I had to fight NOT to comment on a recent online discussion about book 
reviews and reviewers. Friend and novelist Gina Holmes recently posted on the subject. In Confessions of a Book Reviewer, Gina summarized what she’s learned as a published author and lamented “spiteful reviewers” who post reviews that are “anything but objective and balanced.”
Gina’s not the first author to deplore the mean-spirited, one-star, one-sentence, “hit piece” that passes for a review. It’s an increasingly common sentiment among Christian authors who feel our work is not getting a fair shake in the marketplace. It’s led to the conclusion not just that there are many “unprofessional” reviewers out there, but that some readers are flat-out biased against Christian books.
But as I followed the comment thread on Gina’s post, the more it made me wonder whether the Christian writing community is guilty of its own biases. One bias is expressed like this:
“I don’t review a book if I don’t like it.”
This statement is repeated often by Christian reviewers. My question is: Why? Why don’t Christian reviewers review books they don’t like? Here’s some of reasons typically offered:
- Book reviews are subjective, so if mine’s “bad,” I give the author the benefit of the doubt.
- If you can’t say something good, don’t say anything at all.
- A bad review may hurt an author’s sales, and you don’t want to jeopardize someone’s livelhood.
- Someone else will probably like it, so why ruin it for them.
- You’re not a fan of the genre, so you probably just didn’t “get it.”
- Art criticism is subjective.
- The publishing industry is a close-knit community and you don’t want to make enemies and burn bridges.
- We should encourage and support authors, not tear them down.
There’s some validity, I guess, to each of these points. Nevertheless, the position taken by many Christian reviewers — the one that treats fellow Christian authors with kid gloves — reveals a terminal bias that squelches honesty, hampers artistic growth, deeply over-sensitizes us to necessary criticism, and keeps us cloistered in a plastic, feel-good, pseudo-Christian, echo chamber.
Listen: The reviewer who writes a snide, malicious, one-sentence review is dismissed by most fair-minded readers.
So why worry about them?
In fact, the same “system” that allows reviewers to give us biased, mean-spirited, ungenerous, one-star reviews of our books, also allows reviewers to give us biased, gushing, uncritical, five-star reviews of our books.
Question: Why don’t we gripe about the syrupy five-star reviews as much as we do the vile one-star reviews?
Author Karen Witemeyer commented on Gina’s post,
I don’t read many reviews, but when I do, I get tired of the ones that only talk about how great the book is. That type of reviewer loses credibility with me. As a reader, I want an honest appraisal to know if I should spend my money on a book. If you always gush, how can I determine the difference between and okay book and a fabulous one?
Especially in the realm of Christian fiction, the line between influencer and reviewer can be blurred because we all want to be encouragers. (emphasis mine)
Bingo.
The reason we don’t review books we don’t like is that we’ve blurred the lines “between influencer and reviewer.” Christian reviewers primarily see themselves as Influencers, rather than objective critics.
This, my friends, reveals bias.
Understanding how we got here, I think, is terribly important. My experience as a pastor (for 11 years), a Christian (for almost 31 years), and a published author (2005-?), has led me to this conclusion:
Christian writers and readers often feel discriminated against by the secular world (see: biased, mean-spirited, one-star reviews). We also feel an inherent obligation to validate and further the influence of Christian books and authors. As a result, giving each other attaboys, applause, and five-star ratings, balances out the spite and bias, and (hopefully) bolsters our literary cred.
This is one reason why we don’t review books we don’t like: It doesn’t further our “Christian” agenda.
OK. So why should reviewers review books they don’t like? Here’s seven reasons:
If we don’t review books we don’t like, how in the world can anyone ever trust our reviews? We are no better than the emperor’s tailor gushing about his “invisible” clothes. Why trust his advice if he can’t admit when someone’s naked?
If we don’t review books we don’t like, we are forced to “like” books we really don’t. In other words, our commitment to “being positive” stunts our “critical thinking.” In the spirit of generosity, we sacrifice honesty.
If we don’t review books we don’t like, we do a disservice to discerning readers. Most readers approach reviews on the assumption that the truth will be told. Should I spend my hard earned money on this book? My trust is violated if you can’t trust me enough to make up my own mind.
If we don’t review books we don’t like, we do a disservice to growing authors. I have benefited from critiques of my first novel and believe they made my second novel even better. This wouldn’t have happened if everybody told me I was a literary genius.
If we don’t review books we don’t like, then being silent about a book IS A NEGATIVE REVIEW. If you espouse the “if you can’t say anything good, then don’t say anything” review policy, by not saying anything about a book you expose your real feelings.
A negative review can be done in a positive, constructive way. Perhaps the biggest misconception we have is that being critical of a book equates to being unloving. On the contrary, the Bible commands us to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4;15), not to “avoid the truth because it might hurt someone’s feelings.”
Self-criticism validates the Christian arts community. Just as “judgment should begin in the house of God” (I Pet. 4:17), Christian artists should be constantly striving for better, holding each other accountable for a higher standard. By avoiding negative reviews and winking at five-star puff pieces, we remove a necessary mechanism for legitimate ongoing growth.
While I don’t agree with many of the author’s conclusions, The Cult of the Amateur by Andrew Keen should be required reading for social mediates and reviewers. He writes,
The cult of the amateur has made it increasingly difficult to determine the difference between reader and writer, between artist and spin doctor, between art and advertisement, between amateur and expert. The result? The decline of the quality and reliability of the information we receive, thereby distorting, if not outrightly corrupting, our national civic conversation.
