Taking Our Reviews from Sweethearts and Wenches
Social media keeps one factor of writing in the forefront of every author’s mind: The Dreaded Review. There seems to be two kinds of reviewers in this world, just like there are two kinds of women: Sweethearts and Wenches. It’s sort of the Gone with the Wind prototype with Scarlett O’Hara and Melanie Wilkes. On one hand you get a syrupy sweet tribute that gushes so much you want to kiss somebody and have tea. On the other, you get a scathing sermon about your lack of technique and creativity, and by the time your done reading THAT one you want to have the reviewer taken out (then buried in the backyard in your nightgown). The mint in the julep these days is, the reviews come faster and from all corners of the global Internet, and there’s little control.
I actually know an author whose book has done very well all over the Internet and garnered only one hateful review at Amazon. The nasty reviewer next started showing up on her blog of all places, and then her website. After tracking down her cyber stalker who turned out to be a relative for some reason only Dr. Phil could grasp, the author was able to get the trashy review at Amazon taken down. This of course is an exception, as most negative reviews do come from people who read our work and actually don’t like it. What’s wrong with this picture? We’ve got to bleed to get published and then have someone tell us they don’t like what we have to offer? It’s almost like…wait for it…REAL LIFE.
Every time I turn around, one genre of writers is thumbing their noses at others. Romance writers are segregating into heat levels as we speak, and the e-book and print industry are at each other’s throats. Can’t we all just get along? Nope, not going to happen, because if we all got along then nobody would have any opinions and we’d all be a bunch of mealy-mouthed Melanie Wilkes. Let me tell you what I think. I think Gone with the Wind would have been a lot better if Melanie Wilkes would have kicked Scarlett’s perky rear end. Or at least tried to.
I am so tired of hearing people complain when the world doesn’t love them. Authors who turn to friends to review their books, or review each other’s, only hold themselves back. Not allowing ourselves to be evaluated by our readers and peers is asking to be lied to. Who said, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity?” Maybe they were on something.
It’s like this: If you want to become a better writer, you need to be open to criticism–the good, the bad, and the ugly. Sure, you need to pick yourself up and dust off your shoulders if some self-absorbed jerk rips you a new one. But don’t waste your time whining about it. Eat some radishes, shake your fist, or go after your sister’s boyfriend. Do something productive.
What not to do? Don’t submit your book for review to a site that celebrates telling the cold, hard, truth if you can’t handle it. At best you end up deflated and never touch the keyboard again. At worst, you end up whining like a fire engine until you become an object of mockery (and avoided at parties).
So maybe Scarlet would have put Melanie in a headlock and beat her senseless if she’d stood up to her. Who knows? The important thing is Melanie would have mustered up an opinion. And both of them would have lived with it. So don’t fret over those less than stellar reviews. Relish the good and live for tomorrow–for tomorrow is another day.
–Posted by Danielle Thorne
www.daniellethorne.jimdo.com
Twitter: DanielleThorne
July 21st, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Danielle, you are not mad at someone are you? Sorry, just joking. I have to say in my case I have a love-hate relationship with reviews. I can see the benefits of a review, but I hate the waiting and suspense. For some reason a review tends to make me feel naked before the world. (This is my baby that I have worked so hard on and now someone is going to critique it? Oh, no you don’t!) Isn’t that how we all secretly feel? I say we should shout with joy when good reviews are received and fret(but only for a day) over the lukewarm or bad. Then in both cases, sit back down and reread all your reviews and see what you can learn from them. Writing is a craft and if you are going to consider yourself a writer then you must constantly be vigilant in improving that skill.
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:39 am
IMO, Melanie Wilkes DID “kick Scarlett’s perky rear end.” Scarlett was a chronic mal-content. Melanie was sweetly content, self-aware and aware of her position in life. Plus, she ‘got the guy.’
See? Subjective.
I understand what you’re saying, Danielle, and I agree with both you and Zequeatta. When we put our ‘babies’ out into the world, we have to be open to the fact not everyone they meet will find them pretty. I also agree that things can be learned from a balanced, less than stellar review, but this almost reads as though you’re stating a positive review is nothing but a butt-kissing and a negative review is a butt-kicking.
I’ll go back to what I said about ‘balanced.’ The majority of solid review sites offer reasons for why a book gained a five star review–examples of outstanding characters, awesome pacing etc–and to BALANCE that, lower rated reviews are also posted with legitimate points about pacing issues or plot holes that caused the reviewer to not give the book a five.
