The next question is asked by James , thank you for asking you question , You have won a $10 Giftcertificate for Riptide Publishing.
James : I don’t know if you’ve encountered them, but how do you handle impolite authors? Those who didn’t like the review you’ve done for their book, those who throw demands like they’re above everyone, if you ever encounter those kind of people, that is
Jen B:
I have rarely encountered impolite authors, but I try to be very fair and constructive in my reviewing which I believe has helped with this issue. However, there have been a time or two where someone wasn’t happy with how a review turned out or that it was rejected for one reason or another, and a note is made to avoid that author in the future.
Chris:
Pizzygirl:
I have encountered this and usually I publicly ignore the hoopla. I have a few trusted people I vent to in private when I need to but I never engage if I can help it. There have been more than a few times I have added an author to my own private Do Not Read list, but that is for my eyes only because I do not want to influence others based on my experiences. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and unless the author is flat out being a bully to someone who cannot defend themselves, I will not say anything in a public forum.
Louisa:
I haven’t experienced this while working with Love Bytes Reviews. But when I was reviewing on my own, I had an author argue with me about a review. Thankfully it was on private message, so it wasn’t public. But for me, I politely told them that I was sorry they didn’t agree with me, but I had the right to have my opinions (which were polite) and because of their reaction I would not read any more of their books. I have no interest in spending my money (I had bought the book I reviewed in this case) on a rude author
Dan:
Wow, this question was written for me. I pride myself in always writing a fair and honest review. If you’ve read my reviews, you’ll know that I don’t blow smoke. People don’t always like them, or agree. With authors, I’ve had it happen twice… out of 644 reviews I’ve done so far for Love Bytes, so it doesn’t happen often. Both times it happened to me were on books that I had rated 3.5 “Love Bytes”. Both reviews that, in my opinion, I had been very generous rating with those 3.5’s. The first author was so insulted that they told Dani they would never send another book to Love Bytes to be reviewed. The second was enraged and told Dani to tell me that I’m never “allowed” to read or review their books ever again. Seriously? Both authors have made my personal “I wouldn’t read them if Hell Froze Solid” list. They both still send their books to Love Bytes, I just don’t read or review them myself.
Donna:
Ah man. I wish I could name names!! Just like with any other occupation, there are a few diva authors out there. But I have to say, 99% of them are actually really professional, even if we’ve given them a low rating review on their book. And writing for Love Bytes is kind of like extra security from any bullies. Dani guards the blog doors like a first class bouncer, and the reviewers rarely deal directly with the authors.
Kimberley:
I’m never impolite back; I just think that it’s unnecessary. I choose to go high when they choose go low. I give an honest review and never read or purchase anything from them. I am a firm believer that when you are in the business of selling your product that your attitude and the way you treat people goes a long way to ensure that you obtain and retain customers. Having a good product will obtain new customers however your attitude and the way you treat those customers will ensure that you retain those customers. I have no authors who are excellent at what they do but I have never read or purchase anything from them again because of their attitude and the way they treat their readers a.k.a. their customers. If your attitude is funky, then your business will and deserves to suffer because of it.
Tammy:
I’ve been very lucky in that I’ve not had to deal with any authors who haven’t liked my reviews
Roberta:
I’ve not had that pleasure. I know that some of the others have. For me…I just remind myself that this is my opinion and that it was what I was feeling when I read the story. I’m not gonna please everyone and I’m totally ok with that.
Do you base your opinion on something you hear about an author before picking up one of their books?
One commentor will win a $5 giftcertificate for JMS Books
Thanks again for all your answers. Good to know that there are so few impolite authors. I pick up books by reading the blurb and based on recommendations, but I don’t let my choice be determined by what I hear about the author themselves.
No i don’t base me picking up a book on the opinion someone else has about a certain author.If i like/love the blurb i will read the book. i feel that that is the best approach for me 🙂
You can’t give all books 5/5 points/stars/hearts/whatever. Everyone has different tastes. I’ve read books that had an overall rating of 2.5/5 and I still liked them fine. And I’ve read books, where I thought *wth?* that had more than 4/5. So, I don’t get it, if an author starts complaining to reviewers. I think in general you are very well-mannered in your reviews. And what I’ve taken from the comments I’ve read on this site, no matter the rating, if readers want to read a particular book/author they will do so anyway, no matter the ratings.
I’m glad to hear that it doesn’t happen that often that an author is lashing out, when they don’t like a particular review *hugs*.
