I'm reading a book for review now that someone has asked me to put on my blog. She didn't SAY it had to be positive, but since I don't particularly LOVE it, now I'm wondering if I should warn her first.

 I've seen a lot of funny business going on with book reviews on Amazon, so it's hard to really rely on them.

And Amen to your last sentence.

Margaret

Nanny Goats In Panties (www.nannygoatsinpanties.com)

A very interesting post, and being an author (well, tech book author), I have a little different take.

Should you lie about a review. No, absolutely not. But, no author likes their work panned, as you stated, and I'm not terribly surprised to find that the author responded instantly, and negatively. Especially after reading, " I could tell from the first chapter that the writing wasn’t very good..." You can't hurt an author more than to write something like this.

In my opinion, the better course  for Trish would have been to have a little more empathy, and lot more discretion. Yes, she can write what she wants, but she also has to accept that authors aren't going to necessarily respond with sincere delight. So, the author most likely wrote a nasty comment. Life, as we know it, goes on. By pulling the comment out, bolding it, embedding it into her post she made it into A Big Deal, and frankly, lost a lot of high ground for doing so. 

Trish should have either ignored the comment, or deleted it, if she felt it added little to the discussion. She should assume that if she writes a negative review, she made get a negative response back from the author. If she can't handle getting a negative response from the author, perhaps she really shouldn't be doing reviews.

But to highlight the comment and make the assumption it was the author, and then do an internet version of a screaming rant (because that's how many of us equate all bold text), she really lost the moral high ground.

I hesitate about sending copies of my books out to others, but did so with a book that was rather important to me. Did I get a bad review? No. I received a couple of good reviews...and a lot of silence. So much so that it spoke more loudly than all the reviews in the world, and I've since quit writing. 

It's not easy putting yourself into the page, which is really what an author does. Something to keep in mind when you review. Don't stop giving out bad reviews if you feel they're warranted, but give the author a little break if they respond in hurt, and anger.

As for blogger standards, book reviewer blogger, or otherwise, this comes up every time something like this happens. If you post standards, no one will read them. Just do what you feel is right, and maybe remember to turn on the empathy filter if someone responds emotionally. Could stop a lot of problems. 

"She should assume that if she writes a negative review, she made get a negative response back from the author."

Make that, "She should assume that if she writes a negative review, she may get a negative response back from the author."

Gah. Where's my editor when I need him.

One last comment...

I thought the comments in Trish's post were a little petty, and cliquish. They were focused on her bolded text and the "seeming" controversy about the "anonymous" commenter, who everyone assumes was the author. I thought the anonymous comment was a toss away, and was really surprised at how every one acted. They must not read or comment at political weblogs, much.

Reading this, I would be unlikely to send Trish a book. Not because she could write a bad review, though I did not find her review as constructive as her friends did. No, it's because her audience seems a little immature and "fannish" in their support. 

As an avid reader, books are some of the items that I review on my site. Normally, I do a little advance research and only accept books/items for review if I think that I'm going to like them (or my target audience will like them). Most of my readers are busy moms. We don't have time to be reading any old thing.

Having said that, sometimes some items that I don't like get through. Unless it's really awful (then, I have to warn my readers!), my policy is to to give the contact person the option - no review or a review with my honest assessment. So far, that's worked out well.

-Kimberly/Mom in the City

poorly.  Or is it just me?

I do not know the details of course, or *how bad* the book really was, but I would call that particular review "a trashing."

I have had one bad experience with a book, but I still couldn't bring myself to write a bad review because the author had contacted me personally. That whole situation bothered me so much I can't even look at that review anymore because whereas I didn't like and said it was a great book, I didn't say what I really thought as I struggled through reading this horribly written book. I could only read a chapter at a time because it was so badly written and such a horrible story line.

But the author was really nice and I just couldn't be mean. Especally to a first time author. I will always feel guilty about that one post, but I won't make the mistake again.

I do stay away from self-published things often because I have read too many that are just horrid. ;) And though I will blog about books I do not like, I am never harsh, or at least don't think I am because I'm just not like that in real life and I know that just because I don't like something, doesn't mean that others won't!

Cat

Beyond Elsewhere and Beyond Books

... and the occasional random post here.

Things do die and disappear on the Internet.  Much of it due to the noise to signal ratio - a known thing in information science (and history) for a very, very long time.  I even wrote a post about it http://www.mloknitting.com/?p=537 - back in July.  I know I'm in the minority, and have had discussions with tons of very savvy other info science types, but, well, in the end, I think my, minority (not of one, btw) view, is the right one.  The majority of what is written nobody cares about anyway, and will be lost in the overall noise of the Internet despite attempts at narrowcasting.  Google isn't really as far from some of the stuff being done back in the pre-Internet days algorithm-wise.  It will take a major shift in thinking for me to even start to believe that "nothing will ever be lost." 

 I wrote it in response to some rather snit-like emails I received about a few things I have written.  Of course, I come from a family who has never cared one whit what others thought.  Also, as a former librarian, I know how parochial people are in their actual information gathering habits.  People go to the same places over and over again without even realizing it.  This creates a (false) confidence in the accuracy of sources - or reviewers.

 Really, I just assume that anyone who gets into too big of a snit is a hypersensitive who shouldn't be a professional writer / artist / etc. exposing their wares to the public.  Just because I give you something to review that I wrote, I do not expect you to like it.  To be a real professional is to understand that not everyone is going to like what you do.  Just as everyone does not like fantasy, not everyone is going to like Pratchett or Tolkien.  Too many authors become self-important.

This sort of silliness occurred in the days of fanzines (pre-Internet) and will continue when the Internet is replaced by whatever it is replaced by.  If a reviewer or blogger gets too caught up in the emotions of someone else - or their over-inflated egos, well, they should seriously consider whether reviewing is for them.

But, as I said before, ultimately, I doubt much of anything we write today is going to impact the future in any real way as it will probably disappear into the ethers due to the signal to noise ratio.

MLO / Melissa

" But one of the great things about blogs is that we get to have this conversation, don't you think? :)"

Most definitely. 

It is risky for authors to put themselves out there and get reviewed but mainly because they've put so much of themselves into their creations.

Having said that, some online discussions can get rather nasty and awful and I think without much thought given to how they present themselves, the longevity of comments on the net and how nasty words hurt people.

A good, fair and balanced review is important and needs to continue, hurtful and nasty comments are a waste of time and effort.

I'm glad you wrote about this review issue.

Kind regards,

Belinda

Great Earring Holders - great Christmas and Birthday presents and no more messy jewelry tangles!