Yeah! My favorite season and holiday is coming at me fast. Got to get busy with my decor! I love this time of year. A northerner at heart, fall is such an awesome time of year. Still warm with Indian Summer yet so very vibrant. Living in Southern Florida, I truly miss it but this is the time of year that is most comfortable in the south. We get cold fronts that give us the most delectable weather. Breezy and much cooler temps from October through just about May. Ahh...Wintering in Florida is heaven.
I want to mention that this week's Author Spotlight didn't work out. Kelley Heckart's new release has been slightly delayed so her spot will move to November 12th. Be sure to mark you calendars of the change. The first and second week of October are open. Any paranormal authors interested in jumping in to be spotlighted? You don't have to have a new release to be interviewed so don't hesitate to contact me ASAP ( gothscribegirl@aol.com ) if you are interested in some free promo.
I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who jumped into the review conversation below. If you have not read this post, please do. It's something that touches all of us as writers and reviewers alike. I've even had two reviewers step up to the plate and talk to us about thier perspective.
An update: The author that I talked about who was given a "0" rating on her book has had yet another review by the same reviewer none-the-less at a different review site! This time she was awarded a 1.5! How is this fair practice?
Reviewers out there, a question. Do you review the same books on different sites? I've never come across this practice before. Please pipe in and let us know what's up with this?
Dayana~
Oh, that's terrible. If I recall correctly, one of the reviewers who commented on your last blog said she never gives lower than a three. I like that practice. Reviewing isn't easy -- one of the reasons I don't do it often. Please tell your author friend that we've all been there in one way or another, and she's not alone ;).
ReplyDeleteWell this just adds insult to injury! I have to wonder how many other names she uses to post the same trash. Shouldn't we all? Whether stellar or abyssmal, who's to say it's not the same reviewer using a whole slew of different names. What a horror!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know anyone who reveiws for two different sites. But it wouldn't suprise me. Although I think it's unethical to keep giving the same review over and over from differnt sites.
ReplyDeleteThank God that wasn't me. My latest review was much better than my first. I went from an equivalent to a zero to a five. A five, big difference, especially in my feelings!
ReplyDeleteGiving a zero is just plain mean.
Actually, LOTS of reviewers review for more than one site. I know at LASR/WC about half of our reviewers review for other sites. We do ask that they not review the same books for us that they do for the other sites, and I try to find time to go take a look at the reviews they post elsewhere to make sure this rule is being followed ... I'm sure some slip through but we try!
ReplyDeleteWe also have the "no snark" rule on our site and I decline books that get poor reviews rather than posting them, though we do post down to a "2" rating now -- sometimes. Those are left up to my discretion.
I don't think any purpose is served by bashing a story or book -- mostly because a review is one person's opinion. It's also the reason that a book that gets a bad reviews at LASR is reassigned to another reviewer... sometimes what one person hates, another loves.
As an example: I do NOT like the "Outlander" books. I'm in the clear minority, but I just can NOT get into them. If I had to review them, it would be a negative review. However, if my LASR/WC biz partner, Judy, reviewed it she'd have nothing but positive things to say about it.
Conversely, she doesn't like Nora Roberts' books and I love them.
I absolutely believe in constructive crits in reviews (and they happen a lot in our mid-range ones: the 3 and 3.5 rated ones), but if you can't find at least something positive to say about a book, you should't review it.
Yikes! I wrote a novel. :::steps off soapbox:::
Marianne/LASR
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your input here. We really appreciate you as a review site giving us your take on these review horror stories.
Helwyn, I know you responded to the original post but I wanted to acknowlege like my friend's story your's is just unbelievable as well. These people should not be reviewing books.
Thank you everyone for you input.
May all your future reviews be wonderful and/or at least helpful.
Dayana~