want to their partner or mom or dog. They just ought to keep it out of the reviewer's space.
Perhaps authors should keep in mind that nobody WANTS to hate their book. I invest a lot of time in reading and I hate it when I don't enjoy it.
Awesome post! :)
Exactly! I think authors and reviewers can interact respectfully with each other no matter what type of review!
DeleteI agree it's wrong for and author, or anyone for that matter, to tell someone else that their opinion is wrong... that's why it is an OPINION! I really like your restaurant comparison, it provides a great visual. :)
I agree... I don't think I have ever willingly picked up a book and WANTED to hate it. Now, if it was a nonfiction book I had to read for history class I might EXPECT to hate it but I don't want too ;) I want to like the book, and I probably thought I would, or I wouldn't have picked it up to review (=
Thanks for joining in with you opinion Nicola!!
I agree w/ Nicola as well, when an author takes the time to tweet my review or email me to say thanks, it absolutely makes my day. I have'nt had an author respond in a negative way to any of my reviews, but I suppose that if you blog long enough, somebody at some point isn't going to like something you write. I guess it comes w/ the territory. Kinda like an author can't expect their book to be liked by everyone. The key is, as you said, to be respectful. I don't like the petty remarks I see some bloggers make about books (or worse attack authors personally) and I don't care for the flip side of that either.
ReplyDeleteAnother great discussion Lauren:)
Thanks for giving your opinion Heather!! Getting comments from authors never fails to make me smile! I am glad you have never had a negative experience with a author. (=
DeleteI totally get excited to see when an author comments on my reviews. I try to be very respectful even if the book wasn't for me, just because I believe it takes a hard work and a lot of confidence to write something and put it out there for the world to read.
ReplyDeleteI am slowly trying to write a few stories here and there, and if I ever get the courage to put them out there for someone else to read, I would respect their reviews, good or bad, but I think I would probably not put much faith in someone who has to attack another in a mean spirited way.
Thanks for the discussion!
Exactly!! They put a LOT of time and effort into creating a story and they deserve respect. If I saw an author being mean spirited I would think twice about reviewing their book... I would also probably unfollow any reviewer who was being mean or hurtful in their reviews :)
DeletePersonally, I haven't had a problem with authors being unprofessional, but then again I am still pretty new to book blogging. But I follow a book blogger who had a horrific time with a certain author (I have no idea which one) and she had a post up last week or so about it. Since she wrote a negative review about her book, the author was basically harassing the book blogger and having other people harass her as well. (Lauren if you want to see the post I can email it to you).
ReplyDeleteOn the other side, I love author's commenting on my reviews and it makes me feel like I'm helping in a way. One of the reasons why I have never met an unprofessional author is probably because I rate books 3-5 usually since I never really dislike many books.
That's just not okay :( I know what you mean by feeling helpful!! I also understand the not disliking many books ;) when you only accept book in genres you like you don't have as many you don't like!
DeleteI love when an Author says Thank You for the review or tweets it. I haven't really had any bad experiences, even when I have given the Author a less then stellar review.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you haven't had a bad experience!! :D
DeleteI enjoy getting comments from authors. I always have a moment of SQUEE when it happens, because authors are my rock stars. I've never had a bad experience with one, even on a less than fabulous review. Course, I don't read many books that I don't like, and since I can almost always find something I liked, it's rare for me to post a truly negative review. If I do, I try my very best to stay absolutely professional and still try to point out something good. I ALWAYS back up my reasons for not liking a book with concrete examples. I had one author email me privately and thank me for taking the time and ask me what would have made a difference for the book. I totally appreciated and respected her for that. I ended up reading more by her and really liking the subsequent books.
ReplyDeleteI'd never expect or ask an author to not comment on a negative review. I'd hope they'd be as respectful towards me as I was towards them. So far, so good!
Exactly!! I always say authors are my own personal celebrities :). I think most authors are very polite and expect some negative reviews!! Thanks for joining in the discussion Ems!!
DeleteI appreciate when an author visits our blogs and put a comment, even if it's just thanking us for reviewing his/her book. But one of my friends had a bad experience when she give a negative review (not harshly though) to a book. The author then left a rather harsh comment. I think it will only reveal the author's personality to her readers..
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry that happened to your friend :( That's not very professional. Thanks for commenting with your opinion Fanda!!
DeleteWhat a great post! My co-author and I do our best to comment on every review of our book that we know about. If the reviewer loved the book- excellent. So far, the reviews have been easy to comment on- but if someone hated our book we would certainly still be polite and respectful to them.
