Bitten by Books
DISCLAIMER: I am as disgusted by the Stop GR Bullies shite as everyone else. I think the issue with that site is clouding the REAL problem, though.
DISCLAIMER #2: If you have no idea what I’m griping about, don’t feel bad. In fact, do a happy dance in the buff! My Twitter-feed has been inundated with nothing but information on this supposed war between reviewers and authors. It’s enough to make me twitch! Oh…wait…I already do…crap…
For weeks now, the interwebs – mainly Twitter – has been chock-full of messages pertaining to bullying. Not of kids or people with disabilities. No, this is cyber-bullying. Reviewers are too mean. Authors shouldn’t have an opinion on a negative review. Basically, it’s people being idiots.
There are several well-written posts dissecting the problem, but I haven’t read a single one that raises the most obvious question: we created this problem, so why are we so surprised it’s blown up in our faces?
All this drama is clouding the atmosphere because of books. BOOKS. Things written for our enjoyment. We can’t just enjoy them, though, can we? Noooo. We have to create drama around them. Authors screaming because someone didn’t like the world they created. OMG that bitch didn’t like my book! Who does she think she is?? Reviewers screaming because an author dared to comment on their review. GASP! The author is upset because I acted like a total tool in my review? And now she thinks she can comment on it?? Who does she think she is??
Are you sensing a theme here? “Who does she think she is” seems to be the underlying battle cry. Grow up, people. Seriously. It doesn’t matter if you’re an author, blogger, reader, or some homeless guy on the street who stumbled upon a book in the trash – not a single one of you are better than the others, and you all have a right to an opinion.
But we don’t act that way, do we? We think we do, but we’re lying to ourselves. For years, I’ve heard grumbling from reviewers and bloggers about some author commenting on a review of his/her book and how horrific the situation is. Really? This our maturity level? It’s okay for us to detail our opinion of a book and post it for all to see, but an author can’t detail his/her opinion of our reviews for all to see?
But…but…reviews are for readers, not authors! Why should they care what I write? Guess what? Books are for readers, not reviewers! Why should the readers care what WE write?
If we don’t want sites to pop up that bitch and moan about reviewers being mean to authors, maybe we shouldn’t have created an atmosphere where authors are ostracized for speaking out on negative reviews. (I’m going to reiterate here – I do NOT support the Stop GR Bullies website or any site that threatens people or “outs” them online. If you think that I do support them, you are reading way too much into this and probably just want an excuse to start some more drama.) We’re to blame for this. We started it. What are you going to do to end it?
I feel that reviewers need to offer an impartial review and authors should have every right to agree or disagree with said review and comment as such. We all have different opinions and EVERY opinion is valid. People like books; people don’t like ALL books.
I agree with your post. I’ve been a reviewer. I’ve given negative reviews and positive reviews and never had a problem when the author disagreed with my review. Just because I didn’t like the book doesn’t means others won’t. I try to explain my review - I never just say “don’t read the book, it’s horrid”. That’s not a review….that’s a personal opinion and has no place in a well-written review.
Keep up the good work.
M
Marilyn, I would give you big sloppy kisses right now if I could. “That’s not a review…that’s a personal opinion” - this hits the nail on the head!
Wow, I had no idea. I like reviews and I feel that if you have followed a reviewer for a while like on this site you know they are giving you a true
idea of their take on the book. I would never just read any old review by someone that I had never heard of and take it to heart. Everyone has the right to their opinions and being from a farming community we are the most
opinionated people around, or so I’ve been told. LOL
Anyway I give you a 2 thumbs up on your rant and I’m glad to see you back in
your Off the Fang!!
It’s good to be back.
Here’s an odd question - would it ever color your opinion of an author if he/she replied to a negative review?
Good question. I really don’t think it would bother me at all. An author should have the right to rebuttle any type of review. It would also be fun
for the readers to watch the exchanges of the opinions between the two.
I’ve been spending scant time on twitter. So I was a tad lost when I seen prehaps two or three posts to GR Bullies.
I remember asking to myself? Goodreads Bullies? (When I see GR I immediately think goodreads) What the heck happened? What the heck did I miss?
As mentioned - Everyone has a right to their own thoughts and opinions. NOT everyone is going to feel as another does. That’s from movies to books to just about everything. Usually in most of things I tend to feel the opposite. But my thoughts “Hey they liked it but I didn’t, that’s cool. It’s their preference.”
