Bruce Beckham's Blog - Posts Tagged "reviews"
14,495 one-star ratings & counting... time to give up reading?
Yes, there really is a Goodreads profile* with 14,495 ratings... and all 1-star!
This curious state of affairs was spotted by a vigilant author who was disturbed to receive a 1-star rating when all of her others were much higher.
I have to admit, this would probably have passed me by. I get quite a few 1-star ratings, especially from readers who object to the present tense!
And, actually, there is a certain masochistic frisson in reading a hostile review.
Of course, it’s a great honour when a reader takes the trouble to write a glowing tribute – it’s what keeps you going when you get stuck with 20,000 words still to go, or find a gaping plot-hole with no apparent way of filling it. Positive reviews provide momentum.
But critical reviews provide direction. Following a couple of stinkers, I completely rewrote the first Skelgill novel. I thought the reviewers had a fair point. (And now it gets much better reviews on average.)
And at a lesser level, minor complaints and gripes help to smooth the rough edges. As a result, although my characters cuss and canoodle when the moment is right, virtually none of this happens in public, where it might cause offence.
As for the prolific (and anonymous) 1-star rater on Goodreads, there has been speculation that this can’t possibly be a real person – it must be a robot that is up to some online trickery.
But maybe it really is just another masochistic aspect of literature, this time on behalf of a reader?
* read more on this thread – you can find the phantom profile with a bit of sleuthing: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
This curious state of affairs was spotted by a vigilant author who was disturbed to receive a 1-star rating when all of her others were much higher.
I have to admit, this would probably have passed me by. I get quite a few 1-star ratings, especially from readers who object to the present tense!
And, actually, there is a certain masochistic frisson in reading a hostile review.
Of course, it’s a great honour when a reader takes the trouble to write a glowing tribute – it’s what keeps you going when you get stuck with 20,000 words still to go, or find a gaping plot-hole with no apparent way of filling it. Positive reviews provide momentum.
But critical reviews provide direction. Following a couple of stinkers, I completely rewrote the first Skelgill novel. I thought the reviewers had a fair point. (And now it gets much better reviews on average.)
And at a lesser level, minor complaints and gripes help to smooth the rough edges. As a result, although my characters cuss and canoodle when the moment is right, virtually none of this happens in public, where it might cause offence.
As for the prolific (and anonymous) 1-star rater on Goodreads, there has been speculation that this can’t possibly be a real person – it must be a robot that is up to some online trickery.
But maybe it really is just another masochistic aspect of literature, this time on behalf of a reader?
* read more on this thread – you can find the phantom profile with a bit of sleuthing: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
For author read stalker
There is a great debate raging on the Goodreads author forums about whether authors should respond to reviewers.
As you may know, Goodreads policy is that authors should NOT contact reviewers (I think this is a strong recommendation, rather than a sackable offence).
The majority of authors agree with the policy – take the bouquets and brickbats with equal grace (and keep your mouth shut).
Personally, I read ALL reviews of my books, and think deeply about them. I don’t respond – and I do feel a little guilty about this. (So if you have taken the trouble to a) read my work and b) write a review – thank you, thank you, thank you!)
I saw some research (for all products, not just books) – it suggested that potential buyers look at the overall score or number of reviews to make sure the item is generally ‘okay’ – then they read the 1-star reviews to check out if the problems might relate to them.
I’m happy to have some 1-star reviews because most of them complain that I write in the present tense. This is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you have such a phobia, my 1-star reviews help you avoid this abomination. (And, in turn, improve my batting average.)
But it appears some authors harry their reviewers. Nothing less than 5 stars is acceptable. They demand an explanation – and a retraction.
Have they read ‘How to Win Friends & Influence People’?
As you may know, Goodreads policy is that authors should NOT contact reviewers (I think this is a strong recommendation, rather than a sackable offence).
The majority of authors agree with the policy – take the bouquets and brickbats with equal grace (and keep your mouth shut).
Personally, I read ALL reviews of my books, and think deeply about them. I don’t respond – and I do feel a little guilty about this. (So if you have taken the trouble to a) read my work and b) write a review – thank you, thank you, thank you!)
I saw some research (for all products, not just books) – it suggested that potential buyers look at the overall score or number of reviews to make sure the item is generally ‘okay’ – then they read the 1-star reviews to check out if the problems might relate to them.
I’m happy to have some 1-star reviews because most of them complain that I write in the present tense. This is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you have such a phobia, my 1-star reviews help you avoid this abomination. (And, in turn, improve my batting average.)
But it appears some authors harry their reviewers. Nothing less than 5 stars is acceptable. They demand an explanation – and a retraction.
Have they read ‘How to Win Friends & Influence People’?
