# Really Bad Reviews



## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

I'm not talking about the 1 star variety, I'm talking about the friend(s) or colleagues who have beta-read your book or bought the first couple of copies.  They go online and post rave reviews because they either like the book or because, as a friend, they are trying to help you out.  The reviews are as comical as the are unbelievable. As a reader, I am totally turned off by this.  As a friend, you don't want to hurt their feelings by requesting them to remove it. What do you do?


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

That's a tough one. On the one hand, you're always PROFOUNDLY thankful when someone takes the time out of their day to post a review for you. But, I want my reviews to be honest and fair and useful, not: "My son is the best writer ever ever ever! And such a good boy!"

And, of course, when you're just starting out, the first people to review you will generally be your friends - they're the only people who know about your book yet, and no one buys your book until it has reviews already! Generally, I don't ask the people too close to me (my family or very best friends) to post reviews. I try to ask for reviews from review sites, random people (through my website or Facebook page), or possibly more distant friends or colleagues (who won't be as likely to write something over-the-top).

Luckily, my parents aren't web-savvy enough to post reviews unless I told them how to (which I don't). But, if someone went ahead and posted an over-the-top review, that's definitely a delicate situation. I guess I would thank them profusely for their effort on your behalf, but ask them to remove or at least revise the review to make it a little more neutral.


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## ASparrow (Oct 12, 2009)

My solution (not for everyone, I understand): don't tell your family or friends you've written a novel. It's worked wonders for me. All of my reviews are genuine and unsolicited (and thankfully none so far have scathed me)


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I would leave every review.  Everyone has parents and friends.  It may not appear genuine and may turn some people away, but my friends and family are my friends and family.  I take'm warts and all and if they went to the trouble to write a review in support of my book, well, all I can say is "Thank you for spending your time on me and thank you for your support.  I love you too!"


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

I would simply ask them to revise it by adding something at the top explaining that they are a friend/relative.  That is at least full disclosure.


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## Renata (Aug 28, 2009)

You can post a comment after the review saying, "Thank you Mother." That should let people know what is going on.  Unfortunately, few people read the comments.

I will rarely buy a book with only five star reviews, particularly if it is self-published.  I am suspicious of any book that everyone likes.  If enough people read a book, somebody is going to find something wrong with it.


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## William Woodall (Jun 8, 2009)

Well I can honestly say I've never had that particular problem. lol  My friends and family are great, but they don't read much.  I gave up trying to talk to any of them about books and/or writing years ago.  They simply aren't interested.  I doubt they'd do a review for me even if I asked them to. (Which of course I would never do anyway.)  

I suppose that's a good thing, since it means all my reviews are from complete strangers.


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

I can see where it might concern you, but there are worse reviews. Believe me I learned that the hard way this week.


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

Ricky...sorry man, but I'm LMAO.  That dude did everything but drive over to your house and burn it down!


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

I'll never forget the first review posted by a reader who said Elfhunter 'surpasses Tolkien'. Ye gods and little fishes! I wanted to throw myself on salad forks. I expected the 'zealots' to come after me with pitchforks and torches, as they sometimes don't understand that we have NO control over what out readers write in reviews. 

(GAAH!)


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

Archer- we have a zero-tolerance policy at work for using Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and many others in any marketing pieces.  And yet, I'm looking at a new release sales sheet for a fantasy book where the marketing manager in bold type states "For Fans of Tolkien".  It happens everywhere i guess.


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

Nathan said:


> Ricky...sorry man, but I'm LMAO. That dude did everything but drive over to your house and burn it down!


Don't laugh. The night he posted that review I heard something hit the house and thought he'd done a drive-by! 

LOL just kidding. But yeah he did a number on me. You're right there.


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## Carol Hanrahan (Mar 31, 2009)

Luckily, no friends/family have posted reviews, and I certainly haven't asked.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I only ask my enemies to post reviews.   Actually, I have no friends   and my family doesn't read my work  , but I have one relative who reviewed one of my books - and critically. An aunt who I had n;t met for 35 years, but she's 85, very literate, writes and I would never stop her. (She didn;t give me 5 stars either). Otherwise, I have been reviewed by readers, all 145 of my reviews minus one. Funny thing, my one 1-star review garnered me 41 sales as a result. Go figure. 

