This topic has been stewing on the back burner for a while. 2012 has been the year of the negative review kerfuffles, but recent events have escalated from catty disagreements to flat out harassment.
I'm going to start off with this disclaimer. People are allowed to share their opinions on anything. People are allowed to gush about stuff they love, shrug with indifference, and yes, even sneer with disdain. What people are NOT allowed to do is post personal information and encourage others to stalk and harass someone for having a differing opinion. That is harassment, not free speech.
There are two groups of people that react to reviews, readers and writers. I'll break it down for both groups.
Readers:
Here's the thing about people who are passionate about reading; they love to talk about it. When they read an amazing book that makes us laugh and cry and shout at the characters and stay up until 2am because they just have to read one more chapter. They want to tell everyone about it. I think that's why so many people book blog and/or vlog. They love talking with people who are equally passionate about reading. Also they straight up just love reading good books. That's why they read, they are searching out our next amazing book.
So what about when they read a book that doesn't deliver, what are they to do? Some reviewers have no qualms about tearing the book to pieces in reviews usually laden with snark and sarcasm (and colorful GIFs to help illustrate their point). Some reviewers keep it as PC as possible and just flat out refuse to write anything less than glowing reviews. But I would say the majority of reviewers attempt to outline what they didn't like about the novel, where they thought the novel didn't reach it's storytelling goal, and if there were any redeemable qualities about the book or what type of reader might have better luck.
All three methods of negative reviews are valid, but all three come with different consequences.
If you refuse to write anything but positive reviews I think some of your credibility is taken away. When I read reviews by a person, and they only do really positive reviews (usually in conjunction with an author interview or giveaway) I feel a bit cheated. I also feel like the reviewer is cheating themselves by not expressing how they really feel.
However conversely if you write an extremely negative review I think you should expect some criticism. People are going to want to defend the books that they really like and may see your review as overly harsh or unfounded. And they are allowed to express that opinion. When you write a reivew, much as when you write a book, you open yourself up to criticism of your writing.
Ultimately I think the goal of any review should be to reflect your analytical reading process. It should look at the themes represented in the book (aka the message or goal of the novel) and decide wether these themes were addressed in a sucessful way. Did the romance novel make your heart flutter and your face flush? Did the mystery have you trying to puzzle out who the killer was before it was revealed? Did the book about the victim of a hate crime effectively convey the message of acceptance and tolerance? Analyzing these types of questions is the goal of a reviewer.
Writers:
I get why so many authors are hurt by negative reviews. This is a project they've worked hard on and spent a lot of time and effort to produce the final product and for someone to come along and rip it apart makes you feel devalued. I get it, I really do. BUT, even if a negative review has you fumeing, you should never, never respond in kind (even if you really want to). Responding to negative reviews hurts your image and often it's the author's reaction to the negative review, more than the review itself, that discourages people from reading the book in question.
So What Can Be Done?
It all comes down to four simple words:
Don't be a Dick. It's ok to not like things, and it's ok to express that opinion, but do it in an intelligent (or at least not belligerant) way. I think the most important way to review is not positively or negatively, but honestly. We all need to remember that what we write and put out to the public, be it in book format or blog, is open for criticism. And while criticism and disagreement should be expected, harassment and threats are never ok.
I hope that we as a community will not lose sight of what drew us together in the first place; a love of storytelling. Authors should strive to produce the very best story then can create, and reviews should continue to demand excellence in the product they choose to purchase.
I've discovered some excellent posts on the topic, so be sure to check out these links!
Stacia Kane:
I Don't Need You to Avenge Me, Thanks
Parajunkee:
Book Blogging 101
Foz Meadows blog post:
Bullying & Goodreads
Gossamer Obsessions:
In All Seriousness
Gossamer Obsessions:
Return to Neverland
Huffington Post original anonymous Op-Ed article:
Why It's Time to Stop the Goodreads Bullies
Huffington Post appology by Andrew Losowsky:
Stop the GR Bullies: An Explaination
Huffington Post response by Foz Meadows:
Stop the GR Bullies: A Response
