Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion
General Fiction
>
Should Authors Read Their Good And Bad Reviews?
date
newest »
newest »
I used to worry about a bad review. But what I've found is that book buyers have a mind of their own. Some of my books with bad reviews keep selling well. Other boos with great reviews sometimes don't. Go figure.
Dr Paul wrote: "Re: I need book reviews in exchange for a free novel: If you want to get a free download of my new novel, DANGEROUS PROTECTOR by Jill Grant, here is the link at Bookfunnel:
https://dl.bookfunn..."
Sorry, but I don’t read first person books or mafia books.
Dr Paul wrote: “Re: I need book reviews in exchange for a free novel...."This user is a spammer who continuously drops links to their books into unrelated threads. I wouldn’t touch their books with a barge pole.
Mellie wrote: "This user is a spammer who continuously drops links to their books into unrelated threads. I wouldn’t touch their books with a barge pole."I’ve noticed this person is leaving messages in different threads. According to Dr. Paul’s profile, it’s a man, but he’s promoting a book written by a woman, unless he wrote a book under a woman’s name or trying to help Jill promote her book.
For whatever reason, the majority of avid readers choose to never post a rating or review. Those that do are merely expressing their personal, and therefore subjective, opinion. One reader's Best book ever! may very well be another reader's Worst book ever!Most well-established, legitimate literary experts and authors agree that, contrary to what many novice authors believe, sales drive reviews, not the other way around. Therefore, aspiring authors should focus upon striving to continuously improve upon their basic writing, narative, promotional, and marketing knowledge and skills rather than obsessing over ratings and reviews.
Very few novice authors ever achieve commercial success or even notoriety within this extremely competitive field. That said; some have. There is no reason why you might not eventually become one of them. I wish you success.
Arch wrote: "I believe that authors should read their reviews, good and bad. I know that an author can be told not to read their reviews, but why would someone tell an author that?"I have the opposite opinion. Authors should NOT read their reviews.
Reviews aren't for authors. Often they aren't even for other readers. Reviews are reader opinions about the good, bad and indifferent. Their best use is to inform other readers if they might enjoy (or want to avoid) a book. As a reader, I find most value in critical reviews and have often bought a book with a scathing 1-star, because the things other readers hate are intriguing to me. Or the opposite, I might avoid a book with a pile of 5-star reviews that look fake or too gushy.
Given the number of epic author meltdowns I've seen on GR over the years, where sensitive snowflake authors can't handle anything less than a 4-star, they should be staying out of the review space. Too many readers are harassed and trolled by authors who disagree with reader opinions. Some authors act as though they are being thrown off a cliff if they spot a critical review. All a critical review means is that particular book wasn't a good fit for that particular reader. I've DNF'd loads of books others have enjoyed. And enjoyed loads of books that other readers can't finish.
The big reason authors should avoid reviews is because they are (at the end of the day) opinions and not critical craft feedback. How many reviews are left by professional and impartial editors? The purpose of reviews is NOT to provide author feedback. An author should be using critique partners, beta readers, and an editor for feedback about story, craft etc before publication.
There is no obligation on authors to read reviews, just as there is no obligation on readers to leave one.
Mellie wrote: "Reviews aren't for authors. Often they aren't even for other readers. Reviews are reader opinions about the good, bad and indifferent. Their best use is to inform other readers if they might enjoy (or want to avoid) a book. As a reader, I find most value in critical reviews and have often bought a book with a scathing 1-star, because the things other readers hate are intriguing to me. Or the opposite, I might avoid a book with a pile of 5-star reviews that look fake or too gushy."If reviews aren’t for authors, then why do authors seek reviews from readers? What’s the purpose of authors sharing their work with the world? Couldn’t they just keep their books to themselves?
I know that everyone’s reading taste is different. What I might like, the next reader might not like and that’s why I don’t go by reviews, unless I see a review stating something that I don’t like reading about. I’ll skip the book.
“The big reason authors should avoid reviews is because they are (at the end of the day) opinions and not critical craft feedback. How many reviews are left by professional and impartial editors? The purpose of reviews is NOT to provide author feedback. An author should be using critique partners, beta readers, and an editor for feedback about story, craft etc before publication.”
A reader’s review can help an author. Things can be missed in a book or information can be wrong. An expert in a certain area will not be afraid to tell the author they are wrong in a review. That’s not an opinion. It’s a fact.
“There is no obligation on authors to read reviews, just as there is no obligation on readers to leave one.”
There’s also no obligation for a reader to rate a book. You can read a book, mark it as read and not rate it.
