Forum To Discuss This Authors Works
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| Rune* Quote | Reply | | Reviews of your Works posted on: 8/26/2005 7:27:06 AM How do you deal with reading reviews of your works Gary? Do you take them seriously? Do you ever contact the reviewer if they were harsh about your works? I've often wondering about this, as I am a firm believer that reviews are really useful for readers to get an idea about what a book is like, but also I think a reviewer should make it clear that it's only their views that is being aired. In the end it's all down to taste isnt it. |
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Gary Wassner
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Reviews of your Works
replied on: 8/30/2005 4:17:14 PM I was away from the computer for the weekend! But now I am back. As far as reviews are concerned, I take every one more seriously than you might ever imagine. I don't distinguish between a fan's review and a major critic's review. To me, each is as important as the other. With email today, I usually know when a review is about to be posted. I tense up each time I prepare to read a new one. I have never criticized a reviewer for what they have said, though I have emailed them on occasion to either say thanks or simply tell them that I understand their comments and I take them seriously, whether I truly agree with them or not. I don't think that it's every productive to be nasty or to respond to a negative review. Anne Rice did it on the internet (amazon) and though I understood her sentiment, I think she would have been better off if she had refrained from saying anything at all. Fortunately, I have had only one scathing review and it was by a reader, not a critic, though honestly it hurts just the same. There are some basic things that are objective in a review. Most comments are subjective though and do reflect the taste level of the critic. Once, a reviewer prefaced his review with a caveat: "I don't like Epic Fantasy." I was almost afraid to read what followed. Why review an Epic Fantasy series if you don't like the genre? Odd.... |
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Rune*
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Reviews of your Works
replied on: 8/30/2005 4:52:33 PM Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. I've especially curious as I'll have to do more detailed reviews now and I definately going to make clear that my comments are my personal thoughts. So many times I've read a book and not been able to get into it, to find that loads of others think I'm crazy as they love it. I'll have to be conscious of the fact that at times I will come across books I really dont like for whatever reason. Fortunately there havent been that many books I really hated 
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Gary Wassner
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Reviews of your Works
replied on: 8/30/2005 6:39:55 PM I used to write reviews for another popular website. I was very careful always. I wanted to tell the truth but not to slam an author. It isn't necessary to be cruel in order to clearly state your objections to a book. I like to point out the strong aspects as well as the shortcomings, but if the book is very weak, that sometimes becomes difficult. Still, there are ways to say negative things that don't sound quite as awful to the reader. Any author can see through the smoke though, so it's not necessary to be mean. |
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Tessadragon
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Reviews of your Works
replied on: 8/31/2005 10:30:52 AM It's brave to be able to face criticism, I think, and to be able to deal with it wisely. |
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Gary Wassner
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Reviews of your Works
replied on: 8/31/2005 12:53:15 PM Yes it is. The key though is to believe it. Sometimes authors feel that their books are being misunderstood by a specific reviewer. You have to have the right perspective for a critical review to be helpful. You need first to know that the reviewer is credible and sincere. I also think that most of the time, if the review is heartfelt and honest, that the author really knows the truth or falsity of the comments before he/she even reads them. I don't think that we are ever awakened by a review comment. I key is to use the criticism productively and to make sure that you avoid in the future the issues that reviewers agree upon are weak. |
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