A Little More About Reviews

Wow, when the WTFery abounds, it really abounds. What is going on in the world to create such absolute, idiotic, crazy? Is there something in the water? In the air? Am I being punked? Are we all being punked? Because it's getting to the point where we're about all filled up withe crazy.

It all started with the nimrods wanting to out so-called bullies (who, we've discovered, aren't bullies. They simply have a different opinion than the nimrods would like them to have.) And then somewhere, someone sipped their cup of crazy and decided they simply could not live unless they outdid the nimrods.

Which brings me to a second post about reviews.

So we all know I'm shameless. I read my reviews. I will on occasion Google to see if there are any new ones (Gasp! Cough! Gasp!) And I'm not going to apologize, either, so there. Meh. :D

Anyways...

But what I would never do, (aside from attack someone who gave one of my books a less than glowing review - yanno, because she hated the heroine and wished the hero had killed her or something like that) is pay for a review.

Let me say that again.

I would NEVER pay for a review.

EVER.

There are two reasons why (well, there are more, actually, but these are my top two) -

1. If I paid and got a crappy review, I'd be pissed. Why the hell did I pay you when I can get someone who hates the heroine and wants the hero to kill her for free?

2. If I paid and received a glowing review, I'd be suspicious. I paid them, right? So they damn well better say how golden my wurdz are, right?

So, apparently, there is a certain blog that charges $95 for a review. $95???? Really?? Egads, I must be cheap because I wouldn't even consider paying that for a review. I'm not crazy about coughing up the $$ for ad space on really well known and respected romance review sites (I do it, but man, I'm so cheap it really stings. Even though, I do recoup the costs in sales/exposure, so it's all worth it in the end.) And in some cases, it costs a lot less than $95 for that advertising space.

And really, considering there are so many well-known, well-respected review sites that don't charge for reviews, why on earth would you even consider paying for a review? True, a lot of them are backlogged, so your book might not be reviews, but at least if it is, you can be fairly certain there is no amount of bias involved.

Now, this review blog states that it only accepts books it thinks will garner 4 or 5 stars to begin with, but I still fail to see how that justifies charging for a review. And really, what good is any review blog that refuses to post less than stellar reviews? What's the point? If a book doesn't work for a reviewer, that reviewer owes it to the reader to say why, doesn't s/he?

And that brings me to my next point. This blog states that it is there to "help authors, not destroy them."

Um, reviews are not for authors. They are for readers.

Let me say that again (and I think I said it in my previous post as well, but I'm not above repeating myself)

REVIEWS ARE NOT FOR AUTHORS. THEY ARE FOR READERS.

Ahem. So really, while a glowing review (especially an honest glowing review) can be a massive ego-stroke for an author, it's really not about the author at all. They are for the people who are considering which book to buy. The reader.


Now, while I was doing a little bit of research for this post, I noticed that the site in question has nothing on it about charging a fee for their reviews and I can't say for certain if it ever appeared on their site, or if that little tidbit only comes to light after an author submits a request for a review. I do know of two authors who did not learn about the fee until after they submitted the review request. I did look at Kirkus Indie Reviews, and they very clearly state right on their Indie page what they charge for a review. Now although this is Kirkus, which is extremely well-known and highly respected, the Indie Review is a different arm. You don't pay for a Kirkus Review review (Department of Redundancy Department??)

And then there was what happened with author Michele Gorman. She is one of those two authors. When she blogged about whether or not reviewers should charge to their reviews, the site in question responded by threatening a lawsuit. So Ms Gorman went and removed all references to the site (although, one cannot be guilty of defamation if what one claims is true. Dear Author did a nice little summary of it yesterday.)


But the point still remains the same - I don't believe in paying for reviews and it isn't something I would ever do.

Note: This post was originally written on 7/18, but due to a power failure in my neck of the woods, it's only being posted on 7/19.

On Reviews

I will admit, I read my reviews. I occasionally Google to see if there any out there I haven't seen. Maybe that makes me self-absorbed, but I don't care. I want to know what people who've read my books think of them. I want to know what a reader didn't like about them, as well as what they liked. I'm curious. And partly, there is a delicious sort of feeling that comes with a four or five star review and why a certain book garnered those four or five stars.

To be honest, I'm even more interested in the lower starred reviews. I want to know why a particular book didn't work for a particular reason. If the same reason shows up in different reviews, it means there might be a weakness that needs working on.

