Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

Since I have self-published books, I tend to remove a book from my goodreads book list if I don't enjoy it rather than leaving a negative review. What do you do? Do you ever leave reviews of fewer than four or five stars for other authors?

I will leave three stars. I only left one star one time.

It is a very tricky subject, especially when you are an author on the platform. I mean, if you leave a negative review to a fellow author, they might do the same for your books, whether or not they even read them. Then again only leaving positive reviews feels kind of odd to me. Sometimes a well-justified negative review may give the readers information on whether or not the book is for them so they aren't always all bad regarding the outcome.

Now, if the book isn't interesting to me personally or I find something offensive about it but it is perfectly fine as a book (I mean good characters, plot, minimal errors) but I just don't like it, I might just remove it and not give a rating or then I may give it a middle grade and explain why I can't personally give a higher rating but note all that is good about the book. I've only given maybe one or two very low ratings to some books but they are basically books from esteemed and established writers whose careers or sales aren't going to be threatened by one grumpy review.

I taught public speaking in college at one point in my life. It's a subject that brings fear to many, and I saw my role as offering encouragement, not overt criticism. I take that philosophy into the books I review. I would never give a 1 or a 2 since I would have long ago put the book down. I would also find it hard to give a 3 since it is not seen as "good" but as discouraging. What's the point of that? I don't see myself as a critic but as a supportive fellow author. If I finish a book, it gets a 4 or a 5. Writing a book is hard enough without being harshly judged by supposed experts.

I always leave a review. I think it is extremely important that new authors, especially indies, learn what works and what doesn't. Yes, we always need to keep in mind that each review is a personal opinion. But if we get the same sorts of personal opinions over and over, could there maybe be a problem? I want honest reviews. That's how we learn. And it only hurts for a little while. If we fix.
There is nothing wrong with a 3 saying good writing but not for me because... I read recently that some books with 5* rating raise a red flag with Amazon because they wonder if the reviews are bought which is against Amazon rules.

Thanks to all for the thoughtful comments!

As an author, I think you have to be careful about setting yourself up as an expert on the work of others.
If you use your author/pen name account to rate on Goodreads, Amazon, or Bookbub, you are setting yourself up for tit-for-tat criticism, not only from the author you gave a low rating to, but all their family, friends, and fans.

Even when I was rating everything I read, I only gave one star to book stuffers and plagiarists.

I now choose to mark a book as 'read' for my records, but I do rate books five stars that I think are exceptional.

I try to leave only positive reviews. I've only ever left one negative review that I can remember. I'm very selective about what I read in the first place, and rarely do I finish a book if I don't find it engaging in the first few chapters. If that's the case, then I don't review it at all, simply because it's not the writer's fault if I'm not into the book, that just means that it's not my taste. Someone else might find that it's exactly what they like. I might make a personal note on the side that's not public, in case I happen to come across the book again and forget that I don't like it. I like to keep the reviews positive because if I end up finding an author I love, then I want to show my support. However, I would leave a negative review if it's obvious that the writer needs improvement, and if that's the case, then I try to be constructive, not destructive.

I've been a member of writers groups and have been a judge in numerous screenplay competitions. Coming from that kind of background, I think it's important to frame any review with a positive take. Point out the positive elements regardless of how much you like or don't like it as a whole. Critical feedback is also important, but there are gentle ways to deliver it.

"Marcy is awful, and making her the main character was a big mistake," VS "I personally could not connect to Marcy. She does awful things, but her motivation for doing them felt vague..."

I think our writers group summary of how to deliver feedback works well for reviews as well: (1) Lead with the good, (2) break down the elements that didn't work for you and why, (3) NEVER attack or criticize the writer personally, (4) End on a positive note.

Hi Diane, I think those are excellent rules. It may be OK or even fun, to take a swipe at the million selling authors who are big enough to take it and will never see the review anyway. But I have seen indies work reviewed as if the person were talking about a cheap toaster from Amazon, completely forgetting that they are talking about and to a real person. It may be two years of someone's life they are shredding. Often, as has been pointed out by others in this thread, confusing fact with personal preference. In reviewing, as in life generally, it is important to be kind. I think your rules are fair and a good way to go.☺

Hey, thanks! As a writer, I try to encourage honest reviews of my own work. I think we have to prepare ourselves for the inevitable less than stellar reviews. Reminding ourselves that our favorite authors get them, helps when we get them too.

