Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Rhys Rants on Reviews.

RHYS BOWEN:

Let me start by saying that I am not against bad reviews per se. If I see an occasional three star review for my Molly Murphy or Royal Spyness books I read it carefully and take it to heart. I know some people are annoyed by Queenie the maid. Others write that they adore Queenie. Obviously I can’t please everyone. But if someone writes that they didn’t think this book was up to the standard of the others and it got a bit boring in the middle, then I study that carefully. Did I have too long a period when nothing was happening? Did I end it too abruptly? And I remember that for future books.

However IN FARLEIGH FIELD has been a different matter. When you write a book that made it to #1 on Kindle and has more than 3000 reviews on Amazon, some of them are bound to be bad. Not only bad… very bad… downright insulting.

My favorite one star review to date is the one that said, “I’ve downloaded this book but I don’t like the look of the cover so I’m sure I won’t like it.  One star.”

Then there was another one star that said, “Didn’t download to my Kindle.”  And that is the fault of my writing?

Also because it’s advertised as a novel of WWII there are those (men, I suspect) who are furious when there isn’t an explosion with strewn body parts in the first few chapters. “This was juvenile,” they write. “A book for little kids.”  Actually no, I’d like to say, this is a book about a family coping with war. And about code breaking at Bletchley Park and spying for MI5. I don’t think most kids would be interested.

For those used to James Patterson style of three pages per chapter and someone dead at the end of each segment it may come across as boring. People converse. People have inner introspection. Not a single car chase. No torture.

Unfortunately Amazon and social media has given people the entitlement to say things they would never say to a person’s face. It makes them feel powerful to insult a successful author. It’s so horribly tempting to respond….

But of course I can’t respond. I mustn’t respond. The writer just has to swallow the stupidity and ignore it. The only time I was so tempted to hunt down the reviewer and strangle her with my bare hands was a review that said I knew nothing about the British upper class, nothing about the way they spoke. This did rile me, in fact my husband John (a member of the British upper class) was so upset that I had to restrain him from trying to find out who the person was and going to confront her. Because I married into a frightfully posh upper class English family. John’s grandmother was born at the stately home Sutton Place. The family still owns a couple of manor houses. John’s sister married into the leading Cornish family (you can see monuments to them wherever you go in Cornwall. This castle built by Sir Hannibal Vyvyan etc.) They still own Trelowarren, a lovely stately home.

So I have been among these people for fifty years now. And when I was first married John’s older relatives were young people in the thirties and forties. I know exactly how they spoke. I remember them telling me about the jokes they played on the butler.

It’s so unfair that the writer cannot answer back. But having seen what trolls can be like on social media it is wise to say silent and pretend I haven’t seen it. And I tell myself, “It’s just one person’s opinion. I don’t personally like Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber. I don’t like watching boxing. I’m not mad about James Patterson. But lots of other people are. And they are entitled to be.

I suppose the answer is not to read any reviews. Look what happened to Florence Foster Jenkins when she read a review. She died of a heart attack. But it is so tempting to scroll down that Amazon page and take a peek, and smile for the five stars that say “This was the best book ever” and remind myself that that review wasn’t true either!

So Reds how do you handle bad reviews? Readers, do you check out reviews before you buy a book? Do they matter?

61 comments:

  1. I have discovered that I often disagree with published reviews so I seldom read them and I don’t choose books to read based on reviews.
    It must be so difficult for authors, especially when the review has nothing to do with the book. And if I cringe at the stupidity of a review, it’s not hard to imagine how devastated the author must feel . . . .

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  2. I do read them, both reviews of books I'm interested in, and those I've written. Most of us can tell when a reader is a slavering troll, and scroll right by. And also when someone is the author's pal LOL. But I can get a sense of the feedback and whether I'd like to buy and read the book.

    But like you Rhys, if I read a serious criticism of my own work, I think about it and try to use it to make the next book stronger!

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    1. I am a big fan of both Hank and Ingrid (as well as Jon Land and Ellen Hart), so the only place I put my reviews of their books is on Goodreads. I won't even get their books for Mystery Scene reviews because they are on my "conflict of interest" list. Saves the problem of being thought to give a good review because you like the person or losing out on the personal connection with the author if you gave it a bad review.

