Who is Unprofessional Here?
In my opinion, when authors volunteer their book for review, they have to be prepared for the fact that the review may not be positive. Most authors are just happy to see their books reviewed by bloggers, but there are also some (thankfully very few) who apparently expect a positive review and are prepared to bash bloggers who post anything but.
I recently ran across Sylvia Massara’s post titled “Authors Beware of Unprofessional Reviewers“. In the post, she went on to name two bloggers, The Book Binge and Chick Lit Plus, who apparently gave her books’ reviews that were “subjective and sometimes downright malicious”. I read their reviews, and did not think they were anything of the sort.
Massara took a simple “I don’t think I deserved these reviews” message and turned it into a personal tirade against these two well known bloggers. She wrote that writers don’t deserve “a smartass who makes subjective comments because they don’t know how to do anything else” and that “people who set up these kinds of blogs have never written a thing in their lives, except maybe a grocery list“.
Well, this smartass will be staying away from Massara’s books…
Thoughts?
Category: Etc.
[...] was over. Unfortunately, I was wrong…I wrote before about authors Sylvia Masser (see post here) and Jacqueline Howett (see post here) who went off on several bloggers for giving their books [...]
This Massara woman has some serious issues that go beyond her sensitivity to reviews. Writing about her ex she says:
“I mean, he’s not a Nazi, but he did to me what the Nazis did to the Jews. The Nazis violated the Jews’ trust, their person, their feelings, and their very existence. I would have to say that betrayal is the worst kind of pain–and as the Nazis betrayed the Jews, my ex betrayed me”
Yeah, lady, it’s the exact same thing.
I commented on that post pointing out how offensive it is, and what do you know, she deleted it.
http://www.sylviamassara.com/5/category/nazis/1.html
Excellent post. In case you’re interested, your blog gets a mention in my blog post about reviewing… http://content.boomerangbooks.com.au/literary-clutter-blog/reviews-the-good-the-bad-and-the-downright-ugly/2011/04
As someone who was there from the start of this “feud” I think the reviewers were a little to harsh…they didn’t even read 1/2 the book and were commenting on the entire book and it’s flaws. Authors have thick skin, but when it becomes as personal as this I really just think the lady reviewing from one of the sites liked Sylvia, they have known each other for years so there is history there we know nothing about.
It goes both ways, authors have to take the negative with the positive…but reviews also have to be professional and not start attacking the author personally; so with that said I say we end this discussion. Read Sylvia’s next book and see what you think – isn’t that something people should be doing? Happy Reading Everyone!
[...] few weeks back, I wrote about author Sylvia Massara who decided to berate two bloggers and call them unprofessional for posting negative reviews of her [...]
Stumbled! (I’m having a Stumble-Saturday-Kinda-Week)
Kelly from Kelly’s Lucky You recently posted..Book Review and Giveaway- NYT Bestseller- Emotional Freedom by Judith Orloff- MD
Isn’t a review subjective?!
I stumbled your post – would love if you’d stumble mine!
http://www.texastypeamom.com/2011/02/5k-race-report.html
Kelly recently posted..Wordless Wednesday 3-2- Marge
My thought exactly.
I stumbled you, my post is It’s Monday, Here’s what I’m reading!
Whoa! If ya can’t take the heat … sheesh. I thought authors – especially those who have finally been published – formed a thick skin after awhile. Guess not.
Great post and great site! I always enjoy reading your stuff.
Happy Stumble!
http://booksatthepaperhouse.blogspot.com/p/about-paperhouse.html
~ Devon
Reading with Joey
What a short-sighted, unprofessional way to behave! Wow…these book reviewers might not be “authors,” but this “author” definitely doesn’t understand the concept of PR. Shameful, really!
I stumbled you…my post is: http://www.keenlykristin.com/2011/02/big-shocker-on-oscar-night-not.html
Thanks!
I have to say that I have a policy of letting the publisher/author know if I am going to have to write a negative review so they can decide whether to have me publish it or not. I do the same with companies who have pitched me products that I can’t endorse by writing positive reviews. I do think that this author got overly emotional and struck out against honest and well thought out reviews.
I’ve stumbled your post.
My STT post is: http://www.actingbalanced.com/2011/02/mmmmonday-caribbean-chicken-salad-and.html
Heather ~ Acting Balanced Mom recently posted..Stumble Tumble Tuesday
Good for you. You’ve got a right to have your own opinion on the book!!
I stumbled you
-Shopper Gal
http://www.shoppergal.com/2011/02/painting-prep-from-engineers.html
Shopper Gal recently posted..Stumble Tumble Tuesday!
MAKE LOVE NOT WAR! that’s all I can say,LOL!