Jim wrote: "For whatever reason, the majority of avid readers choose to never post a rating or review. Those that do are merely expressing their personal, and therefore subjective, opinion. One reader's Best book ever! may very well be another reader's Worst book ever!"My belief that a author should read their good and bad reviews has nothing to do with how a one reader might feel about a book compared to another reader. Authors put their books out for readers to reader, so why shouldn’t they read what readers put out about their book? A read for a read. Why should a reader be a $?
Books can be marked as read without having a rating or review.
” Most well-established, legitimate literary experts and authors agree that, contrary to what many novice authors believe, sales drive reviews, not the other way around. Therefore, aspiring authors should focus upon striving to continuously improve upon their basic writing, narative, promotional, and marketing knowledge and skills rather than obsessing over ratings and reviews.”
Reviews or no reviews can stop sells.
” Very few novice authors ever achieve commercial success or even notoriety within this extremely competitive field. That said; some have. There is no reason why you might not eventually become one of them. I wish you success.
Thanks, but I don’t care to get published. Writing is my hobby. My hobby is free, so I like it free.
I read my reviews, but there are some caveats. I feel authors can learn things and make improvements in future books by reading reviews, so long as they develop a bit of a thick skin and recognize that sometimes a review is more about a reader's preferences than the quality of a work. It's important to pay more attention to averages than individual comments, yet not to overlook individual comments when they might have a point.Also, reviews are probably is less important as tools for improvement if you're an established author with an agent, a big publisher, and a wide following.
Two thoughts here.First, never respond to a review. Ever. No matter how stupid or wrong it is.
Second, use reviews only for publicity, pick the positive ones and quote them to support your book, and ignore the rest.
Christopher wrote: "Two thoughts here.First, never respond to a review. Ever. No matter how stupid or wrong it is.
Second, use reviews only for publicity, pick the positive ones and quote them to support your book, and ignore the rest. "
What would make a review stupid or wrong? If an author writes a review for a book, would it be stupid?
If a reader finds out that an author has quoted them to support their book, they might have words with that author.
There is no doubt in my mind that a reader's honest opinion should be read by an author. Authors should grow a skin like a rhinoceros and not feel bad about bad reviews, rather they should see them as a catalyst for improvement.
There is no doubt in my mind that a reader's honest opinion should be read by an author. Authors should grow a skin like a rhinoceros an not feel bad about bad reviews, rather they should see them as a catalyst for improvement.
Have to read them both... how you ever going to learn anything if you only read the ones that praise you?
M.C. wrote: "There is no doubt in my mind that a reader's honest opinion should be read by an author."Why?
I don’t write reviews for you. They are for me. Good ones so I know what books I really enjoyed and I want to grab the next book in a series. Or a reminder to avoid the stinkers, especially the self pubbed/vanity pubbed stuff with so many errors they are almost unreadable.
Lester wrote: "Have to read them both... how you ever going to learn anything….”Maybe use an editor? Or critique partners? You know, ways that legitimate authors hone their craft and develop as writers.
I’ve been a member of GR for 10 years now and I’ve seen dozens of threads like this. And here’s one thing I’ve learned….in 99% of cases those authors saying how important reviews are for feedback and how they HAVE to read them….rushed to publish without honing their book BEFORE it went live.
Those authors never worked with CPs, or editors. They didn’t query agents or try for a traditional deal. They didn’t seek critical feedback on their manuscript to improve the story to make it ready for sale. They simply threw something up on Amazon (or at a vanity press) then hover over the review space expecting readers to validate them, pat them on the head, and act as free developmental or copy editors.
The authors who tell great stories and sell books, are way too busy to read their reviews. Plus they know that’s a reader space, not an author space.
Mellie wrote: "The authors who tell great stories and sell books, are way too busy to read their reviews. Plus they know that’s a reader space, not an author space."This year makes 14 years that I have been on Goodreads.
Book sales doesn’t equal great storytellers. Which authors do you think are so busy to read their reviews?
Mellie wrote: "Maybe use an editor? Or critique partners? You know, ways that legitimate authors hone their craft..."While I get what you're saying, I'm in the 1% (assuming your stats are somewhat accurate) of writers who do take time over my writing, run it by beta readers, and listen to my editor, but I still like to look at the handful of reviews I'm getting, because hidden in there can be input that I might not get elsewhere. I'm not looking to start a discussion or get validation that I'm the world's greatest writer. I simply am interested in how actual readers are relating to and responding to my work. I also don't generally pull reader reviews for promotional purposes. (For that, I'd use comments from a book blogger or actual book reviewer.)
