To Amazon or not to Amazon?

That is my question.

I'm jumping into the fray again because I just can't help myself. I've read some stuff the past few days that has me on one side of the fence or the other. So, I'm gonna cheesy copy everyone else and blog about it. Hopefully, I won't get into trouble and if I do, well, hell--I can have an op too. LOLLOL

Sooo, the battle of controversies continues. If it isn't one thing, it's another. There are MANY as of late and the latest is an age old one--should readers have the right to post a review, if it's negative and should authors be allowed to counteract those negatives and turn them into positives?

You may know, I'm an ex reviewer. I've done gozillions of reviews. Some favorable. Some not so favorable. I'm blogging about this as a READER and an ex-reviewer. So don't go flippin' out on me. LOLLOL. I'm also speaking my piece on the matter because I'm saddened by mean spirited reviews. I didn't like them when I was a reviewer and that hasn't changed even tho I write books. Will I write a review for a fellow author's book if I liked it? Yep. Will I write one for them if I didn't? Nope and it won't matter how much I love them.

Sigh. Okay, first the review thing. Authors have to develiop thick skins to do this writing gig. You're throwing you innermost thoughts out there in the form of a book for all to see. Sometimes "all" doesn't necessarily want to read what your innermost thoughts are. Sometimes they just don't like you and whatever you've concocted out of your innermost thoughts, turned into a story and sold to a publisher. Sometimes they don't get what you meant. Cool. No problem. Write a review and say just that. However, say it in a way that doesn't use words that are childish, best meant for a playground of five year olds and save the bit about how you wasted two hours of your life on it and five bucks. Hell, you'll spend at least that much time trying to rectify a bad hair day in your life and probably more than that on something useless like trying to win the lottery.

All you have to do is say--I hated this book because--give examples. Is it necessary to say you can't believe anyone else would read it? Why is that hard to believe? For every 10 people who don't like it, there'll be 10 who do. Does that make them idiots because they liked it and disagreed with your particular hatred for it? Maybe they think you're an idiot because you didn't like it.

It's called having an opinion and certainly, EVERY reader is entitled to one. You spent your money and didn't enjoy it for whatever reason. State the reason, get over the huge financial deficit it's caused in your life and read something you like next time.

If you're trying out a new author and a new genre--hang onto your hats now--EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.

If you like books that are say, inspirational and you pick up a book that's erotic, er, it's not going to be church the characters are attending. I think they'll be calling the Lord's name, but it won't be at choir practice. You're outside of your comfort zone and that's cool. SAY THAT in your review. This was a genre I didn't enjoy and don't plan to revisit. See how easy that was to say and say it well? Did I use a naughty word? Did I slam the author for ever dreaming up such a concept? No.

That's my point today. Every single reader has a right to voice their opinion. Good, bad or indifferent. Every author of said book has a right to do so as well. I don't have a problem with that. I do have a problem when the words used are downright nasty. Can you really have put that much stock in a books value to entertain you that you are compelled to post your disappointment with barbs?

Do you have to have a degree in literature to write a reader review? Nope. However, you can do it in a way that's far less scathing and cruel. If someone attacks you for the mean review you've written with something like, "Your reader review was illiterate and badly written," does that piss you off? Hell yes it does--in the same way it pissed the author off when you said her/his book sucked and was BADLY WRITTEN. Ya feel me here?

Can those very things be said without the playground-speak. Yep. Are you doing the consumer at large a huge favor by telling the world the book sucked? Er, no. It's a BOOK. Not a car that has faulty breaks and can potentially kill thousands. Do you have the right to attempt to save the world from reading the book anyway? As a consumer, yep, you sure do.

I just don't always like the way some go about it. Maybe my views are just too damned Rebecca From Sunnybrook Farm of me, but that's my take on it.

I choose to call it being civilized and constructive. You can definitely depict your ire and disappointment without slinging mud. You can save the worlds eyes by telling people what you didn't like. Like specifically.

Just my .o2
Dakota :)