I believe Christian reviewers have fallen into this trap, blurred the lines “between artist and spin doctor, between art and advertisement.”As a result, there’s been a “decline of the quality and reliability of the [reviews] we receive.”
By choosing to review only the books we like, we reveal our own biases and make ourselves out to be little more than spin doctors.
Interesting piece Mike. I wonder if you’ll feel differently once you start receiving these completely honest reviews. I, for one, could go back and give you a public critique of what I didn’t like about your novel. I didn’t do that because A. I know it’s subjective. B. I know it will hurt your sales and C. given time and success, you’ll get more of those than you can stand. If you don’t believe me, have your book offered as a free download for a couple weeks and then send a couple dozen review copies to reviewers who lay it all out there and challenge them to be completely honest even if it means a one star review.
Are you heckling me, Gina? ; – )
I’m actually looking forward to it, believe it or not. Remember, I spent 11 years preaching. In order to survive, preachers must endure a lot of unfair criticism. Spurgeon said (paraphrased), “The people who harshly criticize us are usually as wrong as those who indiscriminately praise us.” Translation: Most 5-star reviews are as wrong as the 1-star reviews. As I said above, “The reviewer who writes a snide, malicious, one-sentence review is dismissed by most fair-minded readers.” I really believe that. Biased one-star reviews are usually smelled out… except by those who share their bias. Sure, tough critiques of our novels can be painful. But in the long run, I think that kind of toughness is better for authors, reviewers, and the Christian arts community in general. thanks for commenting, Gina!
I gave Mike’s first book an honest, critical (as in analytical) review and a 3-star rating. Based on that review 3 people who read me were interested enough to buy it.
And, you can see, he hasnt dissolved into a puddle of weepy goo.
Honest reviews serve authors better than empty praise.
Karen’s quote: “As a reader, I want an honest appraisal to know if I should spend my money on a book.” reveals exactly the problem. From the time I read my first book review at whatever age that was, I understood reviews to be a service done FOR the potential buyers.
Unfortunately, that has been turned around in many cases to an “it’s all about me!” (author) set up in a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” environment.
Every single time this review subject comes up in a thread, there are few if any comments whose main goal is the welfare of the potential buyer.
BK, I’m not sure I totally understand your point. How else can a review “be a service done FOR the potential buyers” without being unbiased or objective?
Unbiased and objective means the person writing the review is doing it with the potential buyer in mind. But as I said, if you look at the comments each time this review topic comes up, the emphasis people are placing is on the AUTHORS and not the potential buyers. There’s a whole world of difference.
So maybe I’m not understanding what you are saying. 😎
Well… I agree with you that “Unbiased and objective means the person writing the review is doing it with the potential buyer in mind.” However, I’m not sure I understand what you mean that “each time this review topic comes up, the emphasis… is on the AUTHORS.”
Gotcha. My point is: To review/give bad review discussions always revolve around the well being of the author who wrote the book. Not with the end game in mind–the reader who might buy said book. So if all a reviewer is thinking about as they compose a review is the author of said book, they’ve already lost focus.
Yes, that’s a good point. It does seem that many reviews are written to endorse authors or pave one’s way into the writing community, rather than help readers understand a book’s genre, theme, pacing, strengths and weaknesses.
“If we don’t review books we don’t like, then being silent about a book IS A NEGATIVE REVIEW.”
Brilliant! Maybe honesty is still the best policy.
What does it say if we don’t review books at all? Every once in a while, I LOVE a book and I may gush about it on my Facebook status or write a blog post about it. I do this if I am moved by a movie or find a new gadget I like. If an author sees me “sharing excitement” on my blog and asks me to post it on Amazon, I’ll usually do it. I may even do it of my own accord, just because I like to share excitement.
I’m also one of those people who uses the Amazon “star” system in a literal way. Three stars means “It’s okay”. On Goodreads, a 3-star means “I liked it”. Yet I know authors who think a three star rating anywhere is negative! Personally, I do not think that forgoing comment on books that didn’t excite me equates to giving them negative reviews any more that pronouncing a book merely “okay” is being negative. To me, “okay” is just that. If someone asks, “How are you doing?” and I say, “Okay”, nobody thinks I need to see a doctor.
I dabbled in reviews for a while, mainly because I thought that as a published author, it was expected of me, but I decided that I do not want that “job”. And being a real book reviewer *IS* a job. When I was in a review alliance, too many times I got saddled with books I didn’t really want to read and then wished I could have left unfinished. If I finished, very often I couldn’t put my finger on WHY I was bored with the book. It just didn’t capture my imagination and make me care. I’m not sure that’s a flaw an author can fix.
Perhaps I am taking the generic “you” in Mike’s title too personally. I don’t consider myself a book reviewer anymore, not that I was ever a professional one. I never amassed a following of like-minded readers hanging on my every opinion. I don’t think most people care whether or not little ol’ me likes, dislikes, or feels indifferent about a book. If I don’t like a book, I don’t feel any obligation to share my negativity with the world. If silence is by default the equivalent to a negative review, then I don’t need to waste my time trying to figure out WHY and being tactful in expressing it, do I? Silence saves me time and trouble. People may assume what they wish about my silence and I’m fine with that.
“Personally, I do not think that forgoing comment on books that didn’t excite me equates to giving them negative reviews.”
Of course not. I’m thinking of this in terms of bloggers who consider themselves reviewers. If someone regularly reviews books and ascribes to the aforementioned policy — “I only review books I like” — then the absence of certain reviews could indeed be a “thumbs down.”
In Art school, I had a great professor who taught us to look at other people’s work and say what you like. Then you can mention what could be different. There’s always something to like, if it’s one single character or a description.
