Very hypothetical question about authors, friends and community links

There are quite a few questions there -- now can I remember all of them. Do I have favorite authors and are they an autobuy--yes, even after a not so great book. I'm not going to like absolutely everything an author writes, and some of the reasons may have nothing to do with the book itself. Now if the for some reason the author's next three books are not so good (IMHO) I would then stop autobuying-I might still buy, but I would preview the book, as long as the next book or two are great they would go back on the autobuy list. This would be true of any author, well maybe I would be a bit more lenient if the author and I were friends.

I have not liked every book I've read and blogged on this site. I try to be careful when I write a review because I'm always cognizant that the problem with the book may be me, not the way the book was written. On the other hand, there have been a few books that I felt were just "off" for some reason, but what jars me and knocks me out of a book may not bother another reader. So, if I am not gushing over a book it doesn't always mean that the book is the problem.

If a friend writes a book and it is picked up by a line I don't normally read. Hmmmmmm, that is a bit problematical. I would want to support my friend by reading the book, but then if I disliked the book because it really didn't resonate for me I wouldn't want to come across that it was the book. I would probably say in reviewing the book: I really like the way the author did ______, however I have a hard time understanding this ______ response. For the lover of 'XYZ' books give it a try and let us know your thoughts.

Okay, maybe that would be a cop out, but it would be one I could live with. Okay, so there have been a few books that I've really wondered how they got published because of problems that I thought were so jarring that they did not deserve publishing, but that number has been really small. There have been a few books that I didn't enjoy because they just didn't grab my interest. There have been a few books that I had to put down because I stopped caring about the H/h. But I have been reading a long time and there really have been only a small number that I couldn't finish and say they were good, very good or great reads.

Oh...BTW...and if anyone does follow my postings...he/she knows there are books I do enjoy and books I don't enjoy -- and I'm just as vocal about  "not enjoyed" as "enjoyed."  To the point to where I sometimes think I'm a rude Rake in my reviews.  I'm just glad that I do enjoy more than I don't enjoy!

Auto-buys.  I only have one author (Susan Elizabeth Phillips) who is an auto buy for me.  She would need to suck royally for a long time before I bumped her off the list.  Others I buy if the story line sounds good, and even then, some of my favorites would have to have written repeated klunkers before I wrote them off completely.

As far as feeling obligated to buy a book from a forum member who has sold, for me it really depends on the person and the situation.  There are some authors who've been especially nice to me, and I enjoy buying their books as a gesture of appreciation for their friendship and support.  Do I feel obligated?  No.  It's more a desire to return the kindness they've shown to me, or out of a genuine desire to read their work. 

But you touch on something that's hit me a couple times since I started this blogging challenge, and that's how you blog books you don't particularly care for.  As a Harlequin author, I'll be completely frank and tell you you won't hear me saying anything negative about any Harlequin books (which for me is hard because I tend to say what I think--much to my own demise at times).  But that's the business end of this and the need to remain respectful of my peers.  After all, the book is done and published.  It's not like they can change it after the fact.

On the flipside, do I lie through my teeth and say I like it?  No.  Because then how would anyone know if I genuinely did like a book and am encouraging people to buy it?  That in itself is a disservice to authors I like and readers I enjoy sharing opinions with.  It's important to me that if I say it's a great book, people believe that.

Also, being on the other end, I wouldn't want readers to tell me they loved my book when they really didn't.  Do I want to hear a long, scathing rant about it?  No.  But it means a lot more to me to hear positive things about my books if I know the person isn't just being nice because we chat. 

Lori

LOL.  I wrote that post, went back to the Dream Team thread and saw you were putting up Million Dollar Secrets books.  My first thought was, "It's me!  She read Underneath It All and hated it!  Now she's just trying to figure out how she can trash it without hurting my feelings!"  LOL!

Okay, so then I remembered you'd already read it. 

But seriously, I think bloggers need to be kind yet honest about their opinions, otherwise, you lose integrity when recommending books to other readers.  And I say that as an author with a book coming out in a few weeks.  While I can't speak for everyone, I'd prefer knowing that the people who like my work sincerely do, and if that means I need to hear what didn't work for some, that's the bones I take for being a writer.

Hey, nobody promised me it would be a big love fest.  LOL!

Lori

I'm just happy you liked the book. ;>

FWIW, I never post about books I didn't like. That's just my personal opinion, and I wouldn't tell others what to do, but to my mind, I find more value in posting a positive review than a negative one because 1) the negative review is just my opinion, and very likely there are a lot of people who liked the book I didn't so why would I want to bias someone else's opinion, when they may very well like the book? and 2) I just prefer to remain positive. :)

I post reviews for an author site called Writers Are Readers and let me say I would never post a dishonest review. I would never post saying I liked a book that I didn't but I also tend to keep negative thoughts to myself (aside of personal discussions among friends on email, over coffee, etc which is different -- but even there, I'd rather recommend a book than dash one). I just think it's better policy.