Myself, I am not much of a reviewer. Technically I feel that I majorly stink at them. The only times I do reviews are the rare and few times I win ARC’s. Good or bad, I do up the reviews to thank the authors for letting me win their ARCs.
Though of late, I’ve been doig my reviews in a different vein. I do them in small increments, recording my thoughts and feelings at certain parts of the books since I tend to forget vital info.
And I generally stay away from reading reviews. Only because I tend to be the blacksheep and feel the opposite.
Only two posts about them? You’re lucky, lol. I’ve seen two just today. I mean, really, Goodreads Bullies?? Their site is a trip. I hate to suggest people visit it, but it’s funny to see how angry these people are over a few reviews. I think that’s just my sadistic side though, hahaha.
BTW - Yay! Glad to see Off the Fang again1!!!
Love your post!! So very true.
I’m also not a big fan of reviews…cause so many are indeed just a personal opinion.
When I do read a review, I am more like to be attracted to book if it’s a well written review…even if the reviewer doesn’t like the book. It will draw my attention and will make me curious.
Even better, a well written negative review may point to certain characteristics I actually like, even if the reviewer doesn’t…
A badly written positive review…can be a much worse turn off…it can actually reflect badly on a book…cause a real good book should inspire the reviewer to write a real good review, with strong arguments and well explained reasoning. Be it a negative or positive review…
Excellent point! When I read gushy reviews that don’t even touch on the plot, I’m more apt to avoid a book than pick it up.
This exactly. A gushing reviewer who says nothing of substance makes me incredibly leery of the book unless it’s already on my to-read list.
I’ve got to admit, when reading reviews on books, I always take the time to read the 1 or 2 star reviews along with the 5 & 4 stars. I like to see what they didn’t like as well as what they did. Their dislikes are frequently situations I look for in a book.
Especially after having read a book that I wasn’t all ga-ga about and that others loved, I want to see if the reasons I didn’t love it were shared by others.
So glad you are back!!
I do that as well. : ) Some of my favorite novels have received unfavorable reviews. It’s not the end of the world! It just means other people don’t have as awesome of an opinion as I do, lol.
Excellent rant! Lets stop the drama and read some books
Amen!!
I’ve also been seeing a lot of posts about the Stop GR Bullies group. How ridiculous! We’re all individuals, with different backgrounds and preferences. Which means not everyone is going to love a particular book. Why argue over this? I just don’t get it.
I’ve seen people get militant like this over music/bands/artists too.
Yes!! Back in high school, it was the Kurt Cobain kids vs the Courtney Love kids. (At least in my high school) “SHE KILLED HIM! SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN NOTHING WITHOUT HIM!” Come to think of it, I can’t remember what defense we Courtney fans had, lol.
glad you ranted, I am not aware of this, wow
I’m just going to ignore the whole thing. The last thing any of them need is more drama
I’ve got mixed feelings about the whole debate. Personally, I think that anyone who actually bullies needs to be taken down a peg… however I don’t think that bullying back is ever the answer. I’ve read a lot of name calling and finger pointing and the whole thing seems to have gotten out of control. When I read a review, I do look for an opinion - but I prefer it to be an opinion backed by fact and example.
If a reviewer I trust hated the book, I’m potentially going to hate the book, too. But I want to know what they hated: I don’t care about things that drive other people batty and do care about things that other people don’t mind. I read certain reviewers because I appreciate something about their style or taste… and sometimes that means I read a negative review and ignore it, and sometimes it means I read a positive view and don’t want to read the book.
You know, it’s funny because I LOVE Jennifer Armintrout’s review of 50 Shades of Grey but I loathe some of the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books reviews that use GIFs. I think it’s the facts and examples that really make it for me, too.
Ahh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen one of your rants. Now I don’t feel so alone when I get going on one of mine!
As for this whole reviewing debacle, I have not seen it first hand, only people telling me about it. Because I have to admit that I don’t deal with (as Betty White calls it) The Twitter. Shall I do my happy dance in the buff now?! Maybe I should wait until at least the sun goes down. Because when I do my happy dance I look like an excited muppet. And doing that in the buff would proabably not be fair to the neighbors!
Back to the topic though. Here’s the thing, there can be a lot of different takes on reviews. But just bashing it because you particulary like is not an opition.
I saw reviews for a book and they were excellent (I won’t say which)and then I read it, but while I was reading it I realized it wasn’t for me. Does that mean the book sucked or was bad? No! It truly was written well. It just wasn’t to my liking.