On the New York Institute of Photography forum, we deal with this a lot. A brand new photographer puts out a photo and many of us think, “How do I say this?” Some ignore the post which hurts the photographer. I always try and find something even if it’s “The greens in this photo really pop.” : )
You’re right if someone is reviewing books and excludes some, that’s hurtful and unprofessional.
For the star rating, my perspective comes from being given high level awards from high level people in business. It’s great at the moment. I noticed the VP gets applause for doing this. And after receiving an award it’s quickly forgotten. So five star ratings to me, can be overused and lose their value. I want to be one who gives them when I really mean it. Truly a 5 star book is the Bible. In this market a 3 star is a really good book, 4 star stands out above others, and 2 is a good book that could be better. A new author should be shown grace, especially if they’ve self-published.
Mike you have a gift for making people think, these discussions always give me new insights and help me think it through. Thanks! (Oh I’ll definitely let you know what I think of your book, I’m excited to read it.)
Ha! Thanks, Karen. My youngest daughter just received her degree in photojournalism. She told me about a visit they had from an alum who went big time and shoots for some ritzy mag now. He came in, perused the student’s pieces, and just hammered everyone. She took it well. Why? I am very hard on my daughter, not because I think she’s not good, but because the art world can be very hard. I just wonder that if we Christians would be harder on each other, we’d be less worried about bonebrains that give unfair criticism. Thanks for participating in the discussion!
Mike,
This gives me a lot to think about — as I am not a published author yet, but I want to be a good team player in the Christian book community. As I meet more authors who are a few steps ahead of me, I’d rather be quiet, I think. Recently, I received free books from an author to read. There was no obligation to review them, just be an influencer. Honestly, I thought the plot was trite and the prose was weak. I didn’t get past the first chapter. I didn’t think that an honest review would do anybody any good, so I opted to interview the author instead, that I way I can help without hurting feelings. (Maybe I have deep confrontation issues?)
That can only go so far. And someday an author will blow my cover. So, maybe the solution is a industry wide change of thought about this? Can the ACFW have a course about helping each other through critical discussion? Can we teach each other how to be kind yet constructive? For example, saying three positive things (The author had a distinct setting, vivid description and believable characters) and one I wish statement. (I wish the author had chose to put the characters in more difficult, nail biting situations.) We’re creative writers, for goodness sake! Can we work at doing both well? I’m afraid we might nice ourselves out of the little hard-fought credibility we have as Christian writers.
Congrats Gina! That was a very honest and sincere comment. It took courage and I admire that. Honestly, I see the 5 star reviews and think… “well that’s either a relative or friend.” Then look for the reviews that are between 4 and 2. Someone who rates anything as a 1 probably forgot to eat breakfast or just doesn’t understand the content. The ones that rate 5 are probably just wanting to be extremely kind. I got your book David, “Resurrection,” for my Kindle (still reading another book). Now after reading this I’ll have to be honest… rats! I like being a cheerleader better. But you’re right- no one wants to walk around with something in their nose and not be told. I think you’re right David, we do want to do great work. The only way to get there is to understand what others see in our work. And Gina- I’ll get to your books soon too. I’m meeting so many authors online- it’s awesome! If I published though I’d be leery of any 5’s or 1’s (err when I publish).
Karen, in the spirit of honesty, my name’s Mike, not David. 🙂 Thanks for buying my book, though. I’d love to know what you think about it.
Oy! I don’t know what I was thinking of on that one! I’m sorry… blush. I must’ve had my list of blogs to visit in my mind and got lost…
My oh my, this struck a chord with me, Mike. I am guilty as charged. The reason I quit writing negative reviews was the ‘trying not to make enemies’ reason in your list. I must say, however, how disgusted I am when I read gushing five star reviews of a book that I have also read and deemed unworthy. The bias is so clear that it certainly has ruined that reviewers credibility. Its pretty much made me suspicious of reviews in general unless there are A LOT of them.
On the other side of the coin, as an author, I have received three star reviews which I thought were very fair and in fact, I think it might even add to my credibility since they actually mention reasons like ‘too much christian content’ etc. I’ve never had less than a three so I still have to weather that blow …
The few times when I have written a less than three star review I felt it was necessary as a ‘reader beware’. The book was so poorly written but was getting all these five star ratings so I just had to throw my hat into the the ring.
I may rethink my practices after reading this discussion. The problem lies in separating the author hat from the reviewer hat. As an author trying to build my platform I don’t want to make enemies and, frankly, I’m looking for others who will be willing to review my work. The main reason I started writing reviews in the first place was for this purpose. Its still a bit of a conundrum …
Thanks for this Tracy. That’s what I think too. Even readers deserve to know what’s good and not in a book. “Mike” (got your name right! hahaha) had a great discussion going on if we should tell people our books are Christian or not. I wonder if reader expectations cause some of the low reviews. I’d be thrilled to publish and get all 5 star reviews, but deep down I’d question it. And it would bug me.
Spinach in the teeth is an interesting comparison but most of us would take the person to the side and whisper in their ear, “you have spinach in your teeth” not broadcast it to thousands. Once the book is published, it’s published. It’s not like an author can read what you wrote and do anything about it. I used to think that my reviews helped authors grow and improve on the next one, but now I realize it doesn’t work that way. I have yet to learn anything helpful from a review. The good ones don’t puff me up, the bad ones don’t change the way I write.
And the spinach isn’t quite right either as reviews are subjective. It’s more like someone screaming in a crowd that a shade of lipstick looks hideous on you when that’s really just their opinion. Others are screaming that you look great… hey and some of them might actually mean it.