And I'll admit, it's tough to read some of the less than glowing reviews. One reviewer of Eden's Pass said she hated the heroine so much, she wished the hero had killed her. Ouch. That stung because I always liked Finn. I never realized she might garner some serious dislike amongst readers. And when I read that review, I realized that the reviewer missed something important earlier in the story. If she hadn't, perhaps she wouldn't have hated Finn quite as much as she did. I debated about replying (and we all know what that usually leads to, so I opted not to in the end) and pointing out what she'd missed. But then I thought better of it. Although it stung, it wasn't an attack on me. It wasn't personal. It was one person's opinion. And that person was entitled to her opinion.

That's the thing with reviews. As authors, we need to put out the best story we can. But when it comes to reviews, perhaps our best is not the reviewer's, and not everyone is going to love every single golden word that goes down on paper. If someone's paid good money for one of my books and they didn't like it, and they want to post a review on Goodreads or Amazon saying so, the hard-earned cash they plunked down for my book gives them the right to say why they didn't like the story.

And that does not - I will repeat this part - it does not make them a bully. It doesn't make the reviewer a wannabe failed author who is exacting revenge by writing negative reviews (okay, maybe some instances this is the truth, but I highly doubt it's the majority of bad reviews. Sometimes, people just aren't that into your book. It happens. Get over it.) It certainly is NEVER justification for "outing" the reviewer and possibly putting her or her family in any sort of danger.

Whether I like it or not, I am a public figure. I put my work out there and take the chance that someone might not like it. I know, when I open that computer file, or sign that contract, or turn in final edits, that someone will (hopefully :D) buy it. And while I'd love it if everyone could see what an obvious literary genius I am (kidding!), it just ain't gonna happen.

But the reality is, reviews aren't for the author. They are for the reader. And I do NOT want anyone thinking they need to defend me from someone who doesn't like it. As a matter of fact, I don't want you speaking for me. I don't want you attacking a reviewer for me and I sure as hell would NEVER want you "outing" a reviewer on my behalf. Ever. Not cool. So. Not. Cool.

So, while it's not nearly as fun to read a two-star review as it is to read a five-star review, so be it. I'm a big girl, I'll get over it. And anyone who feels the self-righteous need to out someone because they didn't like certain book needs to stop and think about how they would feel, if someone posted their personal information all over the internet.

And Just When I Thought I was in...

I vanish again.

Sorry about that. I've been trying like crazy to get Stolen Promise out the door and on submission, and I'm happy to say that it is gone. Woo hoo! That'll mean I have no more reasons excuses for not blogging more often. And that'll I should get myself right back on a regular blogging schedule, right?

Right.

But maybe I will. It's a bit difficult, what with all the running I've been doing for my mom. Chemo every three weeks, doctors' visits for bloodwork at least once a week. Pharmacy runs. Getting her house cleaned out and readied to be put up for sale. There's a LOT involved with all of this and it chews up a lot more of my time than I originally (and rather foolishly, it would seem) thought.

Now, I'll update on my mom from time to time, but it's not really something I like to talk about. Not even in my own family. I'd rather keep this blog focused more on writing, news and info about any upcoming releases, and maybe the Boy and the Girl and my other half. It'd be too easy to get bogged down in the suckitude that is cancer. Especially lung cancer. It's brutal. It's ugly. It takes over. It can consume everything in its path if you aren't careful and I don't want it to do that here. I'm going to try to keep this blog the way it's always been - breezy, funny (I hope at least at times), informative, and just fun or interesting (or both, I wouldn't mind both) to read.

So with that in mind, I think I'll try coming up with a list of blog topics - that way I stand a chance of keeping somewhat current here.

Oh, and by the way, I'll be chatting with a bunch of other really terrific Aspen Mountain Press/Aurora Regency and Aurora Regency Historicals authors tomorrow over at the Love Romances Cafe. There will be contests and prizes and some great conversation with equally terrific authors. If you aren't already a member, you'll have to sign up, but don't be afraid. It's quick and painless and you'll probably thank me when it's all over.

So stop by and say hi! You'll be glad that you did!

Oh, and one more thing - I received the first review of Playing with Fire from Coffee Time  Romance. They gave it four cups and here's what they had to say about it:

A Regency novel is made all the more interesting when you have two characters with as much spunk and fire as Drew and Heather. Drew is a man all women will easily fall in love with, due to his passion, zest for life, and wicked sense of humor. Heather of course is a bit more subdued, and at times a little insecure, but she rarely lets Drew get away with a temper fit. They fill this read with sweetness and spice and everything naughty and nice.

 You can read the review in its entirety here (and you know you want to, right. ;-) )

So here's to new blogging and (hopefully) new followers and people happy to comment (because I need to get back into my blogstalking mode. mwahaha. :D

Maybe I'll even find a good LOLCat to post every now and again....