I think reviewers are confusing their particular opinion on their likes in a book with the actual quality of a book. Just because you don’t like certain aspects of a book doesn’t mean someone else won’t. So if you’re going to use your opinion in the review, state what it was in the book that wasn’t to your personal liking, but review on it based on the quality of the book.
I don’t care whether you are a reviewer, reader or author, I feel that anybody has a right to an opinion. But when your opinion has no substance and a bad review is given because it wasn’t to a personal liking,then be prepared for authors to comment.
I hope that my return rant made sense. I really have a feeling I may have not made sense at some point. And if I didn’t, in my defense I haven’t had much sleep!
Do the happy dance in the buff in broad daylight with the windows wide open. Who knows. Maybe you
A large part of the reason this is a problem has already been mentioned: many reviewers don’t know the difference between something being objectively good and subjectively bad, or vice versa. Every book by which I’ve ever been thoroughly entertained has warranted an objective and a subjective response. With books I enjoy, I most often post my subjective response because readers want to know what other readers like and why.
With a book I didn’t enjoy, I have to take a step back and decide why. Was my problem the writing, story, characters, dialogue? Is my verdict the result of objectivity or subjectivity? Sometimes a book might be fantastic (like Huck Finn), but because of my subjective blinders, I can’t get into it. These books, in my experience, are typically easy to spot. Just as I knew Winter’s Bone was a good movie, even if I didn’t personally like it, I can admit when a book is good without it specifically speaking to me as a reader.
Professional review sites, for the most part, are very good at discerning between these schools of thought and are careful to address the good, bad, and why it did/did not work for the reviewer personally. Casual readers and commenters might not be so considerate when piecing together a review, which can lead to these issues.
Also, I believe there can be a “mean girls” mentality that comes with the anonymity of the Internet, wherein high school never really ends.
Funny you should mention high school…the crashing of Twitter saved me from accusing a good number of my fellow reviewers of being perpetually stuck in high school. While true, it would only be adding fuel to the fire.
This issue is spurred by a pack mentality, just as you said, where each party is vying for the position of Top Alpha of Snark.
This is an excellent rant and I really appreciated all the comments. It opened my eyes a bit. Yes, authors do have the right to respond to a negative review. I’m not saying they should or shouldn’t, but that is their right, just as it is a reader’s right to have an opinion. However, there are critical reviews and harsh reviews. And, there are appropriate responses to the reviews and harsh responses as well.
Excellent point. Focusing on the “critical” versus the “harsh” seems to be the root of the issue!
Bwaaahhhhaaahhhhaaaa The Jack is BACK and she is not taking any prisoners!! Go Jackie Go! Makes me think about the negative ones I have done in the past and who might be after me…. oh yeah. Most of my negative ones have gotten GOOD comments from the author. Must be lucky I guess. LOL
Hehe, thanks, Shell. : )
I understand where you’re coming from. I just wish that everyone could be adults about the entire matter… a lot of this drama could have been avoided if someone on either side had acted a bit more maturely…
Agreed!!
I’ve been hearing about a lot of drama involving reviewers, authors and Goodreads. I try to stay far from it and the Goodreads I’ve seen doesn’t seem to be affected. That’s great because I really like the site. I use it to find new books and I think it’s healthy for books to have a mix of good and bad reviews. A bad review won’t keep me from reading a book just like a good review won’t necessarily mean I’ll read it.
I would have no idea what books I’d decided looked cool without Goodreads, lol. It keeps me organized!!
If we all liked the same things the world would be a boring place. My husband and I have total opposite likes when it comes to books and movies. He calls what I read vampire smut, and he likes boring accounts of all the wars. See, if we can survive 24 years together, I think people can like all sorts of different things. He goes to movies with me that contain superheroes and vampires and I go see war flicks with him. (hey I love movie theater popcorn, extra butter) Over the past couple of years I’ve been reading more and more reviews, and if I decided I wanted to read a book, I read it. The only thing a negative review might have done to my thinking was make me postpone getting the book, but I eventually got it. A good review made me get the book that much quicker. I feel a writer has a right to comment on a negative review, maybe to clear up any mis-conceptions the reviewer might have had, or even a hey, I’m sorry you didn’t like it, maybe the next book I put out might be to your liking. I don’t think a writer should be like “how dare you put my book down, I spent 4 years writing this, it’s my baby, you’re a small minded individual, etc.