Sam

if an autobuy author writes a book I'm not thrilled with, I'll continue to read their books .... if there are more books that aren't working for me, I'll reevaluate my choice of their status as autobuy .... and I've done that

the reviews here have influenced my buying ... I love reading what others think of a book and have discovered many "new-to-me" authors through the reviews ... I love the fact that authors are accessible here, but I don't think I've felt obligated to buy their books just because I've become familiar with them here in the Community ...... I do like debuts, but usually I'll purchase them after I read what others think .... it's more of a budget thing and an over flowing TBR thing ......  though I will say that seeing how an author interacts here with others can tempt me to read their books; if I like their voice on the boards, I find I want more of their voice

reviewing a book that doesn't work is always hard .... and I agree with Sam .... reading is a personal experience, and what may not work for me might work for someone else ..... I tend to use the rating system to express the degree a book didn't work and I keep my wording positive and not openly critical ..... I don't feel I have the right to be openly critical on a public forum of someone's work that they've toiled and sweated over .... if an author asks me one on one, I'll be more specific .... and I don't think I've felt compelled to give a glowing review just because I've "met" the author here

interesting discussion!

I think you have it exactly right. Well said.

I never buy into the "we have an obligation to share what we didn't like" line of thinking. Unless we work for a publication which is paying us to advise readers and to share our honest opinion publicly, we have no obligation to that end whatsoever.

I always wonder what people think will be achieved by posting a negative review? What real value is there? As a writer, I have never changed anything in my writing based on a negative review, and I know editors don't really pay them any mind. At least a positive review can tell people about a book they may want to read, and it generally supports the writer and the book -- there is value there.

I agree wholeheartedly with your points. ;)

Sam

An auto-buy author is allowed an off book.  If it's really off, I'll probably wonder what was going on in her/his life when they wrote it.  But it would take more than one book to make me move them from auto-buy to auto-consider to less than that.

Authors who hang out here get more of my time and money just b/c I have some sort of a relationship with them.  Yes, I'm more lenient with them.  Luckily, I haven't really needed to be b/c they're all really good writers.

I only buy books from new authors if the book appeals to me.  So a friend who's been hanging out here who sells isn't guaranteed a purchase from me.  That almost doesn't apply to me b/c I only hang out in a couple of threads and they're already lines that I enjoy.  So, someone selling in Desire or Blaze or Steeple Hill isn't probably someone I know b/c I don't hang out there . . .

As for negative reviews well, last year if I didn't like a book, I just changed my numbers and didn't review it and trusted that no one noticed. This year, I don't have that luxury.  BUT since I'm being pickier, I've actually put a couple of books down that weren't pulling me in by the third or so chapter, so maybe I won't be finishing any books that I don't like . . .

Penn

Oh, and I forgot--my first e-release got a horrible review from a particular reviewer.  she gave it 40-something out of a 100, trashed the whole story, and I was moping about it for days.  so when I say negative reviews, I don't mean ones that say stuff like "although the pacing was slow and the plot hard to understand at times, the characters were really fun and..."etc.   See, those reviews are fine with me, because at least both good and bad points are addressed.

By negative I mean the reviews that pretty much say your book sucked and there were no redeeming aspects to it.  Those are the ones that hurt

The comments on negative reviews are interesting.  I agree I don't support bashing someone's work, but I do appreciate reading when a book doesn't work for someone and why.  It may be I have the same issues.  It doesn't mean I won't read the book, sometimes a negative review, especially if there is a lot of mixed feelings on a book, will compel me to read it.  But it may keep me away from a book that isn't my cup of tea. 

As for the authors, I understand not wanting to write a negative review.  I know a lot of authors won't review books at all.

Cady

This is a good question, and esp. for a community here.  I am sure it would surprise people who read my reviews, but I have read books I abosolutely HATE.  It's rare, I think, just because of the way  I read and what kinds of things excite me in reading. 

It depends on what is about a book that I don't like.  if it's a style issue, I am just straightforward and I say why it didn't work for me along with what did.  It's not personal.  Hopefully an author can take that...they do have to deal with editors who may be harder on them.  If it is a stlye issue (the main reason why I downgrade in number ratings when I use them and the main reason that turns a 4.5 read into a 5 star read), I will read that author again.  If there are serious stlye issues, esp. in a more established author, I tend to maybe not buy them if I feel they are just being lazy for the sake of getting out a book or to crank them out to make money rather than focusing on their writing.  With a debut author or a relatively new one, I am much more likely to keep readingthem because it is very exciting to read them and see their growth.  I prefer growth to laziness, decline and a sense of stasis.

And then there is the issue of the vision of the author.  If there is something in the vision that really offends me, out that author's book goes.  I don't care if the whole world likes them, they are out.  I am not even sure I would want them as more than passing friends just because their vision of the world is sooooo different.  For me to hae a book that intensely, it means that I feel that the author's book isn't just a bad story but something much more serious.  Given all the sorts of books I do read and enjoy, I think you can get a very clear idea that when I mean serious, that is a polite understatement.

Sometimes my silence means much more ...  sometimes a book can be so offensive that even mentioning it is giving it more credit than it deserves.   Yet I guess other times, my silence is just a matter of an overwhelming TBR.  The good thing is that the more romance I read, the more skill I have in picking my reads.