Authors and Reviews: Should You Be Leaving Reviews?

As authors, reviews are coveted and our nightmare, often in equal parts. We need them for our own books, sometimes so much we feel like resorting to begging, even for just a few. If you've been in the book community long, you've probably heard that authors don't belong in reviewer spaces because they are meant for readers. And sure, no one wants to go on a downward spiral because of a bad review or respond unsolicited to readers' opinions about your books. But what about books that aren't yours?

In my humble opinion, if you want to be an author then you better be a reader as well. There is no way to truly master the art of writing without studying other's work, and the best way to do that is by reading books (preferably in the genre(s) you write in).

But wait, if you're an author and a reader, does that mean you should seek out book review spaces?

Yes...and no. Let me break it down for you.

When they say authors shouldn't stray into reviewer spaces, what they really are saying is don't jump in and respond or reach out to people who have left reviews on your book, especially if it wasn't the type of glowing review we all dream about. There are few things worse and discrediting than someone getting up in arms and defensive about opinions that truly are subjective. It doesn't matter if you wrote the most poetic, well-crafted, beautiful book out there; someone won't like it. Just take a peek at the reviews for your favorite book; I promise there's gonna be at least a few 1-star reviews.

There is also your mental health to consider when looking at reviews for your own book. If you've published a book, it's likely you've poured a lot of time and energy (and maybe a few tears as well) into this book. It's your literary baby, and you put it out into the world, hoping against all hopes that it finds its way into the hands of people who will love it just as much as you. Aaaaaaand then you look at the reviews, and I promise, no matter how many 5-star ratings you have, you are going to notice that one negative rating/review, and if you let it, it will haunt your every waking moment. (Not really, but it will probably sting for a bit.)

If you venture into the weeds of negative reviews too often, it's easy to make them your sole focus, which would be a massive mistake.

So what about books you read that are written by other people? Should you be the one leaving reviews and stars for their books?

You definitely can! But I would recommend caution.

The Internet is forever, and it is easy to write up critical feedback when there is a screen separating you and the other person. So the real question is, do you want other authors to know you hated their book? Do you want readers to know you're handing out 1 or 2-star ratings to others?

You could get around this by only reviewing books you enjoy (4 stars or above is the general rule), and I think this is a valid option. It gives you the opportunity to still enjoy giving reviews and you potentially make another author's day if they happen to see another positive review!

The other option is one I'm still playing around with myself, but one I really like the idea of, which is instead of leaving star reviews at all, is discussing which audiences you think would enjoy this person's book, whether you liked it or not!

I recently started doing this on my YouTube channel, and I love how it has allowed me to still discuss and share the book with others without stressing about how to rate a book that may not have been written with me as the reader in mind.

No matter what you decide, just remember to remain professional and courteous whenever discussing other people's books and writing, whether you love it or not.

Happy reading!