In my previous post about Keeping the Negatives in the Closet - an author replied and added a very good piece to the reviewing tableau that I missed.
Yes, I said to "know your publishers", but that was referring to book size and style: shorts and serials.
She contributed a valid observation. Be aware of the HEAT LEVELS of the books published by the publisher.
If a reader/reviewer is requesting from, for instance, White Rose Publishing - then expect sweet romances only, with inspirational themes.
If a reader/reviewer is requesting from Ellora's Cave , then you can expect romances that turn the sheets to ashes from the intense passion and heat in the bedroom.
For a reviewer to mark a book down because they wanted an erotic romance and received instead a book with sensual nuances, happiness and the ending is only a kiss of celebration and commitment, then that's totally wrong on the reviewer's part. For shame!
Don't make the book pay for your mistake. Again, if you are lucky enough to belong to a review site, (assuming the book is not a print) where you can easily say, "Please put this book back up for grabs", do so.
No review should have a negative comment about heat levels when it's the nature of the publisher to be sweet or nice and have no bedroom action. Conversely, if a reader is of a delicate sensibility and they find the book has some BDSM and are shocked...return the book, don't mark it down. You shouldn't punish the author with a bad review because the elements weren't your cup of tea.
Know Your Publishers!
5 comments:
I've gotten those kinds of downgrades and I've also gotten them because the reader thought the book was over-priced. Authors who aren't self-pubbed, don't set the prices. And sometimes the hosting sites make mistakes on heat ratings and categories. It happens and everyone feels badly.
Awww, Margie! I'm sorry you had to have that happen to you -- that's why I write this blog; to alert reviewers that there are things they should NOT do as well as things they should.
Many fans who post reviews on their own blogs don't follow any kind of guidelines. I expect to see these issues pop up.
I guess they think, "why should they follow 'rules'? It's their blog. They can say what they want." I can see their point. However, it's sad that their 'reviews' get bandied about with such inadvertant content, and the word spreads.
It's for reviewers of organized sites with a far reach that I do what I do. There's not a lot out there that helps a reviewer in HOW to review.
Everytime an author like you comments and shares your experiences, observations and suggestions, it helps us do what we love to do, but to do it even better.
Thank you, Margie!
I agree Xer, it's a shame that some review blog sites seem to put more emphsis on quantity over quality of their reviews. I think most reviewers start out as avid readers who like the idea of getting free books for simply giving their opinion. Truthly, I probably started off with the same attitude but just like we expect characters show growth in a story we as reviewers should be showing growth in our writing over time as well. Being aware of what you choose to read and reviewing it on its own merits and not necessarily on your expections is one sign of growth, IMO :D
OH, I KNOW I started off as a reader getting free books. I thought the payoff was very fair and exciting! I still remember my state of glee.
But, along the way, I began to enjoy the process of reviewing. The more I got involved, the more questions I had and the more frustrated I became because there weren't any resources.
So, I became one. (a resource)
That's where my reading/reviewing journey has taken me and I'm still traveling that road.
If I've helped anyone with any part of reviewing, then it's all worth it.
But I still adore the fact that I get to read books by my favorite authors, share my favorite parts about them, and it's monetarily FREE!
:-)
Oh, addendum: --
Being aware of what you choose to read and reviewing it on its own merits and not necessarily on your expections is one sign of growth
That, was an awesome observation!!!
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