This great post by Stacia Kane (via Beth Revis) talks about the tricky line that writers walk when reviewing books.
My official policy on Ink Spells is that I do not review books so much as recommend them. Which means I only talk about books that I can enthusiastically endorse. I see this as a win-win situation: I can help a fellow writer promote their awesome work, and I can connect kids with great books, which is part of what Ink Spells is all about.
Sometimes, this means I turn down a publisher’s request for me to review their book, usually because the books are not appropriate for the “clean read” focus of Ink Spells for middle grade and Young Teens. But it also means that, as a writer, I never put myself in the position of having to say negative things (in public) about another writer’s work.* There are plenty of reviewers in the world, and as Stacia puts it, you have to decide at some point if you are a writer or a reviewer.
I am definitely a writer.
*Note: I am always completely honest in my critiques, although I try to be kind as well, because I think that is the best way to help my fellow writers.
She also makes a point about your diminishing ability to “speak freely” once you become published, because you have become a public figure, and you do not want your random thoughts to keep people from buying your book. I’m familiar with this phenomenon already, having held elected office for four years. It’s not so much that you can’t be yourself, as you need to be your best self: the one who is generous and giving and non-judgmental. We all have our weak moments, where we want to rant and rail against the injustices of the world, or simply be snarky because someone rubbed us the wrong way: save these moments for your mom, or your husband, or your best friend. Put your best face on for the public, so that they will not be distracted from the main issue, whether it’s your political stance or your fiction.
Some may disagree with Stacia’s position on reviewing books. I think we each have to find our way in this crazy thing called the blogosphere. While aspiring writers are told, everywhere they turn, that they must blog, FB, and twitter, to have any hope of ever selling their books, and reviewing books seems like a natural way to generate interesting content, in the end we have to remember what we are: writers. The writing community is one of the most supportive I’ve ever had the pleasure of being a part of. In recommending books, rather than reviewing therm, I’ve found a path where I can support my fellow writers as well.
What path have you chosen?
I think it's ok to review books but I also think you're right about being careful what you say. It's best to review something you can say good things about and I always note that my 'review' is really more of an opinion as tastes vary.
I completely agree. I NEVER talk about a book publicly unless I loved it. It's seems incredibly arrogant to me for an aspiring writer, or even a published one, to say negative things about someone else's work.
It's a tough question and it's not a tough question. If I really don't like a book I won't review it or put it on Goodreads. And I'll only blog about a book if I thought there was something to learn from it and it was awesome! So like you, I'm the writer.
@MS Being careful what you say is always a good idea! π Thanks for stopping by!
@Matt Considering how much of this is subjective, I have a really hard time saying negative things about any book, even in private. I usually say "it didn't work for me" or "it's not my thing, but you might like it." Because those things are true.
@Laura I love the breakdowns you've done of the last two books you talked about on your blog. Great for the author AND fellow writers. One thing I liked about Stacia's post was her emphasis on the business side. It's not personal, but it's hard enough to sell books – you don't want to make it any harder by dissuading people from buying them. π
I review books on my blog. However, I only review books I really like. If I didn't connect with the book I won't blog about it.
So interesting. I've actually been contemplating this subject for about 2 months now. I do review, selectively, but I'm considering branching off into the recommendation realm. I already do that to support an author and work I feel is worthy. It definitely is a thin line. Thanks for this post, Susan. You've got me thinking even more.
I review every book I read. I've had people tell me they appreciate my honesty about not liking a book and why. Before I was writing so much, I could be a bit mean with my reviews if I hated a book, but that was rare. I recently blogged about what made me change my approach.
http://onemadwomansonemillionwords.blogspot.com/2011/02/turning-over-new-leaf.html
I do think we have a responsibility as writers to support each other. And when I love a book, I'll promote it everywhere I can. When I don't like a book, I try to be honest, but kind about it. I always, always try to find something positive to say.
Maybe when I'm a more public figure, I'll have to be more discriminate with my reviews, but for now, I enjoy sharing my thoughts in whatever venue I can.
I am not an official book reviewer. I only review the very, very occasional book that I can totally get behind. Mostly, I blog about writing craft or news. I don't think, however, that one has to make a black and white choice between book reviewing and writing. If you look at the painting world, there have been a number of reviewers who create art. Perhaps, it's more a matter of focus. A person only has so much juice, and it does make sense for a writer to focus mainly on his or her own craft.
I have agreed to review a few books, and I keep my reviews honest, but I would never slam an author. As a writer, I have too much respect for other writers. I know how tough this industry is, and I think we need to help each other out, not knock each other down. Besides, while something in a book may not be my personal preference, someone else may love it. It's all subjective. I like to point out the positive things in the books I review. I may mention that I'm not generally a fan of X but those who are would enjoy it–something along those lines. But I don't consider that negative.
@Lisa Sounds like a good strategy! π
@Sheri I greatly appreciate all the support you give writers (including me!). It's a tough decision, especially when you read a lot and want to share.
@Queen That's the difficulty – if you're going to review, people want you to be honest. And YOU want to be honest. Really, honesty is best. Except when it might hurt your career, then you need to consider the impact. The reason I posted this was so that people would think about it and make the best choice for them. π
@Catherine Learning how to focus is key, and challenging, in this online world we have now. I agree 1000% with that. While I love to make analogies between writing and art, I'm not sure it holds for reviews. I don't think I've ever read an art review, although I imagine they hold weight the way book reviews do. I just don't see lots of non-artist people making art reviews -do they? Maybe artist show their expertise by reviewing? I honestly don't know.
