The conversation has arose many times in Romanceland about how social media is blurring the lines between authors, reviewers, and readers. A lot of valid points have been raised. Can a review be honest if you are friends with the author? And what is considered a friend? Is it exchanging friendly tweets with the author? Where is the line? It’s a messy subject and I hope this post can clarify where Mad and I stand and give others a chance to weigh in on it. Because maybe we are wrong. It’s been known to happen.
Between the two of us, we have blurred the lines until they are tiny. We are both beta readers, moderators for author yahoo groups, and have friends who make their livings by writing books. Mad is also the assistant of many authors. Then we have this blog where we post about hundreds of books every year. Blurred lines? Without a doubt. It’s a balancing act to stay honest about our love of a book and maintaining the trust the blog visitors have given us.
For example, I stumbled across the Southern Arcana books by Moira Rogers through twitter. I loved the first book and reviewed it. I exchanged tweets with the authors on twitter, more books came out, I did more reviews. Then I was asked to beta read a couple of their books and the reviews stopped. Shortly after, Mad became their assistant. Moira Rogers is still welcome to guest blog at Novel Thoughts (all authors are welcome for promo posts) but we both feel it would be a conflict of interest for us to review those books. That’s where our line is. I have given my opinion about the book prior to publication and Mad is being paid to promote them. There is no way for either of us to be unbiased.
I’ve seen reviews by beta readers/assistants to a specific author and I don’t trust that review. I’ve also seen the “I’m a reader first!” argument and it just doesn’t fly for me. It may not be fair but I’m skeptical when I see that.
Then there is the line between friends and friendly. For me, a friend is someone who I talk with outside of social media. We talk about everything. They know personal things about me that won’t be put out for all the internet to see and I know the same about them. When it comes to an author friend, I won’t review their books. Period. If I loved it, will readers really believe me? And if I hated it, I’m not going to write a review that could potentially cost my friend one single sale. I love my friends and want them to succeed in the career they love. It’s a lose/lose situation and one I don’t feel is ethical. Is that fair of me, as a blogger and reviewer, to not tell others about a book I disliked? To me it is, but others may feel differently.
Now we are at friendly and this is where is gets messy for everyone. I’m “friendly” with a ton of authors. I follow them on twitter, maybe they follow me, I ask questions about their books, they laugh at me when I accidentally kidnap a strange cat thinking it’s mine, just random stuff. I’ve written both positive and negative reviews of those authors’ books. Earlier this year, I was reading a truly horrible book and tweeting about it. Misery loves company and I was miserable. Shannon Stacey offered me an ARC of her upcoming book if I would just stop my current read. She sent it to me with no requirements. She wasn’t looking for a beta read or review. She sent it to me because she’s nice (and possibly because she never wanted to see another tweet about a heroine with flatulence.) I read it, I loved it and wanted to tell everyone about it. When it was close to release day, I posted my review. I didn’t feel conflicted about posting that review at all.
That’s not the only time Mad or I have gotten a book just because. And usually, we’ll post reviews for those books. But what happens if someone sends either of us a book just because and we don’t like it? It hasn’t happened yet but what if I get the book I hate? Not just “certain elements didn’t work for me” but that rare book that sends me into a rage? Will I post a negative, snark filled review about a book that was sent to me by someone who was just being nice? I’m leaning towards no. And does that make it unfair for to give the honest good reviews?
We haven’t touched on authors also reviewing. Are they believable? Is it right? Do authors’ opinions hold more sway than average readers? Once upon a time, that answer was yes for me. If an author I enjoyed recommended a book, I was all over it. With experience came wisdom and I’ve learned to pay attention to what other books that author likes. Just because I like what she writes doesn’t mean I like what she reads. But newer readers may not have that experience to fall back on. So is it ethical for an author to review? My opinion is I don’t care one way or the other but I’m curious about others’ thoughts.
So what about you? Where are your lines as a reader, reviewer, or author? Do you automatically dismiss a review if you’ve watched the reviewer chat with the author online? Would you feel betrayed if you bought a book based on a review and later found out the reviewer had a business relationship with the author? Or is it really buyer beware?
