Reviews

I am not really complaining about this review. I am glad that anyone took the time to write something about what they have read.

My story, Basil Kung-Fu Rabbit, is ranking 22,000 something on Barnes and Noble. It is a FREE story.
What I wonder is, a customer downloads a free story, then writes this review. Why do it at all.

"Cute quick read
Well-written and has potential, but could use some illustrations to make it even better for kids. Or perhaps combined with more stories as a chapter book. I haven't read any others in the series, but as a standalone there is too much about other chatacters and not enough rabbits, for me. Rabbits are the main reason I checked it out. "

This review was posted without the poster identifying them self.

If the story was titled KungFu RabbitS, I could understand. if they had paid a dollar, I could understand the need for an illustrator. But the person read my words free. Why give me a 2 star review. I am bewildered.

I guess I am complaining about the lack of common sense and consideration for the hours that the author has spent with the weaving of the story.
People, in general, have always had books, literature, information, all the good of everyone's mind, just put out there before them as if they deserved it all free. Me, too. Perhaps the people do. But there is no understanding of the art, be it painting, writing, designing clothes, writing music, playing music or any artisic media. There is no appreciation of the difference between people who can by those who never even thought of trying to do something special.

Thanks for listening.

Love,
Betty

Put it behind you, Betty. All free books receive mixed reviews. It's part of the trade off. You reach readers you would not reach any other way and readers read books for free that they would not otherwise buy. Having read something that they would not normally read, they feel they have a right to say that it wasn't to their liking.

Remember when we began this writing business we talked a lot about putting ourselves into the public and receiving a public response. The world may download our ebooks, free or paid. They may say anything they wish except what Amazon.com considers inappropriate. If you are very unhappy with a review, it is possible with great difficulty to get it removed. I have known people who were successful.

I recommend again the Four Agreements by Dom Luis. One major agreement is to not take anything personal. Negative things are the negative person's issue, not a reflection of your worth or the worth of your work. It is their opinion - and it may be the correct point of view from their perspective. Just like a work of art, writing is open to interpretation.

I just read a book that has a great story; but the writer had graphic, explicit sexual descriptions where they felt to me contrived and put in by someone else. I cannot in good conscience review that book because while the book was delightful with some wonderful prose, those scenes ruined it for me. They may make the book more interesting to someone else.

Ingrates pure ingrates! The less they pay the more they want. Book readers are funny. Several have told me they should write a book--I always agree with them--they never do it. Writing it is easy--selling it is the trick.

The funniest one said I needed a different ending to my book--in as much as it was a nonfiction book it is hard to know what that could be.

Pay no heed to them, Betty. You are one of a kind. I love your mind.

To cheer yourself up, go to Amazon pull up Stephen King, John Grisham and read their one star reviews. They are hilarious. They would make a great book.

Thanks for a great book idea. I can call it, "Cheering up Writers."

Actually, most of the Amazon reviews are not formal reviews but rather comments. Reviews can be helpful. The negative ones at least indicate the book is being read....

dkchristi wrote:

Actually, most of the Amazon reviews are not formal reviews but rather comments. Reviews can be helpful. The negative ones at least indicate the book is being read....

This is true. These are not reviews by professional critics, but opinions based on personal perspectives. I had a couple of similar reviews on my free books, too, but they didn't seem to have a huge effect on the numbers of downloads.

Ann

It always puzzles me why we put so much confidence in what the so called professional critics have to say about our work. Surely we do not write to appeal to them? Many of them are paid a fee to review the books. The opinions that really matter are those of our real readers who purchase our books.

In my entire life I never considered reading a book a reason to "review" it or make any comment to the author. I did read reviews by professionals in the New York Times and in magazines. It was only after I published and listened to all the chat on PAMB that I came to appreciate the review.

My reason for reading a book has always been the recommendation of a friend, a classroom reading assignment or the cover looked good at the book store. Sorry to be so non-intellectual about it, but I think I have lots of company.

Sometimes I hear a review on the radio that sends me to a book. Sometimes an author interviewed on television sends me to a book.

"Couldn't finnish it.," This is my favorite title for one of John Grishim's critics.

The reviews are downright funny.

I don't even look at the ratings they are often wrong. What I care about is, if I like it.

Betty,

I gave you a five star review--even got an email confirming it, but it does not show up. I have complained.

Hope it is resolved soon.

Dear Alice,
Thank you so much for your kind heart and the review. Which story did you bestow the 5 stars upon and where?

The Old Oak Tree has been reviewed 8 times on Barns & Noble. Six of the reviews are by a group that is making up their own stories in one line comments. How strange people are.

Anonymous

Posted January 1, 2012
Sweetrose
Can i be deputy? I know i have kits and that might be a problem

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Posted January 1, 2012
Ravenflight
I am a loner. Can my five kits and i join? My kits were born a day ago and i want to be medicine cat.

