What do you think about author/reviewer relationships?
Are author/reviewer relationships a good thing or a bad thing?
I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, honestly I’ve thought about it for a while, but I think my addictions to Twitter and Facebook that have brought it to my attention once again. All the reviewer/author interaction.... makes me wonder.
I really only have one author that I have personal correspondence with, and yes that author contacted me to review their novel. And I can honestly say that our personal “friendship” had no influence over my review. Mostly because I liked the book, but had I not liked it, would I have felt comfortable saying something negative about something my friend did? Author or not, do you like saying something negative toward your friend.
Thankfully this author was also very adamant about me being honest with my review, they wouldn’t have had a problem if I had written a negative review, but does everyone feel that way?
Personally, I think it’s great that authors want to have a relationship with bloggers. Professional or personal. Authors are like celebrities to me.... I honestly can’t believe they’d even want to have regular correspondence with me, let alone get to know me as a person! And I’d love to “talk” with more authors regularly, but I’m the type of person that doesn’t want to be overbearing.... “Oh! You want me to review your novel! Let’s be BFF’s!!” That’s not me, even though I feel like that sometimes, I’d never have the guts to pursue it.
On the flip-side do these relationships have an influence over how a reviewer feels about a book? I’d like to say that it never happens, but I’m sure it does. Even if it’s not purposely, subconsciously, do we want to like the books written by authors, we’ve come to know and enjoy personally?
And I often wonder about the author’s opinion on the matter. Do you want to be “friends” with your fans?
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64 comments:
This is a good topic of discussion though, and I'm interested to hear what everyone else thinks.
I do think it is good though, that some authors talk to their fans because it really would get them to see their opinions.
While people might guess the authors I have befriended, I make an effort not to boast or take advantage of these relationships. It's not advertised on twitter or on my site. I dislike book bragging and I heartily dislike author scalping(so to speak). I have seen how some bloggers will shower authors with attention and then drop them once they've gotten a book too - one of the downsides of Twitter is that we all witness it. If I have taken anything away from this blogging biz, its the friendships with bloggers and authors I've made. We all have books in common but I have made friends with people that have big hearts and an awesome sense of humour. If there wasn't something else there that I gelled with (besides the books) we wouldn't have time for one another. I feel glad that these authors are so open with us and I feel unbelievable gratitude that I have been blessed with some many great people in my online life. That being said, it doesn't guarantee a good review or a winged monkey lol.
Thanks for bringing this up Kristi!
I consider myself fortunate to have become friendly with several bloggers. The vast majority haven't reviewed my book yet, but I hope when the time comes, they'll feel free to be honest.
Even ahead of the posted review, I've engaged in friendly debate about the book with a couple of my closest blogging friends and I've enjoyed the lively discussion! I always appreciate thoughtful, honest reviews (which is different from mean-spirited). But if someone says they loved A and B but wish C was a little different, well, I'm perfectly fine with it! In the end, we're all lovers of a good story, and that's what makes it easy and fun to be friends. For me, there's nothing more fun than talking to people about books we've all read - and that's true whether we disagree or not.
The most disturbing thing I've seen of late is a tendency to get snippy with a blogger for a negative review - even a slightly negative review. And the biggest culprits, in my experience, have been in those cases where a blogger and author were NOT close friends. I've seen a blogger post an honest, thoughtfully-worded review and be ignored, treated with snippy responses on Twitter, etc. I take exception to it because it makes us all look bad and leaves the impression that we're not going to "like" you if you're honest, which for me, at least, couldn't be further from the truth.
I think we need to remember that reviews are only as good, and as credible, as the reviewer. If a reviewer fangirls EVERY book they read, their reviews start to hold less weight. And I just have to believe that we're all mature enough to find a way to balance the need to be honest with the need to be fair and kind, yes?
As a YA author, I'm somewhat in awe of the YA bloggersphere. I read amazing reviews about authors I know, see their books up on several sites, read their interviews, and can only hope I get so lucky when my book comes out. I would love to be friends with my reviewers, because I know (or hope) that the relationship wouldn't affect the reveiw of the book.