I’m tired of it all, so we all like different books. Thank God for that, or there wouldn’t be so many different books in so many different genre’s. I think with all that’s available to us, we should all be able to find something we like without belittling each other.
I meant to say that a reviewer should not be like this book sucks, don’t get it. If you don’t like a book, I’d like to know why, was the world building not to your liking, too much sex, (not that that’s a bad thing)
too little sex, childish characters, not being able to relate to a singe thing in the book, etc. If you don’t like the book, that’s cool, just because you don’t doesn’t mean I wont, but tell me so I don’t rush out and buy it right away, maybe I’ll wait to get it on sale or something. But like I stated above, a writer should be able to reply if a review was so shitty it was just a waste of time to even read the review.
I missed you in the skimming of comments!! Gah!!
I am so with you! Respect on both sides, peoples. Leave me a, “Hey, I’m sorry this one didn’t do it for you. Cat people aren’t for everyone.” comment any day! Like Storm said, as long as I’ve done my job and explained WHY cat people aren’t for me, then I’ve done my duty to the readership.
Wow! Makes me glad I don’t Twitter. I hav my opinions and I share them where I like and then I walk away. I don’t hang around to see who is going to share their opinion of my opinion.
I know this is a horrible trait, but I love to see what people think of my opinions, lol. It’s an ego thing. VERY VERY bad trait to have. Gets me in all kinds of trouble.
I would rather have a person’s honest opinion than have people just “like” everything I write when really they’ve felt differently. If I get someone who doesn’t like it-okay it smarts but it just inspires me to do better or explore something or thicken my skin.
I’m a new author and had the good fortune to read a super blog at one time about how some people don’t like chocolate…
*GASP*
NO really, apparently some people don’t. And some people don’t like bacon! I know, crazy, right?
But that doesn’t make bacon and chocolate bad and it doesn’t make those few people stupid. They just don’t like the taste.
It was a simple, but eye-opening concept.
Not everyone is going to like a book and it’s not because the book is bad or the person is stupid. They just didn’t like it…
I can deal with that…
I wish the drama would go away, because I personally LURVE me some goodreads…
Thanks for the awesome post!
Lisa
Umm…are you saying that there are people who don’t like chocolate?! There are people who don’t like bacon?!?! Wow, they would so not make it in my house.
But really good analogy there! You managed to convey in two sentences what everybody mean and mentioned chocolate and bacon too. Ferris, Bueller, you’re my hero!
I concur - that is a perfect analogy!!
Goodreads has been a blessing for me. I’d never remember which books I wanted to read otherwise! There are far too many books out there I’d love to devour. So there some mean reviews on there; who cares? Don’t read them! It doesn’t mean, like you said, that the book is horrible.
Don’t you think that the “crazy” reality shows on TV have contributed to this
cyber bullying. Our teens have seen this as the “norm” and it is carrying over into their lines as adults. I detest it but “mean” is what they see as norm.
By the way Jackie, we need an updated pic of little man. Please tell me he still has his gorgeous curls.
Next Off the Fang, I’ll use his t-ball picture. : ) Sadly, his curls were destroyed while I was on vacation. My aunt took it upon herself to make him “look more like a young man, not a little boy!” My cries of HE’S NOT EVEN FIVE YET! went unheard. ::sniff sniff::
why is it the boys have the endless ringlets and then after you finally (2 boys and 15 years later)get the little girl, she’s bald till she’s nearly 2.
Fate is just so fickle!
What’s sad about this whole thing is that we are adults, and we are not supposed to treat other people this way. Wether you are an author or reviewer, you should be able to treat one another with respect. I am a reviewer and I don’t ever leave acid laced reviews because a book I don’t care for, may be adored by someone else. I have no problem messaging an author though, if they have asked me to review for them, and telling them what I thought maybe moved to slow, or didn’t work really well for me. If you post it in public, be sure you can back it up. But people, do it without all the drama and theatrics. Polite goes a long way.
Yes, yes it does. The focus should always be on the book - what worked for you, what didn’t, what would have made the experience more enjoyable - but there’s this sense of celebrity in a lot of bloggers I meet. They seem to feel above everyone, meaning if they thought a book was trite, everyone will! If you disagree then you are to be ostracized. It’s Lord of the Flies via computer.
