I've started reading and reviewing a lot of independently published books, to try and support struggling authors, and help them on their journey. But I have to admit, I'm finding writing reviews hard. I can quite understand why some people decide not to leave reviews, or simply to leave a rating.
If you're disappointed by a book, trying to give balanced feedback and explain why a book didn't get a higher rating can be difficult - especially when you know the author on social media and don't want to hurt their feelings.
It'd be great to give every book 5 stars and say they're all brilliant. It'd probably make you popular too, but that's not realistic. No way is every book going to be brilliant. And of course, everyone has a subjective opinion too. I try to be honest, but sometimes constructive critiques may come across as harsh. I have been known to go back and tone them down. Perhaps I need to do this first!
So what do you do when you feel you're reading a great first draft? It has lots of potential, but it's not ready for publication, depite the fact that the author evidently thought it was!
I don't like to give up on books - I want to give them a chance, so I do struggle through some books, try to form a balanced opinion, then leave my honest opinion in the reviews box. But do people really want balance? I get a sense that some authors just want praise.
It's hard to give helpful feedback on weaknesses without giving examples, and then it might sound pedantic and nit picking. But vague feedback isn't very helpful. It can't help writers improve.
Despite a few books that didn't work for me, I have discovered some gems - great memoirs, interesting reads, and I've made some good connections with the writing community on twitter. I do want to support authors and raise awareness of the best reads, but I want to be honest too.
I've spent the past 10 years working as a professional freelance writer, so I've honed my skills. But even then, I found some typos (since fixed) after I published my novel. I don't expect perfection from anyone else either.
But I do wonder if working in the publishing industry perhaps makes me more critical than a lay reader, who may not notice sloppy grammar. When an author doesn't have a basic grasp of punctuation, I notice. When an author switches from present tense to past tense and back again, in the same paragraph, I notice.
For me, sloppiness detracts from the story. BUT some independent authors do bother with the details and produce well written books. So I don't want to give up reading and reviewing.
Now, I appreciate that writing a book is hard. Almost all books have a few typos. I'm not looking for perfection, but I like a basic level of quality. I came across one book where the author only used full stops at the end of her paragraphs. All other sentences either ended with commas, or carried on without punctuation, as if she were writing a text. That was unusual!
As independent authors, we all want reviews, but I'm sympathetic with those who pass, and those readers who only review what they like, because writing reviews, especially balanced critiques, is hard! Saying that, they can also be the most helpful reviews, for readers and writers alike.
Some writers admit that the two star review they received gave them the kick up the butt they needed, and their work has improved a lot as a result.
I don't generally give lower than three stars. All books have some merit - some good points. I highlight both the good and the disappointing elements in my reviews. But sometimes I still feel bad about that. So should I give up reviewing, or only review my favourite reads? It's a tough one. But when I've spent 10 hours of my time reading something, perhaps struggling to get to the end (in some cases), I want to give my feedback. Is that wrong? I don't know.
Giving private feedback on typos is an option, but when one author has already been told in an Amazon review that his books need editing, and the feedback clearly hasn't been taken on board, is it fair to make a similar comment? And not feel bad about it?
Reviews are hard. Reviews are filled with dilemmas. I respect anyone who tries to review. It's an absolute minefield.
I feel your pain, Susie!
ReplyDeleteI went through a phase of reviewing every book I read on Good Reads but it got hard when I didn't get on well with a book (self or traditionally published). So I don't do it anymore.
Private feedback is an option as long as it is clearly constructive but could become time-consuming if the recipient wants to argue or asks for more detailed comments.
As a writer, I think I would prefer private considered feedback rather than a 1-star review - but it's a kind reader who would go to that trouble.
Yes, to be honest, I'm leaning towards reading more self-improvement stuff for a while, traditionally published. Guerilla Marketing to drive books sales, for a start. Something I can learn from and apply something useful.
DeleteI've enjoyed some self-pub memoirs, but struggled too. And the trouble is, when you get a sense that some writers simply don't care about quality, it puts you off the whole self-pub industry, and that's bad for those of us that do care! It's frustrating.
I have given feedback on some privately, if I've just spotted typos. I even offered to proof read a book I was interested in. I've since learnt my lesson. It wasn't ready for proof reading.
I've since discovered that Grammarly is great at spotting errors too, so I've recommend that a lot. It's less effort to suggest they run it through grammarly than noting down every typo and feeding it back to them!
But then I came across writers whose reviews already say they need proof reading, preferably editing, and the writer hasn't bothered. Even running it through grammarly would make a huge difference, but they obviously haven't. I assume they don't care. Ho hum.
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