Reviews!

Hey look, a new post! Woo hoo!

Anyway, I recently received a couple of reviews back on After the Storm and thought I take a few minutes to share them!

From Sizzling Hot Book Reivews:

I liked that the characters earn what they get, you get to watch the people grow and develop here. Hugh and Miranda together are believable, both having lost their fathers, having a love for the Scotland’s countryside, horse riding for itself (not to show off or attract others), i.e. they share more than just a physical attraction

And:

 After the Storm is a rich story, with well develop characters and setting that make you want to read more like it.

 You can find the rest of the review right at Sizzling Hot Book Reviews

And The Romance Reviews gave it four stars and had this to say about it:

Kimberly Nee throws a huge twist towards the end of the book that completely blindsided me. I'm not going to divulge the twist in my review because I think everyone should read the book to find out what it is! All in all, this is a well-crafted book with many unforgettable characters. A must read! I can't wait for the next book!

Want to read the rest of the review? Check it out at The Romance Reviews!

 Anyway, it was nice to wake up to those sitting in my inbox!

And now back to your  regularly scheduled Sunday morning!

A New Review!

I can't believe I almost forgot this! Eden's Pass received four coffee cups from Coffee Time Review!

Here is a snippet:

I thoroughly enjoyed this journey on the high seas. Fiona is a strong, proud woman, and Inigo is a strong, honorable man. Their interactions are intense, and you can feel their tension. There is plenty of action and adventure in this fast-moving story.

And you can read the review in its entirety here.

Yes, it's been quite the week in my corner of the world... =)

In Which I Actually Blog About Writing

Every so often, I wander over to the PA boards - one, because I'm nosy and two, because there is just so much misinformation handed out over there that it's almost like a field day to go and dissect the many myths bandied about over there.

Well, not everything over there is a myth. Some of it is just plain ignorance of how things work in publishing. And there is a lot of that over on those boards. To be fair, some of the ignorance is understandable, as there are a ton of newbie writers over there and some of what they have to learn just isn't going to be found on PA's message board. PA won't allow some of it and the rest, well when the majority of people posting over there believe such nonsense as authors are supposed to pay to have their books published - well, you can imagine how they answer any of the newbie questions.

And that brings us to today's post.

Reviews.

Now, the main purpose of a review - be it on Amazon or in Publisher's Weekly - is that it is for the reader. Not the author. Say it with me, Reviews are for the reader, not the author.

Now, as an author, I have to confess it's nice to read a good review. Gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling to know someone liked your book. Conversely, it's not so nice to read a bad review. They sting, even though it's not possible for everyone to love your words (and if I could figure out how to make everyone love my words, buh-lieve me, I'd do it!)

But in the end, those reviews, good and bad are there to inform the reader. Or the prospective reader, to be more precise. They are ego-strokes (or ego-flatteners) for the author, but that's about it. That's not to say those reviews go unappreciated, but I know they aren't really meant for me.

Now, my publishers take care of sending out ARCs (Advanced Reading Copy) to reviewers. I have no say in where they go or even if my books are reviewed. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to well over a year to receive a review. It depends on how busy the reviewer is, and whether or not your book is picked up from the reviewer's TBR (Too Be Read) pile.

There are plenty of well-respected online review sites, but there are also a few less-than-respectable ones as well - such as review sites who offer "fast-track" reviews, for a fee. Now, these reviewers promise to give an unbiased review, but I have to wonder how that's possible. If I've paid to have my book "fast-tracked", how happy am I going to be with that site if they've charged me and then give me a lousy review? How likely is it that I'm (hypothetically speaking, of course) going to return to that site with a future book?

So, to me, one of the golden rules of reviewers is the same as for selecting a publisher. The author should not pay for a review. Ever. At one time, there were rumblings about Kirkus (an extremely well-respected organization) was going to offer pay-top-play reviews - but I don't recall if they went through with it. Either way, I still don't know I'd pay them, even though a Kirkus review is considered primo.

Then there are the peer reviews. This is something you see all the time on the PA boards. PA authors offering to review each other's books.

