Discover How To Leave A Bad Review

I wrote some of this for a blog that I did several months ago. But after reading through some different blogs, and listening to people say why they never leave reviews, I felt as though it needed to be shared again.

Reviews are VERY important when it comes to books. Authors depend on these reviews to help get the word out. When it comes to indie authors, this is even more important. They do not have the large marketing budgets that many publishing houses draw on, and they work on word of mouth alone.

Don’t Trash The Author

Authors put a lot of hard work into every book that they write. These are not sit down, knock them out, and publish works. These are labors of time and effort. Do not bash the author in the review. You can say, “I did not care for this work because…” and leave it there. Add your rating if you use a site like Goodreads, Booklikes, etc.

Always List Something Positive

While you may not care for the book, not everyone reads the same book. What I might see in the book, and what you might see are going to be different. Everyone reads a book with different emotions and feelings. Always find something positive to say about the work. Adding comments like “The author really put a lot of time into this, and it shows,” or “I really enjoyed XXX,” can make a difference in how others view the book.

Be Honest

This is a biggie. I have read reviews where you can tell the person reviewing wanted to say more. Don’t put spoilers, but be honest with your review. If you are not honest with how you felt about the book, it can be hard for someone else to take your review seriously. List your reasons for loving or disliking the book. Honesty matters!

Your Opinion Matters

While it’s hard to not want to put down a book that you did not care for, it’s important to know that reviews, either good or bad reviews, can make an impact. People will read your review if they are searching for a book to read. Most people look at the reviews before determining whether or not they are going to view the book.

Reading is a fun activity, and there are so many great authors and communities out there. Sharing and recommending books to others is part of the fun in reading. The adventure that we gain from the book is a bonus. Writing a review helps an author. It shows them that their books are being looked at and that someone took the time to leave their thoughts. Writing a bad review is nothing to shy away from, but these simple etiquette rules will help to ensure that your review, good or bad, is helpful to someone else.

Read and review!

Rebecca enjoys reading, writing, cross-stitching when she is not editing novels or writing blogs! Find more about her here, and give a follow! She loves wordsmithing, and sharing on many different topics, sometimes with a bit of a sarcastic snark mixed in.