How Much Do Blog Reviews Help/Hurt New Books?

[anonymous]

I am reading a book now that I am really enjoying. I just read two negative reviews from blogs - only both these blogs were written by teenagers under the age of 15.

Then I began a book that I heard (again on a blog) was ah-mazing. It was slow and poorly written.

This is the question - I have a book coming out in a month - my first and it's YA. That seems to be the genre high school kids are blogging about.

Do these reviews help or hurt the books? One negative review got zero comments; another got 16. Does it depend on the readership of the blog?

And how do you pro writers deal with negative reviews that clearly don't "get" the book (one review was really, really off the mark about the plot)
Do you ignore them?

Thanks for any opinions - From Worried Debut Author

[Rhonda]

I would really, really try to avoid commenting on negative reviews. In fact, you might be good not to comment on any reviews. That's just my opinion, and it's something I'm trying to do now.

I don't think blog reviews make or break a book, honestly. Plenty of books have gotten bad reviews but are still successful.

[CynJay]

Michelle Zink recently posted the results of a survey that she did over many, many school visits. Of course, I can't find it now, but the bottom line was that most of the kids in her audience had no idea that YA blogs even existed. I think that it is a very passionate but relatively small group of people.

As far as commenting, I might comment on a positive review of a book that I liked, but I would never badmouth someone else's book in public, no matter how I felt about it.  I also never comment on reviews or blog posts about my book whether it's good or bad. I feel that if I jump in as an author, even to say thanks for the review, that people will feel that they can't say what they really feel.

[Kurtis]

I have thanked bloggers for mentioning my book (especially when I either know them via the web or know them to be local book bloggers), but often not even that, and never have (or would) say anything to a negative review, even if it was flat out inaccurate. I can't imagine it would do anything but make you look unprofessional.

It's really different for middle grade than YA, because there are no actual middle grade students with book blogs that I know of. All of the middle grade book blogs I've seen are by teachers and librarians, and they tend to make good points about a book whether they like it or not. So we middle grade authors can usually depend on a fair reading and thoughtful comments, when we are lucky enough to find people on the blogosphere talking about our books, but I guess that's a blessing and a curse.

[Marissa Doyle]

Apart from a couple of well known YA book bloggers like Kris at the Story Siren or James at Book Chic, I don't think they're taken very seriously.  When your book comes out, ignore the blog reviews, or get a significant other to pre-read them for you.  If you read too many of them, good and bad, they mess with your head, which is To Be Avoided.   

 

[Owl]

Not a book-published author *yet* ;-)

...but here's my opinion anyway. I think it's bad form to comment on any reviews, even if the reviewer gets everything twisted and upside-down. No matter what, your reply will look like sour grapes.

Complain privately to your best friend or spouse but not in a public forum. Better yet, don't read reviews at all. Get the significant other to presecreen them for you.

[Kurtis]

I disagree with that. You can learn from bad reviews.

[MaryWitzl]

I'm not published yet (though I flatter myself that someday I will be).  But if I were published and found a negative review of my book, I would definitely just let it be.  I agree with everyone who says that responding in any way makes the reviewer/responders feel uncomfortable, and less likely to give their honest opinions. Which I would absolutely want, however unflattering. I agree with Kurtis that you can learn from bad reviews, albeit through your tears.

[Joni]

When your book comes out, ignore the blog reviews, or get a significant other to pre-read them for you.  If you read too many of them, good and bad, they mess with your head, which is To Be Avoided.  

Totally agree. I turned off my Google Alerts... but I can totally understand why a debut author wouldn't be able to go that far.

I disagree with that. You can learn from bad reviews.

I respectfully disagree to a large extent. I mean, I think you can learn from constructive sorts of comments IN ACKNOWLEDGED REVIEW SOURCES by somebody whom you have some reason to think they know what they're talking about. This excludes a very large number of bloggers. I've seen too many reviews of other authors' books where the blogger couldn't be bothered to spell characters' names correctly; where the blog post was riddled with grammar errors; and where the reviewer clearly did not "get" the book or even said they didn't usually read X type of book and then proceeded to trash a book they should never have reviewed in the first place. There's nothing to be learned from a review like that, and most writers do NOT need the ego-beating. The editor will send any "recognized" reviews, and those are plenty to learn from, IMO.