And more importantly to us personally, is it possible to wear the hats of beta reader, author assistant, friend, blogger, and still keep the reviewer’s hat?
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Oooh, touchy, touchy…and something I think about alot. You have touched on so many thing I think and feel…and totally agree with.
I’m gonna go w/ no on being beta reader, AA, friend, blogger and STILL review to THAT author ~ but can you be ALL those things to authors, as a whole? I say yes. You both are widely read, and I love it because I can come to you and get honest opinions on books…across so many sub genres, and so many, many authors. It’d be a sin to take that away from newer readers!
But to those authors you truly hold as friends? I agree, we shouldn’t review thier books.
Because like you said, CAN we be objective? I don’t know if I could…but I DO want to make clear that a book is just that to me, a BOOK, a STORY, love it to death, or hate it ~ and whatever I say, it’s never personal about the author. Or the cover artist, or the publicist, etc. I don’t even think that deep ~ I’m thinking about the characters I read, the story that unfolded for me when I review and how IT/THEY came across, affected me. I really feel that the majority of us who review books feel this way. And for the most part we do it, or at least we started doing it, because we LOVE books, and the characters we read about we want to tell everyone about them and share how great they are!
Or at least I tell myself that when I accost people at B&N, hahahahaha!!
You’re right. We do this because we love books. And if that starts to change, some of those hats will have to go because I don’t want to ever lose that love.
I have to say as a reviewer and beta reader I feel the same way you guys do. There is a line and if I’m a friend with them I won’t review their books but I will have one of my other reviewers read it. if I’ve beta read a book the same thing goes.
On the friend aspect while there are authors who I’m friendly with on twitter there are others who I spend time with outside of social media and who I count as a friend. I use the adage if we exchange family Christmas cards we are friends, if we only talk on social media then we are friendly.
Good adage!
I think you can but then again I am slightly biased. I draw pretty much the same lines that you do for about the same reasons. It is tricky I think yet I wouldn’t give up that balancing act because my life has been enriched by blurring those lines.
Mine too, e. As tricky as it is, it’s worth it.
“And more importantly to us personally, is it possible to wear the hats of beta reader, author assistant, friend, blogger, and still keep the reviewer’s hat?”
The short answer is yes.
The long answer….as long as you aren’t reviewing the books of the authors you are working for or like you said your friends. Those people who crossed over from friendly author to bestie helping you pick out the right color panties. lol As soon as I started working for Mel I stopped reviewing her books. There may have been 1 that overlapped but it was a mutual decision to stop. We saw they way another PA would wax lyrical about her author’s book and it felt wrong. I didn’t feel I could believe a thing she said after that.
I’m more than happy to review books as a reviewer still, and have for Mad, as long as I don’t have the business connection.
Like you two I’ve tried to find the line between friend, assistant and reader. And as silly as it seems I still buy the books even though I have access to the ARCs.
“We saw they way another PA would wax lyrical about her author’s book and it felt wrong.”
Pretty sure we saw the same PA. In that situation, I’m all about putting my money where my mouth is. If I love a book I betaed, I’ll buy copies and give them away. It gives the chance for a new reader to fall in love with that book without me shoving my biased opinion down their throat.
I absolutely love this post. I usually do not comment on blogs, (unless it’s a contest) and I have won several books on yours. For that I am grateful 🙂
I have a blog myself, but in hopes of making a point here I will not say which one is it, because at the end, I really have this for fun. I can tell you know, that I have never, EVER received any book from any author, nor do I keep a strong relationship with anybody writing a book currently, and I personally don’t believe it ethical or even fun. You can’t possibly expect people to believe you are giving the readers an “honest” review when you keep posting on social networks all your pictures taken at a convention with this author (or any other for that matter) if what you want is for people to know “you know” this author, a small post is sufficient. It shouldn’t even be disclosed at all in my opinion.
