A recent post by Porter Anderson on Jane Friedman’s blog caught my eye. In this article, entitled, When Bad Things (Seem To) Happen on Good Sites, Porter writes about the recent drama over one author’s negative experience on Goodreads.
Tofino, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
It got me thinking about the power of words—the author’s and those of the readers who critique—and how they can make or break an author’s career. When readers post negative comments about a writer’s work, it’s not surprising that the writer retreats, like the one mentioned in Porter Anderson’s post.
When I was in Tofino, on Vancouver Island, a few weeks back, I witnessed a sea anemone pull its beautiful green extensions inward when poked gently with a stick. It did what it could to protect itself. It couldn’t fight back, so it retreated, much like writers do when their very words 
are given a bad review. It’s hard to stand up after a knockdown punch from critical bullies without looking like you’re egotistical or naïve or bitter or someone who can’t take their lumps (whether they’re true or not).
Not every book is a winner nor does every book deserve high praise. I have no problem with less than stellar comments about books and take readers’ reviews with a grain of salt. I do take more seriously literary critics’ reviews, but even here, I haven’t always agreed. And like taste in anything, we readers—I’m an avid one for what writer isn’t—can be particular. I’ve read books that have been given the top awards and yet, for whatever reason, they did not register with me. I’ve read others that I’ve loved and wondered why they’d been overlooked. For me, the answer lies not only with the quality of the prose and the story, but also with the subjectivity of the reader.
It’s not unlike going to an art gallery and staring at a painting of note and wondering what I’m missing. Is it my lack of understanding of what makes a painting great? Or is it hype that’s made it one that’s garnered all the attention?
But back to badmouthing on Goodreads. There is such a thing as kindness. How the critique is given makes all the difference. I rarely give five stars to a book ***** and don’t give less than three ***to any. Those books that I believe (and that’s the point, huh, it’s only my opinion – one person) deserve less than three, I don’t even mention. Most of these I couldn’t finish for obvious reasons.
Which brings me to what I’ve been mulling about, which is whatever happened to – if you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything at all?
The problem, as I see it, is built into the structure of Goodreads. Authors ARE NOT WELCOME although their free books are welcome. It’s also inherent in the ability to leave a review based upon intangibles rather than actually reading the book – For example, you can leave a one-star review because you don’t plan to read the book, or because you don’t like the author, or the title, or the cover.
At the same time, Goodreads emails authors and encourages us to ‘engage’ with our readers. Catch 22 at its best.
I stay as far away from Goodreads as I can. The environment is toxic.
Sorry to hear that you’ve decided to stay away, but I can see why. Now that Goodreads is owned by Amazon, there’s a commercial string that encourages thoughtless reviews. I also didn’t know that people are leaving reviews on books they haven’t read. That’s so unethical and unconscionable. If this keeps up, I’m sure you’ll have lots of company fleeing sites that treat authors so badly. For now, I’m hanging in, but then again, I haven’t a book out yet that readers can comment on. As a writer, you want the truth, but you also want the reviewer to be kind.
An elegant and eloquent post, Diana. The “punch and draw blood” review style isn’t only on Goodreads, though. I was a junior in college when, because of responses to a small local column I’d written, I was asked to guest-review several first-novels by newly published authors for a large newspaper’s weekend edition. It went to my head, I’m embarrassed to say. I was more interested in sounding wise, informed and literary than in giving a fair, balanced and multi-faceted review. I did hear from one of the authors later, and after I apologized he graciously said that for three of the specifics I mentioned, he double-checked and I was right. But I still knew what I’d done and felt lousy.
It’s not difficult to be intelligently “flip”–and even cruel in a clever way–but it’s also easy to identify the reviewers who are doing those things…and stay away from them.
Thanks, Marilyn, for sharing your experience. I actually had to go back into Goodreads to see what I had done. I was surprised to see that I had given some reads a two star review, which I’ve since corrected. I do think the comments speak for themselves. I continue to be amazed at books that get awards, warranted I’m sure, but there are so many others, more readable that end up in the remainder bins or turfed from bookstores because the publicity and sales aren’t there.
Great blog, Diana. I’m sorry I didn’t read it sooner — too busy to keep up, I guess.
Thanks, Kristin, Yes, there is a lot out there. I find it hard to keep up as well. Hugs.