And since reviews are opinions, it’s important to remember that too. So instead of “Suckiest book ever” we might say I enjoyed this but didn’t enjoy this. This book might appeal to fans of… ” The one, star, two star thing is not the greatest system. And as far as five star reviews go, I don’t think five stars should never be given or reserved for the Bible and Pulitzer worthy titles. I don’t see 5 star reviews as “this book is perfect”, but rather “I enjoyed this one a lot”. Four stars, I enjoyed it but it might have been a little better. 3- it was decent. 2. not the worst book I ever read, but not great, and one start reserved for books that we absolutely hated. Just my opinion though.
Just curious, Mike, are you reviewing books you hate?
I think it’s wise to leave that to reviewers who either aren’t authors or don’t have aspirations to be. It’s a conflict of interest (as in really not in your best interest to be brutally honest) and the person you slam today could be someone in the industry you need tomorrow. We don’t see Third Day reviewing Jars of Clay CDs. The saying don’t sh** where you eat comes to mind. I realize my perspective seems self-serving and is going to be unpopular, but I’m being honest.
Most people who aren’t going to agree are those who either aren’t yet published or haven’t earned their fair share of negative reviews.
My opinion has changed greatly being on the other side of the fence. Until my book was downloaded for free by 80k kindle readers, I welcomed the negative reviews–because I didn’t have any yet.
Now, I greatly welcome anyone who didn’t enjoy my book to give me what you suggest is a “negative review” by not reviewing me at all. Negative reviews hurt sales. All I can say is what someone said to me when I wrote that original piece you referenced (before the update)…”you’ll see.”
Gina I had these same thoughts before I came back to see what people wrote. You’re right after a book is published isn’t the time to professionally make improvement suggestions on a public forum. What I’m getting from this is when we publish we need to be prepared for the sarcastic crowd who’s rarely pleased. I do have a question for anyone who’s published including Gina or Mike. Where is the appropriate place to write a review? For those of you I’m getting to know- I’d want to write all 5 star ratings so your books sell on Amazon. Do you guys have review blogs or slots where we can share our loves and disappointments (if there are any)?
@ Gina — You asked, “Just curious, Mike, are you reviewing books you hate?”
I rarely review books, and when I do, I don’t review them to “hate” them. I try to practice what I preach and be honest, point out strengths and weaknesses of a novel. I recently reviewed The Skin Map, Redeeming Love, and Hereafter (the film), which will give you an idea of my review style. I also discussed a recent three-star review I received and why i thought it was really good in Can a Three-Star review Be Good? But between writing, blogging and working, I really don’t have time to do many reviews. Nor would I choose to if I had the time.
Interestingly enough, I don’t think you or any of the other commenters are speaking to my main point, that the approach to not review books we don’t like reveals our own bias. thanks for commenting, Gina!
My approach is simply not to write reviews because reviewers who want to be published authors are damned if they do, damned if they don’t. What do authors expect, anyway? Once they publish, they become public figures. They wanted their words in the limelight for the entire world to analyze–they asked for it. They should expect the full array from criticism to gushing if their books are worth anything. And they come across as annoying nobodies when they disparage their reviews. Do multi-published, best-selling authors complain about one-star slams? I doubt it. Why should they? They’re too successful to care. If authors want to be more successful, they need to do the job themselves by writing more engaging books or marketing themselves better. Why should they expect reviewers to do their job for them? Okay, my rant is over. I’m mostly annoyed with authors who complain about “unfair” bad reviews. But Mike, what your doing is putting some of us in an awful position by conversely complaining about enthusiastic reviews. Some people in your writing life are going to be influencers and encouragers, and you’re going to have to accept that.
Jill, are you always so intense? Realistically, I’m probably swinging the pendulum too far the opposite direction. I’ve heard that more driver’s are killed by over-correcting a swerve than just about anything. I hope this isn’t a case of over-correcting. There are many books, movies, and films I love and could be accused of being a shill for. I suppose that’s the price we pay for loving something. But reviewers who see themselves primarily as Influencers inevitable cross a line and have a conflict of interests. I guess it’s an issue of being encouraging and still being able to write honestly about a book’s perceived short-comings without feeling like the bad guy.
BTW, I like your new blog look and am looking forward to you getting back into the swing of things.
Um, yeah, most of the time I’m intense, but I’m also not very sensitive to criticism, etc., and don’t get my feeling hurt easily. So that’s the balance. Thanks for visiting my site. I’m excited to start a new year.
We INTJs are really misunderstood.
Katherine, you forgot brilliant. We’re brilliant, but misunderstood. 😉
I like your new blog, too, Jill, looking forward to reading over it when I get some free time. Also, I want to know how you manage to have a photo pop up with your comments here! I cannot seem to get mine plugged in.
(Never mind, I’m trying to Gravatar myself as we speak. I will catch on to technology sooner or later.)
I just thought it went without saying, Jill. 🙂
Oh and Jill you definitely have a point. More than one actually. I think most writers, serious writers, welcome fair feedback. I’m fine if I get a bad review and the person is just being honest without attacking. LJ, RT, and BookList all gave my sophomore novel Dry as Rain favorable reviews. PW did not. It stung, sure, it hurt my sales I have no doubt, but it was fair. The reviewer didn’t just point out what they thought didn’t work, but also what they thought that did. That’s balanced and professional.
What authors, or maybe I’ll just speak for myself, take issue with is opinions that read as fact. Or reviewers who aren’t really reviewing your book so much as your faith or view on life or just you personally. A one star review is basically saying, you can’t string two words together you hack. And most of my one star reviews mentioned my faith or the faith presented in my book.