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  3. I don't read reviews of other people's books, or at least not to decide whether to read it or not. I do sometimes browse through reviews of my books, and yes, stupid ones are sprinkled in. Once in a while I find a helpful gem, though. For example, one reader pointed out that my contemporary protagonist (age 27) was not dressing her age. Oops! Off I went to consult with my sons and their girlfriends about age-appropriate clothing. ;^)

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  4. The only reviews I read are the blurbs by other authors on the cover (or in the front pages). :) I can only imagine how hard it must be to read reviews, Rhys, especially the stupid ones!

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    1. I know what you mean about the blurbs. I've bought two books based simply on the fact that Hank had a blurb on it.

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  5. I try not to read reader reviews. Because hey, there are going to be people who are going to like my books and people who won't. I once had a reader take me to task because there are no chickadees in new england in November. I'm a birder. There ARE. But what's the point?

    The good news is... I think it's a pitfall of being a best seller! (Poor Rhys!) Because it means MORE people will buy your book based on its best-sellerness rather than because they truly love the kind of books you write.

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  6. I don't read the reviews on Amazon as I find them terribly boring, whether good or bad. I do look forward to the NYT Book Review, my Sunday morning dirty little secret. Most are well written and an entertainment in and of themselves. And I read the ones in the New Yorker. Other than that, and aside from Kristopher and LJ Roberts, and them, not much, I avoid book reports.

    There are a few people out there, and you know who you are, whose books I order in advance, unless I'm lucky enough to get an ARC. (Broad hint there) I do review these on Amazon and Goodreads, but I am never critical. If I can't say something good, I say nothing. I have so much respect for all of you who write AND publish that I'd never say anything unkind.

    Some books are better than others. It's as simple as that. And large sales are not necessarily and indicator of quality: Think Dan Brown.

    My favorite way to give kudos is to highlight a particularly good line, one I wish I'd written, and post it on FB along with a link to the book. After that, you are on your own.

    All the above being true, if you ASK me my opinion, I will give you, in private, my impression. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Be careful what you wish for.

    Happy Hump Day everyone!

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    1. Ann, sounds like you're a "if you haven't got anything nice to say..." person. I'm much more likely to write a review online of a book I LOVE than one I hate... because I usually don't even finish books I don't like.

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    2. Hallie, I wish, but I can be a total bitch when so inclined. Nor do I finish books I don't like. Even better than that, I return books I don't like. Yeah, I'm one of those. I spend maybe $300-$500 a month on books, so if something doesn't meet my standards, back it goes--not if I've finished it, of course. I wouldn't be so crass as to read the whole thing and then try to get my money back.

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    3. Thanks Ann! It was lovely to see you in Toronto.

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    4. Yes, me, too, Ann. Those always get my attention.

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    5. I've had three books that I simply couldn't review because I thought they were so bad I wouldn't be able to write any review longer than "This sucks!"

      The one book I reviewed that I really didn't like ended up not being used but it least it gave me the practice of writing a negative review that was still an actual review not a screed.

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  7. Like Edith, I don't pay too much attention to reviews - readers or professionals, for that matter. I might browse through them, but they don't affect my purchase. And yes, I can usually spot the trolls or the pals.

    I rarely look for reviews for the anthologies I've been in.

    Mary/Liz

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  8. The only time I read Amazon reviews is when a new book comes out in a series I have been reading but have been thinking about leaving because I've been disappointed with the last couple of entries. I check to see if other Amazon readers have been feeling the same way and how they feel about the new one. If they're disappointed, I pass.
    I rarely write reviews (who needs the 472nd review of Lawrence Block's new book?) and I won't write a negative review of books by authors I know personally. So, if you know me and are wondering why I didn't write a review for Amazon, don't press me on the issue.

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    1. But Review #472 might make all the difference...

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    2. True, Larry! Love to see you here. Come baaaack--and hope you are feeling better!

      (And Ken, thanks for the warning..and for that decision. xxx)

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  9. Thanks for saying this for all of us! I do read my reviews -- I wish I could stop. I got a five star review on Amazon because the book arrived quickly. The only ones that really drive me crazy are when they are inaccurate.