Of course, for authors, there's the other, uglier side. That someone who thinks they've been slighted, offended, ignored, ect., will write a scathing, nasty review on Amazon and completely trash the book. Now I know most bloggers wouldn't even think of doing such a thing, but I have seen it happen. And it is a little scary. (That's why I don't write reviews of my own, unless personally contacted by the author.)
That being said, I know most authors hold book bloggers and reviewers in high regard. And I, at least, feel that WE should be the ones who should be grateful.
As for me, I'm friendly with reviewers, but it's like being friendly with co-workers. We're in the same business, we're dependent on each other, and there are loads of charming people out there.
I tend to be a little more friendly with adult reviewers. Having worked directly with teens for fifteen some-odd years on the film project, I am very, very careful not to socialize with teens. They deserve their space and privacy, and I am ever-mindful of the fact that I'm not a peer, I'm an adult.
That doesn't mean I'm any less business-friendly with teen reviewers, or that I respect the work they do any less, but I'm not going to chat about the weather and my plans for the weekends with them, either. (They're probably really glad!)
I often acknowledge reviews, whether good or not so good, with a "thanks for taking the time to read and review my book!"
;)
I also have to admit that, with most of you, I've read your blogs for months and months, while my book isn't even out yet, and sometimes *I* get a little starstruck...so if I don't butt in on your Twitter conversations, it doesn't mean I'm not sitting there going: "OMG, it's Kristi from the Story Siren!" :)
I have only exchanged emails with a couple of authors, both of whom contacted me after seeing that I was going to be reading their book. In both cases, I loved their books so it was not hard to write a great review. Though with one of the books, I did have some small issues that the author and I discussed via email, which was great! She was very open to hearing anything I had to say, which made it easier for me to be honest directly with her.
And I do try to temper negative opinions with positive aspects of the books, as well. I don't care to entirely bash a book and fortunately I haven't read too many that I couldn't at least find a couple of positive things to say about it.
I do think it's nice to have an email exchange with an author, even if it might make reviewing their book seem a little more daunting. I guess I'm starstruck enough that I still get a little giddy when I see an author has taken the time to contact me. :-) It's nice to know that they care enough to send me a note!
If I was friends with an author I wouldn't mind hearing about their everyday life. That's what friends talk about. So I'm not sure what Saundra is suggesting. I also don't see how the teen reviewers are any different from those of us in our 20s or older. 99% of the teen (and adult) reviewers I have ever talked to have been very nice and thoughtful, no one to ignore or distance oneself from.
Maybe it's because I have three teenagers and, usually, a houseful of their friends, but I am very comfortable being friendly with teens. Of course, I don't discuss private, adult matters with them, but I'm happy to share experiences, day-to-day life, weekend plans, and thoughts on all kinds of subjects. I appreciate their viewpoints, enthusiasm for life, and insights on the world. In turn, they seem to feel comfortable talking to me about school, asking for advice, and sharing their experiences as well. And that is such a gift and an honor.
As long as one doesn't cross the boundaries of appropriate behavior (I don't with anyone, teens or otherwise), I don't see a problem!
:D
I love being pals with authors. I'm lucky enough to live close enough to many of them. I have fun chatting with them and meeting them in person. They are just regular people. :)
As time has gone on and people are more inclined to respond to them, I felt too self-conscious to be honest. If other people are made of sterner stuff than I am and are comfortable to give an honest review of somebody with whom they socialize, more power to 'em. But I'm definitely not.
I think it's too easy to blur a line with some teenagers. I've worked with big big groups of teens every single year for fifteen years. And MOST teens are just fine, you can be chatty, and casually friendly, and there's no big to it.
But I think some teens we feel more of an affinity for, and some teens need a little more attention, and you know what? It's super easy to forget that you're 30 when all of a sudden, the popular kids like you.