Also I strongly suspect that author reviewers who are so adamant about thinking CBA reviewers need to be tougher are benefitting from those of us who choose to be kind. I’m one heck of a tough reader to please. There are plenty of books I could have honestly given a 2 or 3 star review to and those authors will never know the kindness I showed them by not doing so. And I’m sure I’m benefitting from the same.
And I’d agree that authors shouldn’t bicker with their reviewers. It only makes us look bad. (I went there once with a fellow novelist.) It’s so tempting sometimes. When you get a review that says, “I didn’t pay for this and I paid too much, but I didn’t really read it. I saw Jesus mentioned and that was enough.” How do you not want to say, “I give your review one star and even though I didn’t pay to read it, I paid too much.” Childish, sure, we don’t do that, (hopefully), but I’m guessing most of us want to.
And yes, big time authors do care about their reviews. Read Tess Gerritsen’s blog sometime.
I’m lucky because Crossing Oceans won so many awards. That takes the sting out of the peppering of ‘this author is a piece of crap’ reviews. Not every author has that validation and I feel for them. Artists, even very successful ones have a love/hate relationship with critics. Yes, writers put their stuff out there for all to see but can you imagine being a ballerina in the nutcracker, working your butt off day in and day out your entire life and then giving what you feel is a great performance and then having the audience clapping except for three people standing up booing you and screaming that you suck? That’s kind of how it feel. With the internet, everyone is a published critic and that’s harder to deal with than you think it will be.
Fair and honest is great. Anyone can review a book. Not everyone who does is a reviewer. That honorable title should be reserved for a special, objective, group of book critics.
Karen– are you saying you’re going to rate all books 5 stars regardless of whether you read them or liked them? I don’t think anyone (I hope) is asking you to do that. What Mike is saying, is give honest reviews, and that’s what I’m saying too but I’d add caution to what he’s saying for author and author to be’s for your own benefit. I hope I write well enough to earn my positive reviews the good old fashioned way. If I don’t, I need to find another profession.
Thanks for asking- no I’m not saying I’d write 5 star reviews just because… However a nervous friend of mine just published his first novel- The Dancing Priest. So I had to read his first. He was afraid to publish. I’d like to give everyone 5 stars so books will sell. But it does go back to Mike’s original point, I don’t need to point out all the spinach in the book. But I should be honest. It’s ok to give 5 or 4 stars and still describe what I loved and didn’t love. I’d be horrified if someone commented on my portfolio site, that a photo was completely wrong. I love hearing other photographers share good and new things to try on my photo blog.
When I write my first novel, I’ll go through the critique and review process you have set up. That’s where I’d want the brutal honesty. For my friend Glynn Young, I’ve only read 8 chapters and it’s so well written. I want to savor and experience each chapter. If I honestly don’t find anything off, I’ll give him the 5 stars and explain why. But I honestly would love to give all my friends 5 stars : )
I read another new author’s book and it was gripping. Very well written, good imagery, the story and message were right on. It’s her first book and I think she got excited to finish because the end is basically a summary of good things that happened next. Do I write that in a review? Something like, “I would have enjoyed more detail and storytelling in the end.”
Gina, congrats on the awards. Maybe I should give your books a try.
This is why I, contrary to popular advice, 1) review books under my author name and 2) am willing to give bad reviews.
I mainly hesitate to leave a public review when I’m giving solicited feedback to a self-published author who has no reviews. If there’s a basic problem that could be easily fixed, I’ll pause and privately alert the author, giving them an opportunity to correct the problem(s) before I post my review, or to say they aren’t worried about it, in which case I’ll just post the review.
Some authors don’t mind a few typos or wrong words, because it’s easy to find bestselling traditionally published authors with such problems. Others freak out and panic at the very idea. I tend to find fewer proofreading/copyediting errors in some of my favorite self-published authors than I do in some of my favorite traditionally published authors.
Personally, I see it as appealing to different audiences.
Mike, a 3 star review is a decent review. I noticed you don’t have any one stars yet. Hang in there buddy. ha. When they come, and if you step outside the CBA readership, they surely will, go find your favorite book on Amazon and read its one star reviews. It will make you feel better and put it into perspective. I read the reviews you’ve written. And that’s how to do it. That’s a book review in the professional sense–what I liked, what I didn’t. It does seem however, you are challenging reviewers to write reviews when they don’t like a book but I can’t help but notice you’re not dishing out a bunch of 1 or 2 star reviews–or any for that matter. That’s how some might read your article. I think plenty of reviewers are already doing what you suggest, finding balance, at least on my books. I think to suggest most are just gushing about bad books isn’t fair or true. Some will write a positive review just because it’s “Christian”, just as some will slam a book just because it’s got a faith message.
In the end, I think and hope we all agree honest reviews are a good thing. We might disagree on whether a peer should write a negative review of another novelist’s work. It seems you already know this isn’t wise or else you’d be doing it yourself.
Gina, you’re assuming that some one-star reviews will change my perspective on this. As I’ve said, most one-star reviews — especially those that seem intent to slam Christian content — are obviously worthless. So why worry about them? There’s so many more factors to a book’s success than whether Billy Bob from Podunk thinks it’s the worst thing ever written. Who cares?
And once again, my point here is that the approach to NOT review books we don’t like — which many Christian reviewers adopt — reveals our own bias. It’s hard to accuse other reviewers of bias when we espouse our own.