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  10. Many years ago, before the world wide web was much of a thing, I worked for a top-tier conductor who always said, "If you believe the good reviews, you have to believe the bad reviews." He didn't read the reviews at all, and I admired him for this fortitude.

    He was talking about the professional reviewers; folks who set themselves up as experts and taste-makers in a particular artistic field. The sad truth is, however, that these folks are just as likely to be cranky old trolls as any random reviewer on Amazon. There was one classical critic at the New York Times who really only liked German art songs and chamber music. He frequently complained that the full orchestra was "too loud." Playing Mahler? You think? I decided he drank, and came to concerts with a hangover headache.

    Closer to home, the classical wind ensemble I work for now used to deal with a critic who dismissed us as only playing transcripts of orchestral works. This is patently untrue, as we draw on a deep and varied repertoire for wind ensemble, and play more contemporary music and world premieres than any orchestra ever does. So I paid attention, and realized that he only ever came to the concerts where we played a transcription of some old orchestral chestnut. It finally dawned on me that he was too intellectually lazy to actually figure out what we were about and learn new repertoire himself, so he could render an informed opinion on our Maslanka 4 or Mackey 2. He'd rather come hear us play something he'd known from childhood and then carp that we didn't have any violins. It was much less work for him, and he got paid just the same.

    So I've come to the conclusion that my conductor friend is right. The days when reviewers were experts who helped shape their emerging fields are gone. These days I'll only chip in my opinion if the book or the band is really good, or if--as I've only done once--the book was so bad, and no needlessly cruel, that I thought people who don't want to see animals hurt should be warned off. I sometimes read reviews of new washing machines, but even then I ignore the one-stars.

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    1. Too funny about the drunken reviewer, Gigi!

      We took The New Yorker for years, and I used to read the movie reviews most times. Sometimes, having seen the same movie already, I would wonder what movie the reviewer had seen, because his critique had nothing to do with the one I'd seen. And other times, the criticism had to do with story or plotlines that were taken directly from a book or series, usually what had made the story rich enough to have it considered good movie fodder in the first place. That greatly lessened my respect for the reviewer.

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    2. We used to have a film critic in Fort Worth who only ever really liked small independent films about gay male coming of age stories. It sort of limited his ability to give accurate reviews of big studio films that appealed to a broad, general audience. I think reviewers are over-rated.

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  11. People can be so mean, can't they? I just try to remember that not everyone can bring themselves to be kind; some feel the need to tear others down, just because they can. We have a perfectly imperfect example of this in the news daily.

    When my second book came out the publisher spelled my name wrong (Maskowski instead of Maslowski), and the blurb they used had absolutely nothing to do with the topic I wrote to. This was in the early days of Amazon, when a single review carried a LOT of weight because hardly anyone was using them yet. On top of this, someone wrote a scathing review, tearing down everything about the book, and I still suspect it was one of the other women who wrote on the same topic. There were only four of us at the time, and it sounded precisely like her style.

    So since then I almost never read reviews. Reading is so subjective, anyway: my taste for certain books is not shared by many of my friends, and half my book club likes sci-fi or dystopian novels, both of which bore me to tears, and do not fit my own definition of entertainment. (Which makes book club a bit dreary. Good thing I love them for other reasons.)

    And as many lovely author friends as I have, who write absolutely wonderful books, I feel terrible about not being able to write reviews. It is not a talent I possess, and as Ann mentioned, it feels like writing a book report to me. My stubbornness kicks in, and I just can't make myself do it.

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  12. Like Ken Sullivan above, I'll sometimes read reviews of a book if I thought the last in the series was a bit off-stride. Even then, for series I love, I have a feeling for what makes the books stand outs for me--and I can winnow the comments/reviews on that basis. And I rarely review books because I feel that I don't have the time/chops to give an author the kind of review that would be useful to them.

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  13. Rhys, this is also annoying for those of us who take reviewing very seriously. I don't kid myself about how "important" my opinion is, but at the same time, I know that I wield some power is certain people's decision-making, so I take that very seriously.