Ed Patterson


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

Luckily, my friends are true friends and wouldn't embarrass me, and my family prefers television.  

I'm grateful to and for every one of my reviewers, but some of the most objective and thorough assessments of my books are from print media (SF Site, SffWorld, etc.) and don't show up on Amazon, alas. A handful of them are on my website, and others are floating around in cyberspace. Wish I could corral 'em all into one spot.

CK


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

I had a mixed bag of beta-readers for this script, about 30 in all.  The friends, family, and industry colleagues were the most helpful, but I did not ask them to post a review. I encouraged blog readers to post a review if they had read the story as part of the pre-read group.  That was probably my downfall.  I took the suggestion above about clarifying the review with a disclosure comment.  I put that the reviewer was probably drunk at the time of the posting.  That should fix it!


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

There's a horrible thread over on the Amazon forums in which reviews are solicited and traded.  I thought it would have died after a few months but it's still going strong.  People are sending each other .PDFs of their books for review, with the explicit promise of a 4 or 5 star appraisal.  I checked some of these books out.  They all have brief, eerily similar, generic 5 star reviews.  A quick click on the background of the reviewers makes it very plain to see what is going on.  

In the long run this circle jerk (sorry for the crudity but it just fits perfectly) is going to be counterproductive, i think.  Readers aren't dumb.


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## SimonWood (Nov 13, 2009)

I guess you can ask them to revise the reviews and explain how over enthusiastic reivews can be seen as suspect.  There have been a number of scandals where writers have posted reviews under different identities and it's tainted the whole review system.  And it lavish praise can work against you.  I think they'd understand that.  You know these people.  Would they be offended if you asked them to make changes?


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

daveconifer said:


> There's a horrible thread over on the Amazon forums in which reviews are solicited and traded.


Those star-farming reviews are easy to spot, because they're always signed "X, author of X."

CK


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Hey, Dave--where is that horrible thread? I must have missed it. (Ugh!)

Nathan:  I'd have no difficulty with someone proclaiming that a reader might like a book if they enjoyed Tolkien (Narnia, HP, whatever)...they're attempting to suggest that the book they're marketing is similar in type, style, etc. But to compare a writer's skill with those of the 'greats'? Verboten! Strictly verboten!

Ricky: Wow...talk about 'trial by fire'! It would be very difficult to keep one's chin up with THAT as a first review! 
I'm now sending you and yours a virtual bottle of twelve-year-old Scotch, a nice massage, and some marvelous Celtic music to soothe your spirits. Stay the course, kiddo! It's all uphill now.

Carolyn: A few of my reviews have come from other writers, but they were not solicited by me. Ricky has, in fact, penned a review on my Kindle page. (And, thanks for that! My poor Kindlebooks suffer from review deprivation.) In many cases, I have not read the books written by those who have reviewed mine--in some cases I have, and I've reviewed those books, but not because the writer requested it. We're not always in this for mutual back-scratching. I don't mention my books in my signature lines, though. I'm trying to draw attention to someone else's book, not my own.


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

archer said:


> We're not always in this for mutual back-scratching.


Trouble is, many are. I know you're an exception, and not the only one. 

Writerly regards,

CK


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

Hi there,

I have placed references to being a writer in reviews. I did so as a means to present credentials and not to solicit a review from anyone. But then I am still an amateur in many aspects of interacting with other writers and their work. Comes from 51 years of being an introvert.


Archer,

Thanks for the virtual Scotch. As to the Celtic music, when I get home from work this afternoon I think I'll go listen to your fine Youtube trailer. That should settle me down.   

Have a great day folks.
Ricky


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Hey, Ricky: 

I'm sorry...I didn't mean to imply that a reference to one's work in a signature line signifies 'review solicitation';it's very commonly done by writers everywhere for exactly the reason you list. 