I came across your blog from stumble tumble…
I am your newest follower,
clavsupclose.blogspot.com
Unbelievable! I totally agree with you!
And I just stumbled your post
Jill recently posted..2011 Expected Retail Sales to Rise 4!!!
I’ve seen some of this. So should only people that write books read her books?
I’m irritated by blogs that only give good reviews. If I wanted to read an advertisement I’d stick to the blurb on the back of the book.
Happy stumble day. I stumbled you, my post is
http://booksyourkidswilllove.blogspot.com/2011/02/reading-levels-do-they-matter.html
Sara recently posted..The Dragon Keeper Series
I’ve seen quite a bit about this event and I completely agree with everyone who is standing up for the bloggers. Of course reviews are going to be subjective – they are opinions! Granted, I’ve seen some negative reviews that were not written in a professional manner as well but I do not think it would be fair of an author to expect a positive review at all times.
As someone who does write the occasional negative review, I do try to keep my writing professional. I certainly do not resort to name calling or personal judgments of the author.
Thanks for sharing this. I’ve Stumbled your post. Mine is at http://librarygirlreads.blogspot.com/2011/02/tss-new-bookstore-affiliates.html
Angela (Library Girl Reads) recently posted..TSS- Reading Slump
I agree with your opinion. Stumbled your post, please stumble mine! http://stillblondeafteralltheseyears.com/2011/02/bring-back-chronological-order-on-pages-a-plan-for-the-rebellion/
Wow, I hadn’t seen anything about this before, I’m glad you posted about it.
Sylvia Massara is wrong on so many levels, I didn’t even bother to argue in my comment to her post. I simply said that I subscribed to Book Binge and Chick Lit Plus.
In the short run, Sylvia will have a lot of attention and traffic, but in the long run she has lost the potential partnerships of many bloggers, including me!
Kelly from Kelly’s Lucky You recently posted..Motivation Monday Linky – Feb 28- 2011
Thank you for posting this. I have now learned about 2 bloggers that I now follow, and one author that I will never give my money to!
What a poor sport. I am appalled that she would actually resort to name calling because she didn’t like what someone said about her precious prize-winning novel. Hellooo, these are the voices of the readers and when she insults them, she insults all of us. What a snob.
I actually ranted about this a little while ago. I consider myself fortunate to have avoided such derision, but I also try to be very diplomatic in reviews that are negative. No good being snarky, as that usually comes across as self-indulgent.
Rabid Fox recently posted..Getting Graphic- Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 Vol 2- No Future for You by Brian K Vaughn
I could understand an author being disappointed but there’s no reason to point fingers or make comments like THAT. Wow. The blogworld tends to be a positive place and it’s sad that someone would bash them. I hope she realized her mistake…. I haven’t read the comments though so I’m going on the assumption that they were nothing more than a “this is why I didn’t like the book”. Of course, neither group should be extreme about comments.
LOL Well I certainly cracked over the review, the comment war, the whole nine yards really. I think her review gave reasons as to why she didn’t like it. No, the reviewer didn’t go through menopause, but that doesn’t mean she can can’t dislike or not understand a character’s actions. Heck I dislike characters all the time!
Thanks for posting about this. I think this is an issue (reviewer dislike vs. author) that rears it’s ugly head from time to time. We need to remember to be constructive in our criticism, and maintain professionalism. Even with our grocery lists and little blogs
Jennygirl recently posted..DNF Review- Everbody Loves a Hero by Marie Force
I applaud the honest reviewers. They are doing what they intended when they started – giving honest reviews of books they have read. No one is expected to like every book — are they? I certainly don’t. Each book has an audience – but the reviews need to stay honest to be worthwhile.
I am a reader and I post my reviews on GoodReads,
Shelfari, Amazon.com and Library Thing. I have been only writing reviews since I joined those sites.
The first book that I read was horrible. I doubt that the person who wrote it read it through after he wrote it. It jumped around like crazy, all except of the characters were ugly stereotypes and the book just made me sick to my stomach. Now that I have more experience I would not have forced myself to read the whole book! I wrote a review that pointed out what was good (only the general idea) and most of what I found was wrong. About two months later I got an anonymous e-mail stating that if I accept a book for a review that I should never write that I didn’t like it! It had to be from the author. He was furious.
I think that even readers have a right to be truthful. Sometimes, the book would be improved if it had been written a different way in that case, I try to offer constructive criticism and when I like or love a book,I tell why.
There is no excuse to say that bloggers only write grocery lists. There have been many times when I relished reading a review and considered what made it special to me.
