Day: March 4, 2018

The Love/Hate Relationship Between Writers and Reviewers

As you all know, I am both a writer and a reviewer. It’s a tricky position to be in: I know that I have to be honest with my reviews–I want to be honest in my reviews–but I also don’t want to discourage any budding writers. I know how hard it is emotionally and psychologically to put your work out there for the whole world to scrutinize. At the same time, I feel an obligation to let people know when there’s a flaw in the book that could ruin their enjoyment of it. I also feel a sense of duty to the writer to let them know when there’s a plot hole in their fiction, when their poetry does not flow well, or when their argument in an essay, self-help book, or whatever does not hold up for the reader. Reviewers, after all, need to be as dedicated to the art of writing and the joy it brings as the writers they review.

Which brings me to the heart of this post: the relationship between writers and reviewers. It’s a partnership of sorts. Writers need reviewers to spread the word about their works. Reviewers, well, they don’t necessarily need writers for any other reason than they want the entertainment and/or information their books provide (except, of course, for reviewers paid through magazines and other similar outlets). Still, they want writers around so that they can continue to have a steady stream of reading material.

The relationship should be pretty straightforward: writers write, reviewers read and review what the writers write, everyone’s happy. Right? But when is anything that simple?


Image retrieved from Publisher’s Weekly

As writers, we simultaneously crave and dread reviews. We want to know people like our work, but it hurts to find out what they don’t like about it. Even writers who are just writing technical manuals, self-help books, health books, etc. still form an attachment to their work without realizing it, and so take some offense to anything less than 5 out of 5 stars. (Not to mention it might hurt a writer’s bottom line.)

Now let’s switch to the reviewer’s side. Most reviewers just love to read and want to let others know what’s good and bad about books they read. Some just have an egotistical need to share their opinions, and still others want/need the money they get from publishing reviews in magazines, newspapers, OnlineBookClub.org, etc. Many reviewers–myself included–are a mix of all of the above, depending on the day and our mood.

We aren’t usually out to hurt the writer. Heck, some of our reviews end up more positive than they should because we don’t want to discourage the writer. Other times we don’t sugarcoat it and give the whole, uncensored truth; it’s nothing against the writer (typically), we just want other readers to know how it is.

Then we have the trolls and fluffs. Trolls are reviewers who go around leaving very negative reviews for no good reason. They might not like the topic of the book, they might have something against the writer, or they might be in a bad mood. Some can be trolls just because they’re sadistic enough to enjoy trashing other people and tearing them down. Many troll reviewers don’t even read the book, maybe the summary at best.


Sometimes these keep out trolls, and often they don’t.

Image retrieved from Just Publishing Advice

Fluffs are the opposite of trolls. They leave overly-positive reviews unjustifiably. They might be a friend or relative of the writer, or they might be the kind of paid reviewer who blindly leaves positive reviews. (Mind you, that’s not all paid reviewers, and as a writer, you must be very careful to distinguish between the two.)

The good things about fluffs? They don’t hurt your ratings and, more likely than not, their reviews aren’t subjected to their mood swings. The bad things? Get too many of them and places like Amazon and Barnes & Noble will get suspicious, which never ends well. More importantly, readers will not only stop trusting the reviewer once they realize the truth but they will probably stop trusting you as well. That will definitely affect your readership.

Sometimes reviewers hassle writers, and sometimes it’s the other way around. Given the anonymity of the online world and the plethora of ways in which to contact someone or spread rumors about them, it’s easier than every for reviewers and writers to be jerks to each other. Is it right? No, of course not. Still, reviewers and writers are human. We get offended and react mindlessly just like everyone else. Sometimes we regret it and apologize, and other times we double-down on our remarks.

Such antics are toxic for the writer/reviewer relationship. Writers and reviewers need each other to keep the writing world afloat. Writers pump out the reading material, and reviewers let people know about these works. If we turn on each other or let the “bad” reviewers get to us, this relationship falls apart and the writing and publishing worlds suffer for it.

At the end of the day, writers just have to keep doing the best they can and reviewers need write the best reviews they can. Reviewers shouldn’t unnecessarily tear a writer down, but writers need to embrace a reviewer’s honesty. We don’t have to be mean to each other; we just have to be honest and respect each other.

What do you think about the writer/reviewer relationship? Are there too many trolls and fluffs out there? Can a reviewer be positive and honest? Do writers take reviews and critique too personally? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Book Reviews: Cursed! by Idabel Allen

Happy Sunday, folks! Well, technically (at least only “technically” in my neck of the woods). Let’s start off the day with another review, a book that’s drastically different from the last few I’ve reviewed but still completely worth a read. In this post, I’m reviewing Cursed!: My Devastatingly Brilliant Campaign to Save the Chigg by Idabel Allen.