IMO, though, reviews are done by readers, and we're acting as readers (not writers) when we review a book. Therefore, when I review 'Wysard' or 'Peacekeepers', I'm just a reader named C.S. (Archer) Marks. 

Nothing wrong with that, I guess. Meanwhile, I DO hope the music and the scotch are helpful. I recommend Heather Dale and Loreena McKennit.  

Edit: I went to the book page for Peacekeepers I and did some helpful tagging.


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## KLBrady (Sep 7, 2009)

I say just leave them. Most people expect that your family friends are going to gush over your work. As for me, my close family and friends haven't actually left reviews yet. I have 12 five star reviews and one four-star review and those have come from book clubs, review services, and/or impartial readers. I would never discount a book with overly positive reviews, BUT I would check out the "look inside" feature and do a sample read to see if I feel the same way.  The writing is ultimately a dead giveaway. If you see 5-stars on a poorly-written, poorly edited book, then you know the book and the reviews are probably fluff. If you see those ratings on what happens to be a well-written, well-edited book, then maybe it just deserved it...even if from a friend or family member.  I'd just let your writing speak for itself.


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

That's alright Archer. I'm not offended. Looks like I've just got a lot to learn. I thought I was over most of the learning curve already. LOL boy was I wrong.


Have a great day Ma'am.
Ricky


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

daveconifer said:


> There's a horrible thread over on the Amazon forums in which reviews are solicited and traded. I thought it would have died after a few months but it's still going strong. People are sending each other .PDFs of their books for review, with the explicit promise of a 4 or 5 star appraisal. I checked some of these books out. They all have brief, eerily similar, generic 5 star reviews. A quick click on the background of the reviewers makes it very plain to see what is going on.
> 
> In the long run this circle jerk (sorry for the crudity but it just fits perfectly) is going to be counterproductive, i think. Readers aren't dumb.


You know, I've been thinking about this post since I made it a few days ago. I criticized these people for actively working to get people to post reviews, and I still have ethical questions about how they're doing it. But on the other hand, their books have reviews on Amazon and many of mine don't. I know there are people who read my latest offering and liked it because they emailed me to tell me. But my kindle book looks like the unpopular kid in the corner at recess, which is not where I want it to be from a marketing standpoint. Reviews are golden -- maybe I'm too wimpy, or full of false ethics, or something, to make them happen.

Just thinking out loud here. Probably a post I'll regret, right?

Maybe I should stop trying to be so noble in my criticism of people who are actively promoting their books (see what I did there?) Obviously there's a middle ground here.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Y'know, Dave, I don't think you're wrong. Your first instinct is usually the right one. In this case, you see a 'mutual admiration circle' wherein the authors appear to be posting eerily similar 5-star reviews of one another's work. No way are those all five-star books. Sorry to be a cynic, but I've read too many like them. There ARE ways to get books reviewed that don't involve such tactics. 

I've been in the position several times, as I've made friends with a lot of authors on Zon and here at KB. When I read their books, I won't review them if I didn't like them. If I liked them, I'll still tell the readers what to look for in the way of editing challenges and so on. (I can like a book with a few of those)

I have been asked to review books for reviewing services, as well. In that case I don't know the author, and I am not compensated for the review (as are their regular reviewers).  I just do it because I like the people who ask. Recently I was asked by another author to review a book.  He said he had purchased mine already and was going to review it. I wrote back to him, saying that I was happy to support him by purchasing his book and I hoped he enjoyed mine, but that I would prefer that he not review it unless he felt absolutely compelled to do so. I also told him that I would review his book, but only if I enjoyed it. If not, I would not finish it. I also warned him that it would be awhile before I got to it. 

We authors are in a difficult position when it comes to reviews. With every criticism of another author we leave ourselves open to retaliation. My books have been 'trolled' three times by the same person (using various Amazon accounts)--this same person decided to try to besmirch the reputations of several authors, including a best-selling fantasy author who shall remain nameless.  Well, his fans are many and they are dedicated. They ferreted out the identity of this trollish fellow; as it turns out, he's an indie author with more 'issues' than National Geographic. I've neither read nor reviewed any of his work, yet he attacked me (and several others) for his own self-serving agenda. That damage will stay with my innocent books forever--fortunately, most readers see it for what it is. See how vulnerable we are? 

