Oh, and I Hate Your Book

There is a lot of talk nowadays about whether the Internet is making us stupid. I don't know that I agree with that; I incline to the belief that rather than making people less intelligent, the Internet provides those people who didn't have much intelligence to start with to put that stupidity up where everyone else can see it. You can find examples of this anywhere on the Internet and one comes to expect it in places like Facebook and the comments on YouTube videos. Unfortunately, however, it also shows up in places where one would think people might show a little more tact and wisdom, like the reviews on Amazon. It has become such a simple business to put one's opinions out there that most people no longer think about it, and it really, truly, absolutely shows.

How do you write reviews that are both honest and tactful? Obviously this is not such a big deal if you liked the book, but what if you didn't? In some cases the nursery rule "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" ought to be referred to; I think this every time my eye happens to catch a YouTube comment about how awful this or that song is. Really, if you don't like it, you don't have to listen to or read it and you certainly don't have to tell the whole world about it. However, now most publishers send out copies of new releases to bloggers and owners of websites in return for honest reviews, so readers are obliged to give their opinion. What to do if you disliked the book?

determine why you disliked it

Whatever you do, don't go post an Amazon review that says, "This book was so stupid and I just hated it. I couldn't get past page 67." The whole point of reviews is to show prospective buyers what they will be getting, so avoid spoilers, but try to give the basic pros and cons of the book. If you disliked it, there is no call for venting your spleen in a public place. And while the publishing house does say that reviewers are not obligated to give positive feedback, do recall that you have received a free book and try to be respectful and appreciative.

opinions or truths

If you are going to review books, keep in mind objectivity versus subjectivity. It may be your opinion that the book was too slow in getting started, but recall that others are fond of novels that start off slowly and build over a longer space of time. If a book offends due to immoral content, on the other hand, this is more than a matter of opinion; it is a matter of conscience, especially if the publisher and the author profess to be Christians and to publish and write books grounded in Scripture. However, in both cases reviewers should maintain tact. Don't figuratively burn the book in your review (you may literally burn it if you want) and certainly do not attack the author. Amazon is not primarily a forum for your views; it is a marketplace and your thoughts on books should be presented in a helpful manner. Sites like Goodreads are geared more toward your own views and preferences, but even here common courtesy should be maintained.

remember that authors read reviews

Anne Elisabeth Stengl posted the other day about an author's reaction to feedback, and she made the point that the negative is much more memorable than the positive. Granted, authors should have tough skins; granted, if they can't take people not caring for their books, they shouldn't read reviews. I certainly don't think authors should ever respond to a negative review in order to tell the reviewer what an idiot they are for not loving the author's baby. However, on the part of the reviewer, they should always be as courteous as possible and not cause unnecessary offense. Don't end a review by warning readers away from other books by the author, especially if you have not read them, and be extremely wary of referring to the author directly. (For instance, don't say that the book was so bad that the author must be going senile.)

find the silver lining

Yes, I'll admit that some books don't have a silver lining. Sometimes the best you can say is, "Well... It has a nice cover!" But if there is something good to say, say it; don't be too stingy with compliments. Maybe the characters were all as flat as day-old pancakes and you have to remark on this (not in so many words, please), but if the author did an admirable job with research, mention that as well. Try to keep in mind that, even if appearances are to the contrary, the author probably did labor a great deal over their book. This doesn't mean that you should never say anything negative about anyone's book, but it does mean that you should be careful how you say it. Be honest, but be tactful. The traits can be combined.

choose the books carefully

When I started getting books to review for the site I help run, I didn't know much about modern novels and so I failed to be picky enough. I've since learned that, being more accustomed to old books than newer ones, I have to choose carefully which ones I want to review in order to avoid giving out single-star reviews. If you don't like fantasy, don't request a review copy of a fairy tale. It's amazing how many one-star Amazon reviews start out with, "I don't actually like [insert particular genre] but I thought I'd give this book a try," progress to, "I hated it," and end with, "Free review copy provided by [name of publisher]." Remember that the publishing house is spending money in order to send "free" books to you; don't be selfish or rude. Only request a book if you honestly think it might be good.

respect opinions

...especially if those "opinions" are on moral issues that the reviewer saw in the book. Amazon has a function to comment on reviews, but I think this should be reserved for comments on reviews that are rude or otherwise uncalled for (and even then, commenting is usually a waste of time). If someone dislikes a book, you won't convince them to like it by commenting on their review to tell them all the wonderful things about the novel that they missed. If another person has given their honest, respectful opinion, don't get in a tizzy over it if that opinion happens to be negative.

