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| Laura Breck |
One
anthology I was interested in reading received a one-star review because the
reader put down the book halfway through. It seems she couldn’t follow the
plot. Someone commented on the review, telling her that it was an anthology of
eight stories, and not just one big book.
Another
one-star review of a sexy romance book said, simply, “Trashy, trashy, trashy.”
Sad to say, that’s what made me buy it. Heehee!
My
favorite was the person who rated a free book with one star because it was too
short. They had poured a cup of coffee, sat down to read, but finished reading
the book before they finished their coffee. I love that rating system.
Speaking
of rating systems, a woman rated a friend’s erotic romance two-star because she
was too old to read that kind of sexy stuff. She said if she’d been ten years
younger, she would have given it five! That’s so cute.
Whatever
you feel about a book; love, hate, disappointment, be sure to leave a review of
it. It may help another reader find a great author, or may help people steer
clear of marginal works. As authors, we love to see your feedback, and
appreciate your taking the time to comment on our work.
Now it’s
your turn. What are some of the wildest reviews you’ve read or written?
Have a
lovely day!
Laura~Smart Women ~Sexy Men ~Seductive Romance
LauraBreck.com
~Dancing in a Hurricane is available in digital formats at Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble and in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Createspace
~Love in the Land of Lakes is available in digital format at Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon, and in paperback at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Createspace
5 comments:
Isn't it crazy how people will rate a book based on what they expect instead of basing it on the book? I've had "not enough sex" comments bring my ranking down on a book the reviewer otherwise loved. Hmm, it was rated PG13 not XXX. Or Goodreads reviews that say "I don't like this type of story" and give it a one star ranking. Well, geez, why did you pick up the free copy if you knew you wouldn't like it! But some reviewers make you stop and think about what you could do better next time. Great post!
First of all, everything Jannine said has happened to me with my books. My favorites are the 'not long enough' comments on the short stories and novellas. Ummm, that's the point, people! Still, it is great to get reviews. At least we know our work isn't going into some big black hole somewhere! Or, if it has, someone has found it!
Ha, love this post, Laura. You gave some really good examples. Those reviews kill me too, when readers give it a low rating based on it not being what they expected rather than the worth of the story. They should know going in what to expect, right? I've had people give me one star reviews because they had trouble with their reading devices. LOL.
A couple of my personal favorites for my own books, both of which were for Heart of the Witch...
I had one guy say it was a bodice ripper and I threw in everything but the kitchen sink and it would have been better if I'd had a dog in the story. The funny thing was, my hero owned a dog, and since I'm not a pet owner myself, I usually don't give my characters pets. This is the ONLY book where I have. And no one's bodice was ripped. Not even a little bit.
Another reviewer was upset because I 'understood nothing about the Wiccan religion and I made light of it, and 'copying' etc. This book was not about the 'religion.' My heroine was an ACTUAL witch. :-) Wicca started in the early 1950's. Witchcraft has been around for centuries, so I'm not sure why she felt I was basing it on Wicca. If anything, she copied Witchcraft in her religion. Not once in the entire story did I mention the word Wiccan.
But I honestly don't mind bad reviews at all. Especially if I know someone has really read the book, or at least tried to read it. Bad reviews make me feel legitimate. And I have learned I am EXTREMELY legitimate. :-D
I love reading reviews of my books but wonder sometimes what the reader was reading. I've had the reviewer seeing the character in the wrong country. It was a good review but stated things about the story that were not in the story.
I'm a reviewer for an online site. I have found that if I can't give the book higher than 7 out of 10, I'll pass it on to someone else. If it is well written but the story isn't that great, I don't want to post a bad review when it might just be me. Sort of a second opinion thing.
Some writers take it too personal when they get a low review but to me, I learn from what they say and remember that it is, after all, only one person's opinion. Thanks for the post.
JG
I agree that reviews really help readers...as long as they're intended to give an honest opinion. Sometimes I look for the 1- and 2-star reviews because what someone doesn't like might be what I do like. Honest reviews are great, and we're all entitled to our opinions. I think where they (reviewers) go wrong is when they turn nasty. One particularly snarky reviewer not only left a bad review on one of mine, but it contained a big-time spoiler. If you're going to do that, at least give a warning.
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