Makes it tough to be honest when you're asked to provide a review for another author. I've almost given up reviewing all together. I recently read a BAD Kindlebook. I wouldn't review it because of the author's belligerent attitude, though I would not have been as hard on him as some have been--probably three stars from me. I tend to look for the positives in another writer's work.

Reviews ARE golden, but the best ones come (unsolicited) from folks you've never met, whose books you haven't read, with the promise of nothing in return. The absolute best ones are from professional, respected reviewers (see www.ralan.com). Look at Carolyn Kephart's reviews for a shining example. Better be prepared for a lot of less-than-fives, though! 

Good luck, O Kindred Soul!


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

Hi Dave,

I know the feeling. I've never asked anyone to do a review because it's not my nature to ask for favors. 

The one review I have on my series is from a person who apparently did not comprehend what he read since some of his objections are based on false assumptions. The review is a flaming critique. That I can live with, but his insinuations about me personally were in my opinion over the top. I can live with bad reviews. Not everyone will like my work. I understand that fact. But to stoop to personal attacks on an author's mental health because he portrays anarchy in a realistic manner seems unjustified.

As in your case the readers who have contacted me regarding the series spoke kindly of the books they'd read.

I must admit that prior to your post I have reviewed other author's books that I found interesting. After reading your post and CK and Archer's responses I am reevaluating that practice. You three gave me a lot to consider. I had not thought that as an author myself I should limit the scope of my reviews lest some consider that activity farming or cultivating reciprocation. Nor had it occurred to me that referencing my own writer's credentials could be misconstrued as seeking a gratuity of any sort. My only purpose in that practice was to quantify my opinion for the readers who read the review.

I see that I have a lot to learn about interacting with other writers. But then I am an old hand at writing, but totally green when it comes to the more extroverted activities.  

You're right. There must be a middle ground. I wish you well in all of your writing endeavors.

Have a great day,
Ricky


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Ricky:

Do not confuse "farming reviews," which is a deliberate act of bamboozling, to your role as a reader who authors who has the right to review anyhing you want and where you feel compelled to review a fellow author's book because it has moved you to do so. To withold a review of someone else's book because you fear that it will be considered disengenious is pandering to the different kind of peer pressure. Be yourself - and don't second guess because others are second guessing. Remember as authors that we are all trying to outrun our own doubts. Let's not start ourrunning other people's doubts too.

Advice from an old Queen.

Ed Patterson


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

Ed,

You are one cool person. Indeed I think I have more in common with the philosophy you just iterated than with attempting to adhere to a bunch of unwritten rules of decorum.

I think I'll take that advice as the sanest approach to the problem. One that most closely matches my own personality as well. 

Thank you for your uplifting advice.

Have a great day,
Ricky


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Good Ricky.

One of my shining review moments came from Victor Banis, an author of over 150 books and a pioneer in the Gay & Lesbian genres - an icon for me and many others. I didn't solicit the 5-star review, nor did I ever think that he was being charitable. My book blew him away (and also elicited a private email from him on how I should be more careful with editing and book covers, etc. - sagely advice). I would cherish his feedback, even if it was private - but he chose to make it public. If I never wrote another word or published another book, the writing of The Jade Owl eliciting that review added purpose to my life. Now where would I have been if he had decided that his review was self-serving or patronizing or, heaven forbid, "review farming." _Oats and beans and corn and sugar beets. Yuk Yuk Yuk._ I'd have been denied that review and he would have be denied venting his expression of confidence in my work - publicly. Listen to your heart, and tell me to take a hike. We are here to support and give advice, and we are particularly good at telling you about adverbs and the misuse of past participles dangling like wisteria in the summer breeze. But in the end, listen to your heart and . . . your readers.