    One of the main reasons I refuse to put my reviews on Amazon (or other retail sites) is because they refuse to curate their reviews. Something about the cover being bent or not downloading to a Kindle properly is not a review that should stay on a book's page. It's not a review, it's a complaint about something the author has no control in. It infuriates me.

    When looking at reviews like this, I just generally "throw out" all 5-star and 1-star reviews and read the ones in the middle. Those are often the most thought-out and useful comments for my decision-making. I never read reviews of something I know I am going to review, but for books that I might be interested in squeezing into the schedule, I do look to see if most people are enjoying it.

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    1. Kristopher, I always enjoy your reviews and find them useful. Yours and Dru Ann's.

      Mary/Liz

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    2. Spot on. There are two reasons I still post my book reviews at Amazon. The first is habit. I started there in 2001 and I can't stop. Second, I know how important it is for authors to get reviews at Amazon for search rankings. Amazon has made posting reviews on the site an exercise in futility. If it weren't for these reasons, I'd just post on my blog.

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    3. After a good few months time has gone by when a CD review of mine is posted on one of the sites I write for, I usually end up copying and pasting the review on Amazon, but I have only done that for book reviews a handful of times. It isn't quite the same because your review tends to just disappear in the ether that is that website.

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    4. I truly value your reviews, Kristopher, and yours, Mark. Always thoughtful

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    5. Yes, Kristopher and Mark--you can always tell when a reviewer really cares. Thank you!xoxo

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  14. I don't post a review online unless it's a positive one, and I do so because I've really enjoyed the book and want the author to know (should they read online reviews, of course). As a college instructor, I try to be mature about the difference between a bad evaluation and a constructive one - the bad ones are usually rants based on negative personal experience, while the constructive ones are submitted to help improve the course for future students. I read them all, but take notice only of the constructive ones. That either makes me smart or supremely arrogant!

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  15. I never read reviews on Amazon; I don't think any good can come of it. I try to treat reviews, in general, like scores in figuring skating: throw out the highest and lowest and see where that leaves me. I never write reviews for books I don't like because I know how hard it is to write and get published, and I think silence is golden in that instance. I do try to review or comment on books that I've loved.

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    1. Oh sure, now the truth comes out! I completely and truthfully adored Duplicity and NOW I find out it is a 6.0 score in figure skating? I'm mockingly insulted and I'm taking my ball and going home now.

      HA!

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  16. I..have to admit. I read them. And I agonize over them and parse them. And I tell myself the fabulous ones are true, the nit-picky ones aren't. Which, of course ,is ridiculous.

    My pet peeve are the ones where people seem to think a review needs a big plot synopsis. Please please don't do this! Seriously. When someone writes: "And then when "Sally" is killed..." Or even :"And then, when a surprising character is killed..."

    AHHHH!! Do you know how long it took to think of that, and write that, and what a plot point that is supposed to be? A spoiler is not just how it ends--but every important point in the book. And something like that can ruin the read.

    When a review includes a long synopsis, I skip it--for the sake of enjoyment of the book. I skip to the last paragraph so can find out what the reviewer THINKS. That's what I care about.

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    1. Yes, the plot summary over review!! I will often mention who dies, but only when it is the first victim in the book. I mean, we are reading a murder mystery, so we know someone dies. And it is usually obvious who that first victim is.

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    2. Oh, of course--that's not what I mean--you get that. xoox

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  17. Rhys, if you wrote better books, they would download to the Kindle instantly. Clearly, this is your fault.

    Seriously, those type of "reviews" drive me up a wall too. I have always taken reviewing seriously, even when I was only reviewing at Amazon. And that kind of stuff makes on line reviewers an easy target for laughter.

    I will write negative reviews. I can understand the thinking of those who don't, but then it just becomes people who love stuff posting reviews and it loses all meaning. However, when I do write a negative review, I attempt to focus on what didn't work in a book for me and not attack an author. Sometimes I miss the mark on that, but I do try.

    I have found reviews by professional reviewers in papers to be pretty much useless. They are only interest in the high brow artsy stuff that I find boring. They dismiss what I enjoy, so I dismiss them. This is one reason I do love the freedom to review on the internet. The rest of us can get our say on what actually entertains.