[Deva]

My opinion is that it is possible for book blogs to impact the success of a book, but it's not the norm. What I usually see is book blog buzz following publisher/industry buzz, not the reverse.

And I do agree it can be very different for MG than YA, as Kurtis says.

Although there are some authors who can benefit from reading blog reviews (as Kurtis also says) I think it is a personal decision you have to make based on your knowledge of your own character and nature. For me, experience has demonstrated that it is not worth it for me to read reviews. I'm the type of person who clings to bad stuff and has trouble remembering the good stuff, and a bad review will throw me off so much it can stop me from writing for days or more. Taking that all into account, I turned off my google alerts last year and try to not go looking anymore. But I don't expect that will be what's right for all authors.

And I definitely do not comment on reviews (positive or negative) if I do find them (if, say, they are in blogs I read normally). Sometimes I email the blogger privately to thank them, though.

Good luck, Anon!

[Kurtis]

Good points, Joni and Deva. I actually accentuate the negative myself, but I wouldn't ever want (or be able) to completely screen myself from anything but good news. Maybe a few books from now I'll be more jaded.

The truth is that MG books are mostly invisible on the blogosphere and the reviews are mostly positive; I think the kinds of people who do those reviews just don't bother talking about books they don't like. I know when I had a book review blog (which I took down shortly after selling my first book), I had a thumper policy -- if I couldn't say something nice, I said nothin' at all.

[Deva]

Good points, Joni and Deva. I actually accentuate the negative myself, but I wouldn't ever want (or be able) to completely screen myself from anything but good news.

I should clarify -- I also screen myself from the good news (at least, the reviews) if I can. I don't really find the good reviews help me in the long run any more than the negative reviews.

But again, just me, other folks may have a different experience... :-)

[nova]

I've completely stopped reading blog reviews. Only if the blogger sends the link to me—and usually that happens when s/he loves the book and wants to share that with me—only then do I read it, and that's always a nice moment. Other than that, it can drive you crazy. I completely agree with Marissa that these reviews can mess with your head, good and bad.

I've turned off my Google Alerts as well.

I also have had to stop checking GoodReads.

Like Deva says, it depends on your knowledge of your own nature. It hurts me more than helps me, and I learned that the hard way. So now I know.

As for if these blog reviews have helped or hurt my debut, I have no idea. My editor seemed pleased that people online were talking about it (even if, to my eyes, the talk wasn't all good), so perhaps it's just having the book out there that helps. Wish I could answer your question!

[R.J. Anderson]

I used to think that reading critical reviews of my books would help me become a better writer, and that's why I kept Google Alerts on so long. But gradually I came to realize that there is little or nothing to be gained from reading such reviews, and here's why:

Unless the reviewer is pointing out a long-term trend they've observed after reading several of your books (i.e. "This author always seems to end their stories too quickly, and I'd like to see a little more denouement"), any criticisms they make apply solely to a book which is already written and therefore out of your control. It's not like getting feedback from a critique partner or an editor on a work in progress, something you actually have the chance to fix, because you CAN'T fix that book any more. It's out there. It's published. It's done. So all critical reviews are going to do is discourage you, make you second-guess yourself, and interfere with your ability to write the next book.

So I've stopped reading reviews now. I was fortunate while it lasted in that my good reviews far outnumbered the negative ones -- but they didn't outweigh them, not by a long shot. And ultimately I realized it just wasn't worth the stress for me. If I get a particularly good review in some major publication, my editor or my agent or my friends will tell me about it, and that's all I really need to know.

[CynJay]

I was fortunate while it lasted in that my good reviews far outnumbered the negative ones -- but they didn't outweigh them, not by a long shot.

Words to live by.

[MaryWitzl]

Well, I've learned something just from reading these posts. Should the happy day ever arrive and my manuscripts turn into books, I think I'll keep my google alerts off as well.

[Jaclyn Dolamore]

I've actually found reviews to have a mostly positive effect on me so far, as someone who is writing a sequel. When I wrote Magic Under Glass, it wasn't my favorite group of characters, and as I awaited the book's release, writing a sequel seemed a bit of a chore, but once it came out, seeing so many people express love for Nimira and Erris has actually made me feel more enthusiastic about writing their stories.  I also like knowing what people want to see in a sequel (although it doesn't mean I'll always give it to them, mwa ha).

Bad reviews, OTOH, just don't bother me much. They did at first, but after I got a few, and just as many good ones, I came to my senses and remembered how subjective the whole thing is.