Ed Patterson


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Now where would I have been if he had decided that his review was self-serving or patronizing or, heaven forbid, "review farming." _Oats and beans and corn and sugar beets. Yuk Yuk Yuk._


You made my point. Mr. Banis _didn't_ sign his review "Victor Banis, author of 150 books, etc.," although he well could have. Restraint is a commendable quality, and he did you a great favor.

CK


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## Carolyn Kephart (Feb 23, 2009)

Ricky Sides said:


> I've never asked anyone to do a review because it's not my nature to ask for favors.


It isn't a favor if you ask someone who does it professionally. Given the nature of your material, you might look around online for e-zines friendly to your genre and email the appropriate editor with information about your book(s), a website link featuring free first chapters, and an offer of a complimentary review copy.

You may encounter pay review sites. Don't give those the time of day.

Good luck. It's a jungle, but the fruits are juicy.

Best hopes,

CK


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

Thank you CK. I'll give that some thought. Actually I'll give that a lot of thought.  

Have a great day,
Ricky


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

I keep trying to reply here but it always comes out sounding bitter and nasty.  I need an attitude adjustment.


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

Nah you sound fine Dave. Now me, I'm a bit out of my element. 

Have a great day,
Ricky


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Actually, Victor did attach his full weight to the review when first released in the GLWR Reviews and the Enquirer, but by the time he posted it on Amazon, he followed their guidelines. (Amazon frowns on mentioning your own product in someone elses review and has been known to pull reviews for it).

The other warning Ricky is if a Review site is soliciting reviews (I'm starting out and would love to review Indie authors, please, please), don't do it. I felt sorry for one such start up reviewer, sent out books to support the effort and received hachet job reviews. Of course, it was my own fault for not researching or I would have seen the surgeon general's waning on the review site and I should have peeked at other books reviewed there. No good deed ever goes unpunished.  

Ed Patterson


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

there is an unspoken theory that the quantity of reviews a publisher can get from the mainline trade journals is directly proportional to the amount of ad money they spend with such journal....same thing as paid reviews?


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Ed--yes, I remember that! Bad deal all around.


Edward C. Patterson said:


> The other warning Ricky is if a Review site is soliciting reviews (I'm starting out and would love to review Indie authors, please, please), don't do it. I felt sorry for one such start up reviewer, sent out books to support the effort and received hachet job reviews. Ed Patterson


Of course, we should all feel free to review whatever material we choose to. I'm grateful for every one of the honest reviews I've received (the troll...well, not so much). Many of those have come from authors I've met online. (Thanks again, Ricky.) They are honest, critical, and helpful to readers. Look at my reviews. Most are for books of authors I've met online. They're honest, too. As Ed says, we shouldn't pander. I won't review books I don't enjoy, especially when I know the author, because I would rather not have any negative impact on any author's sales. That's my choice.

Most of us know bamboozling when we see it.


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## TeresaMcCullough (Jul 21, 2009)

I had a different situation with The Enhancer







. My first review was a three star review that had positive, insightful comments about the book but only three stars. I liked the quotes enough to use them in the blurb, but they came from my nephew's wife. I did not feel I needed to reveal the relationship, because the review was only three stars, but I can see how it would be perceived as dishonest not to do so.

I have always objected to people who review their own books and I understand the embarrassment of the vague, but gushing reviews of friends and relatives. This review did not fit into that category. The three stars says something is wrong with the book, regardless of the positive comments. Although I like my nephew's wife, I am not close to her. Yet the whole thing gave me an uncomfortable feeling.

To anyone reading this, should I ask her to remove the review? Should I remove the comments from the blurb?


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

TeresaMcCullough said:


> To anyone reading this, should I ask her to remove the review? Should I remove the comments from the blurb?


As a reader, I'm totally OK with what you described. Obviously, she was trying to be pretty honest, since she only gave it 3 stars. Not sure if I would use them in the blurb because of the relationship, but I don't think it's ethically wrong or anything. It sounds like they are legitimate praise.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

What gets me are reviewers who give great reviews to books that they also sell for profit on their book store sites.

