Hi everyone —
We’re going to talk about reviews, but first let me remind you that i have fantastic contests going on here on the website. Click HERE for the Contests Page where both HUGE contests with Rafflecopters are listed.
So let’s talk about reviews. Authors have a love/hate relationship with reviews. We love 
the good ones and hate the bad ones (even though some statistics show that bad reviews sometimes sell more books than good ones!) But what we don’t know for sure is how readers react to reviews. We suspect, but i figured, let’s ask. So, this post is mostly about questions. If you have a minute, would you answer some or all of these questions?
- Do you think book reviews make a difference in whether or not you read a book?
- If a book gets a lot of 1 and 2 star reviews, do you care? Will you tend to shy away from books with low reviews?
- How do you feel about a book with all 5 star reviews?
- What do you consider an “acceptable” level of stars for a book you will choose?
- Do you like to write book reviews — like on Amazon, Goodreads, ARe, etc?
- Are you more likely to write a review if you loved a book or hated it?
- What gets you to write a review?
Some writers hate all reviews and never read them. Others think a review is one of the nicest things a reader can do! I fall into the letter camp. I’ve been lucky to have gotten a lot of great reviews over my 3 years as a published author. And, of course, some bad ones. I’m grateful to everyone who reads my books and happy dance around the house with the good reviews! I’m a happy dancer by nature.
Since i have a brand new release which is currently getting reviews, i’ll share a few words of some of my favorite comments about The Pack or the Panther.
![PackorthePanther[The]LG](https://taralain.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/PackorthePantherTheLG1.jpg)
Lasha’s Reviews says — A+! Highly Recommended
“What I loved about The Pack or the Panther was the chemistry between Cole and Paris. Yes, Cole is your typical Alpha, but Paris is anything but your submissive mate. He’s a delightful change from the weak, smaller men that are mated to a big, powerful Alpha and I liked that. It’s rare that M/M shifter books surprise me anymore, but this book did.
I don’t give out a lot of A+ reviews, but The Pack or the Panther deserves it. Highly recommended and looking forward to the next one in the series.”
Jessie Potts at USA Today Happy Ever After says — 5 Stars! Recommended!
“I love the pack dynamics, and watching Paris and Cole dance around each other is hot and steamy. I also love that Cole is a dominant alpha yet has vulnerability; he doesn’t like speaking in public and often stutters.”
Lena Gray at Rainbow Book Reviews says — 5 Stars!
“I have to say that I’m not particularly a fan of shifter stories, but Tara, with her skillful writing, vivid imagination, and excellently drawn characters has won me over. I recommend this tale to everyone who likes shifters, hot men, exotic dancing, exquisite sex, and plain down to earth universal wisdom. Thanks, Tara, for the conversion. It was a great surprise.”
And a reader at All Romance eBook posted this fantastic comment!
Dillybeaumom at ARe says — 5 Stars
“Dialogue that perfectly matches shifter personalities makes this story a delight. Tara Lain knows just what to write when a topping-from-the-bottom cat wants his wolf: “Come on, Puppy, fuck me or I’ll yowl on your back fence all night.” More complicated than usual heroes, a nasty gangster werewolf with a pole-dancer obsession, and Lain’s unique wolf pack politics – just the ticket for a fun paranormal romance.”
As you can tell, i deeply appreciate my reviews! And i’d love it if you would answer my questions above. : )
Great post, Tara!
I never really considered it before now but you’re right. As a reader I have a completely different view of reviews than I do as an author.
As a reader I don’t pay any attention to the number of stars. If it’s by an author I know I buy the book regardless of the ratings. If it’s an author that’s new to me I go by cover, blurb, and excerpts.
However, if I stumble across a review that pans the book and it’s an author I’m not familiar with, the rating carries quite a bit of weight. It doesn’t necessarily mean I won’t buy the book but I’ll probably give it more scrutiny before I do than I otherwise would.
Reviews can be important to me when picking a book. I use them to help me figure out in greater detail what kind of book it is. For instance, so people will leave a review on a book saying that it is light and fluffy. I am more likely to postpone reading a book like that.