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Posted January 1, 2012
Daysdawn
I am Daysdawn. Im a she cat that may have kits soon. I would like to be a warrior.

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Posted December 31, 2011
Emberstar
Not you again Shimmerstep!!

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Posted December 31, 2011
To Leafstar from MistShadows
Forget my first message) A beautiful black she cat with misty blue eyes walks into the clearing. She eyes the opening warily and meows "Hello, I'm MistShadows. May I join your clan?" The she cat sat down again and awaited an answer from LeafStar.

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Posted January 1, 2012
Leafstar
Sure! Its ok. Deputys have kits sometimes its not a problem.

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Perhaps it is children having strange fun with themselves.

Love,
Betty

Betty, it sounds like someone is abusing the system. I would report it.

Ann

Dear Ann,
I tried. My computer timed out.

Tomorrow is a new day. If the worst review I ever get is a bunch of kids using my books as a platform for their silly minds, I would not complain. If it continues, I will be agressive in my reporting.

Love,
Betty

Betty, it won't do any good to complain. I got a really bad review from someone when I first made Fire Fell From Heaven a free story. Of course, I fired back at the person, not because they gave it a bad review, but because it was obvious they didn't really know what they were talking about. Turns out on the Amazon Kindle site there are a few little groups of people who band together and if one of them gives a bad review, especially if you say anything about it, they will all write bad reviews on the story. Some of the ones I got were not much above 7th or 8th grade level, but the fact was they stuck together, and even though I complained to Amazon, none of the reviews were taken down.

To be honest, unless someone will show me a book that they've written and allow me to review it for them, what they say about one of mine means exactly nothing. I don't think a person who has never written a book has any idea what goes into writing one, and I also think they get some kind of ego trip by giving bad reviews, just to prove they have some power. I just don't care what they think, because I know they don't have enough talent to produce anything of their own, therefore, they don't have enough intelligence to review what I write.

If that sounds harsh, I suppose it is. But I'll take the opinion of one of the guys here who have actually written a book or two over the opinion of someone who hasn't everytime.

Hi Don,
I understand what you are saying. Not many readers really know what goes into writing any sort of story. I accept that as fact.

But, not many people take the time to write a review.
I think that people review to be included in the the story they have just read. I love that part. Granted, there are people who want to belittle to make themselves feel more important, but I think that most people who take the time to write a review for any author, unknown or famous, are putting out there what they really think and do not consider anything else. At least, I hope that is so.

They do not consider the feelings of the writer. We are as annonymous to them as they are to us.

Some people are mean at heart and look for ways to pop any bubble of joy they come upon. I imagine there are trolls everywhere and not just under the bridge down the road.

I will try to not take these people to my heart. To just flap out a few stars and not type a word is not very satisfying. But I take all those stars to my heart, too.

Love,
Betty

Amazon finally posted my review. I am glad.

I agree with E..Don in that most people don't have a clue how diffcult writing and selling a book is.

I found that true with public speaking and home entertaining also. People would say, "It is so easy for you." What they did not realize is that the easier it looked the more work it took. to get it that way.

You guys are missing the point.

A reader doesn't care how hard you worked on a book or how hard it is to sell. They simply want to read something that satisfies a particular need at that time. If your work doesn't satisify that need, well, that's too bad. Shrug off bad reviews and just keep putting it out there. You can't please everyone all the time and yakking about it on a public message board is a waste of time.

What do you want to yak about?

We are wrong again--What else is new?

Thank you for correcting us.

You can begin a more consructive thread at anytime.

Betty is a dear person and was merely venting--a healthy thing to do as is showing sympathy and understanding.

I'm not correcti8ng you, just offering a suggestion. Jesus fucking Christ, are you that fucking hyper sensitive?

But hey if you want to come off as a bunch of fucking whiny ass titty babies for the whole Internet to see, don't let me stop you. And don't say I didn't warn you.

Thank you for the warning.

Hort or Ort or dipshit or whatever you call yourself, is it possible that you are as big a dumbass as you come across in your posts?

It appears that the best solution for you would be to chain a 500 pound anvil to your leg and jump off a pier. From all I can see you're just using up air that a more productive and smarter person would make a lot better use of. Of course, a damn slug would be more productive and smarter than you are, and the only one who doesn't understand that is you.

Alice, Betty and the rest, it's too bad the board has to put up with complete idiots like Bort, or Snort, or Snot, or whatever, but he can't take a hint and just go away. Could be because he isn't smart enough to know where "away" is.

E. Don, you need to learn to come out of your shell and say what you really think.

Well, damn, Al, I've tried but by nature I'm very shy and retiring, and almost always beat around the bush instead of just saying what's really on my mind. But who knows. Depending on what gets posted here next, I may actually take your advice and let it all hang out.