ECP


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

This is an interesting thread with some great discussion. Reviewing can be a tricky situation, can't it? Fortunately, my family never reviews my mysteries. I've been lucky enough to have a number of 4 and 5 star reviews, but there's also a 1 and a 2 star review, which is okay because I think it's a balanced reflection of readers' perceptions and opinions. The thing is, I can't control what other people think, nor do I want to.

I've had people tell me that unknown writers are hurt by 1-star reviews on amazon, while it doesn't matter for famous authors like Dan Brown who, if I recall, had about 140 1-star reviews for The Da Vinci Code. But Ed mentioned that he has 41 sales after his 1-star, so I really don't know.

All I know is that I review other authors on amazon--many of them indie authors--and try to be as fair as I can. I look for the positives in every book and if there are some strong negatives I'll mention them but won't dwell on them. So I've never written a 1-star review. It might happen, though. You never know.

Debra


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

1-star reviews have little effect on sales. They do hurt, I'd be lying if I said othrwise. However, if they stick to the book, that's oaky. When they personnel or vindictive, that's when they become botherhsome. However, readers can always see through these and their mish-mashed grammer and spelling.   However, I would not hire a reviewer to give a one-star for 41 sales.    

Ed P


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

This has indeed been an interesting thread. I acknowledge that the first hald dozen reviews of my book were by people who knew me, but with a couple of of exeptions, all nineteen reviews of my book are well written and go into detail about what the revewer liked and why they liked it.

Ricky, I groaned last week when I saw the fellow post his review on the Amazon thread as well as on your book page. I see no point in that unless he had some agenda in mind. In the first place, if everyone posted reviews on that thread, it would be way too unwieldy and would collapse of its own weight. By the way, I haven't read your book, but I just read your article "Coping With Breast Cancer" in Virtual Imaginings







. It was a very powerful story, one that really brought back memories of sweating out the results of my wife's lumpectomy in 1996 (which had a happy ending).


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

Hi there Jim,

I'm glad that your situation had a happy ending. Thank you for the compliment regarding my contribution to Virtual Imaginings. I consider that the most important writing task I've taken on all year for obvious reasons.

I'm afraid I don't know what thread you're referring to, but yes there have been a couple of pretty bad reviews on my book. Both seem to have some notion that I maligned women in some manner in my book. Frankly I don't know what they are talking about, and doubt that they do either.   Why, the Patricia Huxley character is portrayed as one of the brightest computer experts to ever exist, and the Women's Elite Corp are among the finest fighters of the Illinois survival group. Lina makes the bad guys look like idiots with her taunting ways, and Lacey fights off multiple home invaders and protects her young son in the process. I mean what more could they want?

I have given the matter a great deal of thought because the two fellows apparently intently dislike me. I think I've narrowed it down to a dislike of the moral value system one of the characters named Jim discusses with another character named Margaret. In which case if I am right in this, they dislike me because one of my characters is an ultra conservative.   If that be the case could I not consider this a victory? I mean if I portrayed a character's political and moral belief structure to the degree that some cannot separate that characterization from the author, then I think I wrote a believeable character and not a one dimensional one.

LOL, I'll get off my soapbox now. Thank you for caring. I'm trying to not let such issues bother me, but I must admit it has been difficult. I know it would be considered bad form to defend myself from a reviewer making false claims, so I haven't commented in the discussion section of their reviews. Doesn't mean I wouldn't love to defend myself and set them straight though.  

Have a great day,
Ricky


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Ricky:

Readers can see through a bad review, whether its 5-star or 1-star. When they see a 5-star review that doesn't analyse the book or characters, but is just a series of WOWs and BUY ITs, then they know there's an agenda there - family member or shill. When they see a 1-star review that truly hates the book for specific reasons, then it's a valid review. It's when you see the personal attacks or strange metaphors alluding to dog feces - or when the entire review demonstrates the reviewer's ignorance, then the reviewer has an agenda. Fortunately, readers are are not as stupid as those reviewers and they recognize the shinola or the hatchet job. Our jobs as authors is to ignore those reviews, but listen to the valid reviews - a three star that says that such and such character might have missed the mark. Does that mean that you go out and rewrite the novel? No. It means that you consider the feedback when you write your next novel. Most important, write with your mind fully engaged and with your heart, and readers will relate on some level to all or some of your novel. Those who don't are either mindless or heartless, and in these United States there's no crime to stand up and demonstrate it.  