Carol Wong
This was the craziest thing to me – I mean who thinks that bloggers (or anyone for that matter who is not paid) write objective opinions. I have frequently stated in my less than stellar reviews of books (which there have only been a few) that it’s my opinion and often I shared links to those who had positive views of the book. I mean I can’t think of anyone that takes my word as gospel. I like to think I can point people to good books but that’s far as my blog goes.
We all don’t like the same things and just because I see one or two bad reviews doesn’t mean I won’t read a book. Now if someone tells me the writing was not edited well and full of errors I probably would pass. But if it was other subjective reasons I would still consider the book. If we all liked the same things the world would be a boring place.
Sometimes a bad review can make people still read the book, but not if an author acts in this manner. I thought both reviews were fine – there was nothing inflammatory in them. Kudos to the bloggers who wrote their opinions – it is their right.
You go girl! And contiue with your reviews…After all, isn’t a review someone’s opinion..and not necessarily that of the author or anyone else?
This is an interesting situation. An author has to question why they are seeking out a review. Are they hoping for publicity or do they truly want a review? Not everyone is going to like everything. Every book is not meant for every reader.
This lady really lost her cool on this one. I have had one negative experience from an author that shocked me. This is not a matter of criticizing a known blogger or an unknown blogger-that should not be the issue-as an author you should be grateful that someone read your book and took the time to write a review.
If you don’t want your book reviewed then you shouldn’t give it to book reviewers. It sounds like she thinks that book reviewers should just be promoters giving her free advertising. That’s not how it works.
Sara recently posted..Feed Newsflesh
Scandalous! I want an honest opinion from a book reviewer too and I look for those reviews on sites that I feel are reputable (like here) versus random anonymous comments on other message boards. I don’t always agree with a reviewer, but after a time I can tell if my own personal reading style is similar to certain reviewers and I use that as one of my guides. Especially when considering new-to-me authors.
I don’t want to hear an author’s response to a bad review. Everyone isn’t going to be a fan, so really, what is the point?
I must say I respect a bloggers honest opinion about a book they review. If all the books they read get 4 or 5 stars, the reviews becomes suspect to me and I won’t return to the blog. The reason I look to blogs are to find new to me authors and good honest reading recommendations.
I once did a review for a group site about a book I read. The site said it didn’t want any bad reviews. I almost did not write the review as I thought the writing seemed stiff or stilted but felt I couldn’t express that in a good way. The plot of the book was very interesting so I concentrated on that aspect in my review.
I think anyone who puts forth anything of themselves should know that it is not a one size fits all world. We all need to be a bit thicker skinned as to our public personae.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
I went and read the original post, and was hurt and annoyed. What business is it of the author to go around pointing fingers and naming blogs just because they didn’t like her book. Overall SHE is doing the exact thing she claims THEY did. Unprofessional.
Just for the record, I left her a lengthy comment
Chloe
Chloe recently posted..Are you a new blogger
I left a long comment as well! I was really angry when I first read about what the author said on this post and then followed the link to the whole author statement. Once I started reading the comments people were leaving her I felt so much better, because most people were stating the same thing: who is she to completely demean these bloggers (and readers as well) for not liking your book. She insulted the intelligence of all readers and, now, no one will bother giving her books the time of day. Karma is wonderful, isn’t it
?
I can understand how an author, especially a young, new author, can feel hurt by a negative review. Their work is an extension of themselves, yet not everyone will like every book. No matter how carefully an author chooses a blogger, it may simply not be for her! Heck, I didn’t like Water for Elephants (yes, I’m probably the only one in the world) but I don’t have Sara Gruen bashing me for having an opinion.
I may write a negative review, but I back up my opinion with well thought-out reasons. No, I am not published, but I have an enormous amount of respect for those who have developed their craft and
That being said, there are book bloggers out there who are not professionals, and have no respect for the works they review or the authors behind them.
I’m not saying Book Binge or Chick Lit are among this group, but I can see how some authors may have a bitter taste in their mouths after reading some disrespectful rants about their work or that of their peers.
Allow me to play devil’s advocate for a moment. I look at posts like this as OUR reviews. Maybe some of us bloggers need to step up our game. We need to earn the respect of the publishing community with each and every post we put up…if that is our goal.
As I would advise an author to ignore a negative review with her self respect in tact, I must advise the same to my fellow book bloggers. Be the bigger person here, and ignore it. Use it as a learning experience. Is there a piece of the review that you could have phrased differently? Did you review the author and the book respectfully? You may not have liked the book, could you have linked to a review that felt differently?
I guess I would just like us all to get along in this ever-growing sandbox of ours.
