Why write a book review of a book you didn’t like?
Throughout all my life I’ve wondered why people give bad publicity to authors they never met, probably never will. ‘This book was awful’, or ‘I was grateful when it ended’, or ‘It was so boring, I fell asleep halfway through’, or ‘I skimmed through most pages’, so on and etc.
The fact is, ¾ of the people who give this review aren’t getting paid or asked to give such review. So it always baffles me, why do you do it?
I understand the reviews are nothing more than that individual’s personal opinion, but this ‘personal opinion’ is shockingly, irrevocably very bad publicity not only for that particular book, but for the author itself. A reader who might be contemplating buying that book would be discouraged after reading such negative review, and there’s a 50 50 chance he would have enjoyed that book very much.
How do I figure?
Simple. I’ve read reviews of books I’ve loved that reflected negatively upon it, followed by comments about how someone almost bought that book and ‘thank you for warning me’.
Maybe, I figured since a lot of people are posting book reviews, the negative reviews are written with no ill intention in mind, but simply because book reviews are good blogging material. But then again, I wonder, are people posting negative reviews because they can’t find good books?
Why are you torturing yourself reading something you can’t stand? There are tons of books out there you can write honest, positive reviews about. If you aren’t getting paid, aren’t asked to do that review, why give the author, and that book, such bad publicity?
Haven’t you ever picked up a book, decided you didn’t like it, put it aside, only to pick it up again a few years later and totally enjoy it?
Hehe I like this post!
But, I think it is okay to be honest about what one thinks about a book they’ve read. It’s their opinion, after all. I don’t mean they should be jerks and be all mean in the review but when opinions are expressed well, they become constructive criticism. The meanies can just go eat a toe!
Just putting in my two cents 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Certainly, i agree. giving a review that is constructive, honest and not mean is totally alright. but i’ve read reviews that goes like ‘oh my god, i couldn’t stomach the book, it was horrible’. if it was horrible, why did you read it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haha yes, I mean, they could have stopped and picked up another book 🙄
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly! why give writers that bad publicity?
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is true – if they’re getting paid to read a book and review it, then it’s ok to leave a bad review if they didn’t like it. But if not, it doesn’t really make much sense.
Kathrin — http://mycupofenglishtea.wordpress.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
Even if they are getting paid or have been asked, their review should at least be constructive, a critique of the work as well as their feeling. towards it
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes absolutely. But then at least they have an excuse as to why they were reading a book they don’t like.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s true, but if i was going to review something for someone, i’d first give them my preferences to minimize the chances of not liking it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think negative book reviews have their place, and I’ve actually learned from them as a writer when they are specific about what the reader didn’t like. But just ragging on a book without specifics doesn’t help the writer or other readers. Reviewers who are detailed about what they liked and didn’t like enable me to make a choice based on my tastes. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
yes, that’s true. i belive a book review has a lot in common with beta reading. telling the writer – or readers of a review – ‘this was bad’ isn’t helping anyone. on the other hand, explaining the reason why the book didn’t click with you can actually help the writer improve, and the reader to make a better choice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reviews serve a purpose when done constructively. Tell other readers the reason the book fell short or didn’t meet your expectations. Yes, there’s no place for nasty reviews as you say. Everyone has a particular taste and what one person doesn’t like, another person might love.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s so true. a negative review that is written in a constructive way is actually a good one. But still, sometimes i am baffled when i read a review of a book that reader didn’t enjoy at all and couldn’t wait for it to be over. i love reading, but if i”m not asked to read something for some other reason, and am only reading it for my personal enjoyment, well, it’s for my personal enjoyment. why would i torture myself with something i didn’t like?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very true! Well, this is the world we live in and there’s very little we can do about nasty reviews. Hopefully writer’s can see through the comments and move on unfazed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
and the readers.
LikeLike
I think that negative reviews can be a good thing! They tell authors if their writing needs improvement or isn’t connecting with the target audience. It also adds credibility to the book reviews to see both positive AND negative ones 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
True enough, when the negative review is also constructive. the reviewer should list why he/she didn’t like it as well as why he/she kept reading, even if it was only out of a curiosity to what would happen next.