ECP


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

Ricky Sides said:


> I'm afraid I don't know what thread you're referring to...


Ricky, it was a post on November 27 in the "Books Under 2 Bucks" thread in the Amazon Kindle Community.

http://www.amazon.com/tag/kindle/forum/ref=cm_cd_et_md_pl?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx1D7SY3BVSESG&cdMsgNo=890&cdPage=36&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=Tx2WRWHKP5P4WEG&cdMsgID=Mx103NFBOA9K51L#Mx103NFBOA9K51L


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

Thank you Ed. You have a way of viewing things that I admire. You're right of course. I always consider feedback even when it is blatantly hostile. I have to. It's just who I am.  

Thank you Jim. I'll take a look at what was said. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Have a great night folks,
Ricky


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## ASparrow (Oct 12, 2009)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Readers can see through a bad review, whether its 5-star or 1-star. When they see a 5-star review that doesn't analyse the book or characters, but is just a series of WOWs and BUY ITs, then they know there's an agenda there - family member or shill. When they see a 1-star review that truly hates the book for specific reasons, then it's a valid review. It's when you see the personal attacks or strange metaphors alluding to dog feces - or when the entire review demonstrates the reviewer's ignorance, then the reviewer has an agenda. Fortunately, readers are are not as stupid as those reviewers and they recognize the shinola or the hatchet job. Our jobs as authors is to ignore those reviews, but listen to the valid reviews - a three star that says that such and such character might have missed the mark. Does that mean that you go out and rewrite the novel? No. It means that you consider the feedback when you write your next novel.


Great advice again! Ed, you're a real treasure and an asset to this site. Can we have you bronzed (or cloned)?


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

ASparrow said:


> Great advice again! Ed, you're a real treasure and an asset to this site. Can we have you bronzed (or cloned)?


when I was a kid, it was a tradition to have a baby's shoes "bronzed" when the baby outgrew them.

Maybe we could have Ed dipped to preserve him.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

That reminds me of a line from The Mikado. 

"I forget the punishment for encompassing the heir to the throne of Japan. Boiling in oil, I think. Something like that. Something lingering with either boiling oil . . .or melted lead."



Some mornings I feel like I've been bronzed and on other days I just feel brazen.

Ed Patterson


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## Adele (May 30, 2009)

I agree - "This has indeed been an interesting thread."

My book will be available soon, and I must say upon reading this - I am a little scared. So far I have received great reviews on my Blog  from my test readers.  I am trying to prepare myself for the "Bad Review(s)", but I know it will be difficult.


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

eh, what can you do about a bad review?  You can't please everybody.  Everyone has their own particular tastes and preferences, so you can't please them all.  Sure, you should take note of the critical reviews and see if they can help you along, but in the end you have to write the way that you want to, with the stories that you are passionate about.  (I say this with the comfort of having not had any hardcore reviews of my work, mind you   )

I think it was a harder obstacle letting friends and colleagues review the story.  These are people that you actually SEE everyday, in the hallways or in meetings.  Their impressions were what I was most worried about.  Nothing like sitting in a meeting knowing everyone around you thinks you're an idiot   .


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

I find that people who like my stuff send a nice email but people who don't like it publish a review...

edit:  I should give credit to CS, who took the time to publish reviews for four of my stories.  That was a pain in the butt for him but he did it.


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

That's just it Nathan. Such hardcore reviews can cause you to start to wonder if everyone around you is thinking you're an idiot and they are just too polite to tell you.

It's another one of those things you have to learn to live with if you want to be a writer.


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## Ricky Sides (Sep 16, 2009)

daveconifer said:


> I find that people who like my stuff send a nice email but people who don't like it publish a review...


