Comments on: (not so) Bad Author!

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:06:51 +0000

Yes! Even those of us with “trained” brains (I have a PhD in English literature) can use a reality wake-up call every now and then. Otherwise we become like the stereotype, disengaged from the rest of the world, making pronouncements that no one cares about.

By: Interesting Links for July 9, 2009

Interesting Links for July 9, 2009 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:39:13 +0000

[...] Blogger King Rat on authors behaving badly towards reviewers who write negative reviews. I agree that authors have the right to respond to negative reviews. It may not necessarily be [...]

By: Levi Montgomery

Levi Montgomery — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:57:35 +0000

I don’t know if you’re aware of this or not, but in “authors’ critiquing groups,” there is a thing called the silent review. The gist of it is that the other memers of the group can (and do) say anything they want – true or false; nice or naughty; good, bad, or indifferent, it doesn’t matter – and the author is allowed to say . . . NOTHING AT ALL! Well, you’re supposed to say “Thank you.” The belief seems to be that the author has had his say, and if he can’t simply shut up and take it, then he hasn’t “learned how to accept criticism.” Then you’re supposed to go and make all the changes that were suggested.

This is actually a primary reason why I stay away from such groups. I hope my fiction incites passion, yes, but I hope that passion inspires a discussion. Any reviewer who says anything at all about my fiction has, by that very action, invited a response from me, and will get it as I see fit. Sometimes their passion is met by a passion of my own, and sometimes it might get ugly.

That’s called “Life.”

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:08:00 +0000

By: King Rat

King Rat — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:25:07 +0000

I don’t condone harassment, such as posting someone’s private phone number.

By: Anysia (Booklorn on Twitter)

Anysia (Booklorn on Twitter) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:17:16 +0000

As far as I’m concerned authors can have as much of a hissy fit as they like. Encouraging stalking by giving out email, phone #, or addresses crosses the line though. I think Hoffman was okay until she did that (whiny, bitchy, and over the top–but otherwise okay before that).

And if authors are going to take a reviewer to task, they should at least be able to stand the heat when someone disagrees with them. After all, they’re criticizing someone else for disagreeing with them so not allowing the same is hypocritical.

By: lee

lee — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:11:50 +0000

I understand, to a point, Alice Hoffman’s meltdown: she’d invested a great deal of time and energy into a book only to have its plot laid out thoroughly on the Internet and then negatively reviewed.

I read the review: personally, it didn’t affect my feelings for the book as I still intended to check it out of the library. However, I found her need to post the contact information of the reviewer disturbing. Would she have tweeted the reviewer’s cell phone? Home address? Where would she have drawn the line?

When I read reviews, especially blog reviews, I always take into consideration my tastes. My favorite authors do not always receive great reviews…but I still buy the book in hardcover and I still drive hours to get the book signed, in person. I’m not just a reader of books, I’m a fan of certain authors (yay Steve Hockensmith!) and I never allow a blogster to change my own take of a certain book.

Do bloggers/critics change my intention to purchase or read? No and yes. For unknown authors, I do pay attention, but I still want to preview the book for myself. However, I would appreciate if reviewers did not give away major plot points (please!) and try to not make the review personal (I loathed a reviewer who called a new author an “obvious idiot”).

Just my two cents…and not well-written at that.

By: Teel McClanahan III

Teel McClanahan III — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:02 +0000

As an author, I’ve been learning to deal with reviews of all kinds, lately. I’ve been pushing harder and harder for more and more visibility, and as more people become aware of my work, more people find they have something to say about it. What I’ve been trying to do, when possible, is engage reviewers in a further conversation about the work. Whether the review was positive or negative or, in some cases, a quick and thoughtless grammar-free personal attack – I try to consider it reasonably and respond thought-provokingly.

If my book riled you up so much you felt the need to spew profanity, I’d love to discuss what so emotionally engaged you about it. If you felt the book was misrepresented by the marketing (my biggest problem, I believe), I want to know how you think I could represent the book better. If you missed the point, I want to point it out!

We live in an age of communication – authors shouldn’t be expected to remain silent, and reviewers shouldn’t be upset when they don’t. Instead of authors and critics residing in their separate bubbles, let’s make a conversation between authors and readers (professional or otherwise) a part of the so-called “Author 2.0″ model. Back and forth. Passionate, interesting, and engaging conversation, between the people on both sides of the book.

By: Mike Cane

Mike Cane — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:59:24 +0000

>>>I do not want to return to a Victorian age of mores, where an unwarranted desire for civility stifled several generations’ passions.

Oh god yes, let’s NOT do that.

By: raych

raych — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:44:11 +0000

Hear hear. Let us all have strong opinions and loud voices!!