    Of course, with that comes the people who trash stuff to be mean and nasty. There are definitely people who say things on line they'd never say face to face. Sadly, I think that lack of filter is slipping into off line life as well.

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  18. I very seldom read Amazon reviews--of my books or other authors books--unless someone I know tells me they have posted a review. And I certainly appreciated those of you who do! I do read the professional reviews of my books (and I'm including Kristopher and Kathy Reel and other bloggers who I know make a great effort to be both fair and thoughtful.) I seldom read any reviews of other author's books--I'm much more influenced by word of mouth (and Jungle Red guest posts, lol.) When I do read reviews of my own books, I'm inclined to take the middle ground as the most useful. The gushingly positive reviews make me almost as uncomfortable as the nasty ones!

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    1. You just made my day, Debs! xo

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    2. It's a skill to write them, just as it is for any kind of writing. Kristopher and Kathy and Dru Ann all write with sensitivity and a good working knowledge of the kind of writing they're discussing.

      That type of review I enjoy.

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    3. Thank you for those words Deborah. Very kind. While I would never suggest that my (or other bloggers reviews) hold the same power as say the NYTs, I do think authors need to understand that dedicated bloggers are a step above casual consumer reviews - which are also wonderful and often useful when done correctly. My advice to authors is if you wouldn't ask the same thing (ie please post this review to Amazon) of the NYTs or Washington Post, it's probably best not to ask that of a dedicated blogger. If they are like Mark, they have already done so; and if they haven't there is probably a reason they did not (like myself).

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    4. And, thank you, too, Karen. It's satisfying for reviewers, too, to get a good word. Of course, I do agree with Kristopher that I don't imagine for a minute that my reviews have the power as the major publication's reviewers, but I do think we reach a certain audience, which I'm happy to do.

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  19. When I'm looking at someone else's reviews, I look at the statistics first to see how many low-starred reviews there are. If there are just a few as compared to the high-starred reviews, I don't read them. As an author, I haven't received any reviews yet. But as a lawyer, I got a stinging decision in one of my cases yesterday and I am plotting revenge. No doubt about it.

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  20. I adore your rant, Rhys! I don't read reviews because I think they're a waste of time. I mean it's not like I'm going to rewrite the book. As for the one stars and trolls and people who think their opinion is WAY more important than it actually is, I think of Kurt Vonnegut who said, “As for literary criticism in general: I have long felt that any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel or a play or a poem is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae or a banana split.” LOL.

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  21. I rarely read Amazon reviews, but I frequently read professional reviews, and on occasion, I will look at the reviews on Goodreads. (They aren't as troll-infested as Amazon, though many are still painfully amateur.)

    Often what I'm looking for isn't whether the reviewer liked the book or not, it's a question of why. A review sometimes gives me a sense of the tone of the book, which helps me guess whether I will enjoy it or not.

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  22. I review lots of books on LibraryThing, including ARCs provided for that purpose. If I really didn't like a book, I will try to understand why and explain it, so that my fellow readers can possibly benefit. If I like a book a lot, and feel I've written a decent review, I will copy it onto Amazon, if I remember and get to it. I try to put a sentence or two of summary to give an idea of whether it's the sort of thing someone will like, but I agree that more can feel like a book report.

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  23. I don't read book reviews for the most part. I do write them occasionally for Goodreads and other public sites when I have enjoyed a book and the author asks for reviews. I also write them when I have been gifted with an ARC; I feel obliged. Fortunately I have liked what I've received so far so there's been no agonizing on my part. Except the agony of having to write, which I hate! I do look at the WSJ book reviews, particularly those of history and biographies. I have found some great books for my husband by reading those reviews. I'm afraid the ability to post opinions so easily has gone to peoples' heads. There is so much snarkiness out there. I do read consumer reviews of products and I find those to be very helpful. There are always going to be some really nasty reviews which I discount. And the same with reviews on Trip Advisor. You have to read them and get a general impression I think.