Other people are more comfortable maintaining that line and still socializing with teens, but I'm not. And I think it would be foolish of me to pretend that I don't know what's appropriate for me. I am an adult; I am not a peer. I'm not my 15 year old's peer, and I'm not teen bloggers' peers either. We may be colleagues, but we're not peers.
But don't feel bad- I don't socialize with a lot of adults, either. One day, I will have my hermit cottage, and it will be *awesome*. :)
I have been privileged to be friends with some amazing people, yes they are authors. I feel that if they are truly a friend in the slightest form of the word even they would understand that you need to be honest and honest with their book too. I have talked to some authors whose books I love and others whose books I might not like and they know it and after talking to them about why we both understood the reasons. Some books will be liked by some and others wont be.
for example,I read abookby an author who's book was meant and narrated by a younger MUCH younger girl therefore making it too childish and hard for me to relate. after talking to her and she expressed her feelings for why I might not like it and I agreed she understood that when she got the review it might not be a glowing review. That is not to say I didn't
like the writing or plot.
that being said I still think authors are readers as well and should feel welcomed on our blogs. We review for readers whether that is authors or reviewers or random teens who read our blogs.
Yes, I get starstruck sometimes and might feel overly giddy to be associating with them sometimes but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate what they do or think. They are just people, or friends, who happen to have written a book. And it is a wonderful feeling to get to know them and then see the authors in their books which wouldn't be possible without getting to know them.
Well, I am rambling now but I will follow the discussion. Great topic Kristi!
I believe in honesty, no sugarcoating. If I didn't like the novel I will say it, but I try not to be so harsh. I try not to let their relationship with me affect my review. But I must say, when I talk to an author online, it plays a part in whether I buy their book or not. I noticed that I bought books by really sweet authors who I've got to know online.
That being said, I would never write a perfect review for a book that I didn't enjoy. While there's a chance that my opinion may be slightly exaggerated when I like a person, I will not flat-out lie. So I at least know I'm honest in that regard.
It's silly to pretend that we don't live in an age of Google (and Google Alerts!) Even if a blogger is not friendly with an author, chances are that author is going to know then a review gets posted, good, bad, or indifferent. Should that change the reviewers opinion of the book? Nope. Should a friendly relationship with the author change that same review. Nope. Does it? Most likely.
The key for both authors and reviewers is to behave professionally. No author should throw a hissy fit over a review, because reviewers are entitled to their opinions. Face it... we've all heard the stories about authors who jump the shark and act like their books are above reproach; this sort of behavior isn't the least bit endearing.
On the other hand, reviewers should strive to be as balanced as possible when writing the reviewers, remembering that opinions are just that... opinions... and that taste will vary according to the reader. If you believe something stunk (the characters, the language, the ending) then please say that, but _explain why_.
And, back on the author end of things, I figure that I'm writing for teens, my cream-filling is younger than my age, this is the audience I connect with on a writerly level, and I am comfortable interacting with teens on many levels, none of which means I am behaving in a less than professional manner.
Here's the thing: YA authors need the book bloggers. That's where the buzz begins. Even the biggest lead titles need the book bloggers (it's easy, fairly free promo that creates buzz online). So even though the bloggers might be star struck by authors, the real power here lies in the hands of the bloggers.
Honestly, half the time I feel like I'm back in high school with the bloggers being the "cool kids" and the authors being the "wannabes" constantly sucking up. I'm not saying there aren't real and genuine relationships out there... I'm just saying that I always find it so strange that these relationships really gain speed right around the time the author is looking to be reviewed. And quite honestly, even though I'm sure that many bloggers can write an "unbiased" review of a friend's book, I just don't trust those reviews. If I see a blogger chatting with an author all the time, I'm going to look for bias in the review.
Likewise, it makes me uncomfortable seeing authors teaming up with book bloggers to do promo -- where does the promo end and the review begin? To me, if the blogger is working with/for the author on publicity, that makes them biased -- they have a stake in how the book does.