Another thing I've noticed with amazon is that a very famous book often receives low stars because the amazon re-seller sent a book with a torn cover, etc., that isn't the author's fault. So, I think even very famous authors can take some hits.

I never leave less than a 3-star review. No one sits down to write a bad book. You have to give the author something. (This from the editor of Mysterious Press, Ed Gorman.) It takes months and sometimes years to write a book, even a disappointing one. If its really poorly written I just don't review it and hope that writer stays with it and learns the craft. We all are new many times in our lives. If someone hadn't given us a chance we might never have reached our potential. Kindness is never wrong.

And yes, I've received one- and two-star reviews. One simply said "Meh."

Bravo, Diane. I couldn't agree more.

Leslie wrote: "Another thing I've noticed with amazon is that a very famous book often receives low stars because the amazon re-seller sent a book with a torn cover, etc., that isn't the author's fault. So, I thi..."
I have noticed that as well! Those reviews are frustrating to read because they have nothing to do with the authors!

G.G. wrote: "I never leave less than a 3-star review. No one sits down to write a bad book. You have to give the author something. (This from the editor of Mysterious Press, Ed Gorman.) It takes months and some..."
Completely agree! A book takes an enormous amount of work. I think that if someone does not like the book it is better not to leave a review at all.

I will rate/review across the star spectrum, but I reserve the low ratings for books I really dislike or are poorly written. The majority of the books I've read are rated 3 stars or above, with only 8% being less than that.

Tricia wrote: "Bravo, Diane. I couldn't agree more."

Thanks :)

Books, just like people, are a combination of good and bad characteristics. In reading a novel, how one views the author's work is quite subjective and often driven by our personal tastes. When I write a review, I tend to focus on what I enjoyed most about the book.
Story of a Stolen Girl

I have been lucky so far to be able to pick the books that I enjoy so my ratings are generally 3 and above but if I don't like a book I would share that feedback. I always leave a review on the books I am able to read. And also the fact that I only have 3 little books out with not many readers I can still share my feedback without hurting too many feelings.

This sort of conundrum is a main factor in while I stopped doing review swaps. I always asked for 100% honest feedback, good or bad. I know there's plenty I can learn from other people's perspectives, provided their reviews have something to work off of, maybe advice to learn from.
There were some indie books I genuinely liked, but there were some I really didn't like. I rate accordingly and expect others to rate based on their experience with my books. If it's low I give very detailed reasons why. I'm not an expert of my craft or anything like that. I'm sceptical when my books get five-star reviews. One of my favourite reviews I've received was a two-star with great criticisms I could use.
Most of them got very offended. One tried to tell me that indie author review swaps should automatically provide five-star reviews to help each other. If that were the case, then what would be the point? The only effect this seems to have is Amazon cracking down and deleting reviews they think are made out of obligation. I've lost several genuinely positive reviews (and a few that struck me as obligation reviews) because of this trend, so a lot of my books remain unrated.
So I stopped review-swapping altogether.
I don't think it's better to leave a book without a review if you dislike it. If you dislike, I think one should say they dislike, and say why. Otherwise the mediocrity will continue and the author never learns as they'll be stuck in an echo chamber telling them how great their poorly written, or poorly formatted, or poorly paced, or whichever novel or novella or short story is. I think that approach hurts them in the long run. My initial published stories are basically ultraviolent, ultra silly Tarantino/John Woo hybrid knockoffs, style over substance, with stupid dialogue, bad pacing, and too much violence. Without the negative yet constructive feedback I'd received throughout the years, I never would have improved my craft. And I think that's something we all strive for, in the end. Right?

I have posted 149 ratings & revews. (I never post a rating unless I include a review to explain my reasoning.)

To date: 5-Star: 25 - 4-Star: 48 - 3-Star: 65 - 2-Star: 8 - 1-Star: 3. (Average Rating: 3.54)

It is important to remember that a rating and review are merely personal, and therefore subjective, opinions. One reader's Best book ever! might very well be another reader's Worst book ever!, which is why most astute readers do not allow a rating or review to influence their decision to purchase a book one way or the other.

A book would have to be truly bad for me to give it a one or two stars, while I will give five stars only for truly excellent books I enjoyed a lot. My average rating right now is 3.57 but I must confess that I haven't rated or reviewed a book in quite a long time, as I am quite busy with my own writing. I don't believe in giving a five star for a good but average book. Unfortunately, too many readers tend to give 5 stars rather easily. As for reviews, I will write a review every time I rate a book, so that the author would know why I gave him that particular rating. After all, reviews are meant as much as a learning tool for authors as an indication to other readers about the quality of the book.

