On Authors Reacting & Responding to Negative Reviews

I am mad. I am so, so angry. I am sick to death of the way some authors treat bloggers/reviewers. Sick to death. I am absolutely fuming. Because when will it end?

Back in January, the hurt and upset over how we're treated led to me writing Why Authors Should Respect and Appreciate Book Bloggers. Why? Because it was announced that author Kathleen Hale was having a book published about when she stalked a reviewer who gave her a negative review. Because E. K. Johnston showed her lack of respect for bloggers when she tweeted that when, at signings, bloggers ask her not to personalise ARCs, she writes, "This is an ARC. I hope you didn't buy it." Because author and book blogger behind LGBTQ Reads, Dahlia Adler tweeted about authors not promoting blog content they've requested/were involved in. But that hasn't been the last of it. Authors have been throwing their toys out of the pram because of negative reviews.

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On Negative Reviews & Book Blogger Integrity

Today, I want to talk about negative reviews and book blogger integrity. It's a conversation that I'm sure has happened many times before, but I don't think I've ever stated what my thoughts on negative reviews are on my blog, and as it's something that came up - briefly and quietly - not that long ago, it's something I've been thinking about.

Firstly, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a book blogger disliking a book they've read. Even if it's a book that was sent to them by a publisher or author, or something they got through NetGalley or Edelweiss+. Just because you've been sent a book doesn't mean you have to like it. And let's be real, what we enjoy and what we don't is so subjective, we're just not going to enjoy everything. Sometimes, book bloggers may get sent unsolicited books that they may not have accepted were they asked beforehand if they would like a copy. I know there are some book bloggers who feel they should read all books they are sent, even unsolicited ARCs they don't like the sound of. You don't have to, but if you choose to, it's fine if you don't like the book. Sometimes, book bloggers will request/accept ARCs of books they think they will enjoy, and then find out they're actually not enjoying it when they're reading it. This is ok, too. As long as we all know we don't have to accept every book we're offered, and we don't have to enjoy the books we do get sent, we're fine.

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