I will not address issue number 1 because I've said what I thought about it Manga Maniac Cafe's post in HERE. Issue number 2 will be addressed later; I'm going to talk about issue number 3 first. For me as long as it still rumor, no hard evidence about it, I prefer to be skeptical. Even if it's true, I wouldn't react any different. I would still write my reviews the same way; hopefully with less grammatical errors, typos and more comprehensive details but not less honest that before.
Now for issue number 2, I think everyone in book bloggers community had said what I wanted to say so I wont be the boring person who repeat the same thing over and over again. I just wanted to say if you're stalking this, Sylvia Massara, the moment you write about that grocery list thing, that's when you insult the entire book blogging and reviewers community. Take note of that.
I'm curious about what other authors would say about this issue so I contacted some authors and asked them to add their two cents about negative reviews and how they would react toward it. They are Jess C. Scott (author of The Other Side of Life) and Lori Pescatore (author of Human Blend). And here what they've said about it:
Jess Scott:
To me, a reader/blogger/customer is free to say or think whatever they want about a book or product. That being said, petty whining and rude/spiteful/mean-spirited comments don't really convey a sense of 'professionalism' (whether you're an author, blogger, or general member of the public). Personally, I like producing creative work, which I think my target audience(s) would appreciate. People can praise or trash my work, but it makes no difference to my artistic 'vision', which is what really matters to me, at the end of the day. I also believe in courtesy, respect, and diplomacy. As Catherine the Great said: "Praise loudly, blame softly..."
Lori Pescatore:Reviews are personal opinions and I have found that most bloggers are qualified to review books. Negative reviews are part and parcel, I think the author who complained most likely needs to grow a backbone. I've received some one star reviews on goodreads, again not everyone is going to like your book. You have to take the good with the bad. I love bloggers and consider them an intricate part of my success.
So these authors had stated their opinions. If some bloggers worry that this whole issue will develop into authors vs book bloggers/reviewers, you can rest assure that it wont happened. There are many authors out there who appreciate what we're doing. By this post I hope the issue will ended soon, the said author will learn her mistake or go weeping somewhere else private. As for book bloggers, perhaps it's time for us to improve ourselves; not only in writing reviews but also related to asking free books to authors and publishers.
Last, I'm going to brag about my upcoming vacation! Wooohooo! I'm going to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam for few days with my friends. That will be my first out-of-country vacation with them and I'm looking forward for it. I probably will post some of my travel notes (and what book I read in my journey because I will be sitting on a plane for more than 3 hours, either sleep or read!). I hope I'll have a great time because I really need it this time!
See you guys later!
Lynossa
