I think the future of online review sites is very bright! But not necessarily as money makers. A lot of people talk about making money from the Internet, but I really see the key benefits of online sites like The Compulsive Reader as a kind of community, where like-minded people can "congregate". As a kind of literary community that isn't limited by time and place, an online review site can bring people together — to share their feelings about quality words, and to provide well thought through information on what's new, what's good, and what to avoid. We don't all necessarily write for money — we also write (just as we read), because it's part of the whole pleasurable experience — to work out why something worked and to explore the character, plot, voice, tense, structure of the book we've just lost ourselves in. Writing a review is like a shared, detailed second reading, where one's instinctive reactions are polished, explored and worked through until they are able to be shared with others in a meaningful way. More and more books get published each year, and over the years that I've been doing online and print reviews, I've watched the online demand grow exponentially.
Do you keep the author's feelings in mind when you review?
Yes and no. Yes in that I'm an author and I never feel happy writing negative reviews — I don't write negative reviews easily or lightly. No in that the author's potential feelings don't impact on what I write. I'm generally a nice person, and I enjoy discovering great work, but if, as a reviewer, I'm not honest and only write nice things about books, my reviews aren't worth anything. I never write unsubstantiated invective. I've never written a negative review that was mean or negative in a non-objective way. But I still feel I need to point out where a book has failed in its aims or not worked well — that's part of the whole review process. That doesn't change, even when the author I'm writing about is a friend or family member. I've written some very negative reviews on books sent to me by people I know, and I've even had some reviews rejected because the editor of that publication felt I was too negative. I've occasionally had an author or publisher request that a negative review is taken down. In those cases, I'm happy to accept the rejection and have understood that sometimes my perspective as a reviewer doesn't align with the perspective of the author.
Reviews always have a degree of subjectivity in them, and are never the final word on a book's quality or saleability. Most authors/publishers accept negative reviews gracefully (and there is usually something in them that can be used in excerpt). If it's requested, I will usually comply with requests to remove a review. I did once have a very negative response to a book that I declined to review. It wasn't a negative review — just a nice note saying that a book wasn't right for The Compulsive Reader (I send out a lot of those, by necessity, but I always try to respond to requests). The response I received back was about 3 pages of very angry abuse stating that they felt I was discriminating against them for all sorts of reasons (sex, race, genre, height, weight, nationality, taste in clothing, you name it). The note was almost good enough to publish, never mind the book. I just had a good laugh, and deleted it.
Article comments
1 - Donna McDine
Mayra & Magdalena...what a wonderful insightful interview. The questions and answers truly gives great indepth insight into the reviewing world.
Thanks!
Donna
2 - Aaron Paul Lazar
Hello, Maggie and Mayra! This is a delightful glimpse into Maggie's world. I truly enjoyed it and must say I do cherish the longer, more analytic reviews highly (whether my own books are being reviewed, or I'm reading to determine my next book purchase!), and aim for the same quality with the reviews I write. Thanks for posting this, Mayra. Great information!
3 - Beverly McClure
Thanks for this great interview. I was especially interested in the mistakes amateur reviewers (like me) make. Also, whether the interview influences a person's choice to purchase the book.
I enjoyed reading your advice and comments.
Beverly
4 - Linda Austin
Maggie gave wonderfully detailed and indepth answers to good questions, and I also love how her site is another champion for new and lesser-known authors. This interview has been a learning experience.
5 - A. F. Stewart
The world of reviews and reviewers is far more complicated than I imagined. A wonderful interview, and some great insights.
6 - Joy Delgado
Thanks once again Mayra for an exceptional interview. Magdalena your answers to Mayra's questions gave me a better look into the world of reviewing. Thanks
Joy
7 - Carolyn Howard-Johnson
When Mayra interviewed me(coming June 8), she asked me if reviews are influential. Some are far more influential than others. Magadalena's reviews are so thoughtful and complete I use her reviews of my book, The Frugal Editor, in my media kit. Maggie also names her top ten reads on her site at the end of the year. My chapbook of poetry, Tracings, was so-named and that is very nearly like winning a contest. I've used it to great advantage in my promotion campaign. And believe me, poetry needs to be promoted! (-:
Best,
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Award-winning author of the HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers
8 - Shari Lyle-Soffe
Mayra
Another terrific interview. Thanks.
9 - c hoare
These interviews are a great resource, and a couple of things occurred to me --
Are these interviews in the published copy of The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, or will there always be a link where we can find them again? I'm beginning to suspect the first and will definitely buy a copy -- they're valuable for writers as well as potential reviewers.
Chris.
10 - Margay
Magdalena, I love The Compulsive Reader! It is one of my favorite feeds and I have a lot because, well, I am a compulsive reader. This was a fantastic interview, one of the best I've read in awhile. You are so well-informed and you inform others well. That is a gift. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Margay