THESE reviews are helpful, to me as a writer, but also in helping me make a decision about a book I may purchase. The ‘wench’ reviews you refer to where someone merely rants that something is ca-ca or they threw it against the wall are not helpful to me on any level. I avoid those sites and when the odd review gets whipped into a cyber-frenzy that you almost can’t help catching wind of in Romancelandia, it makes me sad that so many ‘so-called’ adults race to throw stones at the train wreck.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:17 am
Oh, I’m not dissing a good review at all. Hey, I love to write 5 star reviews when I love a book. My concern is seeing friends review each other and give (each other) these stellar reviews just for promotion’s sake. You can’t be afraid to get out there and get hammered every now and then. And by hammered, I don’t mean those silly ones that are just blatantly negative for the fun of it. It’s totally a double-edged sword though–of course, I have books I read from friends which really are fantastic…so it all comes down to being an honest reviewer, and as an author, being gutsy enough to reach past people you know and ask for a review from total strangers. I certainly wasn’t singling anyone out at all–:) I meant for this blog to be more of an observation really. As far as Melanie Wilkes–I guess I still have to disagree. Yes, she had the class…and everyone knew it. But I still would have liked to see her open a can just once. JUST ONCE.
July 22nd, 2009 at 7:31 pm
Hi Danielle – good comments! As a reviewer I try to be honest. I try to say what I liked, or did not like, in a review, thus helping the author recognize the good points or bad. Also letting other readers know some specifics since we don’t all look for the same things!
Several of us reviewers have been discussing review ratings. There apparently is a reviewer on Amazon who gives out a lot of negatives and claims that the reviewers who are giving mostly positive reviews are getting paid! Well none of us could figure out who is paying! LOL
But part of the explanation from several reviewers was that if they cannot get into the book they stop reading it and then they don’t post a review at all. I haven’t hit one yet I couldn’t finish and maybe only one that was less than “average”. I tried to state what I liked that saved it from a don’t bother read. Especially taking into consideration that EVERYONE has different tastes and I bet there are readers out there that would like that book because of “culture” differences! Another reason that I may not have had to do too many average or less reviews is that we usually get to pick the books from blurbs or offerings by an author or publisher. If I am not interested in the subject or genre – I simply am not going to spend my free, enjoyment time reading it! Which leads me to think that someone who gives a lot of negative reviews probably has a negative and mean spirit. So an author can definitely ignore such a review and focus instead on the positives and hopefully positive suggestions to improve his or her writing. Okay – that’s my two bits+! Martha
July 22nd, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Martha, ur a wonderful reviewer and I totally agree. Reviewers SHOULD get paid. It’s a shame they don’t more often. I am a member of GoodReads and I’m sure people think I’m a little biased by my reviews–but I only post reviews for books I LOVE so my reviews are all 5 stars. Haha. I would never post a negative review–I don’t see the point. If someone wanted a private critique, that would be a different story. I think negative reviewers confuse the idea of a review with a critique. There’s a time and place for everything. Regarding my blog post though–I think authors need to be more brave about accepting a less than stellar review. I’ve learned a lot from some of mine–and then again, some I haven’t and I’ve totally disagreed with.
Cheers!
July 24th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Danielle, I agree. There are too many sickeningly sweet reviews without discussing the full merits of the work. They shouldn’t be too harsh, either, as that’s unhelpful, but a mix of what’s good and what needs to be improved is SO much better all around than those that only say, “This is the best book I’ve read” and say it about every book they review. It’s like the competition shows where a judge says, “This is your best performance yet.” Yeah well, practice should do that, but so what? How does it compare with performances in general?
When I review, I always state positive things and things that need work. Do any of us really think we don’t need work? If I can’t say anything positive about a book, I don’t review it. I have run into that. And I know there are reviewers who decide not to review mine for whatever reason. That’s fine. We all have our likes and dislikes. Be at least fairly nice about it or keep quiet, but do point out both sides. If there are things I see I don’t want to put in a review, I’m likely to email the author privately so future books can address the issues, but I won’t slam anyone publicly. I would love reviewers to do the same for me. Heck, I know I need work. I’m not at Marilynne Robinson’s level … yet.
July 25th, 2009 at 1:37 am
Had a chuckle at this, Dannielle. We’re like artists, we put our work out there and lead with our chin. We have to be prepared to take the criticism along with the accolades. Let’s hope it’s fair though, and objective if that’s possible. I have had one review I didn’t much like, but the reviewer had a point and it made me want to rewrite the book!
I’ve learned not to send my books to a review site that doesn’t appreciate the genre. But one of my publishers says give her any review and she’ll use it advantage. Unless it’s a total denunciation of the novel, there’s always something you can take from it.
Maggi