I completely, 100% agree with Gina’s thoughts on this matter. So I’ll just say, Amen, Gina! My book isn’t even officially out yet, and my mind is already changing about writing negative reviews. This is a business. Writing is a career. And writing bad reviews about people in the industry isn’t smart business.
I don’t think reviewing only books we like reveals a bias. It just reveals what books we do like. I guess I don’t understand what you mean by bias here….
Also….there is a sticky issue, and that’s in agreeing to be an influencer. When we agree to be somebody’s influencer, we are agreeing to help them promote their book and spread the word. So to me, if I don’t like the book I’ve agreed to influence, I stay quiet. Because a bad review, or even a luke-warm review, is not going to help them with sales.
Katie, I’m pretty sure you think I’m in a pain in the rear, don’t you?
You wrote: “I don’t think reviewing only books we like reveals a bias. It just reveals what books we do like. I guess I don’t understand what you mean by bias here….”
By “bias,” I am speaking to the Christian writing / reading community’s penchant to not be critical reviewers, but to only give “positive” reviews. I happen to believe this is a reaction to negative bias in the secular marketplace and creates an unhealthy environment for our artistic community.
Really, I’m not THAT bad of a guy…
Ha, ha! I don’t think you’re a bad guy! I do think you like to stir the pot just for the sake of stirring the pot. Not in this post….but in others. 😉
Oh, also…you say you give a “bad” review to Redeeming Love. But that’s such a safe book to review. Because at this point in her career, Francine’s reviews (especially of a book as popular as Redeeming Love) aren’t going to affect her sales. But a debut author who doesn’t get many reviews? A negative, one or two start review, will probably influence that person’s sales.
Katie, I don’t think I gave a bad review to Redeeming Love. Furthermore, I agreed to review it because I’m often viewed as down on Christian romance (see THIS post), not because I see myself as a reviewer. There are some very strong qualities to the book, which I said. Furthermore, why am I obligated to worry over whether my reviews are going to negatively affect a debut author’s sales? Do you worry about how your comments or opinions affect mine? Listen, I’m not out to damage anyone’s sales. But if we are reviewers, aren’t we obligated more to the reader than the writer?
My bad. I totally misspoke….err…mistyped. No, your review of Redeeming Love wasn’t bad at all. It was honest and fair. I remember reading it and maybe even commenting on it. I still think, btw, that you should read The Mark of the Lion trilogy, which I think is better and stronger than Redeeming Love…but I digress.
What I was trying to say is that in one of your comments back to Gina above, you bring up Redeeming Love as one of your honest reviews. Which it totally is. You point out the strengths and the weaknesses. I’m just pointing out that that’s a safe book to honestly review. There’s no risk on your part, because the chances of Francine Rivers reading your review and/or caring about your review is slim to none.
But let’s say I read a book by an author that I not only am friends with through the writing community, but an author who is hoping for good reviews to help boost sales, and I honestly don’t like the book….how is me writing an honest review, as opposed to just staying quiet, going to be good for my career?
I know we’re totally getting off topic of your original intent…however, the title of your post is Why You Should Review Books You Don’t Like. And since the majority of your readers (I’m assuming) are probably writers, I don’t think this is good advice. I don’t think it’s in a writers best interest to review books they sincerely don’t like.
I read a book recently that I seriously did not like. I thought the writing was bad. The story weak. I wasn’t going to put that up on Goodreads or Amazon. One, I didn’t want to hurt the author’s feelings. And two, I don’t want to burn bridges in an industry that is smaller than we like to think.
You wrote: But if we are reviewers, aren’t we obligated moer tot he reader than the writer?
Yes, for sure! But I’m willing to bet most of your readers are writers, not strictly reviewers. So the title of your post should say “Why Reviewers Should Review Books They Don’t Like” Not why “You”, because that implies writers should be reviewing books they don’t like and I don’t think that’s good advice.
Katie, I appreciate your comments. Really. I was wondering, are you planning on attending this year’s ACFW conference? I’m thinking about going and would love to give you the chance to sock me in person. Seriously, I appreciate the dialogue. Blessings to you this new year!
I promise if I do, I won’t sock you in the face. I might give you a playful punch to the bicep. Blessings to you, too!
Katie, I went back and re-read this comment. You wrote, “..since the majority of your readers (I’m assuming) are probably writers, I don’t think this is good advice. I don’t think it’s in a writers best interest to review books they sincerely don’t like.”
I think there’s an important distinction between a.) Writers who discuss books they like and b.) Bloggers who portray themselves as reviewers. I agree that it’s not wise for someone pursuing a writing career to be too candid about books or authors they don’t like. The problem is, so many of these aspiring authors have a “review” platform. This is where I make the distinction. If you’re going to call yourself a reviewer, then you’re obligated to review things you don’t like. If you don’t, you’re an Influencer and should say so.
Thanks again for the conversation!
Funny, because as parents, we kinda get this job, whether we applied for it or not. We need to keep up w/the books our kids are reading and be able to give thorough “reviews” on the worldview presented. Doesn’t work to bury our heads in the sand and pretend all writing (or writing topics) is equal.
Then again, some Christians have an extra dose of the gift of encouragement, and may feel uncomfortable ripping on their fellow brother/sister’s books. I say try to find good and point out possible bad in each book, but if it stinks, esp. b/c of writing quality or worldview, nothing’s going to make it smell better. Might as well do others a service and let them know not to waste their money.
I think Gina’s point is “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” And that’s a very good POV, because usually SOMEbody is going to like that book, even if you LOATHE it. I’ve never seen what all the hoopla over “The Catcher in the Rye” is about, but there are plenty of people who don’t share that viewpoint.