What do you think? If a reviewer, do you find it harder to be honest or to be tactful about a book you disliked? If a writer, how do you respond to negative feedback?

Tomes and White Phosphorus

First off, I would like to remark that The Soldier's Cross has recently been reviewed on two blogs - Eva's The Watered Garden Letters and Ashley's The Epic Reader. If you would like to see their thoughts on the book, just trot over and take a peek!

And now on to the subject of this post. A few days ago the rough draft of The White Sail's Shaking passed 100,000 words (I do realize that the sidebar doesn't say as much, because I haven't added the current chapter to the main document, but thankfully even my math skills can handle adding 5,000 into 97,000). It's a little sad that since November 2010 I've only added 50,000 words to the total, but I like to think they have been good words...and anyways, milestones are nice. I am now about three-fourths of the way through the novel's first draft, which is quite exciting when I don't allow myself to look at what I still have to do, so I thought I would write a kind of celebratory post.

This week I've been doing some research - research on phosphorus, to be precise - and jotting down notes for chemicals to be used in a future story, so my brain is in search-mode. In general I have to admit that I would rather be writing than researching, but there are times when I find something quite fascinating and I can hardly drag myself away from it, like the ingredients in match heads or Naval Documents related to the United States Wars with the Barbary Powers. This is the mood I am currently in, and so in honor of white phosphorus and having reached 100,000 words in White Sail's, I thought I would shine some light on my favorite resources for my work in progress.

naval documents of the barbary wars

I only discovered this fairly recently. It would be a massive tome if it were in book-form and costs about $500, but fortunately the whole thing is available online. It has letters, journal entries, and legal forms from the time period of the two Barbary Wars and is helpful for finding the movements of ships on specific dates, as well as for checking the information in the books I have. Searching by subject gets a wee bit tiresome, so I don't usually go to this resource first, but when I do the results are almost always worth it.

edward preble: a naval biography [by christopher mckee]

Edward Preble was the Commodore of the American squadron in the Mediterranean during the time in which The White Sail's Shaking takes place, and I had originally planned for Tip to be on Preble's flagship, the Constitution. That was subsequently changed, but I still read this biography from cover to cover to learn more about Preble. And I wouldn't do it again just for fun. Nothing much happened to Preble prior to the First Barbary War, except for a few events during the American Revolution, and so all and all the first half of the biography made for pretty dull reading. The chapters dealing with the Barbary War, however, are wonderfully thorough - and they have diagrams and maps! (Yes, I am still inordinately fond of pictures in books.)

six frigates [by ian toll]

I can't forget about this one, since it inspired White Sail's to start with. This book isn't as in depth as Edward Preble, but then, it makes for a much lighter and more enjoyable read. I use this for looking up the major movements of the squadron and the Americans' relationship with the British, then look up the details in Preble. This book also has some good information on Stephen Decatur, which is very nice.

the barbary wars [by frank lambert]

Despite the fact that this is a whole book on the two Barbary Wars, it is not in-depth and deals with the events in fairly cursory detail. It's easy to search things in because of its small size, so I use it first to see if I can find what I need before turning to the larger books. Although not really applicable to my novel, it does have some interesting information on life in Tripoli itself.

biography of stephen decatur

I have yet to find a biography of Stephen Decatur that I like; they all tend to be oozing with hero-worship until I'm pretty sure even he would be ashamed to read them. I am inclined to think him an amazing man, but the triteness of the biographies makes him seem trivial. The number of mistakes in this particular book is also a downer. On the other hand, like The Barbary Wars, this is easy to glance through and when I find an interesting "fact" I can check it off some other, more reliable work.

I have other books as well, not to mention a random website here and there, but these are the ones that get carted around the house from one computer to the other (and which always seem to be at the wrong one when needed). I researched prior to 2010 NaNo, but there were so many facts that had to be crammed into my brain that naturally a lot of them fell out again and I have to keep restocking. It's a fascinating business, though - almost as fascinating as white phosphorus.