Perhaps my issues stem from the fact that I'm naturally shy, I'm too busy to maintain a lot of friendships, and I worry that my book will be passed over because I don't take time to nurture these friendships. I love a lot of the book bloggers, I enjoy their reviews, their blogs, and their enthusiasm for reading. I'm not gonna lie -- there's a part of me that's afraid that by NOT being friends with the bloggers I'm opening myself up to harsher reviews and criticism.
I also don't trust myself and worry that my friendship with bloggers would be based on the fact I want them to like me and by extension like my book. So I'd just rather step back -- let them review the book (if they want) and THEN become friends with them.
FWIW, I also don't comment on reviews because I want reviewers to feel totally free to say what they want without me commenting. Sure some reviewers like it or don't mind, but I also know that some DON'T like it when the author comments (even if they know the author likely reads it) that I just respect all reviews that way.
I don't think there's anything wrong with an author acknowledging/thanking a reviewer, as long as it's done professionally. There's also nothing wrong with an author NOT acknowedging/thanking a reviewer. Sure, people get upset at times, or they show favoritism to their friends -- that happens in Hollywood, too. As long as folks make their best effort to not take things personally, what else can you ask for?
At the end of the day, I think it's just important to remember why we're devoting our time to facebook/twitter/blogs/etc: great books.
I totally agree with you Malinda, and I don't really think it's any different than authors who are close with other authors. If you happen to be tight with a big-name author, let's face it, it's going to be easier to score a blurb and other word-of-mouth promo and a lot of that can have a real impact on sales.
That said, am I tight with any big-name authors? Not really (though I think some of my comrades *will* become big names as time goes by). But, oh well!
:D
Ooh, even better, you know Olugbemisola Rhuday Perkovich. She's the biggest name of us all!
Of course this is illusory. There's no such thing. Reviewers who don't like fantasy will rate fantasy books lower--that's not a neutral, objective review. It is biased. Reviewers who have a political axe to grind re: race, gender, religion, et cetera will rate a poorly written book better if it perpetuates their views, or rate a good book lower if it doesn't advance their agenda (and will even ungenerously read meaning into the text to support their assertions).
That neutrality is impossible doesn't mean it isn't a worthy goal, to some extent. But if you are friends with a reviewer, they are likely to approach your text with a generous eye. That doesn't mean they should overlook the flaws, but it does mean they will be less likely to perceive certain quirks AS flaws. And frankly, a lot of reviewers have a sadistic streak--it generates controversy (which generates hits) if you say something really extreme about a book, but of course you don't want to do that to your friends' books, so whose books get hit the hardest? Well, that would be the ones NOT written by friendly authors.
This is actually most obvious in non-professional reviews; I see a lot of people on GoodReads especially who grossly inflate ratings for their friends, then turn around and slam the competition in ludicrous and unbelievable ways. Hugely unprofessional AND it reflects poorly on the author, in my opinion. But the same thing happens to a lesser extent in professional review circles; harshing on Rowling or Meyer, for example, became sort of the "cool thing" to do after those authors became superstars.
Which is my rambling way of saying that, if *I* were an author, I would do everything I could to be friendly with reviewers, editors, agents, and everyone in the industry, in hopes that they would be more generous in reading my book. And as a reviewer, I would do my best not to let it influence me, despite the fact that I would inevitably fail at some points.
(FWIW, yes, I am the husband of the fabulously talented Aprilynne Pike, but this is strictly my opinion on the matter--I am a hopeless idealist and committed academic, which is why she's the one making all the money in this relationship.)
I've seen a lot of the Cool Kids and Wannabes dichotomy just in the writer community, so it doesn't surprise me that some people perceive that going on elsewhere. That said, I didn't care for high school enough the first time to want to do it again, so I prefer to think of it as a really awesome cafe, where everyone is free to hang out and talk about our mutual love of books (on big squishy couches! With free coffee and tea! And milkshakes! And... um... pie!) Everyone's welcome, but it's each individual's choice as to whether or not they come in the door.