I'm not insisting that everyone needs to read their reviews. Some writers don't want to and some (largely those who can actually make a living at it) don't need to. For me at this point in my writing career, though, I find it helpful, and I think others can too, so long as they follow a few guidelines. It's simply one tool in a set of tools writers can use to improve their craft, and so long as they actually are improving their craft (and not driving themselves nuts in the process), what harm can there be in it?
What would make a review stupid or wrong? If an author writes a review for a book, would it be stupid?It happens every so often. Someone doesn't understand a plot point or what is happening in a book, or just hates the viewpoint presented, or doesn't read very carefully. You see it every so often with books that a reviewer doesn't review the quality or their thoughts, but rather goes off on some unreasonable or ignorant tangent.
If a reader finds out that an author has quoted them to support their book, they might have words with that author.
It is extremely normal and standard to use positive reviews for publicity or promotion of a book and movie. Some reviewers sort of count on that for their jobs.
Christopher wrote: "It happens every so often. Someone doesn't understand a plot point or what is happening in a book, or just hates the viewpoint presented, or doesn't read very carefully. You see it every so often with books that a reviewer doesn't review the quality or their thoughts, but rather goes off on some unreasonable or ignorant tangent."Are you talking about yourself?
” It is extremely normal and standard to use positive reviews for publicity or promotion of a book and movie. Some reviewers sort of count on that for their jobs.”
I wouldn’t want an author to quote my review, unless they have gotten my permission.
Some reviewers are just readers and some reviewers are writers, although they are not authors, they are still writers.A reviewer doesn’t have to be an editor, a beta reader or even a professional reader to pick up things about a story. A lot of reviewers drops facts in their review about a book.
Hi,I read my reviews, good and bad. It gives me a feel for what works with readers and what doesn't. The trick is - and it takes some learning - not to take them personally. They're reviewing your book not your ugly little baby!
And just the fact that you get a review means something in my view. Because it means that the book resonated in some way with the reader. They loved it or they hated it. If the book was just blah, neither love nor hate, a lot of people won't review it.
The thing I have noticed lately that bothers me a little is that I'm getting fewer reviews and more ratings. Not sure why.
Cheers, Greg.
The local Monterey newspaper published an article today about me and the Milan Thriller Series. https://www.montereyherald.com/2022/0...
Jack wrote: "The local Monterey newspaper published an article today about me and the Milan Thriller Series. https://www.montereyherald.com/2022/0..."
Congrats, Jack. But this isn't the right thread for this!
Not sure, but there's probably a self-promo section? Or you can create a thread.
Jack wrote: "Thanks Yasmine, where should I post?"Jack,
Click on the Home Page of this group (Goodreads Authors/Readers). You will see quite a few discussions specifically designated for authors to promote their work. There is a separate one for each unique genre. Just scroll down until you find the genre that best describes your book and post your promotion.
I think the problem with public reviews (as opposed to trade reviews) is that not enough reviewers make the distinction between what is good and bad (which requires some understanding of what constitutes good writing, the genre, publishing) versus likes and dislikes. There is a difference between "this book is bad" and "I didn't like this book." When I read reviews of any product, whether it's a book, a dog bed or a set of sheets, I concentrate on the reviewer's ability to clarify why it's good or bad, how well it lives up to it's promise, or premise, or where it falls short. "I just loved" or "I really hated" this book, or dog bed or set of sheets, is not useful to readers or to an author if the reviewer is not able to express the item's merits or shortcomings.
Osobně si myslím, že by autora mohlo posunout číst všechny recenze, když bude číst špatně bude vědět, co se čtenářům nelíbilo. Když bude číst pozitivní, tak ho to nakopne v psaní dalších knížek, ale určitě by měl číst oba tipy recenzí, i když je to těžké.
Not very long ago, only a few hundred thousand living writers world-wide could legitimately claim the title of published author. Writing and publishing were considered a profession and those involved, professionals. The same situation applied to book reviewers.The wide-spread availability of the personal computer and the internet changed all that. Now, literally millions may technically and legitimately refer to themsleves as a published author or reviewer..
The positive aspect pertaining to unregulated mass production of any product or related service is that it reduces the cost to the consumer. The negative aspect is that unregulated mass production often results in a significantly poorer quality product than when production was well regulated and required to meet at least minimum established standards.
Today, anyone can publish anything they write or post a review of anything written, whether or not they possess even the minimum knowledge and basic skillset required to produce something worth reading or judge the technical or artistic quality of something written.
