Tagged: criticism

How Not to Criticize a Book Reviewer

As a book reviewer, I obviously give out a lot of criticism so of course I’m equipped to take a lot of criticism.  I keep an open mind and weigh pretty much everyone’s opinion carefully to see whether it has merit or not.  I listen to the feedback my readers give me through polls and comments as well as read articles about how to improve my blog.  Improving my blog is a constant work in progress, if I’m honest so I do like criticism.  However, there are right and wrong ways to go about criticizing a book reviewer and/or their reviews.

Middle SchoolersCriticism #1: “[A rebuttal of my review saying that my 1 star rating was not deserved.]  This was written by an entire class of very exasperated middle schoolers who just finished reading the novel.”

There are a lot of problems with criticizing something this way, but the main logical fallacy is this: [x] group of people liked [y] therefore you should.  This is utterly ridiculous and I would have expected better from the teacher (yes, a teacher said this!) who criticized my review of The Outsiders.  That’s like saying lots of middle schoolers a couple of years ago loved Justin Bieber therefore I should like Justin Bieber.  Anyone with a brain can dispute that logic, believe me.

Quite frankly, I don’t give a crap if an entire class of middle schoolers liked The Outsiders.  This is arrogant of me but I think I have slightly more reading experience than they do, considering I have averaged 200 books per year for well over a decade.  Is my opinion more valid than theirs?  No, but it’s certainly more informed.  In the end, what’s wrong with criticizing a review like this is the idea that one group likes something and therefore everyone should like it.  It’s ridiculous. Continue reading →

Things Authors Should Know About Bad Reviews

In the four or so months I’ve been book reviewing on this blog, I’ve given out some pretty bad reviews.  As an amateur writer myself, I can understand the crushing feeling authors get when someone gives them a bad review.  Although I can sympathize with writers, I would never have started a book reviewing blog if I couldn’t handle giving out bad reviews when they are deserved.  So, all you writers out there, please read on and keep these things in mind when (not if) you get a bad review.

1.  It’s not personal.

Unless the reviewer is a complete jerk, a bad review is never personal.  They aren’t criticizing you; they’re criticizing your work.  There’s a huge distinction between the two, although it doesn’t seem that way when your precious work is being trashed.  Giving you a bad review is not an attack on your character, beliefs, etc.  It is simply criticizing a product you have put out into the world with the expectation that people will buy it and talk about it.  If you’re still convinced that bad reviews are always personal, let me ask you this: When you last criticized a product, were you personally attacking the creator of the product?  Probably not.  And yes, your book is a product for all intents and purposes because you are selling it. Continue reading →