Reviewers: Part of the Territory
Wed, Jul 1, 2009
Ever since I’d mentioned a book I had read in a blog I wrote for the Huffington Post, which was well over two years ago, I have been getting requests from a number of publicists asking if I’d review an upcoming release. Although I make it clear that I don’t actually review any book in typical fashion, but weave its premise into something going on in the world (or in my life), these publicists are just fine with that. Apparently, they see the power of Arianna’s site. Sometimes, though, no matter what, some of these books, often novels, don’t add to anything I want to write about so I simply shelve them and forget about them. And then there are some other books that I just don’t want to give any attention to because, in my opinion, they are just plain awful. However, I don’t see any reason to slam them publicly because, as I stated before, I don’t actually review books in typical fashion. What I try to do is show how they are relevant to our lives.
That said, I think book reviewers serve a great purpose and it’s a shame that they are going the way of the dinosaur. It’s also a shame that one particular reviewer was put on the chopping block for giving a less than glowing review to Alice Hoffman’s recent novel. Alice has such a strong following that I doubt her fans would have passed on her latest novel, The Story Sisters, simply because a reviewer didn’t rave about it; however, I was stunned at her reaction, even though she’s now apologized for having given the reviewer’s phone number out to fans. But, wow. Even so, one cannot help but wonder if any other reviewer will touch another of Alice’s books for review out of concern of possibly having their phone number publicized across the Internet.
We’re all fair game and not everyone is going to appreciate our books and some of those people are even going to be reviewers. As an author, it comes with the territory. As a reviewer, we shouldn’t be afraid to write an honest review, even if it’s not as flattering as an author would like it to be.
Wed, Jul 1, 2009 | Comments