So maybe there’s something to be said for being honest with your friends/family about books you hated, but not slamming them all over the internet, since they will doubtless appeal to someone.
Mike, I’m going to have to side with Gina here, although I won’t take the time and space to restate the points with which I agree.
I review books I like because: 1) life’s too short to read books I don’t like, 2) I have more books to read and review than I can get to and still have anything like a writing life myself, and 3) I hope my own readers will trust my positive recommendation.
This doesn’t mean I don’t post negative reviews–I do, when it’s justified. I just winnow the field strongly before it gets to the point of reviewing.
As always, thanks for stirring up dialogue and making us think.
In another discussion I stated my emphatic loathing for the Christian community’s book review policy. I reiterate that the unending parade of 5-star reviews for mediocre novels hurts this segment of the industry irrevocably.
I take reviews _seriously_ when choosing what to read. And where to eat, what movies to see, etc. When all these books have breathlessly fawning plaudits only to be ersatz pap, I lose faith in the books coming out of the Christian genre. I’m sorry Gina’s feelings were hurt by her experience and I’m sorry others misinterpret “honesty” to mean “a lack of criticism. But as a person who spends roughly $1K a year on books I can assure you it is now very rare for any of that money to find its way into this genre. I’ve been burned too many times. And I speak for a lot of readers. I’m reporting to you from the content of several READERS’ forums outside the authorial enclave.
Well said.
This kid-glove stuff has made it all about the writers. It’s as frustrating as teacher’s unions saying we shouldn’t judge teachers as “good and bad” and that they’re all valuable. The unions made school all about the teachers. This sort of mindset has made books and reviews all about the writers. The readers, sadly, are left out in the cold.
Good OR bad, I mean. 😛
Gina wrote: “Anyone can review a book. Not everyone who does is a reviewer. That honorable title should be reserved for a special, objective, group of book critics.”
I wonder how one joins that special, objective group. Is it by invitation?
Of course book reviews are subjective (to an extent). That’s why they’re reviews and not critiques. Readers are not stupid. We know when we’re seeing an opinion as opposed to a fact. And that’s why we read reviews. We want a wide range of opinions, good and bad, to help us make up our minds. I start with the lowest reviews — read one or two — then skip to the middle reviews (typically 3-star). I rarely read 5-star reviews, and when I do I typically skim them. Interesting thing about me?: I’m less likely to read a book with all 5-star reviews and no 1-star reviews. If a book has absolutely no 3-star reviews, chances are I won’t bother with it unless I’m already very interested in the premise.
And what’s all this about hurting the writer? The writer is a businessman just like anyone else, he won’t get a pass just because it’s a tough business. I’m a capitalist at heart, I believe you either sink or swim. If a few bad reviews (or a couple hundred) keep you down, you don’t deserve to be successful in the first place. Besides, when did it become about the writer anyway? I thought reviews were for the READER’s benefit? They’re not there to help the writer, or hurt the writer, but to help readers decide if they want to spend their money on that particular product. I’ll be so ticked if this kind of mindset seeps into electronic and video game reviews. I just bought a new $1700 laptop, but only after looking into the best and worst reviews. Thank God books are cheap. . .er.
As for the “spin doctors” thing, yes, I agree. Again, folks are turning reviews into some kind of publicity game. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. It has visibly hurt, and continues to hurt, the Christian Fiction community.
Lyn, by writing objective, thoughtful reviews as opposed to “interesting book” 5 stars or “crap” one star.
1-star reviews are not thoughtful? I once gave a 1-star to a Richard Laymon book, and he was one of my favorite authors. The book in question ended with the female protagonist being raped by a yeti-like beast — and loving it. The male protagonist fails to “save” her from its clutches before it’s finished, then it just leaves. Then the guy sleeps with the girl who was just raped. How’s that for a happy ending?
Anyway, I gave the book a 1-star review. Some people, for whatever reason, gave it higher. . .there’s that pesky opinion aspect of reviewing. But I don’t think I was being unreasonable by writing a 1-star review. I felt the author had dropped it when he destroyed all the character development up till that point for a raunchy joke.
Not all 5-star reviews are unreasonable either, of course.
Of course, maybe you just meant: “As opposed to writing 1-liner reviews.”
And no I don’t think all people who review books fall under “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I’m suggesting author, or would be author’s would be wise to weigh whether or not they want to slam another writer.
I do think if you’re an emotionally healthy person you can find something positive to say to balance your negative. That’s what true reviewers tend to do. I’m hard pressed to find a book that’s all bad. I have found some I wouldn’t change a word, but not many.
And it’s not about whether or not you hurt the writer’s feelings but remember that there is a human being at the other end. If you’re not being a jerk, that shouldn’t matter.
As far as reviewing teachers online … why not review all professionals online? Then we can all enjoy anonymous haters. That should be for everyone… not just a select group. 🙂
I think Jesus taught us how to give reviews- by loving our neighbors as ourselves. Find the good (even if it’s one itsy bitsy item)- then share what could be different. That’s how I was trained to critique or review. Thanks for mentioning about not attacking other writers Gina, even if we are still in the dream stage. In any area of business or the arts this is critical. Focus on the story not the author. Focusing on or attacking others in our field just makes us look bad and hurts others. We also have a public image to preserve which affects our sales (in photography, painting, or writing).
