Let’s get this out in the open before I even think about writing the stack of reviews I want to write. You’re not going to see very many scathing reviews on my blog.
When I post reviews here, they’re normally books or products that I’ve paid for just like anyone else. If I enjoy the book, I want to let the world know and it’s easier to do that here than to call all of my friends and bore them with the details of books they have no interest in reading.
We don’t all like the same books
Have you ever read a book that all of your friends were raving about and you thought it was crap? Yeah, this is kind of the opposite of that. Just because I don’t enjoy a book doesn’t mean that you won’t.
In fact, when I first started looking at negative reviews on Amazon, I wondered what in the hell was wrong with me. Almost every book I love had plenty of people who said it was one of the worst books they had ever read. Sometimes, they took it to the point of saying they wanted their few dollars back.
Writing is a form of art
I know how many hours I spend at this computer every day writing blog posts, freelance articles and working on my next masterpieces. I know there will always be people who don’t appreciate the words I write. I won’t hold it against them if they choose to say that I’m an idiot who shouldn’t be allowed near a computer ever again.
If I’m being compensated to give my honest opinion on a book or a product, then I will give my honest opinion. If I’m reviewing a book or a product because I am choosing to do so, I don’t see the point in taking my time and energy to crush another writer. To me, it feels like being one of the mean girls in school and I really hated those girls.
This doesn’t mean I’m some bubbly, overly perky cheerleader who thinks everything in the world is so super amazing that I could explode. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I’m actually the opposite of that. I just don’t see the point in being a mean girl.
I’ve just started doing product reviews, but I’ve been a secret shopper for years. With that I have to write reviews of the products and services I receive, so it’s similar to blog reviews, only it’s not public information. The most important thing I look for in reviews is that the pros and cons are listed out in an objective manner. Just because you love something doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a few bad points that should be pointed out, and similarly, if you hate something there are probably at least a couple good points to it. In order to help people make the best decisions on their purchases then need to be able to get a picture of the product from all angles. Doesn’t mean you have to trash a product, but pointing it out in an objective critique can help many people get the full picture of the product.
I have to agree with you. If I hated a book; I’m not going to be writing a big article about it. Everyone has a lot of varying degrees of likes and dislikes about a book. I too have found some books absolutely amazing that others have hated.
If I was being compensated to write a book review, I would write it honestly. I think they need to know. But I wouldn’t say, “hey this book SUCKS”. I would say, “I couldn’t get into this book and this is why” but I would keep it very professional and not personal. It would be short if I didn’t have a lot of praise about it. I would also leave it open so others could form their own opinion. IE; if a book had a lot of swearing or vulgar text. I would mention, “I couldn’t get into this book because I’m not big on vulgarity. It featured quite a bit in the content”. The reader now knows a FACT about the book, not my opinion and then they are left to form their own opinion on if the book will be a great read for them or not.
But if I wasn’t being compensated; I wouldn’t write a negative review about a book. I would just move on. Why waste my time and be like you said one of those “mean girls”. It’s just not my style.
I agree with you a lot on this. I have been thinking of doing a weekly or monthly recap on items I’ve bought that I wouldn’t recommend, however. I think of it as a “public service.” I do love sharing the products I love, but sometimes people appreciate a heads up on what NOT to buy too.
I would never do a review post on something I purchased myself. I don’t have time for that. What I will do if I purchased something great, is include it in with a topic appropriate post instead.
I try to be pretty positive in my reviews also. I have another blog that is a book blog and did review several books that everyone was just gaga over and I honestly hated them. But I still reviewed them to give another point of view and also to give other people that may really enjoy them a chance to get to know about them.