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  24. I do check out reviews if it’s an author I haven’t read but I don’t base my choice solely on them. I realize that people have different tastes and what bothers one person might be something I’ll enjoy.

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  25. I've written online since about 2005. Whether it was just on message boards or for 3 different websites that are now defunct or two that I write for now as well as doing reviews now for Mystery Scene.

    I've written about comics, TV shows, music CDS and DVDS, pop culture conventions and other related events and now books as well.

    In all that time, I've given over the moon reviews, mediocre reviews and some bad reviews as well. But in all that time, I have never given any kind of review that didn't come from a thorough examination of the product. I read/watch/listen to everything about a particular item. Take notes, work up a review, edit to make sure I didn't miss anything and infuse it with my opinions so that it is MY review.

    And I'd like to think I did a good job over the years. I like to write about my thoughts about something and sharing it with others who might read it whether they agree or disagree with what I have to say.

    And I've received feedback from the subjects of the reviews over the years. It has been both positive and negative feedback depending on how the review went.

    I reviewed a DVD and the guitar and bass player for the band saw it and contacted me leading to a year long correspondence with the guitarist and being sent 3 CDs from him for me to review. That is something that has happened a number of times over the years.

    A Top 10 article I wrote about mysteries and thrillers a few years back caught the eye of a PR guy at a publisher and led to my start in book reviews.

    Of course, a middling review I wrote brought the best (and negative) feedback I ever got. I wish I still had the email because it was amazingly hilarious as to how PO'd the guy was over my review of his band's DVD. He said I "must be a stupid, unintelligent American..." and it went on because I didn't fall all over myself to praise the work.

    But in all this time, I have never done a hit piece review of anything. I'm kind of offended by that kind of illogical review style. I am by no means an expert reviewer but I do the best I can and put some work into what I write. To be stuck in the same pool as a person who writes a one star review because the book wouldn't download is annoying.

    As for whether reviews affect whether I buy something, it is a bit of yes and a bit of no. If I'm reading a reviews section in a magazine (music or books), I skip over something I already own or plan to buy regardless. But if I don't have it or haven't heard of it, I'll read it to see if the review can whet my appetite enough to make me want to make the purchase. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. And it doesn't always mean that a bad review will make me not buy something.

    That does happen more often when I'm deciding if I want to go see a movie in the theater though. A bad movie review can make me decide to wait for it to come out on PPV.

    For all the writers here, I know it is a real bite in the ass to have to put up with reviewers who don't know their butt from their elbow when it comes to effectively reviewing your books, but please know that there are those of us who actually try to do things the right way, even if it means we don't end up quite enjoying the work as much as one would hope.

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  26. As I am book reviewer, I am always hoping to encourage others to read books I've enjoyed, and I seem to be most fortunate that I am constantly reading books I want to push. I often feel that I am part of the promotion campaign for certain authors, whose books are so consistently outstanding. I think that other reviewers will agree that there is tremendous satisfaction in introducing a favorite author to those who haven't read her/him and finding another fan of said author. To have someone tell me that they started reading an author or a series because of a review or my encouragement fills me with the utmost happiness. I honestly feel a debt of gratitude to authors for providing me with hours of enjoyment and consider it my duty to share that source of enjoyment. I would say that I don't post negative reviews, and I don't, but with so many favorite authors these days, it's a rarity to come across a book that might warrant one. That doesn't mean that I don't try new authors, but I'm usually trying those on the recommendations of people, like Kristopher and Dru and Erin Mitchell, so it's a pretty safe bet there won't be any clunkers in the mix.

    With a blog and being on GoodReads, I have stopped posting on Amazon unless the author wants me to post it there. My blog posts are further posted on FB, both my personal page and a book page, Bookaholics, I have there. I am interested in what all the Reds' authors think about Amazon though. Do you want the reviews posted there? I'm willing to adjust that again.

    Hank, I agree about the plot synopsis, although I do feel I must tell a certain amount to hook readers into reading the book. However, I try to be careful and not give anything away that the author wouldn't want given away or that would ruin the excitement of the reading experience for the reader. I only tell of a character's death if it happens as a part of the book's beginning set-up, and if it's mentioned in the jacket description. And, there are books in which my plot presentation is extremely limited because every step of the book is an experience not to be spoiled. I have a friend, not someone who reviews for a blog or anywhere, who gives so much away when she reviews a book that I feel sorry for someone reading her review.

