tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7040486715126429420.post926692255007950654..comments2024-01-16T21:08:41.534-06:00Comments on On a Wing and a Whim: Don't Fear The One-Star*On a Wing and a Whimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00754595334684845895noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7040486715126429420.post-73985731151452039632016-05-28T11:31:16.737-05:002016-05-28T11:31:16.737-05:00I also find it easy to ignore pans that start with...I also find it easy to ignore pans that start with a statement such as:<br />Like ALL self published books this falls short in editing...<br />They establish they have an agenda first. They think it identifies then as one of the righteous instead of the great unwashed. Again - an endorsement for many.<br />I just bought C.J. Cherryh's new book "Visitor" and like ALL traditionally published books I quickly found a typo that jarred me out of the story. I said how about that and dove right back in because Cherryh...That woman can write. I didn't say - "Oh damn that DAW! - and throw the book against the wall in disgust.Mac' Chandlerhttp://mackeychandler.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7040486715126429420.post-21928758365767518512015-10-31T07:47:32.165-05:002015-10-31T07:47:32.165-05:00actually I like reading the one star reviews. It ...actually I like reading the one star reviews. It gives me a better idea what is in the book. A book can't be awesome for everybody.Mrs. Widgethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00574837619339009800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7040486715126429420.post-24705278196402817212015-04-06T16:55:17.906-05:002015-04-06T16:55:17.906-05:00I looked at my first one-star as proof that I was ...I looked at my first one-star as proof that I was now a "real author." Kinda like being a Real Rabbit, but without the fur and cute tail. Someone new had come in, read the book, didn't like it, and let the world know. So it was proof that I wasn't having friends and relations do reviews. (Not that I ever have. Only two of of my IRL friends and no relatives have read my fiction, aside from a few short stories.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7040486715126429420.post-67329863766605272332015-04-04T11:15:35.376-05:002015-04-04T11:15:35.376-05:00I ALWAYS read one and two star reviews. They come ...I ALWAYS read one and two star reviews. They come in handy- especially if it's an author I'm not familiar with. Books are an investment in time and energy and any bit of information I can get helps.<br /><br /> I learned the hard way- after ignoring some one star reviews for a series of books that was not my cuppa. The author was trying to make a deep point that sometimes bad people are just bad and don't really change their nature- but it took him three books to make that point. And he took the time to make his characters evolve and change through the first two books- to then have them collapse in on themselves in the third. I wish I had read the one star reviews at the beginning of the series that warned about this- but I missed it.<br /><br />On the other hand, I picked up MHI because one star reviews called it "over the top gun porn"- which sounded like fun to me. ;) Another good indicator is when the one star reviewer complains about the book being "not literary" or "too steeped in genre." Heh. Those types amuse me to no end.<br /><br />I agree with Sanford- though. Drives me crazy when I see negative reviews from people who clearly never read the book. I feel bad for OSC because he tends to attract these trolls in large packs. I was pleased to see Amazon start to label things as a verified purchase- though that's obviously not always reliable. (libraries are our friends.)Booknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7040486715126429420.post-38133095573653066632015-04-04T10:45:51.961-05:002015-04-04T10:45:51.961-05:00The only reviews i actively dislike are the ones f...The only reviews i actively dislike are the ones from someone who either A. Pans everything with faint praise or B. reads as one of the authors detractors who isn't reviewing the book, but rather his spleen at the authors politics etc.Sanford Begleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13262473138438891930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7040486715126429420.post-9808514621871104532015-04-03T10:40:16.007-05:002015-04-03T10:40:16.007-05:00I have zero idea why my blog won't accept your...I have zero idea why my blog won't accept your comments, but will accept Peter's, Laura's, Callie's, and Cedar's. It's an aggravation, since I love to get mail, but on the other hand, now I get to shiver with joy at getting a post on your blog, so that's a win.<br />And quick quick quick, the post about writing slash and burn ambush personal attack reviews was an<b> April Fools joke.</b> You got roped into it because you understand marketing strategies better than anyone else by the campfire I have joined.<br />My purpose in writing reviews is primarily personal (it gives me something constructive to do). The way it works best for me, though, is to write about works and authors I believe in, and in doing so, I hope to bring them to the attention of those who haven't discovered them. I'm slightly miffed that my April Fools post got 33 hits (which is big for my blog) and 'Stand Against the Storm' only has four. However, I reviewed that shortly after I had started my mission, so maybe it's only, or primarily, momentum we are seeing here.<br />There were some true statements in my April Fools blog. I was, in fact, the grateful recipient of many classes on research methodology and statistics, and maybe there is some application here. (Definitely not the approach I claimed in the April Fools blog). I always reference my blog posts on my facebook page and on Mad Genius Club, but the two reviews that got the most traffic were also referenced on the author's blogs and/or on their Facebook pages. <br />I wander afar from the one-star review topic, but maybe I should review some of the non-MGC affiliate works I own, reference my blog reviews on their pages, then incorporate the practice of mentioning my MGC reviews on their pages. I own copies of everything Larry Corriea, Michael Z. Williamson, John Ringo , and Brad Torgerson have written, and most of Eric Flint (except Grantville Gazette, couldn't keep up with it), David Drake, and David Weber.<br />Finally, apologies again for the distraction my Blogger account caused, and appreciation for your thoughtful reply to my outlandish joke. I feel almost as though I have drawn the sacred by initiating the profane, but if my thanks and your forgiveness are on the table, all is well, all is well.Habakkuk21https://www.blogger.com/profile/11928724752057162332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7040486715126429420.post-78435700717589442902015-04-03T10:27:40.531-05:002015-04-03T10:27:40.531-05:00Much wisdom here - and based on 35 years of marria...Much wisdom here - and based on 35 years of marriage, also the product of much conversation. :)Rev. Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588179227576383679noreply@blogger.com