Now, I'm sorry, but nothing can scream rank amateur like an unknown author reviewing another unknown author's book. Especially when said review throws about superlatives such as, "instant classic", and "a must-read" yet fails to give any information about the story, such as, the plot. Most of the peer reviews you find on the PA message boards are so vague that you need only change the book title, and wham-o! it can be applied to any PA book. That's not a review. It's an ego-stroke and nothing more. And that's all most of those PA-peer reviews are - it's rare to find a PA author who didn't absolutely adore the PA book he or she reviewed. Which is fine, I guess, if all you want is smoke blown up certain orifices. But it helps neither the prospective buyer (a review is worthless to me unless it offers up at least a smidgen of what the plot is, or even who the main characters are. PA peer reviews are famous for stating, "I don't want to spoil the story, so I won't tell you anything about it.") nor the author (we all want to know what you don't like about our stories. At least, I do. Tell me and I won't do it again - I hope.)

Just as a PA printed book does NOT count as a professional publishing credit, a PA peer review does NOT count as a true review. Trust me on this.

Paying for Reviews?

For the last few days, I've been hearing (or rather, reading) about how Affaire de Couer's reviews have come under scrutiny. It seems to have come to light that their policy is to give positive reviews to authors/publishers based on the amount of ad space purchased by said publisher/author. I first read about it over at Absolute Write, but Dear Author covered it in this morning's post, and Lee Goldberg covered it here, as well as Karen Scott.

Now part of it is that apparently, Affaire de Couer's advertising director Bonny Kirby, is a co-owner of Light Sword Publishing. From what I've read on Lee's blog and others, is that this explains why many LSP titles received glowing reviews from Affaire de Couer (I can't comment on whether these reviews were deserved or not, since I've never read a book put out by LSP) - which is not only unethical, but downright sleazy.

It's not the first I've heard of a policy that links reviews to purchased ad space. Romantic Times also has a policy regarding reviews for small presses and the purchase of ad space. Now, as far as I know, the purchase of ad space will not reflect in the review itself, but it increases the chance of a particular title being reviewed in the first place. In other words, I (or one of my publishers, to be more exact) can submit a book to be reviewed, no problem. But there is no guarantee that it will be reviewed, strictly because of the sheer number of books this magazine reviews. However, I've heard that if I (or one of my publishers, to be more exact) purchases ad space, that pretty much guarantees my book will be reviewed. Is this any less unethical? I don't know. They claim it has no bearing on their reviews, but still...

And as I was reading over at DA, that Kirkus, which is a highly respected trade journal, will consider self-published books for review - for a fee of $350.

Kirkus Discoveries, rolling out later this year, will allow self-published authors, long ignored by the trade journals, to buy a Kirkus review for $350.

Now, for the most part, trade journals want nothing to do with self-pubbed books, for a variety of fairly obvious reasons. But this leads me to wonder, how honest a review will an author receive, once they've laid out nearly $400?

Not to mention, how does this compromise the integrity of the review itself? Sure, the publication can claim it doesn't, but how does one prove it? If the review is particularly stellar, how can I, as an author, ever be certain the book is really that good and didn't receive that stellar review because I've paid for the review itself?

I have never personally paid for a review. If a reviewer likes what I've written, terrific. If not, it stings a little, but I get over it (I did receive one scathing review on a book that infuriated me because the reviewer's biggest problem was with something that was explained early in the book and she, for whatever reason, missed it entirely. But that's another post entirely.) Nor do I often choose books based on reviews - the exception to that being Caleb Carr's The Alienist, which I read about in the NYT Book Review. That's the only one. I also have never read an issue of Affaire de Couer. I do read Romantic Times on occasion, but I can't quite bring myself to get a subscription because it's waaaay expensive, IMHO. But I do know that RT quotes are used quite often, and I'll assume Affaire de Couer's are as well.

So, is it crossing the line to pay for a review? Can it ever be ethical? I don't know. And what will it mean for Affaire de Couer and, possibly, Romantic Times? If it hasn't already, will it diminish the importance (however real or imagined) of their positive reviews?

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

A New Review!

Things are picking up here - I'm in the midst of final line edits for Eden's Pass. It's amazing what those editors pick up! Thank you Tera and Melissa ! =)

But now, I'll take a break from revisions to share a review that made me smile. Manic Readers gave You Belong to Me five stars!

Here's a little of what Loretta had to say:

Kimberly Nee has written a fantastic love story. Tony and Brenna are drawn to each other. Emotions run from lust to love before they reach America. The trip across the sea is full of action when they hit a storm, you can feel the rain slashing at you as it does Tony and Brenna. You are on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens. This is a book for readers who love to read romance stories abut the hero rescuing the heroine. It includes some action and suspense as well. You Belong to Me is one that readers will be going back to read over again later.

You can read the review in its entirety here.

And don't forget, check back tomorrow for the next excerpt from
You Belong to Me, and another chance to enter your name to win it, along with another great Wild Rose Press title!