Ginny’s about to start high school, an uneasy time in any boy’s or girl’s life. Unfortunately, that’s not the worst of Ginny’s problems: her beloved grandfather died the previous summer, the parents of two of her closest friends are keeping them away from her as a “bad influence,” and she’s lost her best friend. The icing on this “blucky” cake? Mr. Lan, her grandfather’s war buddy, has insisted on continuing his annual visit even after her grandfather’s death, and she has had to forfeit her room as a result. Not the best way for her to start this new phase in her young life.


Image retrieved from Amazon

With all of this turmoil, she needs to talk to someone about it. The closest available ear: Mr. Lan. And so Ginny begins to tell him the story of how she made and lost the best friend she could have ever had. Over the following 254 pages, a story of mystery, intrigue, curses, and friendship unfolds as Ginny and her new friend, nicknamed Chigger, seek out the truth of Chigger’s dark family history and what locals have dubbed the “Larson Curse.” Is there really a curse on Chigger and her family? What is the real story of her ancestors? And, most pressingly, how could a wonderful, vibrant girl like Ginny possibly lose her best friend?

Allen has created a gripping young adult novel reminiscent of Holes but with female (and, arguably, more entertaining) protagonists. She weaves layer upon layer of parallel narratives to convey her lessons of misunderstanding, cyclical mistakes, love, and friendship. The emotions are very raw and very real; I felt for Ginny in everything that she lost as well as for Chigger in her fear of the world and initial annoyance towards Ginny. I think that any young adult—any reader old enough to handle some of the darker scenes and violence, actually—will find something to relate to in these characters.

Perhaps the best thing about this novel is that it’s both compelling and hilarious. While not a quick read, I found myself turning page after page on my Kindle reader, desperate to discover the truth and see the ups and downs of Ginny and Chigger’s friendship. (I might be a little biased, though, because I love a good mystery. Then again, that means that Allen has created a good mystery!) The humor in Ginny’s rather delusional narration—delusional in a typical, hyper teenaged girl’s way—balanced the book nicely, making the tension more palatable.

Of course, at times I found Ginny’s goofiness over-the-top. I often agreed with Chigger—can’t Ginny take anything seriously for five minutes? However, Ginny does mature some thanks to her friendship with Chigger. Her core remains the same, but she at least tries to put Chigger first and understand her friend’s feelings. By the end of the book, Ginny’s still incredibly goofy, but it’s endearing and she has grown some.

The frame device of telling Mr. Lan the story is genius, especially as it begins to take a plot of its own. I can’t say anything else because of spoilers. Still, I can say that the dynamic between Ginny and Mr. Lan is both humorous and sweet. They might act as though they don’t like each other but, like any good frenemies, they care about each other even as they get under each other’s skin. And sometimes, loss and heartache can be a powerful bonding agent between two stubborn souls.

On top of the engaging plot and excellent character development, Allen adds in some of that good ol’ Southern charm to the mix. I’ve never been to a small town in Alabama before—or Alabama at all—but Allen’s descriptions through Ginny’s eyes made the whole situation feel very familiar. I should note that I did grow up in a small town in Northern California, so that may have helped me to build a stronger connection with the location than some city dweller would. Regardless, Allen describes Locust Fork in just enough detail that readers can imagine it without overwhelmingly them with paragraph upon paragraph about Main Street. Those illustrations combined with Southern terminology and sayings gives this narrative a Southern feel without driving it into the ground.

I came across a few proofreading errors. However, these errors were incredibly minor, a missing article here or there. Therefore, they did not detract from my reading experience or the quality of the writing.

Overall, Cursed! by Idabel Allen is a well-written, compelling YA mystery novel. It’s not just about the mystery of a small town’s dirty secret; it’s about human lives as real as yours and mine, and a girl struggling to become a young woman and cement new, lasting relationships. The ending is rather bittersweet, which won’t sit right with people who prefer books with straight-up happy endings. Nevertheless, readers who like books with realistically complex endings that aren’t entirely bleak will find this ending very satisfying. I think that young adult outcasts will especially enjoy Cursed! After all, everyone likes reassurance that being unique does not mean you’re evil or cursed.

You can buy Cursed! by Idabel Allen as an eBook or in print on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. To learn more about the author and her other works, be sure to check out her website, Facebook, and Twitter page.

Do you know of a book I should read? Want your work reviewed on this blog? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com or message me on Fiverr and we can arrange something.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011