The Top Ten Concerns Readers/Authors Have About Reviewers
24 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Reviewing
After analyzing all the comments I get on a daily basis, this is what
I discovered about author/reader concerns.
1. Accuracy – Does the reviewer actually read the material and have enough background to be able to analyze the book. Some reviewers are accused of “reading the book jacket” or “not reading the book” or “getting the character’s name wrong.” Now with Amazon’s new comments feature, readers can correct reviews in live time and reviewers can edit their review if they have made a mistake.
2. Conflict of Interest – Was the reviewer paid directly by the author to write the review. This to me is one of the most valid concerns. I don’t accept money directly from authors, nor am I hired by anyone to produce reviews. This is a hobby. If someone chooses to make money from their writing, then they can avoid the “conflict of interest” concern by not accepting money directly from authors.
3. Fairness & Honesty – Is the reviewer able to write a review without attacking the author’s character, life choices or content selection? This is mostly a concern authors express. Is this reviewer getting people to vote for their reviews or voting for themselves (Amazon doesn’t allow this)? This is an issue of honesty.
Readers mostly express this concern because they want to be able to trust the reviews. Most people are fairly good at figuring this out when it occurs and simply go on to read a more trustworthy review. This is a personal decision since it is almost impossible to prove this is occurring, although Amazon monitors and watches this occur. They have removed reviewers from the ranking system when they have discovered this has occurred.
4. Critical Analysis – Some readers want to read reviews that take an author to task and some want to read a review promoting the content of a book. This is a very personal decision. Negative reviews can be fun to read if you disliked the book or are looking for reasons not to buy the book, although it can also be a reason to buy because negative or critical reviews can create controversy and that tends to sell items pretty fast.
5. Star Ratings – I don’t enjoy reviewing books that are 1-2 stars as I rarely can make it through the book without becoming angry myself. So, by reviewing things I love, I have made a lifestyle choice.
Wisdom speaks of another path, a much more fulfilling path and one that brings everyone more happiness. Plus, who wants to spend their life reviewing books they don’t enjoy? It is enough of a challenge to find books that are amazing, in the first place! The joy of reading, for me at least, is in finding “those” types of book. Books that either make the world a better place or affect me on a spiritual level and make me think more deeply about my own life.
Words can be very powerful and the words you put into your mind or repeat can change your world and even create what happens next. You’d be amazed at how powerful books are in this regard when you read a lot of them.
Note: Companies in general are more open to negative comments because it helps them adapt their products and they sell more in the end. They also don’t seem to take the comments as seriously on the emotional level because the blame is spread out through the company and doesn’t usually address one person in particular. I’ve seen companies remove products from the Amazon website, change them for the better and adapt to customer comments. This is one of the main reasons I enjoy reviewing more than books, because I see that it does make a difference in the quality of products we buy.
6. Specialization – Does the person reviewing the book have the qualifications to review the book in hand. Do they have enough life experience to understand the content or are they simply making judgments based on their own lack of experience. At times people actually complain if you look like you know how to write a review. This is a very tricky area to even step into because personal experience determines how well you write and many people do read books on how to improve their writing.
7. Diversity – Many times people are concerned with this aspect because they don’t think about the “specialization” aspect. A reviewer may only choose to review cookbooks or focus only on novels. For some specializing can also annoy readers and people want to see you as a person with many interests. This is a difficult one to address, but I’ve expanded my interests substantially. I think this is more a concern of authors who want you to review their work, although I’ve had people question me on this subject when they only noticed certain reviews and did not consider looking through a few hundred. It is difficult to see the categories I review because Amazon no longer has the categories and I’ve had to resort listing items in “tag lists” to retain my credibility. 
But honestly, I review so many things, I think I have too many interests.
8. Reviewing more than Books – This is an idea that at first caused great alarm at the discussion boards. I reviewed a box of Altoid mints and the world ended. Then, people started to review more than just books and even sometimes would listen to music and now and then they felt adventurous and would review something from the kitchen store. While I thought it was great fun to review lots of different things, this did cause a lot of concern for more traditional reviewers.
Now and then, I still see this problem when I get an angry e-mail or comment about something I loved and reviewed. The world is an ever expanding miracle and to me, commenting on a wide variety of items is purely “fun.” So, to insist that I only review one type of book or only focus on music or books is to me very restrictive and that is not a world in which I ever want to live. Believe it or not, I have had to fight for the right to talk about what I love.
9. Taste – A general dislike of someone’s tastes can promote anger. I have seen this expressed in reviews and in comments/e-mails. Generally I assume that if I never like something one person is reviewing, then we have different tastes. That is not a level of “taste,” but more the type of items a person reviews.
10. Lifestyle Choices – This is a really tricky one because each individual has made choices on how they want to live. This may include religious or moral choices, living situations, sexual preference, limitations in what a person wants to review and has much to do with emotional complexity.
Sometimes authors will complain if you address a lifestyle choice they have made. Some have said people try to “preach” in the review. I think this is much more of a concern with authors and their right to live their lives in any way they choose. For readers, this can be very enjoyable reading and it does create controversy, conflict and can encourage humor (mostly for the reader, not the author).
So, as you can see, there are many concerns and readers and authors have different concerns.
Reviewing is a balancing act between the reader and author and it is not always easy to please both parties. In the end, you have to please yourself and deal with criticism from both sides.
I hope this has been helpful to you in understanding what a reviewer can go through on a daily basis. This is a lifestyle I have chosen and since I must deal with this all on a daily basis, I’ve made decisions about how I want to live my life.
Addressing negativity is a reality in life. How you address the negativity is essential to your very existence. All too often it is easy to see this conflict in a depressing light, but I feel that trying to remain positive is more healing than being negative.
When you make a lifestyle choice, you have to also decide how you are going to survive your choice. By deciding to be a positive person, you have taken on an entire world of negativity and that can be overwhelming at first and then beautifully revealing in the end.
Can you think of any others? Please comment if you have more ideas!