J. wrote: "I think the problem with public reviews (as opposed to trade reviews) is that not enough reviewers make the distinction between what is good and bad (which requires some understanding of what constitutes good writing, the genre, publishing) versus likes and dislikes. There is a difference between "this book is bad" and "I didn't like this book." When I read reviews of any product, whether it's a book, a dog bed or a set of sheets, I concentrate on the reviewer's ability to clarify why it's good or bad, how well it lives up to it's promise, or premise, or where it falls short. "I just loved" or "I really hated" this book, or dog bed or set of sheets, is not useful to readers or to an author if the reviewer is not able to express the item's merits or shortcomings."A reviewer can always give the book a 1 star and let the star speak for them.
Jim wrote: "Today, anyone can publish anything they write or post a review of anything written, whether or not they possess even the minimum knowledge and basic skillset required to produce something worth reading or judge the technical or artistic quality of something written."So who is supposed to be the smart writer or reviewer?
Arch wrote: "Jim wrote: "Today, anyone can publish anything they write or post a review of anything written, whether or not they possess even the minimum knowledge and basic skillset required to produce somethi..."Professional authors understand that a review is merely a personal, and therefore, subjective opinion. Evaluations of any product varies, depending upon the source's knowledge, experience, and personal taste. Therefore, those authors focus upon striving to continuously improve upon their writing, narrative, marketing, and promotional knowledge and skills rather than aggressively soliciting or obsessing over reviews - good, bad, or indifferent, regardless of the source.
I personally have been an avid reader for more than 60 years and have read thousands of books. However, I only post a review (148 to-date) if a book impresses me enough, positively or negatively, to desire to share my personal opinion with other readers who may be curious about what others may think of a book they are considering reading or may have already read.
Literary courses, books, and periodicals all stress the same basic fact: sales drive reviews, not the other way around.
J. wrote: "I think the problem with public reviews (as opposed to trade reviews) is that not enough reviewers make the distinction between what is good and bad..."But again...reviews are not feedback for the author. They are reader opinions. If I DNF'd a book, I have no obligation to list out all the things wrong with the book that made me discard it.
Not to mention that reading is subjective. How I respond to a book will be different to how the next person engages with the same story. They aren't products that fulfill the exact same function for every person, or where you need to know the dog bed is too small for your boxer.
Jim wrote: "Literary courses, books, and periodicals all stress the same basic fact: sales drive reviews, not the other way around."If that was true, then how come so many sold books only gets rated and not reviewed?
Arch wrote: "Jim wrote: "Literary courses, books, and periodicals all stress the same basic fact: sales drive reviews, not the other way around."If that was true, then how come so many sold books only gets ra..."
For whatever reason, the vast majority of avid readers choose to never post a rating or review. Those who do, do so for fellow readers, not the author. Since ratings and/or reviews are subjective, they have very little impact upon which books avid readers choose to purchase.
Jim wrote: "For whatever reason, the vast majority of avid readers choose to never post a rating or review. Those who do, do so for fellow readers, not the author. Since ratings and/or reviews are subjective, they have very little impact upon which books avid readers choose to purchase."You can only speak for yourself, you can’t speak for other readers.
Arch wrote: "If that was true, then how come so many sold books only gets rated and not reviewed?"I don’t know what device you read on, but on a kindle when you reach the end of a book there is a pop up asking you to click a star rating. That’s why so many books are rated and not reviewed - especially if a reader has their Amazon and GR accounts linked :)
Mellie wrote: "I don’t know what device you read on, but on a kindle when you reach the end of a book there is a pop up asking you to click a star rating. That’s why so many books are rated and not reviewed - especially if a reader has their Amazon and GR accounts linked :) "You did not understand my question. Jim said that sales drives reviews and not the other way around.
A lot of books that have been sold were only given a rating by readers and not a review. So, I would say that sales doesn’t drive reviews. Now on the other hand, someone’s review can cause someone to go out and buy a book.
Should Authors Read Their Good And Bad Reviews?Yes, of course they should.
I only wish I had some reviews, good or bad, to read.
Actually, it was several bad reviews that made me buy, and read Fifty Shades of Grey. Only the first one. My curiosity wanted to know if it was really that bad. It was OK, I quite enjoyed it.
Arch wrote: "A lot of books that have been sold were only given a rating by readers and not a review. So, I would say that sales doesn’t drive reviews.”Gotcha. Jim is correct, reviews are a function of sales.
Authors can calculate the ratio of sales to reviews, since they have all the numbers. It used to be every 100 sales (or 1,000 free downloads) would result in 1 organic review. I’m sure that stat has now been skewed with Amazon counting those ratings left at the end of a kindle. Many readers now simply click the star rating as it’s easier than writing a review and quicker when on a device.