I created my blog a few years back, but just less than a year ago, I decided to include romance books just because I had to put my two cents in it. The reason why I included romance to my originally non fiction blog, was because the person I am referring to, came along and asked me to review for this new blog she was creating with her best friend. In the beginning they sweet talked me to write reviews of random books, they saw the ones I posted on GR and knowing my absolute adoration of some of my favorite authors, they tricked me into giving me stuff from my favorite authors in exchange of an “honest book review” sometimes they would post “extremely nice” comments on my reviews so everybody could follow. I receive in my mail a “job offer” from the creator of this blog (how did they get my personal email, I honestly don’t know) asking me to review and that my “payment” would be sometimes signed books by authors and so on. Needless to say I was impressed as to how much they had marketed their blog, but I had to decline because I was really tied up with school and other things at the moment. When I finished my semester and tried reaching out to them, they simply ignored me.
Now, my comment comes (not because I’m sore, I really can care less if they have the most visited blog in the country), but the way how these so called “book reviewers” can also take advantage of the fact that they know a couple of authors and use that (in a negative way) to attract readers and possible naive people (like me) to collabo with them, when who knows if they really get payments or other kind of rewards because of someone else’s work.
To me a blog can function with 1 or 2 (like you girs have it). More is just crowded and I honestly have encountered too many conflicts of interest when I know one of the bloggers has a close relationship with authors / publishers / book clubs and so on.
So no, I prefer to go solo, work on my own time. I’m not on a competition, and as you said, there is a line that should be drawn if not for any other reason that pure ethic.
When a blogger starts taking “payments” for reviews, they are crossing a line that makes all of us look bad. I receive ARCs from NetGalley and publishers for review purposes and I give those an honest review. Those honest reviews aren’t always glowing. That’s the breaks and I think most publishers and authors understand when they put a book out, it’s not going to be loved by all. If anyone offers anything other than the book, that’s a problem.
I’m just a reader. I’m not a beta reader or reviewer on any site. That being said, I try to review each book that I read on Goodreads and Amazon. I also put in my reviews if I have won it in a contest or if it was an ARC I received from an author. I follow many an author on Facebook and through newsletters. Now, I have two authors who I consider friends. I have never met them in person. I don’t go to conventions and they live too far away for a visit. I have built a friendship with them outside of media sites. We’ve shared personal things about each other that like you said above, will never see the light of day. I DO leave reviews for their books. I also know in my heart of hearts that I can be honest with my reviews. They will not like me any less if I gave their book a 3 star or a 5 star. In fact, I think the friendship would suffer if I placated them and my honesty is what they want.
I may be different than others. I scan reviews on sites like this that I follow but I don’t read reviews on Goodreads or Amazon before I buy a book. I wait until after I’ve read it and left my own before I scan through and read the others. I really like the author interviews and hearing about books as they come out. That’s why I follow here and sites like this. I have been shocked at times when I’ve completed a book that really touched me…..made me laugh, cry, FEEL….then read how so many found all these faults with it. One was with a well known Historical Fiction author who people were lambasting because she actually had some fiction in with the historical. It smacked with something stinky to me. I felt like there was a group of people trying to throw spears at this author for one reason or another. In a perfect world, reviewers would have no agenda other than what they truly felt for a book. This isn’t a perfect world. I can only speak for myself and say that any review I leave is really what the book made me feel. Good or bad, author or friend.
If I know before I read a book that I’ll be reviewing it, I don’t read the reviews either. It can influence my opinion.
Nice post, and I completely agree with you. Sounds like so much fun, being a beta reader and authors assistant! But reviewing a book from someone you “work” with or for, or someone you are friends with, is difficult. When in doubt, don’t review it. Of course you can still read it, love and promote it!
“When in doubt, don’t review it”
Couldn’t agree more.
Great post! I am always friendly with any authors I meet online but I do draw the line a the ones I know personally – I won’t review their books because they are friends – it might not be fair to them but it’s the best I can do to stay unbiased and impartial. That doesn’t mean you can’t promo it – just don’t review it:)
It is a tough line to draw and not to cross.
Thanks, Maria!
Good post, Lillie–I don’t review officially for anyone, but agree with your lines. I do think it’s hard to maintain some objectivity if you’re working with an author in many capacities and it’s not really fair to either of you to try to set that aside to also review. Not at all saying you wouldn’t be able to should you have to, but why force that issue at all? You can still love their books (or not) without the burden of reviewing it formally.