What do you do if you really dislike the book?

[Ellen C]

I received a book from Bostick to review & I have to be honest. I really hate it. The genre is something I'd generally love but the writing is just not good in my opinion. What do I do? Does Bostick want me to post a negative review? Will they hold it against me if I simply don't post a review on this one? I really hate tearing apart a book but I don't think there's anything nice I can say about this one! Help!!

[Lori]

Ellen, I would suggest that you contact the publisher or publicist directly and let them know you just didn't enjoy the book. They may prefer that you not publish a review, which is certainly up to you. I have read a few books that haven't turned out to be my exact cup of tea but I can usually always find something positive or redeeming to mention. If you truthfully can't with this book and wish to publish a review, I would keep it as brief and polite as possible - - while mentioning that this is your opinion, of course, and while the book didn't suit you, it certainly might suit someone else. Or something along that line.

Good luck!

[haley mathiot]

You could e-mail the author/publisher, and then also send the book to someone else (either through swap or giveaway) and tell the author that you're sending it to someone who, hopefully, will enjoy the book more and give it a fair review.

[Serena Agusto-Cox]

The best thing to do would be to post your honest assessment of the writing without maiming the author's name or reputation and talk about why the book didn't work for you. Then email the link to the publisher, publicist or author and pass on the book to someone else.

Providing only positive reviews on your site can look as though you are without integrity and are merely saying that books are good simply because they are given to you. Providing honest assessments, even if they are negative about a book, is the best policy. Good luck!

[Anna]

I agree with Serena. I don't like posting negative reviews, and so far, I've been able to find at least one or two positive things to say but I always include my true feelings. If it didn't work for me, I'm going to say that. You can dislike a book and say it politely. I've never emailed an author or a publisher to tell them I didn't like the book and then ask whether they'd want me to say that because they should know upfront that not everyone is going to like a book and they should know that I'm going to provide an honest but fair assessment, and they're not always going to be positive.

I hope this helps.

[Judith Loue]

A problem i very recently had...and i just posted the review on my Blog..i did not slag the author (well, not too harshly) but, mostly took exception to the serious lack of editing...and that's what i talked about in my review....

the book is KILL DRESS by John Young.....and my review can be found at......http://jayditreader.blogspot.com

i don't know what else to do..i owed a review for the book..and, as long as i was objective..i don't think anyone should mind.

[Kathleen Garber]

Bostick is not like other publicists or places that send you books. They don't contact you again to see if you received or reviewed the book and if you don't review their books, they still send you more. It's up to you whether you give it a bad review or not. Do whatever your review policy is. Some post bad reviews some don't. If it was that bad, I usually don't finish it. You could send a message to Bostick asking whether the author would prefer a bad review or none at all and they will forward your message to the author who will resond back.

Just remember with negative reviews, to say why you didn't like the book but not to be rude.

[Glenda A. Bixler]

First thing to remember is that you did not receive it from Bostick. Once you submitted your willingness to review, that response would have been forwarded to the real requester who is Bostick's client.

Ellen, I would highly encourage you to not post a negative review. You found out you didn't like it...does that mean it is so bad that you didn't read it? If you didn't read it, then again you shouldn't post a negative review.

I'm assuming you didn't get any time of return address when you received the book? If you did, you might want to go back to that individual.

I routinely go back to book review requesters to whom I would give a bad review. That's why, if you were to look at my Amazon profile, you would see I rarely give less than a 3 ranking. That's because I refused to read books that I would normally give a 1/2 rating (why should I spend my time if I've read, say, 50 pages and know this is a problem book.

Since you love the genre, you probably have a good basic groundwork for what you are feeling. On the other hand, I don't like Stephen King's books personally, yet he is tops in his field. I then wouldn't give him a bad review. I would give good feedback on what the book is about, but admit it was not to your taste and that potential readers should be careful/be warned.

I've been talking about this on another site...I recently saw a woman give a very bad rating/review for a book by John Saul. I hadn't read that book, but he also is tops in the field. I started questioning her and it turned out, frankly, she knew nothing about the genre...and personally just hated it...what a bummer! Her review posting was worthless in my opinion.

Now, depending upon how far you want to go...remember if the author didn't even give you a return address/email address, he might not be so secure in what kind of review he would get. But, when I was working on a professional site, and I came to your situation, I would ask for one of the other reviewers to either also review the book...or I would give my peer some of the places/concerns I had and we would talk about it.

Just remember it is not easy to give a negative review and feel good about it...but some books are NOT GOOD! If you review routinely, you need to decide some basic guidelines under which you may decline from reviewing a good. I just did it this past week...I kept asking questions until I was satisfied...It might have upset the author...but it was MY credibility I was worried about, not his... At the time I first approached him, I asked if he wanted me to return his book. After a number of emails, I was ready to proceed.

Please let me know if I can help in solving your dilemna...oh another thought...Go to Amazon and see if others have reviewed it. It might guide you about how you should perceive your own feelings...

Best,
Glenda