There is a lot of disappointing books out there in the Christian market. I admit it. I’m going to donate several to the library. But there’s also some very good ones. Sadly one of the biggest problems I see is grammar, punctuation and spelling. The story is good but it’s really hard to read. I plan to dig out my Strunk & White and review my old English books before I set out working on a book. I think. My writing experience has been in Tech Docs, Magazine, and poetry so far. It’s almost like you need to read the rules over and over to prevent sloppiness. I earned my steel underwear in business writing tech docs for engineers. But anonymous haters would be tough to deal with I certainly understand what your saying.
Remember that Strunk & White is geared for non-fiction. Rules of writing don’t all apply equally to non-fiction and fiction.
Also, some spellings differ according to your dictionary, as do some grammar rules vary according to your grammar handbook; fiction tends to use Merriam-Webster and Chicago Manual of Style.
Just some things to bear in mind. ^_^
Thanks Carradee! Would you believe I was just looking at the $1.99 Kindle download of Strunk & White? (seem to have lost mine). I do have the Chicago Manual of Style. When I had a little news column both were recommended. I prefer Merriam-Webster as well. Perfect timing! : ) I’d honestly rather not read my old English book though…
Suppose it’s like learning to shoot photos- they don’t turn out well until you learn how to use a camera, sigh…
This is scary… Stephen King has written a book on writing. Or maybe it’s not, hmmm. http://www.amazon.com/On-Writing-ebook/dp/B000FC0SIM/ref=pd_sim_kinc_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2
It’s _only_ one of the most revered and treasured books about the craft and lifestyle of writing out there.
Another great resource is Writer’s Digest. I subscribe to it. July/August 2011 has “Your Ultimate Revision Guide.” I saved the whole magazine so I can refer back when I actually finish a book. It’s about being your own best editor. They also have contests that include the Inspirational genre. This year I WILL DO IT!
Katherine- you’re saying Stephen King’s book on writing is good then? I admire his work although I’m too much of a wimp to read most of his novels : )
Glad to be of help! ^_^
I found it really handy as a newbie writer to read original published editions and the revised versions of Kathy Tyers’ books. (The Firebird series originally was a duology and became a trilogy later.)
Personally, I prefer Janice Hardy’s blog to Writer’s Digest for how-to things, with Jami Gold’s blog also giving thorough, balanced how-to posts; but it’s really a matter of finding some resources that explain things in a way that makes sense to you.
It’s also good to read a variety of perspectives and writing types, so you don’t pigeonhole yourself into assuming there’s only one method of doing things or even only one way of thinking about your writing. (To make an example using four authors whose books I enjoy, Dean Wesley Smith, Kris Rusch, Holly Lisle, and Robin McKinley all seem to treat their “muse” differently, judging from their blogs.)
I’ve not read On Writing, but I’ve heard many raving reviews on it. Personally, I’ve liked Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy (essays by Isaac Asimov and others) and How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy (Orson Scott Card).
Okay, you got me. I shall reconsider my position.
As a book reviewer for mostly Christian Fiction, I had a very bad tendency of actually liking what I read-so this meant if the book gave me a 3 star or 4 star feeling I had to go with that.
However, recently I have become more critical of the pacing of the story and the writing and perhaps a book will be a 5 star read but the pacing was a 2…
Anyhow as a writer I would like reviewers to be honest.
Good post.
What I meant was that Mike called me out because I was the one who said I won’t review the books I don’t like because I am not interested in war. I absolutely do not want to get into pissing contests with other writers.
Also, C.S. Lewis said that people should not review books in a genre they don’t like, because won’t be able to tell if it is good or not according to the standards of that genre. I was in Uganda once when someone there was urging coffee on me. I thanked him and said, “No, I don’t like coffee.” He said it was the best coffee in the world. I said it didn’t matter. How would I know if it was good or not when I hate coffee?
So I will not review most romances because I rabidly hate the genre. I talk about that on my blog. But sometimes otherwise good books will include a romance, and then I try to warn readers that the icky stuff is there and it may interest people who have some inexplicable reason for liking the stuff.
It’s funny, though, that you bring up the genre thing.
Because 5 years ago I would have sworn to you that I hate Fantasy, can’t stand it, won’t even look at it.
Then I have some people I trust who pretty much held a gun to my head and made me read George RR Martin. After that I realise that I’ve got certain things I like about fantasy and certain things I don’t. I further realise that the genre itself is in transition in a major way. The books I like keep getting negative reviews from the people who prefer more traditional fantasy, and I heartily dislike those traditional fantasies I accidentally happen upon. I’ve seriously questioned whether or not it’s a good thing to review those books. I just gave Brandon Sanderson’s _The Way of Kings_ 1-star. Should I have even tried it? I wonder sometimes.
What do we do when a genre is remaking itself?
Katherine, I’m not sure about this. I watch all kinds of movies and listen to all kinds of music. I may not be a “fan” of Romance, Rap, or Dance Mix, but I know enough to form educated opinions about them and to try to be objective. Sure, I can’t give as in-depth a review as a “fan” can. But it’s not like a cryptogram that only a select few have the code for. Genres, styles, mediums are still subject to basic laws of composition, grammar, etc. On those levels, at least, readers / viewers / listeners should be able to form reasonable assessments of something w/out having to be a “fan.”
My first four novels were published by CBA houses, and thankfully none of them got any truly nasty reviews ( a couple of them were three star, and I can live with that).
Now that I’ve left the CBA fold (that old “Christian writer/writer who’s a Christian” dichotomy), my next novel will be out in February through a general market house.
Something tells me it’s a good thing I have rhino hide …
Thanks for the gentle poke in the side, Mike. I have been guilty of “spinning” a review in order to avoid any drama with a fellow author. I haven’t done it a lot, but perhaps once is too much…
-Jimmy