{"id":8511,"date":"2012-04-11T11:23:49","date_gmt":"2012-04-11T15:23:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theseasonforromance.com\/wordpress\/?p=8511"},"modified":"2012-04-11T11:23:49","modified_gmt":"2012-04-11T15:23:49","slug":"should-writers-be-reviewers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2012\/04\/11\/should-writers-be-reviewers\/","title":{"rendered":"Should writers be reviewers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Katrina Latham<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I want to share with you two different opinions I\u2019ve received about stories I\u2019ve written.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe writing is so good and I\u2019m so disappointed the story doesn\u2019t match.\u201d \u2013Contest judge<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough we enjoyed the characters, I\u2019m afraid the writing isn’t as strong as other manuscripts currently under consideration.\u201d \u2013 Editor<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I received both of these comments over a year ago, and they\u2019ve stuck in the back of my mind as I\u2019ve worked hard to improve both my writing skills and my storytelling abilities.<\/p>\n

Writers can be very thin-skinned. Although each of these comments manages to be both polite and honest, I still remember feeling my face burn as I read them. The second one made me a little nauseous (maybe because I\u2019m a professional writer and read the rejection while I was at work).<\/p>\n

I am an unpublished writer, and I am also a novel reviewer. I write honest reviews on my blog\u201d<\/a>, for the Season for Romance, and on Goodreads<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Is it smart for me to share my opinions on other writers\u2019 work when I\u2019m trying to break into their industry? Should I only share positive reviews and keep criticism to myself?<\/p>\n

Many people would say this is a no-brainer. Of course<\/em> writers, editors and agents have a long memory if you pan their work. What if I want to submit my own work to that agent or editor? What if that author and I share an agent or editor, or both have a professional opportunity to work together? Would they really want to work with me?<\/p>\n

Honestly, I don\u2019t have the answers to these questions, and I\u2019m not sure that anyone does. Surely it depends on the individual author\/editor\/agent.<\/p>\n

The absolutely brilliant author Roni Loren recently dealt with this question on her blog, talking about authors who tear others down or post scathing reviews<\/a>. She cautions writers who would post negative reviews:<\/p>\n

I’m NOT saying someone shouldn’t be allowed to post negative or even scathing reviews. That’s everyone’s right. It’s definitely a reader’s right. Honest reviews are needed for every book, and I know I count on them to help me making my buying decisions.<\/p>\n

However, once you put on the writer hat, you’re in a different place whether you like it or not. You’re not simply a reader anymore. People are watching you. And karma may bite you in the butt. So you need to make a personal decision on what’s right for you. (My personal yardstick is that if you wouldn’t say whatever it is to the writer face to face, you probably shouldn’t put it on the internet.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I totally agree, especially with the last sentence. But I actively seek books to review, and I do publish reviews of books I don\u2019t like.<\/p>\n

But there are things I keep in mind when I write reviews \u2013 not because I\u2019m worried about whether writing a particular review will screw my writing career, but because life is too short to spend any of it being mean.<\/p>\n

1. Even though I don\u2019t get paid for reviews, I approach reviewing as a professional writer, not as a grouch hiding behind the anonymity of the internet.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Everyone I meet on- or offline should expect the same courtesy from me. It\u2019s much easier to say \u201cThis person\u2019s writing sucks\u201d when you\u2019re not looking them in the face, but easier doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

I keep my reviews focused on the book itself, not on the author. And when I criticize elements of a book, I always try to be honest but polite \u2013 just as I am when I give people feedback face-to-face at work.<\/p>\n

Some writers can take this on the chin, mull over the criticism, and decide whether I\u2019ve touched upon a weakness that they can improve (or whether I\u2019m just full of crap). Others can\u2019t. And really, that\u2019s their issue, not mine.<\/p>\n

2. Authors and publishers make their books available to reviewers because it makes good business sense, not because they expect everyone to throw confetti around them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Okay, this isn\u2019t so much a rule for myself, but it\u2019s something I try to keep in mind. Because to be honest, it\u2019s actually harder<\/em> for me to say negative things about a book than positive. I don\u2019t enjoy writing reviews of books I didn\u2019t like. But I know that when I accept a book for review, I\u2019ve entered into a sort of contract that I will be honest. And really, there are things I\u2019ve criticized about novels that other people have said they liked. At least giving readers my full, honest impression allows them to decide for themselves whether they agree with that criticism.<\/p>\n

3. Readers should be warned about books that aren\u2019t worth paying for.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Obviously, \u201cnot worth paying for\u201d is a subjective opinion. And I haven\u2019t run into many of these in my time as a reviewer. Mostly I\u2019ve been lucky enough to discover new favorite authors or, at worst, books that just left me feeling \u201cmeh\u201d.<\/p>\n

But I have run across a handful of books that seemed to me to be an insult to readers. I mean, they actually felt like very rough first drafts that only got published because the author had built up a big brand name. To me, this is an insult to readers. And if I\u2019m given the responsibility to review one of these books, then I will (politely, honestly) explain what I didn\u2019t like and give it a low rating.<\/p>\n

Will this give people a negative impression of me as a writer? Possibly. But they should probably worry more about having lost me as a reader.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d be really interested to hear from other writers who review books. Do you find it a difficult balance? And from agents and publishers \u2013 would you shy away from a writer who has posted negative reviews? And published authors \u2013 how do you feel about other writers who find fault with your books?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Kat Latham<\/strong>\u00a0has been reading romance for a couple of decades. With degrees in English lit and human rights, she loves stories that reflect the depth, humor and emotion of real life. When she\u2019s not writing contemporary romance novels, she can usually be found blogging or tweeting overly personal information. She loves meeting other readers and writers online, so\u00a0follow her on Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0check out her blog<\/a>\u00a0and say hello!<\/p>\n\n

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by Katrina Latham I want to share with you two different opinions I\u2019ve received about stories I\u2019ve written. \u201cThe writing is so good and I\u2019m […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,36],"tags":[248,294],"class_list":["post-8511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-katrina","category-miscellaneous","tag-editorial","tag-guest-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nShould writers be reviewers? - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2012\/04\/11\/should-writers-be-reviewers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should writers be reviewers? 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