BTT – Honesty from Reviewers
Posted by shelburns on November 20, 2008
Suggested by JM:
I receive a lot of review books, but I have never once told lies about the book just because I got a free copy of it. However, some authors seem to feel that if they send you a copy of their book for free, you should give it a positive review.
Do you think reviewers are obligated to put up a good review of a book, even if they don’t like it? Have we come to a point where reviewers *need* to put up disclaimers to (hopefully) save themselves from being harassed by unhappy authors who get negative reviews?
I have not been reviewing very long, but my policy from the beginning has been honesty. Why would I pick up the paper to read reviews if I was going to be lied to? That’s what I feel about my blog. Readers come to me looking for my thoughts and feelings about books…not what I think the author wants me to tell them. I haven’t read a book for my blog, so far, that I haven’t liked. I’ve been lucky I guess! But, if I did, I wouldn’t lie about it. I wouldn’t put the author down or be ugly, but I would give my honest opinion about the book. I think it’s only fair to my readers. Did I like it? Yes or no. Why or why not. It really is only my opinion and others may read a book that I didn’t like and love it. That’s the beauty of having opinions, likes and dislikes.
To read others’ thoughts on this question, visit Booking Through Thursday. What are your thoughts about this?
November 20th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I agree; please come visit to see my response.
November 20th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
When I started reviewing, I wrote one review that pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of a book, and I felt bad about it. I know how hard the author worked, but it just didn’t work for me, so I said so. Since then, I decided not to review books if my thoughts weren’t positive. I feel better about it, and I know my readers will always find reviews to good books. Also, why would I want to waste my time and energy on a book that I don’t think others will like? What’s the point?
If blogging were my full time job, then I would think about publishing a range of reviews. However, since I have a day job, I must be selective.
Sorry for rambling, but this is a great question and one that we need to revisit often.
November 20th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
We used to write reviews of books that we didn’t recommend (either to borrow at the library or to buy). In the last year we have moved away from that; partly because of volume, partly because of the spitfire that has come back from authors who think we are *ruining* their careers. My follow-on question would be is there an etiquette to reply (e.g., via email) to the publisher/publicist/author if you don’t post a review?
November 20th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
An excellent policy!
November 22nd, 2008 at 8:23 pm
I think it’s great you knew how you were going to handle it from the start. I hadn’t given it any thought so I was caught off guard right away. Great planning on your part!