I only ever pay attention to a book’s overall rating. If a book has too low of a rating (under 3 on Goodreads), that usually indicates that a good number of ratings were made by people who were not rating solely bade on personal opinion. In my experience, books like that often have many problems with them that are hard to over-look.
I also don’t give much credit to books that have many 5 star reviews as well. I feel that a book like that is often given those stars because the author is really popular, or the reviewer doesn’t want to feel mean.
I will occasionally write a review. Most of my reasons for writing a review will be if it stood out and it was a favorite, or if I felt that the book was underrated. I read so many books that it would take forever to compose a review for each of them that hasn’t already been covered by somebody else.
I think I am pretty even on whether a review a book because I liked it or hated it. When I dislike a book and I review it, I mostly feel the need to explain why. If I hated a book because it described a man’s genitals too often as a thick sausage then that is my opinion (this was honestly a reason I couldn’t finish one book). I can’t be unbiased when reviewing, but at least I can try to explain to people that to people.
Rebecca — Thank you so much. This is such good information for every author. I plan to share! : )
I read reviews but I don’t let them influence me. Everyone doesn’t like the same thing so there is no way one person’s opinion is going be a deciding factor for me on whether or not to read a book.
I don’t like to write reviews because I am obviously not a writer and not very good at expressing myself with words. I do attempt to write basic reviews sometimes. I’m more likely to write a good review for a book that I really enjoyed than a bad one for a book that wasn’t my favorite.
I finish every book I start even if it is slow in the beginning because most times it picks up if you just give it a chance. I honestly have never read a book that I absolutely hated.
What an intriguing poll – questions that I have often puzzled over myself, so it was great to read the replies you’ve had so far.
As an author whose had her share of both 5 star raves and 1 star stinkers (for the same books), my own relationship with reviews is fairly ambiguous. I prize the good ones, whereas the bad ones… if the reviewer makes valid points, I’ll respect his/her opinion and “try harder next time.”
But those are balanced by those that make you wish Amazon, Goodreads etc had some kind of internal arbitration policy. For example, “THE STORIES ALTHOUGH BELIEVABLE I HAVE READ BETTER TITILATING STORIES AND PAID LESS MONEY FOR IT.” Or, for a non-fiction book I was involved in, “There is a lot of big descriptive words that were unnecessary and obscured the information that was presented.” Those are the occasions when all you can do is hope that prospective purchasers will feel the same contempt (too strong a word, but it will do) for the reviewer as you do.
From a reviewing perspective, I tend to err on the side of caution; “if you have nothing nice to say, then don’t say anything.” And I bear that in mind when reading what others say – the points that Rebecca makes in her reply are ones I thoroughly agree with, although I would also add those occasions when one person has clearly written, or arranged for others to write, multiple versions of essentially the same review (good or bad) to ensure their point gets across. Usually one that didn’t need making in the first place.
I’ve rambled on way too long here. Thanks for listening!
Ah, reviews.
I’ve written reviews for a long time and for many various reasons. Sometimes it is to promote a story I’m passionate about. Sometimes it’s to warn other like minded readers about content or editing (lack there of). Quite often it’s just to remind myself of the journey I’ve taken through the book.
Did I like the characters?
What about the plot?
Did I read it quickly or struggle through it over many sessions?
How did it make me feel?
What things grabbed my attention?
Good or bad, I’m looking to be moved.
I’ve written 5 star reviews or 1 star reviews and everything in between.
We as readers, lend our voices together and hearing others often helps me decide what to read next.
A high review will peek my interest but I will read odd reviews both bad and good.
If a story rates consistently low it’s unlikely I will be moved to read it.
If a story has very few reviews I may be more likely to move it up the list. I like to find those wonderful stories that others may overlook. I like to shine a light. Sometimes it’s a warning light… “Dragons dwell here”
I think the voice of the reader is extremely important to any story. Word of mouth. That’s always how stories are told. People don’t usually read until at first they hear. We want to hear from voices we trust.
We learn over time who reads as we do. Who’s moved as we are. It’s those voices that we set at a high volume. They cheer for our team.
Do authors like them? Does it matter? Stories are lost until someone shines a light on them. We trust the voice with nothing to gain. We trust the reader.