Alison’s Book Marks recently posted..Review- Horns by Joe Hill
Authors should understand that reading IS subjective and that you don’t earn a positive review JUST because you give someone a free book. *ay ay ay* A negative book review isn’t great press, but the article she posted and all that has happened since, THAT is bad press… And she brought it upon herself. Anywho, just my opinions…
“Well, this smartass will be staying away from Massara’s books…” BTW, I LOVE this line!
Brooke recently posted..Book Blogger Hop-Follow Friday-Update
Unbelievable. Way to alienate yourself from the thousands of bloggers who will no longer have anything to do with reviewing your work. How unprofessional and childish.
Jenn @ South of Sheridan recently posted..45th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest kicks off with a prize pack giveaway
I read what she had to say a while back and I think she is regretting her actions now because what she had to say had made waves all over the intenet and book bloggers, reviewers are talking about what she said.
She will be very lucky is anyone at all ever wants to read or review one of her books again. I don’t review books on my blog all that often and I don’t think I’m as good at it as others so it’s mostly just my thoughts about the books. Which is what most reviews are. An opinion about what you have just read. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and to voice what they think about any product they use or book they read.
While some people may not like what was said about their product or their books, that’s just too bad and they ahve to deal with it, not act like a two year old throwing a temper tantrum because they got a less than stellar review.
I think she will come to regret saying what she did and a lot of people including myself who never ever heard of her will never read one word of any of her books because I now have a bad feeling about the author..and that is my right.
No everyone is going to like everything you write and you can’t please everyone all the time, so when someone reads a book you’ve written and doesn’t like it…so what. It’s going to happen. They can’t expect that just ebcause they gave the book away for free to a reviewer that, that reviewer is going to give them a 5 star rating, if reviewers did that no one would take their reviews seriously.
Mary Kirkland recently posted..Happy Presidents Day
I am glad that I saw this. I will be avoiding her books as well. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Not to mention that an author should know that their book is not going to be for everyone.
I mean just think if a movie producers made comments like this every time they got a bad review. Some of the movies that have been rated the worse have made the most money.
I am guessing that she is going to regret making such comments. The bloggers did not personally attack her just that the book was not for them. She personally attacked these people who have huge followings. The fallout was bound to happen.
Lisa M831 recently posted..Meet Me On Monday
Did she think everyone in the world would love her work? Don’t put your work out there for the world to read if you are not ready to face some criticism. She needs to grow up.
I can understand an author being disappointed that their hard work was not appreciated by everyone, but that is the nature of books. Certain books appeal to certain people, but everyone has the right to pick up any book they like and read it.
I think some authors need to understand not everyone will like what they write, and that’s okay. Even JK Rowling has had bad reviews!
Ms. Caboo recently posted..666 Park Avenue- A Modern Witch Story
Oh my god! Is this woman being serious or did she maybe press “send” to post the message before reading it through? I have not read The Book Binge before but I do follow Chick Lit Plus and have always found their reviews to be fair. They don’t like every book they read and are honest about their opinions. As a reader of their blog I would not continue to do so if they claimed to like every book they read. That isn’t realistic and I would begin to doubt the validity of their reviews.
Now I am sure it isn’t easy to be the author of a book that gets a bad review, especially on a blog with a lot of followers. However not every reader is right for every book and everyone has a right to their opinions. Who hasn’t had someone dislike something you have done on the job or personally and stated it whether in a review or in person? What separates the less evolved people from the grown-ups is how you handle negativity directed at you. If you have put yourself in a field that relies on fans and people spending money on something you create you need to grow a thicker skin or find a new vocation.
My biggest problem about what this woman said is her comment that these bloggers have written nothing more than a grocery list. Well guess what lady….they aren’t claiming to have written the great American novel but are blogging THEIR REVIEW OF BOOKS! That would be why they have a BOOK BLOG! Her statement is not only offensive to all bloggers but to all readers as well. If I don’t like your book are you going to undermine and get snarky with me as well? Well go right ahead, as I said everyone has a right to their opinion and I respect that.
So, dear author, keep putting down book bloggers and readers alike and don’t read blogs or reviews that don’t bow down to your genius. In the meantime I hope other bloggers and readers will not waste their time on an author that insults their intelligence and demeans their opinions. I know I won’t be wasting my time. There are too many other authors out there who appreciate their readers and what they have to say no matter what.
You know I have somewhat followed this… i have read the reviews in question and don’t see anything wrong with them.. they gave there opinions. Yet were attacked for not caring for the book. If i remember correctly one was actually nice enough to state they would read the publish next book.
I agree that it was the authors problem here and I even was thinking of how not smart it was… unfortunately when you attack known bloggers for their opinions you affect all there followers, and there followers and there followers etc. So the book blogging community will be less likely to assist this author in anything in the future. Who lost out here?