[Joni]

The truth is that MG books are mostly invisible on the blogosphere and the reviews are mostly positive; I think the kinds of people who do those reviews just don't bother talking about books they don't like.

I've noticed that and thought it was just my imagination that YA books seemed to get a lot more buzz, whether positive or negative. Makes sense, though, that there'd be more teen bloggers than 10-year-olds.

[Kurtis]

I only know of one actual book blogger who is under 12, and he just guest blogs on his aunt's book blog (and he mostly reads comic books, although he did like Mudville :-)) There are a lot of kids on Shelfari, compared to GoodReads and LibraryThing.

[Amanda Marrone]

I saw a couple of you turned off google alerts--I get a bunch of alerts every week for sites with illegal down-loads for my books through google. I know most of the ones I report to S&S get taken down pretty quickly, but without google alerts they'd still be out there.

[Melissa]

I saw a couple of you turned off google alerts--I get a bunch of alerts every week for sites with illegal down-loads for my books through google. I know most of the ones I report to S&S get taken down pretty quickly, but without google alerts they'd still be out there.

That IS a good reason for alerts, & I know a couple authors who use them for that.

As to blog reviews . . .  I read then in "batches."  I save up & do it iall at once, so the good & bad are both there together.  Typically, I don't read them on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, Shelfari, or LibraryThings. Does the reviews help/hurt? I'm not sure. I think the online world seems FAR more influential than it really is. Very few of the teen readers I've talked to ever read reviews anywhere.  Books (& bands & movies) are selected via friends, ads, commercials, or "just saw it there."  Most of them don't read what we say onTwitter, blogs, MySpace, Facebook, or any of that either.  They might be on a few of those places, but the dominant reason is very much not author-stalking OR review-reading.  (Some would argue that this means we can stop blogging etc, & I have to admit that there might be a point there.)

The only online "review" that I know hurt was an interview in which a well-known author badmouthed my book. THAT one had impact. . . but it also had ppl read my book to see why it was insulted, so I think that in the end that was a no loss/no gain event.

My advice is to read in sections if you're going to read. It gives a wider range of responses.

[Marissa Doyle]

The only online "review" that I know hurt was an interview in which a well-known author badmouthed my book. THAT one had impact. . . but it also had ppl read my book to see why it was insulted, so I think that in the end that was a no loss/no gain event.

Oh, man...that just plain stinks.  Karma...

[Joni]

I think the online world seems FAR more influential than it really is.

I think you're right, and have even heard industry and non-industry people speak about this. It's a very insular world that seems of critical importance to the people inside it... but it's actually pretty small compared to the book-buying public. I don't know how many librarians I've heard say, "I don't have time to read blogs." If THEY don't, the average reader isn't going to. (Not book review blogs, that is.)

[Traci Dee]

I turned off Google alerts a while back. I only read reviews when someone sends me a link to them. At this point, I can read bad reviews without feeling like I've been kicked in the chest, but both good reviews and bad reviews are pointless to read--people love and hate your book for the SAME REASONS so what can you do?

Bloggers maybe don't have an effect on the book buying public, but they do affect publishers who pay attention to what they're buzzing about. But bad reviews aren't the end of the world, so don't let them scare you. A bad review can drive a person to buy your book just as easily as a good review can.

[Sydney Salter]

I've never let a bad review stop me from buying a book (sometimes depending on the reviewer's bias I will actually purchase the book because of the bad review). I've also noticed that sometimes a bad review can generate an interesting discussion about a book.

I think it's worse to be completely ignored online.

Also, I've gotten to know some really great, really supportive bloggers who show up to book signings, etc. It's always fun to get to know fellow book lovers!

[Jonathan_Maberry]

The formula is pretty simple: ignore bad reviews, and post (at least) a thanks on decent reviews.  If a blog reviewer is both positive AND has a good following, then recommend them to your publisher for future review copies.

[angela]

I was assigned to review a serises of books (not for a blog) and i had serious concerns about the books use in the classroom G1-3 (caucasion characters in illustrations for characters that weren't) no special characters on words for proper spelling of chinese / spanish / other languages.

I really liked the author and he was generous with his time, but my audience was the readership of the paper -parents and teachers who might consider adding the series to the classroom or home library.