    As far as reading reviews myself goes, I rarely read a another person's review before reading a book myself. I want to form my own opinions and get my own impressions about the story and its writing. I don't want to be influenced by anyone else, and I want my review to reflect my thinking alone. There are times when I struggle in reviewing a series with finding new ways to talk about the elements I especially find well-done, and there have been a couple of times when I transferred some comments of mine from one review to the next because I had already said exactly how I felt about the particular author's ability to do something, and that statement was still exactly how I felt.

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    1. Exactly Kathy! If you don't have to read the book after reading the review because you already know the story....ahh...

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  27. Rhys, I never read reviews of books because I do not want to know the story before I read the book. I get so upset that the reviewers get to read the book before the book is officially launched. Speaking of reviews, I decided to see a movie that looked interesting in the trailers. I went to see Rebel in the Rye and loved the movie. However, friends decided not to see the movie because of bad reviews. I practically had to drag them to see the movie with me. Ha ha. They were surprised by how much they liked the movie!

    Speaking of your books, I have mixed feelings about Queenie. On one hand, I did not want her in the story. On the other hand, if she was not part of the story, it could change the direction of the novel and perhaps make the story shorter? No idea.

    Totally understand why you and your husband would be upset with that reviewer. I always loved your books, even came to like Molly Murphy and even forgave her for replacing Evan Evans. I have all of your three series - Evans, Lady Georgie and Molly.

    There was one author, whom I got really mad at. This author wrote for YA and it was not even a mystery. It was a series and in one book, the main character of that story was so eerily like me that when they killed her off, I freaked out like Will Ferrell in the Emma Thompson story. Later I found out that series was written by a team of writers and the person who wrote that particular book had a brain tumor and died of a brain tumor at the age of 28! Instead of a review, I wrote a mystery novel for myself where someone with a similar name to that author gets killed off.

    My rule of thumb is that if I do not like a book, I do not write a review. I am aware that there is always someone who would like the book, even if I do not like the book.

    I agree with the above myself that I rarely read another person's review before reading a book myself. Like the commenter above, I want to form my own opinions about the book. I look at the list of top 15 books of the week list in the Sunday New York Times, in order to learn about new books.

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  28. I only post positive reviews of books I want to recommend on my blog, not on Amazon. I don’t understand posting negative reviews. Does anyone ever tell their friends about the books they don’t recommend reading? No, you tell your friends about the books you loved reading. As Patton Oswalt said at the end of his comedy special “It is chaos. Be kind.”

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  29. I don't read reviews of my regular series but may if I'm trying something new on my Nook. My dad got an E because he didn't turn in a book report, and the teacher said that she knew he read the book. Reading is the breath of life. Writing a book report is WORK!

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  30. I don't read reviews and don't post them.
    Reading JRW and Bolo Books brings me more possibilities than I could ever read.
    Plus, when loving an autor ( like yourself Rhys or the others JRWs ) I automatically buy what she writes and usually enjoy it.
    The pleasure of meeting everyone of you at Bouchercon was the highlight of my year.

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  31. I should point out that negative reviews on my blog are rare. I read for pleasure first and foremost, so I read books I expect to like. Most of the time, I'm reading authors I already know I like. If I do try a new author and the book doesn't work for me, I don't pick them up again. I have so many books I am dying to read calling my name, I could go a year without buying anything new and not run out of books to read.

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  32. I've made it a personal rule to not review a book I can't give at least 3 out of 5 stars. Anything less may well be due to a personal quirk of mine and not have anything to do with the writing.
    I was supposed to review a certain book. I started reading it and realized that the basic subject matter and delivery were just not something I was interested in. I wrote back and explained that there would be no review from me for this reason.

    My opinion, my humble but infinitely accurate opinion!, is that writers put their all into their work. Just as certain foods appeal to me and some do not, I figure books are the same. It is not fair for me to give a bad review to a book that was, simply, "not my cup of tea".
    Libby Dodd

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