ReplyDeleteWe do a lot of book reviews and author interviews on our blog. When an author stops by and comments on either of them- it makes our day. Or- if the author tweets about the review/interview or posts it to their fb page we are brimming with happiness. So far, the authors that have commented have been kind!
~Jess
Thanks Jess!! I'[m sure it makes the reviewers very happy that you comment on the reviews, especially if you asked them to review it... though I'm glad it's been easy to comment so far ;)
DeleteI love hearing about kind authors :) I think the majority of authors are courteous and polite, just as I think most reviewers are, its the other ones you hear about most though :(
I feel like this phrase is key here: if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. If someone can't be respectful of what someone else writes, whether it be a book or a review, then it's probably best for them to keep the peace by keeping quiet. For reviewers, there is a fine line between criticism and outright rudeness, and a small handful of reviewers still have yet to learn the difference. Same goes for those who comment; show some manners. And kudos, to all who can, in these types of situations, remain kind and courteous despite their opinions or reactions.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! :)
DeleteI have only had good experiences with my reviews. I have had several authors just say thanks, a few ask questions to clarify what I meant and a few have actually given me a more detailed explanation when I mentioned being confused by certain things.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate different things that were said in the comments above about respect for hard work and professionalism.
Thanks for the chance to discuss it.
I love it when authors take the time to clarify something that was confusing! :) I'm so glad you joined in on the discussion! (=
DeleteSo far I've been lucky and I've only ever had good interactions with authors. Even on a negative review the author took the time to contact me about it, explain some of the bits I'd mentioned and ask me to explain better the other bits that didn't work for me.
ReplyDeleteAuthors have to remember that they're professionals in a market filled with other professionals that readers can turn to instead. They should always be courteous towards their readers because even if it is a negative review, that person took time out of their life to read the author's work. If they can't handle the negative reviews then they should avoid reading them.
That said, I think this is a two-way road and readers should always try to be constructive in their reviews rather than just gush about "omg I loved it so much!" or "I hated this book. Don't waste your time on it". We are the ones who are able to help the authors become better writers (if they listen to us) so we should take the time to actually give that help.
I completely agree! When people take the time to explain why their view on the book is positive of negative they give us (the readers) a better idea of if we would like the book. And unless we know the reviewer personally saying "I loved it." or "I hated it" won't tell you anything!
DeleteThanks for joining in Rea :)
i never bash authors and i'm very honest and polite
ReplyDeleteso far a few authors have commented on my blog/mostly on book tour post
Not bashing is a good way to go about blogging :)
DeleteWonderful post, Lauren! I really love reading all the opinions on it from bloggers and authors, too. Very interesting. I believe this year authors commenting on reviews is getting a LOT of attention, simply because of the hand full of authors who didn't handle themselves well. I don't think it's right for an author to ever argue with a reviewer who didn't enjoy their book. It's their opinion, you can't change someones opinion of your book. It's difficult to tell an author not to take it personally, but that's the truth. Once they put their book into the world, it's no longer "their" book, it belongs to the readers.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I have a difficult time reading scathing reviews for any book. I know everyone is different, and they express themselves and how they enjoyed/didn't enjoy a book in their own, passionate way. However, as a blogger myself, I think it's wrong to attack an author in a review. If you feel so strongly about a book that it makes you want to lash out at them, maybe take a step back after reading it for a while, then sit down to write the review. But I honestly don't know, I've never read a book that made me so angry or upset I felt the need to write a scathing review. Maybe that's because I have the utmost respect for the written word, no matter if I enjoyed the book or not. I simply can't bring myself to "hate" any book.
As an author, I've battled with whether or not to comment on reviews of my books. In the end, with so much negative attention that it's gaining, I decided not to comment. I've heard many bloggers say that they feel it intimidates bloggers, and that it also stops readers from commenting and talking about the book, as they feel like the author is watching. I do understand this, and I try to respect their space. But, I do try to thank them on Twitter and tweet out the reviews. Personally, I can't read all reviews. I find reading reviews makes it difficult to write. I start to second guess everything I write, and wonder about my writing in general. But if a blogger tweets me their review directly, I will always read their review, because I know they have taken the time to read and review, and they want me to read it. I respect and appreciate their time, so I will always give them mine in return.
It's a fine line we're all walking since the Internet has broken down barriers that authors and reviewers used to have between them. But I agree with everyone here that as long as we all respect each other, then we can manage these new waters just fine =)
Thank you for this awesome post, Lauren!
I completely agree that we are all walking a fine line now... it's just a shame that, as always, a few extremists are bringing such bad publicity on a subject!!
