Bronwyn Stuart - Romance Author
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How seriously do you take other peep's opinions?

6/6/2012

1 Comment

 
Recently there has been so much hype surrounding a certain grey shaded book that I went trundling along to check it out on Amazon to see if it comes in Kindle (clearly I’d only heard half the news) and then I began to read some of the reviews. This isn’t the first time that I’ve decided to check out what people think about a read before I spend my money on it. Let’s go back to a week ago...

I was about to redo my roots (I’m getting married in two days and suffer greyage) and since my locks are black, I stay in the bathroom so not to drip dye anywhere and usually I read a book since I’m in there for a while. Anyway, I wanted something different (not historical romance) so I grabbed a book I got last year from the Romance Writer’s of Australia conference. A few pages in I was really enjoying the writing (YA angels and demons and whatnot) but realised that I wasn’t starting at the beginning. I grabbed my phone (also in the bathroom with me) and looked it up on Kindle (so I could start reading right away) but then I scrolled down to the reviews so I could try to work out where the series started. Anyway, the reviews were terrible. I was a little devastated. I need a book to read on my honeymoon next week and wanted an electronic one so I’m not dragging pages around everywhere.  Anyway, I stopped. I didn’t end up buying the book even thought the chapter I read from the third book was great. I started to think maybe I’ll read the third and if I like it, I’ll go back and get the others. Then the same happened with the grey shaded book. I’ve been hearing about it for weeks but had only ever had a half-hearted look at it since I was snowed under with revisions and wedding stuff. A couple of my friends are reading it and were chatting away on Facebook so I went to buy a copy and join in (starved for attention I am) but then I made the mistake once again of checking the reviews. The first one made me laugh out loud and share the words with the husband-to-be who also laughed. It was the second book in a week that I didn’t buy because of bad reviews. Which then made me think, how many people do the same and are turned off? Do you buy it anyway because you have a mind of your own and want to come to your own decision? Are people going to turn away from my book if anyone leaves a bad review? (haha, please don’t) So I’m opening it up to you. Do you leave bad reviews if you don’t like something or do you not waste your time? Do you leave reviews at all and most importantly what turns you off a book if you previously wanted to read it but then something changes your mind?...


1 Comment
Evangeline Holland link
6/6/2012 01:26:46 pm

Not at all. I ended up reading the Fifty Shades trilogy since I didn't feel comfortable having an opinion until I'd at least tried to read the first book (unlike so freakin many of its critics), and was surprised by how much I loved it. I loved the books so much, I've just read them over a second time, and see myself not only reading them again, but actually going out to buy print copies.

As for taking the time to leave 1-3 star reviews of books I wasn't fond of but see so many other people 5 starring all over the place? Guilty as charged. *hangs head in shame* I think it's human nature to praise to the high heavens or castigate to Hades things you love or hate when you feel you're all alone in that reaction. You don't want to feel out of step with the crowd. However, since I'm a writer--and someone who unexpectedly loved the much reviled Fifty Shades of Grey--I've grown more sensitive to the fact that you cannot control people's reactions to books, and trying to do so, or trying to figure out why others love or hate what you hate or love, will just drive you crazy! It takes a healthy dose of confidence to say "I love this book, but it's okay if you don't" or vice versa.

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    I'm a published author but I'm still mostly stumbling about in the dark looking for the right paths so this blog is about that, though sometimes something will give the me the shits and I'll have a bit of a rant. I'll try not to be offensive but occasionally my mouth opens without asking my brain's permission so I'll apologise in advance.

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