And I'm not surprised because Aprilynne always says your brilliant.
:D
;)
This is an important topic. First, let me say that I hope anyone who reviews our book will be honest. Reading is subjective. Not everyone will have the same opinion or reaction to a book. My only hope is that a reviewer would not be unnecesarrily harsh.
That said, I have been a teacher for 13 years and worked with teens just as long. In my experience, teens are often more honest and direct than some adults. Although teens are not my peers, I think their opinions and insights have value or I would not choose to write for them. As a YA writer, I also feel it's important to be available to my readers. I want to know what they think (my adult and teen readers). Several teens (the Caster Girls) read & critiqued BC as we were writing. In many cases, they were more critical than our editors.
But I also think authors are people, and we each have different boundaries and comfort zones. An author should not be judged if s/he does not feel as comfortable having a relationship with their teen (or adult) readers. We are all different.
I think it's very brave of Saundra to be so honest. She also has a different perspective having been a reviewer, which most authors have not. We are all part of the YA community. It's important to treat one another with respect, and remember that we are all individuals. We will not always be of the same mind.
Just my 2 cents.
At the same time, I want readers to be able to experience my book independently of their interactions with me. I don't want them to feel like I'm reading over their shoulder, or like they can't express their opinions. Reviewers have a responsibility to their own readers to be honest.
Another aspect to the trickiness: As an author, I'm not completely unbiased. Excessively snarky or careless reviews are going to make me wary of a reviewer, because I've seen from the other side how upsetting those can be to the author. I mean, I used to write snarky book reviews years ago, so I understand the impulse. I just have a different perspective on it now. You can be critical without being mean; it's all about word choice.
Btw, Kristi, you're an example of a reviewer whose style I admire. I feel like you put a lot of thought & care into your reviews. If anyone's looking for a reviewer role model ... *points at Story Siren*
I "love" my author friends. I do have some and hope that it's okay to say that I consider them my friends. They know alot about me. I can honestly say, as an adult reviewing mostly YA and childrens book, that I do not play favorites. I don't do that as a teacher in the classroom and I wouldn't do it with a book. When I review, I think about my tastes, my students tastes, perspectives, insights, etc. Would they like to read it, would it interest them, hold their attention, keep them coming back for more, make them love reading, etc? I have to be honest with my reviews for that reason. I want to be able to tell my students, "you will like this, because," or "you may not like this, because." I don't consider myself, "cool" because I know these authors; they're just people like you and me, with a different job. I will call it like I see it with a book, friend of the author or not. Don't you want your friends to tell you the truth anyway?
Promo + reviews never bothered me because I just assumed that the reviewer offered to do promo because they loved the book.
And as far as being friends with fans? I dunno . . . I get about 1800 emails a month and it's really hard to tell when a fan-based friendship is really a friendship and when it's just author-awe. Would some people want to be friends with me still if I was just Maggie the person instead of Maggie the author? So I tend to be a bit wary of taking online fan relationships to the next level of frienddom.
But I don't have a problem with blogger-author relationships, in general. It's a tiny world and it's silly to pretend that people don't know each other within it. I just ask that everyone be honest and don't plug a book just because they're your friend. It ruins your rep as a reviewer and puts their book in the wrong hands anyway.
I have made connections with various authors, but none that I would consider a friendship-more like a work collegue relationship. Because I work in a library, when I find an author that is great to connect with, I will tell my teens about their books because I know that teens love connecting with authors and I like giving them a book that if the teen wanted to Facebook or e-mail the author, in my experience, that author would be wonderfully nice.
Even though I have author "friends" that doesn't mean I'm going to be bias in my reviews. If I don't like a book I try to explain what it is that didn't appeal to me. I will admit that I have been nervous at times to write a review about a book that I didn't gush over because I knew the author might see it. I still posted the reviews and tried to explain myself throughout.