I was so surprised when he wrote to thank me for the "excellent" review even though I mentioned the concerns. And he said he was going to try to correct the issues I raised.

I think the 'thank you' and praise was good business and a result of our long rambling conversation about other things other than books. I sure didn't expect it!

[Ann Gatti]

I am reading a book now that I am really enjoying. I just read two negative reviews from blogs - only both these blogs were written by teenagers under the age of 15.

Then I began a book that I heard (again on a blog) was ah-mazing. It was slow and poorly written.

This is the question - I have a book coming out in a month - my first and it's YA. That seems to be the genre high school kids are blogging about.

Do these reviews help or hurt the books? One negative review got zero comments; another got 16. Does it depend on the readership of the blog?

And how do you pro writers deal with negative reviews that clearly don't "get" the book (one review was really, really off the mark about the plot)
Do you ignore them?

Thanks for any opinions - From Worried Debut Author

Here is my .02 cents from a reader point of view. I think I maybe the only one that do this, but I try to never read or buy books that are recommended in well know places, review by critics or magazines.  I know it's odd but every time I do the book has been a disappointment from me; unless a critic slams a book there is little chance I would  buy it. I do pay attention to the recommendations one of my friends that blogs about books does. We have somewhat of the same taste so there is a good chance that if she enjoy the book, I will too. Amazon reviews never stops me from buying a book either. Actually let me rephrase that amazon reviews only push me towards buying a book ONLY if it has negative reviews and a low rating. The nastier the review the more likely I'm going to buy the book. I have often found that the books with the bad reviews are actually the ones I like so I follow that. 

I think you can learn from bad reviews but you have to put them in context. Trying to fix every detail that people don't like would be a nightmare. However if collectively they all have the same complaint then it maybe time to stop and analyze what the mass is saying.  However worrying about every negative review will give you an ulcer, like someone said read it in masses and then pick what the collective minds tell you. If nothing comes up then file it and forget it, remember reading is subjective (is that the word?) and what's good for me, it may not be for you.

[Lisa S]

I recently turned off google alerts too. Most reviews for my books are positive, but what would bug me were the comments from people on those reviews saying - I just don't think I'd like a verse novel (which is what my 3 YA novels are).

It drives me CRAZY that people see that word "verse" and they instantly make assumptions. And to comment when you haven't tried one - OY!

Of course, I don't write for those people. I write for the many teens who send me notes and say, "I don't usually like to read, but I love your books..." The ones who appreciate all the white space on the page. The ones who like the fact that the verse allows me to get to the emotional heart of the story and focus on THAT. The ones who understand you don't have to have a book with 100,000 words to tell a story.

Still, I'd read those comments from people and it would put me in this bad place where I was thinking - I write weird books. WHY DO I WRITE WEIRD BOOKS?  I don't want to think that! I want to think that I write unique books, books that meet the needs for some kids who can't find anything else they want to read on the shelves.

Sara Zarr is sort of my author idol when it comes to this kind of thing, and she has had some great advice over the years about staying away from the noise of the internet. If you scroll down, she talks about it again in this interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith (it's the last question).

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2009/10/author-interview-sara-zarr-on-once-was.html

I especially love this line: "Can you separate your identity as a writer from your popularity as a writer? Because they are not the same thing."

[Joy P]

I've never let a bad review stop me from buying a book (sometimes depending on the reviewer's bias I will actually purchase the book because of the bad review). I've also noticed that sometimes a bad review can generate an interesting discussion about a book.

I think it's worse to be completely ignored online.

Also, I've gotten to know some really great, really supportive bloggers who show up to book signings, etc. It's always fun to get to know fellow book lovers!

I agree - I think it's just a middle ground that I'm looking for. If you're getting absolutely no online interest,  that's not good. If you're so obsessed with it that it rules your life as a writer, that's not good either. I wish I could say that I've turned off my google alerts, but I haven't. I just don't read everything that pops up. And I've developed a sort of detached fascination for both the bad and the good reviews. As I'm the type of person who will only review what I love or at least like, I'm definitely curious about those who feel obligated to produce a page of negativity. But it does have its place since it is all part of free speech. By and large, the book blogging community is kind, generous and amazingly supportive. But my anecdotal experience tells me that for the average teen reader (just as with the average teen movie goer) print reviews don't mean much. Word of mouth means more.  Beyond that, if people are buying, then that's the best review I can ask for.