I’m not on Twitter, I don’t read it either, so this is the first time I’ve heard of this issue. I’d personally rather go read another book than bother with it, as I’m not a writer myself, rarely write reviews (only for books I won) and rarely read them (usually blurb is enough for me). I understand that bad reviews are bad news for authors as then they can expect to sell less copies, but just because some reader didn’t like the book it doesn’t mean someone else won’t like it.
I’m pleasantly surprised that you don’t read reviews. You comment on our posts a lot. Makes me think you really like us!! : ) Not just for our witty reviews, but for being us. That’s awesome.
I have read some really great reviews, both for and against a book. However the drama seems to come from all the comments to the review. Honestly, if you don’t like something either comment or move on. But the back and forth gets a little childish. But as to how to fix it is hard as the websites make it easy for people to add their 2 cents over and over again. It is sad that it drowns the useful comments to help us decide on reading the book in question.
I think that’s why Goodreads decided to change the way reviews are shown now. I know, I know, “IT’S A TRAVESTY!” ::rolls eyes:: I think it’ll help us see the reviews we WANT to see, not the “troll” comments you mentioned.
I have heard a little about this. It makes me sad! Sad that things like this are even going on. It’s upsetting that my kids and grand kids have to grow up in a world with so much hate and drama “sigh”
Jess Granger started a Happy Story hashtag (I can’t remember what it was actually called) last week for just that reason. Happy thoughts only! It was great.
I’ve had negative and positive reviews. Some of my negative ones garnered more sales. Everyone should be able to voice their opinion. When I review peers, I hope they expect me to say the truth, because I won’t lie. A lot of pubs have rules on authors commenting on reviews. I used to say thank you for taking the time to read my work, liked or not because I appreciate that time is a precious comodity for most folks. I don’t comment much now because of in house rules.
I’ve heard that about certain publishers. I don’t necessarily agree with it being a rule, but I understand why it is. There have been some serious blowouts due to comments even on this site.
Book are written my authors who are just people, like me and you. The are read my readers, who are just people, like me and you. Reviews are given by readers that have supposedly read the book first, however the too are just people, like me and you.
Some are good people and try to give a fair and just review. Some are people who get off on belittling the work of others to make themselves feel more important. One thing every reviewer should remember, they should be writing about the book bit the author. Personal opinions about the authors is what you discuss with you Mom, your BFF,your hairdresser but has no place in a review. that is my PERSONAL opinion on the matter.
Couldn’t agree more. : ) I’ve never understood trash talking the author because of a book. Now, if you met them in person and they were a douchehog, that’s one thing, lol, but your opinion of them as a person would still have no place in a book review.
I’d not heard about any of this until you posted it here. I think the biggest problem with Internet public forums is that the chatter doesn’t go away — once it’s posted, it’s there. It’s one thing if I tell my friends over coffee that a certain book made me want to throw it across the room. It’s another thing to post those uncensored thoughts for everyone in the world to see.
As a reviewer myself, I always do my best to point out qualities I find good or bad in a book, and I try to describe things in such a way that, hey, if you’re a reader who’s into that thing I hated, you’ll probably like this book even though I didn’t. (Or vice versa. I can praise aspects that I love, but if you don’t like that type of story, hopefully you’ll know from my review that the book isn’t for you.)
It’s a hard balance, isn’t it? When I first started reviewing, I wrote one or two reviews that make me shake my head now. I was an ass, plain and simple. I’d been reading the reviews on DA and SBTB and thought, “Oh, so I need to be like THAT to be a reviewer? Okay…” Luckily, I started reading other blogs. Saw how other people reviewed books. It really shaped the way I review now.
As an author, of course someone not loving my bookie wookies makes me sad. As a reasonable (so to speak) adult, I’m firmly in the everyone’s entitled to their opinion corner. I don’t comment on reviews, good or bad — I link reviews to my website but never comment on them — but if it’s a really well written bad review, I’m likely to still link to it (if only to subtlety point out how to write one), because a well written bad review can and frequently does sell more books. I also firmly believe that while we authors are indeed allowed our opinions and the opportunity for point and counterpoint, I suggest that said opinions and counters be shared with intimate loved ones, and not the interwebs as a whole.