I do like it when authors comment on my blog-I squeel every time I get an author comment-I still can't believe they notice me! Plus, it makes me look really cool in the eyes of my teens at work!
I too have noticed that bloggers and authors are becoming more friendly, and while I don't think it is a negative thing, I prefer to maintain a professional relationship.
Now, I will admit, there are some authors with whom I have connected with on a personal level. However, we do not talk on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. It could be that while in the process of working on an interview, guest post, whatever, that we've realized we have something in common. However, after we have completed our collaboration, they go their way, and I continue with my life. Do I feel bad if we don't stay in contact on a friendly level? Not really, because as Saundra Mitchell said, I feel we are colleagues.
And I will admit, I review all books with an unbiased opinion. Regardless of whether I have interacted with the author, my opinion cannot be changed. It is kind of like clothing. When I see someone wearing a hideous shirt, it is a hideous shirt regardless of whether a friend, celebrity, or stranger is wearing it; just the same as a book is good or bad no matter whose name appears on the cover.
I guess it really depends on the blogger and author.
So thanks to authors for taking the time to talk to us. And thanks to reviewers for giving more and more great books to read.
It's very nice when I see someone saying they're looking forward to my book, or hoping to review it. Let's face it, we all want our work to be valued. But I don't expect that having a positive communication with a reviewer entitles me to glowing reviews. The only thing that would entitle me to a glowing review is writing a good book--and even then, there's subjectivity; people have different tastes and preferences.
Probably the hardest thing for an author to take is not when a review is critical or negative, but when it's unfair. If it gets the facts wrong, or gets mean-spirited, the temptation to "correct" the reviewer is probably strong (I'm speculating here, as my own book is not out for review yet.) Still, I think most of us try to resist that temptation!
When I said I try to maintain a professional relationship, that doesn't mean I don't want to get to know the authors. That is not at all the case. I guess I'm like Kristi, I don't want to be seen as overbearing.
I have been pleasantly surprised by the warmth and friendliness that so many authors have conveyed. They have made me feel comfortable and have been very welcoming. So I love getting to learn about the authors. However, I don't talk to them like I talk to my friends. I share some things with authors and bloggers, but it is a unequal balance of professional and personal, and definitely leans more heavily on the professional side.
None of that probably made sense, so let me sum this up. While I am professional with the authors and don't get too personal, I love communicating with authors and being friendly. I just wouldn' classify them as friends, more like friendly colleagues.
Many of the authors I know are thrilled to be asked for a copy of their book, or are thrilled by one of my reviews or are thrilled to be asked for an interview. It brings reviewers and authors closer, in my opinion. I feel so honored to be talking to real authors. I agree with you, Kristi, you don't want to be overbearing, but if my last paragraphs made any sense (which they probably don't, I'm so tired! LOL), I think it's great for bloggers and authors to be friends.
As a writer I have several author friends. We connected through our writing before I started blogging. I have reviewed their books but mentioned our personal connection up front. I think this is key. You may believe you are being unbiased, but how can you be sure? Maybe it isn’t a problem since a blog is a personal journal. My reviews are only my opinions. I’d still say a reviewer should always mention personal connections.
I don’t have the negative review issue because I only review books I like, although my reviews are critical. I have this policy for 2 reasons:
1. I don’t want to waste time reading books I dislike.
2. As a writer myself I’d find it hard to post a harsh review. Constructive criticism before publication is always helpful, but a negative review is painful.
I’m not saying reviewers shouldn’t post the truth only explaining my personal review policy. I would never lie in a review and criticism is part of even a positive review. A blogger can always decline to review a book if she/he sees a conflict of interest.
I had an unpleasant experience where I summarized an author’s racially incentive comments at a literary festival. She posted a comment on my blog arguing with my representation. I did not change the post, but I responded to her comment. I don’t regret blogging about it as the author shouldn’t have said what she said, especially at a public forum.
