Hey Fellow Bookworms, I had promised myself that I wasn’t going to get too much involved in Book Drama.. It’s very tiring and there’s always something or other.
However, it’s unavoidable sometimes.. like watching a train wreck kind of thing, you want to look away but you can’t.
This time it’s about Book Reviews, and whether authors should be tagged for negative reviews… Really? That’s something you need to question yourself about?
Book Reviews are subjective, they are comprised mostly of your opinions, thoughts and feelings about the book… They are not the be-all, end-all of things… nor the truth of the universe. I know it hurts our egos, but it’s the truth..
So, I would think that common sense would dictate that telling someone that their work is crap shouldn’t be done – Many “negative reviews” are like that.. Not even a paragraph long, just a few lines saying .. this book sucks and is trash. There are others that do explain a bit more why they dislike it but once again, it’s a matter of opinion and I’m sure most of us wouldn’t say to someone’s face how bad a job they did on something (according to us). So why do it on Social Media?
That’s the core of the matter there. Social Media is a faceless medium. So you can be hurtful just for the heck of it without repercussions, just for a few more likes or interactions.. And that really bothers me, hence this ranting post about it.
It’s a bit scary how easily we forget that authors are also people.. and even if they should “develop a thicker skin”, because once you post anything you will be criticised; it still hurts to read that your work is crap.
So, you might catch the drift now that I don’t think authors should be tagged in negative reviews… I don’t do it, I hardly even tag them when I’m gushing about their work.
I might a few times, just like a palm on the back for a job well done, but even then I still hesitate. Reviews are for us readers, and they should be targeted for that. You do have a right to state your opinion and share it with the world, but don’t rub it in the creator’s face… It’s rude and thoughtless, and it makes you look like an a-hole
What do you guys think? Have we lost all common sense in recent years regarding even the silliest topics? Is it really necessary to question being hurtful to someone’s work and let them know immediately? I tend to think we did.. and that’s troubling.. Let me know your opinions in the comments below..
If you want to help me to keep creating content and making you at least smile a bit with my quirky posts and ranty opinions plus feeding your TBR monter with recommendations, just visit my Ko-fi page or Paypal.me/cbookramblings and support my work..
As Always
Happy Reading
Get in Touch with me:
I honestly don’t understand this to be honest. I think part of it comes from the BookTok platform, as many of them tag authors in their rants and its really narcissistic to do this. And now its filtering into other aspects of the book community. I don’t get this, I don’t even tag authors on positive reviews lol I figure if an author wants to read reviews, they can look for them. But its harmful to the author to do that to them if they aren’t looking for it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, I do tag authors from time to time but not for reviews per se but to share that I’m reading their book, or that I’m enjoying it.. I guess if you want to know people’s opinions on your work you will look for them yourself.
LikeLike
I agree with you. I never tag authors in negative reviews or positive reviews. Reviews are primarily meant for the readers not the authors. Yes the authors can learn stuff from reviews but I think it’s up to them to go through the reviews when and if they want to.
LikeLike
You’re completely right about social media. People can be as mean and/or cruel as they want, without the repercussions and it’s just sad. Yes, it’s okay to not like someones work, and yes, it’s okay to express that opinion. But why tag them? That to me is completely unneccessary.
LikeLike