DeleteAs for people thinking the "authors are watching" my reaction is "DUH!!" If THEY wrote a book would they expect not to read the good the bad and the constructive? Reading reviews are what most authors do to improve, especially when the reviews have a common trait like, "The dialogue seemed stilted and unnatural to me" That type of response helps authors pin point what they need to work on!
No-one should have the right to be intentionally cruel or hurtful to someone else... ESPECIALLY if you don't have the drive or talent to do what you say they are doing wrong. Someone doesn't like a book and writes a scathing review? Fine. I want to see them get a book published. Not that I would read it...
Thanks so much for joining in on the discussion Trisha!
When I read "DUH!" I cracked up! Yes, I think most debut authors are guilty of reading their first reviews. It's almost impossible not to. We're curious to see how our book is being received. And you're so right! Well written negative reviews helps writers understand where they need to improve. Every writer grows or should grow with each book, and being able to take criticism constructively is part of growing your craft. Well said!
DeleteI also think writing reviews is a craft of writing itself. For authors who are not book bloggers, they need to understand how much work goes into running a book blog, and they need to respect the work that goes into writing reviews. Most people do not like writing a negative review, and usually their is a lot of thought that goes into one. It's okay to be upset for a while, but then try to look at the review and compare it to others, like you said, and see if they are honing in on something that needs improvement.
Honestly, I much rather have negative reviews and know that people are reading my books, than have no reviews. Just because a blogger didn't enjoy one of your books, doesn't mean that they won't give the next one a try.
Thanks again for this post!
I agree, especially with what you said at the end. If a author writes one book that I don't like very much, maybe because the genre isn't my thing or the storyline isn't very unique, I would definitely try one of their other books, especially if the other book looks more to my taste!
DeleteI personally love it when an author acknowledges and comments on my reviews. I rarely post a negative review, though. If I did not like a book, I simply pass it on to another who might like it and review it.
ReplyDeleteI DO think that some authors take reviews too personally. If they are willing to write a book and present it to the world, they need to be willing to have the readers react to that work. Sure, some readers have less tact than others, but authors should take the negative in stride with the positive. All that matters is that at least ONE person liked the story.
Hey Jenna! :) I agree, some authors can't take criticism at all. Those authors need to understand that, like Trisha said, "Once they put their book into the world, it's no longer "their" book, it belongs to the readers." Now a negative review and a review that trashes the author, their family, and friends ect. is not a constructive review and I think an author has every right to be offended by that type of review!! Thanks for joining in on the discussion!
DeleteLove this thread! Since I published, I've been listening to some more seasoned authors who insist I should never respond to reviews...good, bad or ugly. I don't respond to negative reviews of my own accord, though. Unless a book is terribly written in the way of grammar, disorganized plot or bad formatting, stories are so subjective. So if a reader isn't into my story, they are entitled not to be. However, nothing I say is going to change their mind. Recently, I have responded to some nice reviews because I just couldn't not respond. One had me in happy tears over how perfectly the reader "got" one of the characters. I just had to respond with a huge "thank you."
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this thread, I'm just going to go for it in responding to reviews. The mostly positive ones, anyway.
Yes, we're walking a fine line these days. Still, how can there really be anything wrong with a "thank you?"
I agree that there is no need for reviews to be scathing. It's fine to say that a book is not the reader's cup of tea, that the characters didn't appeal to her, or the pacing wasn't her speed. But nastiness reveals a lot about the reviewer and none of it nice. On the flip side, yes...authors need to take a breath before publishing their book and realize they are putting themselves out there in a vulnerable way, come what may. One thing I don't agree with is that once an author puts their book into the world, it belongs to the readers. The story is there for the readers to enjoy, possibly identify with, and maybe even become an intense part of their lives for a time (ie: Hunger Games, Harry Potter, etc.) However, the story belongs to the author. I don't mind someone disliking a plot turn or a character's decision. I just hate it when someone says, "What SHOULD have happened is this..." as if the author made a mistake. It's the author's world, therefore it happened as it should, for better or worse. For example, I hate the way Gale was responsible for Prim's death in Mockingjay. Still, it's not my place to say how the author should have handled Gale and Katniss' end. For some reason, George Lucas decided Jar Jar Binks was a good character for his film. Now, perhaps George was more pickled than a barrel full of deli pickles at the time, but that was his choice. It's his world. I don't have to like it (nor do most people), but who am I to say he had no right to compromise his story that way? Know what I mean?
Anyway, I love your Weigh in Wednesday idea, Lauren!
If the author is using the review as constructive criticism then sure. But I have seen where the author has pretty much attacked the reviewer and her thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I would say yes, they should be able to comment, but also in a mature manner. They, the authors should also stop & think that their readers are also reading what they are replying to the reviewer.