Just be honest and prudent in your review. It will help the author.

You can't like everything. I am honest in my reviews but lean towards constructive criticism rather than a slam on books I don't like. As a writer, I appreciate constructive criticism and try to pay that forward.

Yes, I normally do. Of course, there are many books I do not like but I simply do not read them till the end. That's why my reviews are almost always positive

To ignore the poor performance of any artist, including published authors, is a dis-service to both the creator of the work and potential consumers.

One has no incentive to learn and improve if one does not realize that they lack some essential skillset required to produce the best possible work which they are capable of producing.

criticism n 1 : the act of criticizing 2 : a judgement or review 3 : the art of judging works of literature or art.
(Source: Merriam-Webster English Dictionary)

No critic (professional or amateur) is infallible. Their opinion is personal, and therefore, subjective. One may agree or disagree with it.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
(Bernard Baruch: Financier/Statesman/Author --- 1870 - 1965)

No

I review for readers as well as authors and attempt to be as honest as possible from my point of view always. Sometimes this is difficult. Five stars is only for exceptional writing like Hemingway, Kingsolver or McCann. I don't repeat the plot when I review as that's always in the description. I focus on what I find admirable in the writing, character and story development. If I find something lacking I state what it is. I don't think so-called reviews should be allowed that merely state: "I liked it" or "I didn't like it" without saying why. I tend to shy from posting less than three star reviews unless there's a strong reason for doing so, i.e., a lesson to be learned.

Ciao Karen -
Please take a look at The Lonely Assassin, book 4 in the Milan Thriller Series you can find at all digital sites and my publisher's website, RedBrickPress.net. I'm looking for more reviews.
You can email me at [email protected].
Thanks for your interest!
Jack

I try to avoid negative reviews on independent authors, even if I'm not impressed. With people who are going through big publishers, I'll give a full review even if I don't care for it.

A published author is a published author, regardless of the method of publication. Therefore, all published authors should be treated the same by those avid readers who choose to occasionally post a rating and/or review on a literary website.

All too often, those whose writings are rife with technical errors, poor narration or inconsistency, do not realize it if a reader does not comment upon it. Negative criticism, presented in a professional and non-satiric manner, allows a writer to recognize areas in need of improvement and react accordingly.

An artist, business person, manager, or tradesman recognizes the logic in the saying: Good enough is not good enough!

I try to be honest in my reviews, but I'm usually compelled to write one if the book or short story has produced an impact. This tends to bias my ratings towards 4+ stars.

Ignat Wrote; I try to be honest in my reviews, but I'm usually compelled to write one if the book or short story has produced an impact. This tends to bias my ratings towards 4+ stars.
Fred Wrote; I liked this comment and wouldn't want someone to review my work unless they felt this way. Maybe +3 would be better. :-) Frankly, I would be willing to pay for a private comment from them for my own education instead of for a public review, even after paying good money for professional editing as I have. I am presently forming my opinion about reviews in order to promote my book and am tending toward the view of not paying for them until I have this situation clear in my mind. Any reviewing I have done has been unpaid and usually concerned research prior to publication. I did the reviews as part of my duty as a participant and not to earn money. In that situation, criticism is vital to the author and to science, and the author can change what he or she has written. No one would want a dishonest review. At least I wouldn't. But maybe people offering to do reviews of published work for money should turn something down if they don't see value in it and are willing to say so. There has to be some kind of balance struck here.

If your published book gets five one star reviews (not just ratings, though don't throw them on the dung pile) in a row that give specific and justified reasons for that one star, then the likelihood is you book needs to be reassessed.

In general genre readers go primarily for their favourite genre, which is likely where your readers are coming from. It doesn't matter if you're an author too - your view doesn't matter any more or less than readers who aren't authors (which are far greater in number).

Those five explicit reviews, even though they lack what your ego really wants, are probably going to be the most important reading you do for your work. They are far more likely to be general readers than other authors if they are organically received (i.e. not review swaps).

If you really want to help other authors then never shy away from your experience as a reader, because you both might learn something about the craft, and improve your chances of developing and selling more. And don't ever be afraid of taking on those comments, and republishing if you have to.