@Kelly I don't consider the "I'm not usually a fan of X" to be a negative either. Although "I'm not usually a fan of X, but I really liked THIS X" is a pretty powerful endorsement. It is so very subjective – there are NYTimes Bestsellers that I have not enjoyed, but clearly many, many other people have.
OMGosh, I love this post! It addressed all the questions/concerns I've had in my mind about "…this crazy thing called the blogosphere." Well done!
Great post! You know, I really haven't done any book reviews on my blog and likely will avoid it. Unless, like you said, it's more of a positive recommendation for my readers. I guess I fear a lot of things – not living up to review expectations, hurting the feelings of the author, etc. Have a great weekend!
I agree with you. I only write about books that hit me in a positive way and try to say what it is that worked for me. I do mention if I think the book might not be right for some audiences and let the reader decide if it's for them or not.
There are so many good books that it's not that hard to find ones to rec.
I love to write about books, but it has to be a book that offers something of value. I'm not a reviewer. My only role is to point out the wonderful things being done by other writers. Not only can I learn from that but my followers can as well.
You are so wise my friend. Thanks for continuing to be thoughtful about the use of your time and your blog and encourage fellow writers! And thanks for encouraging us to do the same. This post only confirms my thoughts after our conversation the other night! You are awesome lady π
As a rule, I don't do book reviews, and not just because I'm usually reading something that no ones' ever heard of or cares to read a review on. I also think you are wise to be cautious about the nature of your posts…good food for thought…
I mostly have my kid do the book reviews.
@Darby So glad it helped! π
@Lindsay It is a tricky thing, to be sure. Have a great weekend!
@Tricia I think guidance about audience (and content!) is definitely appropriate, and no one minds that (at least no one has complained here on Ink Spells about it).
@Dawn I like the idea of pointing out what other writers do WELL – I need to do more of that. π
@Charity You are so sweet! Thank you for stopping by! π
@JB I often have stuff I'm reading that I can't review…namely all the teen books I read!
@LM I wish I could get my kids to review. For some reason they're not interested. π
I don't review books – but I have suggested a few books I've loved to my blog buddies. Can't imagine doing a negative review – not my style π
I review a few books, but if I don't like one I won't review it. I try to be honest, too, but I never, ever slam the author or the book. I am a writer first and know how a bad review hurts.
This is a great post.
Critiquing art is so subjective. I love the concept of recommendation vs. review. I'm going to have to side with Thumper's mom from Bambi, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."
@Jemi I agree, I would have a hard time doing a negative review, even if I had decided to go that route.
@Beverly Having a writer perspective on books, I think, can be a very interesting take! But not in a critique-the-writer sense, more of an isn't-this-an-interesting-craft-technique sense. I try to bring that to my recommendations as well.
@Lesli Thumper's mom was very wise. π
I guess writing for the paper has given me a different perspective on this topic. People *want* to know what others think about books, movies, TV shows, and they want HONEST answers. They want to gather opinions and be able to decide whose opinions align most closely with their own. I do the same thing–as a subscriber to EW, I know which reviewers tastes match mine and which don't. So when I review books, even as an aspiring novelist, I try to be fair and say whether I liked it or not and why in a very objective way.
And if I just absolutely HATED something (as in I couldn't find a SINGLE good thing to say), I probably won't review it at all. π <3
@LTM People who read reviews absolutely want your honest opinion – after all, that's why reviews exist in the first place. And I think the newspaper industry has high bar of objectivity they hold themselves to (generally speaking). Which is why I don't look at what I do as review, but rather as one friend recommending a book to another friend. I will often pick up a book based on a friend's recommendation over a reviewer that I don't know (if you had a reviewers whose tastes were close to yours, then that's different). With my friend, I may not like the same books that she does, but at least I know we have something in common, and that makes it worth a shot (in my mind). There are usually lots of reviews out of the books I recommend, so I figure people can dig into it further if they wish – mostly I'm trying to point out one that might be good for their kids! π
The only problem in all of this is the "aspiring novelist" part. Imagine an aspiring actor who had a blog that regularly reviewed movies, including criticizing ones that he didn't like, especially the acting or directing. Then imagine that actor trying to get a job in Hollywood. Unless Hollywood is more open minded than I think, I would suspect that person would have a tough time.
I just bring this up to make sure my fellow writers have given it some thought – like I said, we all need to find our own way through this! π
Thanks for the great comment!
Oh Wow! I really needed to read this. As a writer that aspires to be published, this put a whole different spin on my thinking. On my blog I don't review books, but I do frequently "analyze" them for writing technique. Which is, fortunately (I went back and re-read them all) 98% positive, but all it takes is for someone to remember one negative statement to be biased again reading any of my future books! And then when I think about people linking from my blog to my goodreads, where I do review books regularly – oh dear oh dear. I always use the sandwich method when reviewing books just like I do with critiquing, but there is still a RISK. So I'm spending this afternoon re-reading all my goodreads reviews too and deleting the negative parts. Yes, I would rather be an author than a reviewer! And yes I agree you have to choose between them!
@Margo I think "analyzing" is fine, especially if you're taking a bestseller and analyzing what they do right. And when I google myself, my Goodreads comes up really high on the list – which is what publishers/agents will do to check you out, when considering whether they want to do business with you. I'm glad this helped!