Would you read your own book reviews?
Oct. 11th, 2023 08:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jajalalaIt's been around a half-year since my roommate officially published her book and there's been some nice reflection time. Overall was a lovely launch; I'm super proud of her and thrilled that her writing is officially out there in the world and more people than just myself and a few friends know what beautiful worlds and stories she can build.
With publishing though come reviews, many of which are positive but on occasion are more negative or are a mixed "liked this, didn't like that" that are sometimes super wonderful to read and sometimes hit like a stack of bricks. My roommate originally kept a close eye on the first few reviews, and those first ones were really positive so it was like a ton of dopamine to hear a stranger praise her book, but then there was a negative review or two and she decided for her mental health that she shouldn't watch the reviews roll in too closely. So I and another friend filtered reviews for awhile, passing along the positive ones... though at some point she asked us to stop sending those too! She's working on her next book, and I think her being reminded of and seeing that book that is already done and set and published was both distracting and put a lot of pressure on her. So as far as I know, she's mostly stayed away from her book reviews since then, though she's kept the positive ones she received.
For anyone who like the thought of publishing one day (or who has published!) what do you think about reading reviews? Do you think you could handle seeing someone write "1 star, DNF" or more thorough criticisms about something you put your heart and soul into? Would you want just the positives? Do you have a firm reader/writer separation you wouldn't want to cross?
Closely watching the reviews has given me some stuff to reflect about goodreads and rating systems on sites like that... like each review is very much a PERSONAL opinion. Some people are like "this book was too complicated" and others are like "this book was too simple" and which one is right?? Neither, of course, because they're both based on the scale of that individual reader.
There was also reader expectation at play too - the book has a premise of a mystery (undead poet trying to find her own murderer) but is not really written intentionally in the mystery genre (like it's not focused on laying out clues and crafting an elaborate mystery, it's more of a setup for a bit of cozy adventure romance). So some reviews expressed disappointment that it was not more of a classic mystery setup... There were similar things with other aspects, where some readers went into the story expecting something specific and came out feeling shafted, even if the story was well-written, it didn't fulfill the thing they wanted/expected out of it.
Which made me consider the power of advertising... books need to be presented with a promise of the kind of story you're going to get. It made something click in my head - I understand now why publishers frequently want to publish something that FITS a specific genre really cleanly; it means they know EXACTLY how to advertise and what to promise their readers. My roommate's book is a bit of a swirl of genres and was picked up by an indie publisher that specifically goes for that sort of book that doesn't neatly fit into a box, but seeing how readers struggled to set expectations for something unconventional makes me see why larger publishers tend to be so strict on the conventional.
Like it's not JUST about writing a "5-star book"... because there are always gonna be people who just DON'T like a book for whatever reason. It's more like writing the best book possible, and then specifically targeting and delivering that book to people who will give that kind of book five stars, and dissuading people who were never gonna like it from reading it. You can't write a book that makes everyone happy, but you can ADVERTISE in a way that attracts the audience who is going to be happiest reading it.
My roommate calls me her mini-editor since I do full beta-reading and a lot of development work with her, and I enjoy being in a support position with a writer (tho it probably helps I've known her for over a decade). Don't get me wrong, I love writing myself as well, but also I feel like I've been developing a new skillset on the editor side that I'm enjoying the abilities of... and I think now part of that skillset is developing stronger knowledge on "the market" and publishing trends and how the actual business side of books, and it's a huge amount of stuff but I'm gaining a fraction of understanding now (thank u roommate!) that's really opened my eyes.
I love my current job, but honestly I could see a career as an editor being rewarding as well. Of course, I didn't even get an English major so I'm not qualified, and from my understanding editor salaries aren't great, but being a hobby editor for my roomie is a happy fit for me!
With publishing though come reviews, many of which are positive but on occasion are more negative or are a mixed "liked this, didn't like that" that are sometimes super wonderful to read and sometimes hit like a stack of bricks. My roommate originally kept a close eye on the first few reviews, and those first ones were really positive so it was like a ton of dopamine to hear a stranger praise her book, but then there was a negative review or two and she decided for her mental health that she shouldn't watch the reviews roll in too closely. So I and another friend filtered reviews for awhile, passing along the positive ones... though at some point she asked us to stop sending those too! She's working on her next book, and I think her being reminded of and seeing that book that is already done and set and published was both distracting and put a lot of pressure on her. So as far as I know, she's mostly stayed away from her book reviews since then, though she's kept the positive ones she received.
For anyone who like the thought of publishing one day (or who has published!) what do you think about reading reviews? Do you think you could handle seeing someone write "1 star, DNF" or more thorough criticisms about something you put your heart and soul into? Would you want just the positives? Do you have a firm reader/writer separation you wouldn't want to cross?
Closely watching the reviews has given me some stuff to reflect about goodreads and rating systems on sites like that... like each review is very much a PERSONAL opinion. Some people are like "this book was too complicated" and others are like "this book was too simple" and which one is right?? Neither, of course, because they're both based on the scale of that individual reader.
There was also reader expectation at play too - the book has a premise of a mystery (undead poet trying to find her own murderer) but is not really written intentionally in the mystery genre (like it's not focused on laying out clues and crafting an elaborate mystery, it's more of a setup for a bit of cozy adventure romance). So some reviews expressed disappointment that it was not more of a classic mystery setup... There were similar things with other aspects, where some readers went into the story expecting something specific and came out feeling shafted, even if the story was well-written, it didn't fulfill the thing they wanted/expected out of it.
Which made me consider the power of advertising... books need to be presented with a promise of the kind of story you're going to get. It made something click in my head - I understand now why publishers frequently want to publish something that FITS a specific genre really cleanly; it means they know EXACTLY how to advertise and what to promise their readers. My roommate's book is a bit of a swirl of genres and was picked up by an indie publisher that specifically goes for that sort of book that doesn't neatly fit into a box, but seeing how readers struggled to set expectations for something unconventional makes me see why larger publishers tend to be so strict on the conventional.
Like it's not JUST about writing a "5-star book"... because there are always gonna be people who just DON'T like a book for whatever reason. It's more like writing the best book possible, and then specifically targeting and delivering that book to people who will give that kind of book five stars, and dissuading people who were never gonna like it from reading it. You can't write a book that makes everyone happy, but you can ADVERTISE in a way that attracts the audience who is going to be happiest reading it.
My roommate calls me her mini-editor since I do full beta-reading and a lot of development work with her, and I enjoy being in a support position with a writer (tho it probably helps I've known her for over a decade). Don't get me wrong, I love writing myself as well, but also I feel like I've been developing a new skillset on the editor side that I'm enjoying the abilities of... and I think now part of that skillset is developing stronger knowledge on "the market" and publishing trends and how the actual business side of books, and it's a huge amount of stuff but I'm gaining a fraction of understanding now (thank u roommate!) that's really opened my eyes.
I love my current job, but honestly I could see a career as an editor being rewarding as well. Of course, I didn't even get an English major so I'm not qualified, and from my understanding editor salaries aren't great, but being a hobby editor for my roomie is a happy fit for me!
no subject
Date: 2023-10-13 02:41 am (UTC)Oooh I like Reader Theory then... like the book comes to life specifically when it's being read by an individual. Makes reading sound less like a passive intake and more like a conversation. Some conversational partners vibe really well with specific people and others don't XD