Who are the Best and Worst Reviewers? - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T08:48:18Zhttps://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/who-are-the-best-and-worst?commentId=537324%3AComment%3A219823&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHi, Dan
over the years I've l…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-04-07:537324:Comment:2319082010-04-07T18:17:17.882Zsam millarhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/sammillar
Hi, Dan<br />
over the years I've learned to toughen my skin from some awful reviews. If someone is good enough to buy the book rip into it, so long as it's not a personal attack then I have no problems with that. How are you doing, anyway?
Hi, Dan<br />
over the years I've learned to toughen my skin from some awful reviews. If someone is good enough to buy the book rip into it, so long as it's not a personal attack then I have no problems with that. How are you doing, anyway? I certainly value reviewers f…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-04-06:537324:Comment:2317542010-04-06T17:38:37.784ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
I certainly value reviewers for major papers above others. These people are experienced and know what to look for. Their comments are also usually balanced. Besides, if they weren't good at judging books, they wouldn't get paid by the paper. Voluntary reviews for web sites are another matter. There you find cliques, and the reviewers may have closed minds to anything that doesn't fit their conception of a mystery. Amazon reviewers are either wonderful because they bring their anthusiasm to the…
I certainly value reviewers for major papers above others. These people are experienced and know what to look for. Their comments are also usually balanced. Besides, if they weren't good at judging books, they wouldn't get paid by the paper. Voluntary reviews for web sites are another matter. There you find cliques, and the reviewers may have closed minds to anything that doesn't fit their conception of a mystery. Amazon reviewers are either wonderful because they bring their anthusiasm to the matter (and frequently, they are also very good at writing reviews), or they are the sorts of people who want to show off or take out their ill humor on an author. You can't beat fans' reviews,…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-04-06:537324:Comment:2317332010-04-06T15:58:38.902Zsam millarhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/sammillar
You can't beat fans' reviews, even if they aren't happy with your latest. I don't mind criticism provided it's constructive, but when someone rips into your book and you know they haven't even read it, that totally galls me.
You can't beat fans' reviews, even if they aren't happy with your latest. I don't mind criticism provided it's constructive, but when someone rips into your book and you know they haven't even read it, that totally galls me. I'm giving a general answer t…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-04-01:537324:Comment:2313502010-04-01T06:04:38.808ZStacyhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/StacyDeanne
I'm giving a general answer to the question so here goes, LOL. I feel other writers are sometimes the worst and best critics of other writers.<br />
<br />
As for reviewers, I respect them and I enjoy a good review but I don't know the names of a lot of reviewers just some that I've encountered through blogs and in writing groups. I don't pay attention to too many "big" reviewers because I find they don't read the types of books I like anyway. They always seem to read literary fiction, memoirs and…
I'm giving a general answer to the question so here goes, LOL. I feel other writers are sometimes the worst and best critics of other writers.<br />
<br />
As for reviewers, I respect them and I enjoy a good review but I don't know the names of a lot of reviewers just some that I've encountered through blogs and in writing groups. I don't pay attention to too many "big" reviewers because I find they don't read the types of books I like anyway. They always seem to read literary fiction, memoirs and political books. Not my cup of tea so I don't usually read reviews that focus on these types of books.<br />
<br />
I don't care who the reviewer is or where they come from as long as they are honest and respectful. Nothing else impresses me. I see a reviewer from a major paper in the same light as I'd see an Amazon reader's review or a blog review. It's the review that counts to me, not who wrote it. But I often find that even though us authors complain about reviews of our own books, some of us don't refrain from being brutally honest about others' books. What I hate is when I'm in a writing forum or group and the authors are tearing up another author's books yet they wanna complain about the reviews they're getting?<br />
<br />
We should treat others how we wanna be treated. We need to be honest when reviewing but always respectful too. So yes, I gotta say writers can and often are the worst critics of other writers. And for those who complain about reviews they get then turn around and attack another author's books, if you can dish it, you need to be able to take it.<br />
<br />
Best Wishes,<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.stacy-deanne.net" target="_blank">http://www.stacy-deanne.net</a> A very belated 'thank you ma'…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-04-01:537324:Comment:2313362010-04-01T00:08:00.140ZTom Cookehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/TomCooke
A very belated 'thank you ma'am.'
A very belated 'thank you ma'am.' I'm talking about the ability…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-12-06:537324:Comment:2217502009-12-06T22:18:45.459Zdoug andersonhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/douganderson
I'm talking about the ability to see humor in the content of their reading.
I'm talking about the ability to see humor in the content of their reading. Stasio's good, but they don't…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-12-05:537324:Comment:2215632009-12-05T12:09:46.040Zdoug andersonhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/douganderson
Stasio's good, but they don't give her enough space. Few reviewers have any real intellectual chops. A reviewer is not really a critic: a critic is (or used to be) someone who brings a wide range of knowledge to a field. Obviously, this is no longer the case. Someone might come to book reviewing through the cooking page. John Loomis mentioned the lack of a sense of humor in some reviewers: this is absolutely true. In teaching, I've realized the smartest students are the ones with a sense of…
Stasio's good, but they don't give her enough space. Few reviewers have any real intellectual chops. A reviewer is not really a critic: a critic is (or used to be) someone who brings a wide range of knowledge to a field. Obviously, this is no longer the case. Someone might come to book reviewing through the cooking page. John Loomis mentioned the lack of a sense of humor in some reviewers: this is absolutely true. In teaching, I've realized the smartest students are the ones with a sense of humor; this probably holds true of reviewers as swell. You do humor very well, Tom.…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-12-04:537324:Comment:2215352009-12-04T22:09:10.348ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
You do humor very well, Tom. That should help sales.
You do humor very well, Tom. That should help sales. Any one who takes the time to…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-12-04:537324:Comment:2215292009-12-04T20:24:32.633ZTom Cookehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/TomCooke
Any one who takes the time to review my book is pretty much a hero to me. I am a regional writer and must depend on local papers to cover my work. The largest daily in my part of the world just finished massive lay offs and early retirements. They no longer covers books so I go hat in hand to the few publications left mostly small town weeklies and beg for mention. It's almost reached the point of, "good, bad, or indifferent, just spell the title right."<br />
<br />
Of course, the most effective sales…
Any one who takes the time to review my book is pretty much a hero to me. I am a regional writer and must depend on local papers to cover my work. The largest daily in my part of the world just finished massive lay offs and early retirements. They no longer covers books so I go hat in hand to the few publications left mostly small town weeklies and beg for mention. It's almost reached the point of, "good, bad, or indifferent, just spell the title right."<br />
<br />
Of course, the most effective sales tool I have is me, usually in a setting that includes free alcohol. My sales pitch is as follows:<br />
"This here is a purty good book. I'll rite ma name in it and give you a copy for fifteen bucks."<br />
or<br />
"Your wife can read a little can't she? Let me sign this book and you kin tell her you know a famous writer. Give me fifteen dollars and we'll fergit the tax."<br />
As you might have guessed, reviews have very little to do with the success or failure of my book sales.<br />
<br />
Tom It's not really a good idea s…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2009-11-23:537324:Comment:2206112009-11-23T02:44:36.963ZDave Zeltsermanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DaveZeltserman
It's not really a good idea since it can cause a conflict of interest. The Washington Post, for example, requires that their reviewers have no contact or relationship with the writers they review.<br />
<br />
--Dave
It's not really a good idea since it can cause a conflict of interest. The Washington Post, for example, requires that their reviewers have no contact or relationship with the writers they review.<br />
<br />
--Dave