The edition 2 of Lord of the Rings I have has a preface by Tolkien explaining that his first edition had issues that were pointed out to him, that were corrected for the second release.

I think the entire community will be better served with honest reviews. I always go to the three star reviews first, since they tend to tell me both the positive and the negative about the book.

Jessica said; If your published book gets five one-star reviews (not just ratings, though don't throw them on the dung pile).
Fred says; I agree. I wouldn't throw a single one-star review out if it is made in public by someone who has read and/or bought my book. Hiring someone for promotional purposes, however, must be a different situation.
Arthur said: I think the entire community will be better served with honest reviews. I always go to the three star reviews first, since they tend to tell me both the positive and the negative about the book.
Fred said; Your point about honest reviews is right on. I always look at the 3's when buying something too. You can be darned sure that I will look carefully at the threes too, if I ever get a review. :-)

I wouldn’t continue to read a book if I didn’t like it enough to give it four or five stars. I also wouldn’t review a book that I hadn’t finished. Perhaps I’m just a coward!

Fred wrote: I will look carefully at the threes too, if I ever get a review. :-)

Have you written a book that hasn't been reviewed, or just not written the book yet?

Arthur wrote; Have you written a book that hasn't been reviewed, or just not written the book yet?
Fred wrote; I published my first book in September 2022 called "A Pathway to an Ending." It is a collection of short stories spanning a time period from 5 years of age to my 60s and 70s. It is like a memoir. The stories cover diverse experiences and jobs that I have had over the years and each will stand on its own. So, the category is a bit misleading. It is quite popular in our library system up here, but I haven't seen a review of it yet. Right now I am trying to figure out how Goodreads and the publishing world work. It is slow going. Other things keep popping up. :-)

Fred wrote: "Arthur wrote; Have you written a book that hasn't been reviewed, or just not written the book yet?
Fred wrote; I published my first book in September 2022 called "A Pathway to an Ending." It is a ..."

Fred,

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! might very well be another reader's Worst book ever! which is why most astute readers do not allow a rating or review to influence their purchasing choices one way or the other.

Whatever you do, don't aggresively solicit or offer any type of compensation (money, gift card, free book, recipricol review) in exchange for a review. If someone wishes to read your book, they will purchase a copy. If they wish to post a rating and/or review, they will. If they don't, they won't.

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.

Fred wrote: "Arthur wrote; Have you written a book that hasn't been reviewed, or just not written the book yet?
Fred wrote; I published my first book in September 2022 called "A Pathway to an Ending." It is a ..."

Have you claimed it as the author yet? Cause I don't see it on your profile.

Arthur wrote: "Fred wrote: "Arthur wrote; Have you written a book that hasn't been reviewed, or just not written the book yet?
Fred wrote; I published my first book in September 2022 called "A Pathway to an Endi..."
Arthur wrote: Have you claimed it as the author yet? Cause I don't see it on your profile.
Fred wrote; Guess what. That is one heck of a tip. Thank you Arthur.

Fred,

I notice that you have created the standard Goodreads Member Profile. As a published author you may wish to consider replacing it by creaing a Goodreads Author Profile It would more readily identify you to other memers as a published author.

I only leave positive reviews on books I like and say nothing when I don't enjoy them. It is nice to encourage someone when they've done a good job and honestly when I don't enjoy something I know that it probably just wasn't for me. This may be an unpopular opinion on a site like this but many of the negative reviews I see make the reviewer seem pathetic. They want to come off as an intellectual giving an insightful literary critique but in fact they sound like a sad, small person looking for ways to not enjoy entertainment.

Jim said;As a published author you may wish to consider replacing it by creaing a Goodreads Author Profile It would more readily identify you to other memers as a published author.

reply | flag

Fred said: Thank you Jim. I will look into this.

Fred Said; I will look into this.
Fred Said; I have submitted my application to list my book with Goodreads and for my Author Profile. We shall see what happens. I am looking forward to seeing opinions about my book.

Five-star reviews were designed for products, not books which should be classified as average 3-star, good 4-star, or exceptional 5-star. 1 and 2 stars are for defective products or false claims. Writing a book is an achievement in itself. One and two-star reviews say more about the reviewer than the author.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Polly and I'm a dog book author. I am looking for readers and reviewers for my latest book about Australian shepherds. I would love to receive comments and reviews about my book both here and on amazon where my book is published. I am also happy to receive questions related to the book directly here. How can I find reviewers for my books?

When you find out, please share