For the last few weeks, bloggers have been addressing bad behavior between authors and reviewers. Apparently things got so ugly that insults were thrown back and forth on the comments sections of one another's sites.
I still see authors mentioning reviews in their Facebook/ twitter posts. Everything from "Please review my book" to "Omg this person left a terrible review and they didn't get my book at all cuz ______."
On the flip side, I see reviewers getting all high and mighty like they're the final word on whether you should buy a book or not. A lot of their issues I think comes from their popularity. I shake my head every time when followers of the site slavishly declare: "Thank you so much for posting this review. This book was on my TBR list but now I won't buy it."
REALLY?
People seem to be forgetting something. Tastes are different. Raise your hand if you liked every single book you've read.
Yeah, that's what I thought.
If you're an author, some people are going to hate your book. It's a fact of life. Quit fussing about it and focus on the ones who love it.
Because this really is a subjective business. Agents and editors don't say that in rejection letters to blow smoke up your ass. It really is true. This is why you must keep writing, query more than one agent or editor, and have more than one beta reader.
And if you like or dislike something, quit trying to convince others they should do the same. I'm not just talking about books here. I like heavy metal music. A lot of people don't. But it really pisses me off when someone insults my favorite bands when they're in my home or on my Facebook wall, etc....you know, my turf.
Do they expect me to jump for joy and say, "Oh thank you for enlightening me. I had no idea Iron Maiden sucked until you told me. I'm going to go buy all the Jonas Brothers' albums and start worshiping Lady Gaga straightaway!"
Seriously, all art is subjective. People like what they like. That is why there's variety. Quit getting pissy and celebrate it.
Bahaha!!! That is too funny and too true! I have read numerous books that were wonderful in their genre, but the genre just isn't for me. I don't like all Jane Austen's books, but I LOVE most of them. It is all about personal taste and a lot of people forget that. what really surprises me is when people get staunch in their belief that they will NEVER like "that kind of thing". For example, I am not big on heavy metal, but that ballad Dio sang gave me goose bumps. Never thought I would react that way to heavy metal, but I've always been one to try new things. So many people don't grow up and past the "I hate it even though I've never tried it" tantrums of toddlerhood. And, it is really sad.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michel! Dude, I hear ya on the ballad. Thanks so much for letting me share that awesomeness with you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for that. I have a series that I love, but when I read the reviews half way through I couldn't believe how many people disliked them... I loved them. Glad I didn't read them first.
ReplyDeleteBrooklyn Ann, I love how you go from the intelligent to the earthy and back in a sentence.
ReplyDeleteCall it a childhood with a father who was a return sailor and when irritated could REALLY pull out colorful language, but your sentence "Because this really is a subjective business. Agents and editors don't say that in rejection letters to blow smoke up your ass. It really is true. This is why you must keep writing, query more than one agent or editor, and have more than beta reader." really stuck a chord with me.
Keep Writing Girl!!!!
I don't expect everybody to like my books, for pity's sake, but it is disappointing in the extreme that the anonymity of the internet seems to give a lot of people--authors, reviewers, and commenters--encouragement to be not simply critical of a book or review, but nasty, spiteful, personal, and uncivil. Nobody should be applauding that.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. It's one thing for someone to say they didn't enjoy a book and it's another to be a complete jerk, hurling insults and not giving productive reasons why they didn't like it...or to make the review a personal attack on the author. THAT behavior really irritates me. BTW, THE HEIR is next in my TBR list. :)
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