LikeLike
Really enjoyed your thoughts! I see this a lot on Goodreads.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh? does it make you change your mind about a book you were considering?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sometimes, but I have learned that when I do read some of them, I love them! Its just someones opinion!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s good to hear. You know, i prefer reading the reviews of books i’ve already read. except when there”is a lot of buzz surrounding it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Both negative and positive reviews are necessary. It’s true that they might deter readers from reading a certain book, but I find that is not true 80% of the time. Unless that person is highly impressionable and cannot think for themselves, they will still read the book if that’s something they want to do, regardless of what they read about it.
I, for instance, will always be curious about the book no matter what. I will want to find out whether what I’ve read about it is true or not. So bad reviews don’t really influence me that much. All they do is prepare me to come across certain things. And I think most readers will be like that (just because they said they wouldn’t, doesn’t mean they won’t. Sometimes it’s just a way to please the reviewer in question – I’ve seen it happen).
If I visit someone’s blog/Goodreads page and all they’ve written are positive reviews, I will simply not take that person seriously. It’s unrealistic that they’ve enjoyed every single book they’ve read. So they’ve either refrained from reviewing a book they didn’t enjoy or they’re lying in their reviews. Either way, I will likely not be following that blogger.
No publicity is bad publicity, to be honest. Take Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth. Her sales skyrocketed, especially after every single blogger out there continued to criticize it. Why? Because people were curious and wanted to find out whether the book was as bad as everyone made it out to be. Because they wanted to get their own take on the subject. Because it was controversial.
The truth is Roth did not suffer at all from this bad publicity. You might argue that’s because she was already famous to begin with and thus, people would want to buy her books anyway. But that also happens to lesser known/debut authors.
So I’m totally in favor of negative reviews. I’m not in favor of bad reviews, though, where the writer keeps complaining about the book and doesn’t explain why, or simply says “Terrible book. Stay clear away.” That is not only unhelpful but awfully unprofessional. In that case, it’s better to not say anything at all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Sophie, for this insightful comment. i am sorry, though to admit that i am one of those people who only read what i enjoy. Maybe, I might frown upon a scene, or wish the book took a different route, or hate a minor character, but the least i’ve rated a book was 3, and i’ve only made 1 review ever, of a book i totally enjoyed. though i’ll add here that i hadn’t realized before that anyone could write a review on goodreads . i’d always believed only a selective few could, or a moderator.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Anyone can review on Goodreads, as far as I know. Which means that yes, there will be many types of reviews there, even those that are neither helpful nor respectful and are, simply put, rants by bitter people.
It’s a bit difficult to know beforehand whether you’ll enjoy a book or not, so it’s really a 50% chance you’ll get a good/bad book. Some people stop reading these as soon as it bothers them, some people keep going. It’s a very personal choice and neither side is wrong, I think. Like I said, as long as reviews are kept civil and constructive, they’re all great.
You’re very welcome! I enjoy these discussions 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
i like to hear people’s opinion and how each one have a different view for the same thing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’d rather write a positive review about something I loved. More often than not, if I dislike a book that much it goes in my DNF pile. If I don’t finish it, I don’t feel like I can give it a proper review.
The only bad review I’ve ever left is for a Burger King. It wasn’t open when it said it would be, and I couldn’t have breakfast!
LikeLiked by 1 person
my sentiment exactly! thank you for the comment. and i love burger king … their chicken burger is delicious… yummy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Authors can get better by all the negative critique. I think negative and positive reviews are always necessary for authors to grow to the best of their abilities. Same with anything else in life, won’t grow with just positivity around you, very rarely does that happen.
LikeLiked by 1 person
that’s true enough..when something smells bad, every one wants to take a snif and see for themselves.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right on the money with that one
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. I appreciate the 2 cents.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sadly, negative reviews are generally far more entertaining than positive ones, though I will say this: I don’t read reviews until after I have finished the book, so I start it with no pre-conceived notions.
LikeLiked by 1 person
When bad reviews become entertaining , that means the publicity is good. yeah, crazy world. And i do the same. i read the reviews of the books I’ve already read. if it’s a book in a series, i even skip the blurb, so i have no clue of what will happen and the book can surprise me as i go.
LikeLike