The biggest issue with some negative reviews (and I’ve gotten these, believe me) is the reviewer making a nasty attack on the book and the author at the same time; instead of discussing aspects they did or didn’t like, it turns into a “let’s make fun of the book/author/anyone who likes this book or author” spiral that does nothing other than create nastiness. Yes, it’s hurtful, and yes, they’re writing it, clearly, to BE hurtful. I’ve seen reviewers attack an author’s looks, etc., when writing a review of a book they didn’t like. Yes, it’s ridiculous, petty, cruel, and adds nothing to anyone’s understanding of why they might or might not want to pick up said book.
However, I have to figure that anyone who reads those reviewers and LIKES their kind of reviews, and bases their choices on those kinds of reviews, isn’t someone I’m desperate to have in my fan base, anyway.
The brouhaha will continue for a while — as long as people talk about it — and then the next tempest in a teacup will start, because that’s the nature of the ‘net. The wise author, reviewer, and reader will smile to themselves and go on about their business.
Very well written response. I have this little voice in my head who tells me things like that - Jackie, don’t comment, you’re only going to make it worse, come on now, no, don’t say that, wait, no, STOP NOW!! - but it gets crushed more often than not. Sometimes I escape unscathed, but more and more often - especially on the internet - I’m realizing that I’m adding to the problem rather than helping. I actually worried about that with this post, lol.
Oh, I thought this was a great post, Jackie. It’s why I commented on it.
Reasonable discussion is never a bad thing.
Aaaand that’s why you rock. : )
As a reviewer, it often feels like being between a rock and a hard place. I am extremely conscious of the fact that I’m reading a little piece of an author’s life. The author has given precious time, sacrificed, struggled and sweat blood to bring their vision to life. I’m also extremely conscious that the reader is looking for an honest assessment of how well the author reached that vision. The absolutely most heart-breaking type of book for me to review is when it’s an outstanding, unique, exciting vision/idea and the author just didn’t have the technical skills to bring it to life. The most maddening is when the author doesn’t even try - and it shows. Some of my highest ratings were given to books that were way outside my ‘personal preference’ taste; and some were wayyyy outside my comfort zone. Some of my lowest ratings were torture to write because it could have been a great book and I had confidence that the author will mature and kick out that GREAT book in the future.
So how does one find the balance between the author and the reader? Thoughtfully, carefully, but always as neutral and objective as one can possibly be, and not always successfully. And speaking only for myself as a reviewer, it just flipping kills me when an author gets angry at my review because I feel like I failed both the author and the reader in explaining the ‘why’.
You know, I hadn’t thought about it like that. Any time an author has commented on one of my reviews, I’ve just thought, “Okay, they need to vent. I understand.” It never occurred to me I could have detailed the WHY better so they wouldn’t feel they needed to vent. Hmm…thank you, Storm!!
Jackie,
Have you seen the pic of DB Jackson on this site? Tell me if you think he looks like Dyson from Lost Girl?
I know this is totally going to strip some of my credibility, but…I’ve never seen it. : ( We haven’t had cable for a little over a year now. ::big huge sobs::
I seldom read reviews on books. Instead I read the description of the book and then decide if I think it’s something I’d like to read. If it sounds interesting to me then I get the book. I’ve found that I don’t agree with most professional reviewers anyway.
The way those folks acted made me not want to read them more than any bad review could. I am not a professional reviewer. But I do put books I like on my blog. But to post private info that could affect their families is going to far.
Wow…definitely didn’t know there was this much drama going on in the blogosphere…crazy. I’ve had my issues with authors not liking that I had negative reviews…but nothing ever got out of hand or even unpleasant…crazy!
Hi! I’m new here and hope it’s okay to comment on something I find fascinating and have worried over since I first started writing.
I NEVER, Ever comment on any of the reviews I receive for my novels…and, in truth, I have been lucky. Even my less than stellar reviews have been delivered with kindness and respect.
My harshest reviews though, have come from Goodreads—two or three 2- star reviews without any reason why! Sorry, I think that’s just plain rude.
There is a hostile element out there (not just on GR) that has stopped me from writing reviews anymore. A lot of people seem to think that if a writer does a review it’s either shilled, or for trade… I don’t want to go there. Also, Amazon states that a reviewer must not review within their own selling genre! Fantasy, and science fiction is my favorite genre…why wouldn’t I want to purchase, read and review a book that I love, rather than something outside of my own writing category?
Anyway- just my two cents on the issue… and thanks for sharing the rant. It’s worrisome for everyone, I think. Nel
I agree, reviews are for readers. I’ve never actually seen an author leave a negative comment on a negative review, but if they did, it would just make me not want to read their book. Not classy.