Hello lovelies!
I am back with a vlog this week yayyyyyy! This week we are talking about a topic that was suggested to us anonymously through the suggestion from, they wrote "How do you get rid of the guilty feel of giving a negative review? Especially when you are very friendly with the author." So I took the opportunity to talk about how important honesty is in what we do. Watch on!
So how do you deal with negative reviews? Do you feel bad when it's for an author you've come to know really well? How do you deal with that?
First of all, I LOVE YOUR VLOG!!!!
ReplyDeleteHmm...I feel guilty for writing a negative review if it's one that deals with serious issues(e.g. depression/bipolar characters/cutting etc.) I feel like I should be praising the author for raising these issues and allowing readers to understand it better, but sometimes the execution just doesn't make the cut for me. Then there's The Fault in Our Stars..I felt guilty because well...I felt heartless for not feeling anything for the characters and they were going through so much with cancer and death...I haven't written the review yet but I'll be murmuring "sorry" every 5 seconds while writing the review!Other times I feel guilty include writing negative reviews for books by my favourite authors (Julie Kagawa, Cassandra Clare)...I felt so bad because I absolutely LOVE ALL their other books & they're such lovely people! But for every book I didn't like, I still try to point out some redeeming factors...even if it's just the cover that I liked!
Great vlog chick!! So glad to see your face!! It's funny because I don't really have many negative reviews on my blog because I'm not patient enough to make myself read a book if I'm not enjoying it. The few books that I have had negative reviews on, I just really made sure to point out what I liked and what I didn't in a respectful way. I know that a lot of people don't like people who have a lot of positive reviews and no negative ones, but the only reason I do is because I don't force myself to finish books that I don't think I will enjoy. I also won't @ the author or publisher when I tweet a link to a negative review. I only @ them if it's a 3 star at least.
ReplyDeleteYay! A vlog! YOUR FACE! I can remember it again!
ReplyDeleteI know that's why my blog sucked for so long. I wasn't involved in the community at all for about a year and a half.
I feel guilty still sometimes, but honesty's the most important point.
You're also dressed up today. Pretty!
I always wonder, if I'm 'friends' with them, if I should warn them first or pretend it didn't happen.
Sometimes snark is necessary, but I try to review analytically for the most part.
"It's more important to be honest than to make everyone like you." TRUE FAX. Plus, I don't like those people who lie to me.
This is a very umm.. serious topic in my eyes. I see a lot of people like.. hype up their favorite author's books. Sometimes I feel that these people aren't honest and if you keep saying that THIS IS ONE'S BEST BOOK SO FAR every single time, it's just not believable. I think respect, as you said, is really important. LOL. This is funny, because my review on next Monday will be a 1 star review and there are some books that will be rated really low throughout the next few weeks. I know a case where an author and a publicist started a war against a girl who read a book and didn't finish it, because she read more than half of it and wasn't into it. Then she did a snarky review on GR and after that all hell broke loose. I think you've heard about it, even some famous websites for magazines wrote about it. I think it's a respectful relationship between both of the parties and if authors cannot handle criticism, they shouldn't bother reading the reviews like Veronica Roth, e.g. The sad thing is, that she gets like serious shit talk about it every day for expressing her thoughts. That's just horrible! I think honest is everything and everyone cannot like the same books, that'd be insane! It's nothing personal, but if I didn't like your book, then sorry, I'm not gonna go and hide and feel sorry for myself or you. It's just the way it is. Better luck next time, I say. Just.. yeah. As long as one doesn't go all personal on an author, negative reviews don't bother me. Some like chocolate, some like vanilla - what can I say? World is a weird place and we are all different. LOL, I feel like I'm writing a social differences speech or something. I'm gonna stop, but yes, if handled with honesty and respect, sometimes a touch of snark and sarcasm, I don't see why people cannot express their thoughts. At the end of the day, your friend won't hate you if you tell her she has a 'not so pretty' dress or there's too much make up on her face etc. If you tell her nicely, she won't get offended. Most likely that is. Authors are the same and they realize that not everyone can like their book so no worries, I think.
ReplyDeleteI used to feel guilty about negative reviews, but I've gotten over it. I try to respect the author in my criticism and point out all the things that worked. I actually had one author thank me for my not so glowing review, said it helped her. These books are someone's babies and living, I think that deserves a certain amount of respect.
ReplyDeleteI've also started giving away and ecopy of any book I mark DNF, in hopes that the book finds a reader who may enjoy it.
Such an important topic! I guess my blog could be considered one of the ones with a ton of positive reviews, but I think that's more due to extensive research rather than not wanting to give negative reviews. But I do give them, and like you I try to find the better qualities of the book and be constructive!
ReplyDeleteAnd I used to feel a bit guilty about giving an authors book who I'd become friends with a not so glowing review... but like you said. It's SO important to be honest - and I've learned to not feel guilty!
Great post!!
Exactly... everything you just said. lol
ReplyDeleteIt's hard writing negative reviews even if you aren't friendly with the author (but especially when you are) but it's so important to maintain honesty because those blogs that ONLY do 4 and 5 star reviews... I'm sorry but that's just not possible. But again, I know a lot of people that choose not to post reviews that are lower than a certain rating (they may post them on GR but just not on their blog) but again I still don't think that's showing your blog in a very positive (and honest) light.