A more positive experience came when a bestseller author blogged about my book review and contacted me because she loved the art on my blog banner. We had a lot of personal stuff in common and became friends. We also became writing partners to support each other emotionally through writing our next novel. A year later I am now reading her ARC to review on my blog. Our friendship hasn’t changed the way I see or will review her work, but it probably made me more eager to read another book of hers. I will be honest.
I’ll be linking to this post in my “blog watch” column today.
I don't interact all that much with book bloggers, but that's mostly because of time constraints and the fact that I get all tongue-tied and dorky in chats and other fast-paced electronic communication. I actually still don't really feel like an "Author" most of the time. Mostly I just think of myself as someone who loves books and wants to blab about them with other fans.
I don't tend to comment on reviews of my own book, either, but that's because I usually don't know they are out there (I have sworn off self-googling to save what is left of my sanity). I do appreciate anyone taking the time to read my book and share their thoughts though!
For me, the thing that feels weird is reviewing other authors who I have now come to know. Because I honestly just cannot bring myself to say something negative in a public space like that. Especially because, if nothing else, the last two years have made me realize just how variable tastes can be. What I dislike someone else may love, and vice versa. So I try to say the positive and skip over the negative in posted reviews. I do mean every positive thing I say, but I hold back on the negative in public (if the author asked me for the full response in private I would do so).
Personally I think the bloggers/authors interaction is fun. When I first contacted authors I was really really terrified because to me they were like...celebrities. However, it turned out that they were really nice and some were actually so friendly I was taken aback. Talking to authors help me learn a lot of things about the writing, the publish progress, which, makes me even more interested in the books.
I'm friends with one or two writers whose books I've reviewed yet so I don't really know how the friendship will affect my opinion on the books. I think when we're friends with authors what we're supposed to do is to be extremely honest in our reviews so we can help them improve their writing and stuff. To me, though, it's going to be hard to do. If the book is brilliant, then there's no problem; but if it's not, I must go through a lot to put my thoughts into words without hurting their feelings - seriously, who isn't upset a bit when someone says your book is totally uninteresting?
So, in my opinion, I guess the interaction between authors and bloggers will affect our reviews one way or another. What we should do is to keep it at a minimum amount - we cannot disappoint our readers, can we?
Am I being too friendly? :)
The other thing that struck me as I was reading was that defining ourselves as strictly "authors" or strictly "bloggers" seems divisive when in reality, there's so much overlap. I'm online friends with a number of bloggers, but those friendships have grown out of our connections - the fact that we both love middle grade novels, for example, or that we're both teachers or librarians. Author/blogger is just part of what defines us, and to be honest, the people I've met through my writing life have been one of its greatest gifts.
As many have already mentioned, professionalism seems to be the key to keeping things manageable. Reviewers need to be honest in their reviews, and authors need to understand that and accept both the glowing and the not-so-glowing. But honestly? If a total fence were put up between writers and the bloggers who review their work, that would feel like a real loss to me. We value and appreciate not only what you all do for kids' books but also the who are you in the communities that support them.
As Kate just said, professionalism is the key. If you've established ANY sort of contact with an author and you post a review of their book (good, bad or indifferent), I think it's courteous to let them know rather than having them happen upon it. This is especially true of bad reviews, I guess, but I always appreciate when any reviewer who's asked me to send a book lets me know the review is up. I'm particularly impressed if they do so in spite of the fact that they didn't love the book (and in spite of the fact that we have a rapport or friendship). That takes balls, and also indicates a certain level of professionalism that I appreciate.
I guess it comes down to honest communication, courtesy and--hello--not taking yourself too seriously. The moment we lose our perspective, we're all pretty much screwed. (Yes, it's just a book! Not everyone is going to love it. Let's try to laugh at or learn something from it.)
Way to stir the pot, Kristi. ;-)
XO
Also to authors, I love when you comment on reviews of your book. It makes me do a tiny happy dance and a good day.
OH, and I love love hearing from authors on my blog. I'm 100% okay with them commenting on reviews. They could write total gibberish and I would still be grinning from ear to ear.
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