Negative reviews

[Lily]

Okay so on Amazon, GR and other review sites I have noticed that the people who write the negative reviews tend to get a lot of followers.

When it comes to negative reviews I feel that there is a right way and a wrong way to write them. When you attack the author on a personal level, that's wrong. Why is it that people seem to feed off this negativity?

I've seen some well thought out negative reviews that say why they didn't like the book, but they don't get rude about it.

 

Thoughts???

[Jon Sigall]

I also notice that people use the reviews to complain about the price of Kindle editions of the book, which is not fair to the author or people who are looking for a helpful and legitimate book review.

[Enbrethiliel]

+JMJ+

 

I don't visit Amazon.com much these days, but I remember finding "reviews" which were all about some technical detail very helpful to the buying process. I recall one "review" which said next to nothing about the quality of the writing, but revealed that there were lots of typos and that the book had been printed on poor quality paper (LOL, I know). Weighing that against the price of the book, I decided not to buy it.

 

These days, there are so many other places to read reviews; but Amazon is a vendor, and I imagine most of its users scan its "customer reviews" to find out about people's buying experiences rather than their reading experiences.

[Joseph Arellano]

Interesting, as when I go to Amazon it seems like the positive reviews are 75 to 80%, with the negative reviews being the minority.

[Joseph Arellano]

This article may help to shed just a little bit of light on the issue of negative versus positive book/film reviews:

http://josephsreviews.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/judgement-of-the-moo...

 

Best,

Joseph

[Mikael Aizen]

Amazon tends to limit negative reviews.  They want more positive reviews because it leads to more sales.  As for negative reviewers that get personal, usually it's because they think that they are slick with some phrase they came up with for the review.  They spend so much time trying to integrate that aspect of the review that they lose focus on what really matters.  It's a sad truth, but that's why many authors don't even read their own reviews.  They leave the critiquing to agents, fellow authors, and trusted readers.  There's no reason to read the negatives unless it's overwhelming, otherwise.

[Lily]

I just think it's sad when people go as far as personally attacking the author. I saw one where they said the author should be shot, which I thought was just beyond uncalled for.

 

The crappy thing is that the negative Nancy's seem to get  a lot of positive attention. It baffles me.

[Mikael Aizen]

I think there is a distinction between reviewer and author.  Reviewers can be anyone, reader, attention grubber, etc.  Authors all have mutual respect for each other's work.  Ultimately, that's the difference between negative crits and negative insults.  Well, generally.

[Autumn Dickinson]

My latest blog post was in regards to reviews....  http://autumndickinson.blogspot.com/2011/04/whats-in-review.html

 

I think as writers we have to be able to take the good with the bad. I had a negative review (well deserved because of a rookie mistake I made and learned from!!) and it just so happens that the reviewer is a very avid reader as well as forum poster...needless to say, I found a comment about my book among the forums and was mortified. BUT...there is a bright side. Had this person not have pointed out what was wrong, I wouldn't have thought about checking the uploaded version again. She actually helped me, and I am glad for it. Sure, it totally sucks to see a bad review among the good, but she wasn't wrong in voicing her opinion. Do I wish it would have ended there? Absolutely! Unfortunately, it made it into one of the discussions. Lesson learned. Moving on. 

 

As for the harsh critics who harp on the author in a very personal manner...that is uncalled for completely. We are trying to provide the world with some literary entertainment. They should be able to give an honest critique without crossing the boundaries of what is morally acceptable. 

As with anything in life, there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. Negative Nancy may just lack the proper etiquette to form a grown-up response that is worthy of respect. I can respect my 2 star reviewer because she did it with proper etiquette. 

[Kathy Maxwell]

Your good attitude will stand you in good stead for future accomplishments!  I visited your blog by the way and know that I will enjoy following it!!

Books Kids Like

[Allison]

I enjoyed your blog post on reviews! As a book reviewer who tries to cover both the positive and negatives in all books I read, I also appreciated that you recognized the reviewer side. I am also a story writer, and an especially sensitive one, which means I understand how badly someone could feel about negative comments. Yet as a reviewer, I try to be honest with readers about what I thought of a book. It's a tough balancing act and so I am happy that so far authors seem to have respect for my reviews.

[Kathy Maxwell]

I thought the snake was just hissin' a bit to prove the point!!!

Anyway, negative Nancys dessserve each other!  It is best to stay away and not get caught in the vortex.

[Dana Burgess]

It'd be great if all reviews were written to the same PROFESSSIONAL standards a book is expected to be written.

So true!! When I review a book I try to be honest without being nasty. The truth is, I review because I haven't got near the talent I'd need to be able to write a really good novel. The fact the author wrote a book is a huge point in their favor to begin with! There is never a reason for a review to personally attack the author - or 'attack' the book. A valid point can always be made without attacking anything.