Despite the fact that the review may be 'negative' it is still possible to do a positive spin on it and make it a constructive review and not attacking. I think that's the most important thing about writing negative reviews without feeling guilty.
No, your answer is not crappy, Jenni! Not. At. All.
ReplyDeleteI like your honesty and I love that you're respectful. And I agree with you, if I could finish reading a book, chances are there is something in it that I like or else I'd have marked the book as DNF. And I think what doesn't work for me may not always work in the same way for another person. So, thank you for sharing your answer with us! Loved the discussion :)
Okay, I accidentally lost my comment-in-progress so this one will be shorter...
ReplyDeleteI think this is a fascinating topic, I totally agree with what you said, and as an author I'd be much more disappointed if a blogger avoided me on twitter/GR/etc. b/c they were worried about awkwardness than if they gave me a bad review.
I wholeheartedly agree with your statement that striving for honesty is more important than any awkwardness with authors. So long as you remain respectful to said author when the time comes (although I do love some good snark in a review, as well!). I can't say I have had any problems with negatively reviewing a book by an author I have become friendly with because I am not an active Twitter user, but I do feel similarly when I get on good terms with publishers and then dislike a book they've sent me. But I definitely do feel like honesty is the most important thing and you are not being preachy by saying that!!
ReplyDeleteNegative reviews are tough to write - but honestly is definitely the most important thing, and there are ways to do it constructively, especially as you say, pointing out what was good with the book as well as the bad.
ReplyDeleteI only posted a DNF review once, and I felt SO bad that I decided not to do it anymore. I just throw them back on the shelf and wipe the whole thing from my mind!
I couldn't agree more with you about honesty being the most important aspect of what we all do at the end of the day. I can't imagine writing a review to please someone else, it's my blog after all,I'm putting all the hard work into it so it should reflect ME & my opinions. I do try to be respectful as you said but sometimes it's harder then others LOL! For me, I'm still buying/requesting most of the books I manage to read and I don't get books I don't think I'll like so usually my reviews fall between 3-5 so I don't *have* to write negative reviews that often. I don't do a full review either if the book is DNF but I tend to write a short paragraph in Goodreads as to why this wasn't for me.
ReplyDeleteAnyways your answer was excellent & not crappy & your camera angle did NOT give you a double chin! haha Another great topic & vlog Jenni ♥
I hate that phrase "A book is an author's baby." I'm just being honest. That is a phrase designed to make a reader/reviewer feel guilty for being too negative in a review. Every time I hear that phrase I want to throw things.
ReplyDeleteA book is a product, nothing more. Yes, the author spent a lot of time on it, but I'm not going to think about the author while I am reviewing a book because it colors my experience and may change my opinion. I should not be thinking about the author when I am reviewing their book. It is completely possible to separate book from author. But sometimes it's hard, so unfortunately I have distanced myself from authors. I don't have any friendships with authors unless they are clients or bloggers first. Because that guilt is a factor.
Also, not all authors can handle negative reviews. They don't all know going into this business what it is going to be like. Just look at the Badly Behaving Authors list on Goodreads. Most of those are self-published authors, but still.
Great topic. I think it's good that we talk about this. I think we all have a lot of feelings when it comes to negative reviews. You know I do.
I actually hate that phrase too! So many of the people in my master's program placed sooo much importance on their writing, like every little thing was sooo meaningful...the pretension just made me sick, and still turns me off literary fiction a lot! The truth is, most of the time I despise my own writing more than anyone else could. I've just accepted that I'm not the worst writer in the world and some people like my books, and hopefully I will keep getting at least a little better with each one...
DeleteAnother great topic! Writing negative reviews is hard, but definitely necessary. I don't like pretending to like a book if I didn't. If I can, I try to write something good to go along with the bad. I try to mention a positive note. If I can't find a positive note to mention, most likely I won't review it at all.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try and have this comment not be an essay portraying exactly how I feel about negative reviews, because it'll eventually only get off topic and lead to topics like STGRB, League of Strays, etc, but I think that anyone who visits my blog without even knowing me knows how I feel about negative reviews. From the day I started blogging to the moment I'm writing this comment, to however long I continue to blog, I will always strive for honesty. And sometimes, brutally so. Do I think that some of my reviews are harsh? Yes. But what I *can* say about my reviews is that they will always be honest, and I won't sugarcoat my opinion for anyone. There are, of course, many people, whether it be on GR or my blog (mostly GR) who dislike me because I share my opinion so bluntly and often brutally, but honestly I'd rather someone dislike me for being honest than love me for being dishonest. If I would ever be dishonest in a review to spare the author's feelings - for example, if I'm friends with the author - I may be doing the author a service, but I'll be doing each and every one of my GR followers and blog followers a disservice by leading them to think a book is better than it actual is because of what I made it out to be.
ReplyDeleteGreat vlog Jenni! You made such an important point. Good bloggers have integrity and are honest, but professional and respectful. That's why everyone loved your blog!
ReplyDeleteI think it's healthy to not put guilt on yourself ... you're right -- honesty is key! I hope that authors realize that, too. We're not BASHING them with a negative review, but just sharing our opinions. Nothing wrong with that.
ReplyDeleteI actually DO write something about DNF books, but it's usually just a blurb about WHY it was a DNF for me ... my reasons for disliking it might be a reason for someone else to like it!
And really, like you say, authors should have a thick skin -- it's just part of the business!