If a book is selling, an author doesn’t have to do anything to see reviews slowly (or quickly) roll in. There is a mistaken belief that reviews drive sales. People see lots of reviews on a book and think that is why it’s selling, but it is the other way around - there are lots of reviews because of high sales.
I’m not aware of any book with strong sales and no reviews. Conversely, I’ve seen loads of books with a heap of reviews (often garnered in ways that violate Amazon’s TOS) that only ever sell a handful of copies. There was one guy posting awhile ago who had something like 3,000 5-star reviews (all purchased by him) on his book, and no sales rank on Amazon. Meaning it had never sold a single copy. If reviews prompted sales, he should have been a New York Times bestseller! Lol
Mellie wrote: "Authors can calculate the ratio of sales to reviews, since they have all the numbers. It used to be every 100 sales (or 1,000 free downloads) would result in 1 organic review. I’m sure that stat has now been skewed with Amazon counting those ratings left at the end of a kindle. Many readers now simply click the star rating as it’s easier than writing a review and quicker when on a device."With my library card, I can download ebooks to my kindle. That’s not a book purchase. Kindle Unlimited allows a person to download books to their kindles. That’s not a purchase. Anyone can write a review to a book on Amazon. Their review doesn’t mean they bought the book.
On Goodreads, I can read a book and only mark it as being read on here without giving it a rating or review. I can write a review to a book without giving it a rating. I can rate a book without writing a review.
” I’m not aware of any book with strong sales and no reviews. Conversely, I’ve seen loads of books with a heap of reviews (often garnered in ways that violate Amazon’s TOS) that only ever sell a handful of copies. There was one guy posting awhile ago who had something like 3,000 5-star reviews (all purchased by him) on his book, and no sales rank on Amazon. Meaning it had never sold a single copy. If reviews prompted sales, he should have been a New York Times bestseller! Lol”
Are you aware of a book with high ratings, but low reviews? David Baldacci’s book The 6:20 Man is a best seller on Amazon. On Goodreads, the book has 10,084 ratings and only 693 reviews. If sales drives reviews, then surely David’s book The 6:20 Man should have thousands of reviews.
Amazon can only speak for Amazon. A lot of people don’t buy, review or rate their books on Amazon.
I believe all reviews should be read, good or bad.Yes, those bad reviews sure do get to you and take a lot to swallow. Some people, for whatever reason, just leave bad reviews! They're not always a reflection on your work.
Read them. Accept them. Move forward with your writing. Don't let the bad reviews dissuade you from writing. Keep doing what you love with a smile and focus on those good reviews.
Mellie wrote: "There was one guy posting awhile ago who had something like 3,000 5-star reviews (all purchased by him) on his book, and no sales rank on Amazon. Meaning it had never sold a single copy." This assertion sounds impossible! Organizing 3k 5-star reviews is a huge undertaking. Getting 3000 people to leave reviews, whether they are paid for or not, without a single verified sale is unlikely. If they were "purchased" reviews as you state, it would cost north of $15k. This money would have been better spent on other book promo options.
This thread inspired me to write an article for Medium publication The Writing Cooperative: "The Right Way to Read Your Reviews." I start off by tackling the question, "Should you read them in the first place?" and (for those who answer yes) continue to describe how you can get something useful from them. If you're interested, the story is at https://writingcooperative.com/the-ri....
Nice article, thanks for sharing. Good advice!
A.W. wrote: "Nice article, thanks for sharing. Good advice!"You're quite welcome, and thank you for reading it!
Can some people be down right ugly in their reviews, as in attacking the author? Yes. If an author comes across those kinds of reviews, don’t give your energy to the person. Keep moving.
If an author comes across negative reviews that’s talking about grammar errors or any other kind of errors, stop and consider what the reader is saying, because they can help you. Some authors rerelease a book down the road and a negative review can help them polish their book. I’ve read a book once, where the hero was one age at one point and later was another age. Editors can miss things too. I’m a writer, not an author and when I go back and read my work, I find things that needs to be corrected, such as leaving a word out of a sentence. (Side note:) Put a grammar book against books, you will find errors in all of them.
I don’t write a review for every book that I read, but a 4 star and 5 star book will get a review. If I feel that I have something to say about a book that I have given a low rating to, I will write a review. When I write a review, I write about the characters. I introduce the characters and start writing my likes or dislikes. Some of my reviews can be long.
An author is putting their book out there and their books will be judged. I’m not into reality shows, but even on judging shows, contestants have to face reviews.