If it’s just hearsay, I usually don’t. Proof of plagiarism or batcrap-insane behavior toward readers or fellow authors will make me shy away, though…
I really LOVE your responses. <3
I was actually skeptical on throwing my question in that Question Round post of yours since I thought that you wouldn't want to answer it. Am I ever glad that I chose to fire it off. ^_^
Keeping a level head is I think the gist of responses I got from you which is nothing but the perfect answer! I think it's better if author treats low-rated reviews as their stepping stones to be better writers. I mean… reviewers wouldn't give low ratings for nothing. And reviewers are not like trolls who just spew nonsense.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts & thank you for the GC!
Great question and answers as well. I try not to let other’s feelings or perceptions of authors deter me from reading their books, but public attacks on readers/reviewers are another matter.
Thank you for the interesting answers, I was very curious when I read the question. I think you have the right attitude
I agree that it’s best to not lower yourself to a rude person’s level. However, most authors who are what I refer to as “real” writers know that reviews are for readers, not authors. Real authors are supposed to have editors and beta readers to give them criticism and advice, and stand behind what they publish. If an author attacks a reviewer (who at the end of the day is simply a reader who publishes their opinion because folks like what they have to say), then I think the public deserves to know about that behavior. Not necessarily the gritty details, but something like a addendum added to say “the author contacted this reviewer to dispute the rating given” or something similar. If I know an author has the personality of a can of tuna, I’m not going to buy their work or support them in any way. There are too many real writers out there struggling against the glut of make-money-quick wannabes to not expose them for what they are. I learned about a certain author’s personality from her own public interactions with readers and have grown to despise her and seriously question her mental state. I no longer read her work, which declined the more popular she became. Fame does things to some people, and it isn’t always pretty. Readers have a right to know if an author is giving reviewers a hard time and decide for themselves whether to ignore the truth of the person in favor of the fiction written.
*forgive the repeated words: “editors and beta readers to give them advice”. I can’t edit it out, lol.
Thanks for the answers. I’m not surprised it’s rare, knowing what little I know of the authors, but also happy to see reviewers taking the highroad, and bowing out of reviewing them in the future, since it’d be hard with that history. I actually appreciate reviewers trying to use a broader spectrum of the scale, but unfortunately the average if probably higher, so with pride of authorship, it’s probably hard to get a 3 or 3.5, but for me that helps me as a reader of reviews.
If I hear something about an author’s books that’s a real red flag for me, no wonderful review will make me touch their work. I feel like I have a good sixth sense about an author’s work I’ve never read, too, so even when I’ve seen great reviews, I haven’t touched the books. I’ve had those feelings verified a few times by things they later did as people, not as authors. I give my little sixth sense a little pat on the back for keeping me away. What hurts is authors I’ve read and enjoyed who turn out to do something that turns me away from them. I’m sure I’d enjoy their books, but now their name associated with that action means I won’t be able to fully immerse in the book. As we all know, there are plenty of books in the world that skipping some authors won’t really be hurting us.
>> Do you base your opinion on something you hear about an author before picking up one of their books? <<
I seriously try not to. I mean BEFORE the age of social media, I didn't really care about authors personal life / opinion before I pick their books. Unfortunately these days, even if I stay away from drama, they often come to my gadget without me being able to block it. And I admit that it influences my decision in reading their books. I honestly have authors that I blacklisted because of their behavior.
Thanks for the reply. The question was a good one and I enjoyed reading all your answers. I’ve never had an encounter with authors behaving badly. Recently I did have a another reviewer make a haughty comment about a book I wrote a review for. I calmly wrote her back justifying whatever she pointed out and moved on. Inside I was seething about her taking the time to pick on me. But I suppose that is how some people will be. I’ll only shy away from reading from an author if they do something I morally disagree upon (i.e. plagiarism, offending ppl by making jokes about serious things, racisim, etc).
I like to read reviews, but don’t base my buying/reading on them.I follow a few people who will recommend certain books and I’ve never been disappointed. But I make my own buying decisions.
I base my buying on reviews and favourite authors to read. I can’t recall ‘banning’ an author on their rants but usually I hear about these tantrums well after they’ve happened!
I like how you all said either no response (I always say to my kids when they are having playground arguments, never explain as friends dont need and enemies don’t believe!) or step back and think before replying. And we are all different and have different likes and hates anyway.
Authors’ names are their brands and when they are behaving badly I don’t want anything to do with their brand. And with social media being so prevalent it’s pretty easy for word to get around when someone is jerking other people around. There’s only a few I’ve blacklisted because their actions have harmed others.
I tend to avoid reading additional books by authors who demonstrate poor manners…either to me or other reviewers. There are far too many great books out there to waste time on negative folks.