Have you ever been faced with an issue while reading or blogging and thought: I wonder what other bloggers think about this? No matter what genre or audience you blog for, we all face the same problems. Are you a publisher or author wondering what goes on in a blogger's (and by extension a reader's) head?
Blogger confidential is a series of 12 questions asked to 11 bloggers about the nitty gritty details of blogging. Everything from what prompts a blogger to pick up a book, to what happens when a book doesn't live up to its hype. This series was inspired by
Wastepaper Prose's Author Insight series.
If you feel inspired by any of these questions, leave your answer in the comments, or create your own post!
This week's question:
Does love of an author always translate into love of their book? How do you handle situations where it doesn't?
"Not always, no. Though I don’t have a lot of relationships with authors whose books I haven’t read or don’t love, for obvious reasons. And unless I have an actual relationship with them, I don’t think I tend to say I love the authors themselves. Just their work. In some cases, I do develop a friendship with an author whose books I love and I treasure those interactions, but the friendship is not based on the fact that I love their books. It’s based on a mutual love for books in general, often the same ones or the same types, and thus it can withstand the occasional lackluster response or difference of opinion. When that happens it’s sometimes sad, but it can also be even more interesting because we get to discuss why we differ or why we think we responded the way we did.
Again, it’s all about maturity, a real love of reading, and an appreciation for the great variety of books and readers out there. There are only a very few authors whose entire bibliography I have read and who I could say I literally love every book they’ve written. In most of those cases, I don’t know the author personally and, if I did have the chance to meet her, I would no doubt make a fool of my gushing self or be so tongue-tied that she would eventually edge quietly away from the crazy person."
Angie from Angieville"No, unfortunately it doesn't. I recently had an author send me a book for review and included a lovely hand written note thanking me in advance for the review. It was one of the most difficult reviews I've ever written, because in the end I truly did not like the book at all. I ended up writing the review, honestly and constructively, and then moved on. Fortunately, the author was aware of the review date and ended up sending a quick thank you after reading it. Though I'm sure she hoped for a better review, she was still happy I had mentioned the book in a "fair and honest" way."
Danielle from There's a Book"I wish that love of an author translated to love of their book! In the past, when I've met the author, and then read their book and don't like it, I type up the review, send it to them, and let them know how hard it was to write. I've had two authors just never respond to my email, but I had one author, who, when she read my review, wrote the nicest comment. I wish I could clone that author."
Trish from Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?"I do think that I'm a bit more forgiving of books from authors that I love but sure, there are moments where I may be disappointed. This is particular apparent when as a reader turned blogger, I'm now communicating with these authors and am now able to call them my friends. How do I handle situations like this? I remember to talk about the book itself with professionalism rather than attack the author. I've never had any problems."
Natasha from Maw Books"This is a problem I am dealing with now, or should I say one that I am waiting to occur. Most of the authors I really love are particularly strong writers, so for me not to like their book would be more due to premise than writing itself. I was terrified when Elizabeth Scott's book came my way. Grace is about a suicide bomber...not something I wanted to read but I trust her as an author and BOY did that pay off. There are some authors I love for their personalities (blogs, vlogs or twitter) but just don't mesh with their writing. It is frustrating."
Adele from Persnickety Snark"This is something that is really coming up a lot lately. Especially with how easily accesible so many authors are on Twitter and Facebook. I have met some authors on these networks and really like them a lot, then read their book and don't like it at all. It makes it very difficult to write an honest review. I've decided to try to take a step back from authors whose books I haven't read yet, so that I won't feel pressured into writing a false review. I also decided that if I don't like a book, I'll wait until after the release day to write my review, so the author has plenty of time to get lots of different perspectives in. Luckily, though, most of the time if I like an author, I do like her/his book!"
Andye from Reading Teen"I think I've managed to create and hold onto my reputation as an honest reviewer. My relationship with an author might slightly influence the tone I take in my review, but I try my hardest to separate work from author when reviewing. Personal attacks are unnecessary and unprofessional, you know? I'm not sure what's the best thing to do when you don't love the author's work as much as you love the author. I think it really depends on both people, and if they're able to live with this between them."
Steph from Steph Su Reads"Unfortunately, no. And it’s always awkward when these situations arise. I strive to fully explain my reasoning when I give a book a negative review, which I think helps in these situations. Also, most authors are realists and are aware that not every reader will love and connect with their novel – they appreciate the negative and positive reviews!"
Sara from The Hiding Spot"I try to not have many relationships with authors other than some mindless chatting on Twitter. I don't want any "hey she knows that person of course she will say that." scenarios."
Pam from Bookalicious"No. I have met and made friends with some amazing people who write books and then I don't end up loving their books. This is really really tough, because as someone who recommends and suggests books, I feel like I need to keep it honest. But friendship is also important obviously. I have in the past chosen not to review a book I didn't love by someone I love."
Amy from My Friend Amy"For me, the answer is not always. In the cases were it does not, I believe that as a blogger, you can find yourself on a slippery slope. I believe that authors are normal people, just like I am, and so they reserve my respect. They have taken their blood, sweat, and tears into creating a novel, so when I review the novel, I take that into consideration. Personally, I have written reviews for authors where I disliked aspects of the novel and have said so in my review. However, if you read the review, it is not mean or even critical. I believe that it is done respectively. And to be honest, I have even had authors email me about a negative review that I have written for their novel saying basically that I am sorry to hear that you did not like X, but thank you for giving me something to work on. I feel like in these situations, it is ALWAYS best to be honest, but respectful."
Kate from The Neverending Shelf