LOL aint that the truth!


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

Ricky Sides said:


> That's just it Nathan. Such hardcore reviews can cause you to start to wonder if everyone around you is thinking you're an idiot and they are just too polite to tell you.


hey now, my mom says she loves my story, and she is NEVER wrong!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

daveconifer:

That's because of the Internet mentality that pervades on threads sometimes, especially where there is no moderation and flame wars start. Nice people may tell you they like something, and they might even post it. However, the trolls of this world will always step up the plate and have their say, because they have been bred on the Internet. Nice people recognize that the book is about YOU and they enjoyed it. Brutes decide that it's all about THEM, and the review is their showcase. Some even stir things up like Nero and the Circus, starting bash frenzies. Fortunately, when professionalism pervades the author's craft some percentage of constructive readership emerges to have their say about your work and not use your work as a pedastal for their own forum. 

Ed P


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## ASparrow (Oct 12, 2009)

Nathan said:


> I think it was a harder obstacle letting friends and colleagues review the story. These are people that you actually SEE everyday, in the hallways or in meetings. Their impressions were what I was most worried about. Nothing like sitting in a meeting knowing everyone around you thinks you're an idiot  .


Not a problem for me. No friends or family have read my work, or are even aware that I've written a novel (never mind 3 and 1/2). Though they don't need novels to see my idiocy!


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

ASparrow said:


> Not a problem for me. No friends or family have read my work, or are even aware that I've written a novel (never mind 3 and 1/2). Though they don't need novels to see my idiocy!


Same here, Sparrow. It's a big secret for me, one that's easier to keep since I don't write under my real name. Once I saw an acquaintance with a copy of one my amateur wrestling books in their hand at a tournament and I managed to refrain from blurting. I wanted to probe to find out what they thought of it but I was too nervous.


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## TeresaMcCullough (Jul 21, 2009)

Nathan said:


> hey now, my mom says she loves my story, and she is NEVER wrong!


My mother is the co-author of The Enhancer







but I suspect she would not give it five stars. She told me when she reread it last spring, "We wrote a pretty good book together."


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

ASparrow said:


> Not a problem for me. No friends or family have read my work, or are even aware that I've written a novel (never mind 3 and 1/2). Though they don't need novels to see my idiocy!


While my family knows about my books I don't have to worry about any of them reviewing one. My Mom can only turn on a computer to play Solataire (yeah, I spelled it wrong) and everyone else like my sister, nephew and such won't bother to read it much less review it.


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## Damian Santiago (Aug 20, 2009)

I write in secret as well.  My family and friends don't know of the two books I have for the kindle.  I write erotica and it would just feel a little strange sending my books around to my friends   The problem I have is that so few people leave reviews for erotica...or maybe it's just me.  

I agree with those stating thank them for their time and review, but kindly request a rewrite.


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## ASparrow (Oct 12, 2009)

Yay! I got my first "really good review" this morning (from a complete stranger, of course) on Smashwords. No one had ever given me five stars before. It's always been 3 or 4 (no 1's yet though I'm sure they will appear). 

One disconcerting thing is that readers keep finding typos and grammatical errors despite two full passes with different spelling/grammar checkers and three sets of eyes. I think everything's fixed now, but I've felt that way before. At least this last reviewer didn't take off for spelling.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

ASparrow said:


> One disconcerting thing is that readers keep finding typos and grammatical errors despite two full passes with different spelling/grammar checkers and three sets of eyes. I think everything's fixed now, but I've felt that way before. At least this last reviewer didn't take off for spelling.


Proofreading a final manuscript is one of the toughest parts of the writing process, but it's absolutely essential. I'm a Grammar Fuhrer from way back, and after I proofread my book two times, I was certain that the grammar and spelling were perfect. Just to make sure, I asked my Grammar Nazi sister to look over it. She found a dozen errors.

It's tough, but it has to be done.


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## anivyl (Nov 12, 2009)

Dear Ms Sparrow,

I think, if this date thing is correct, that 5 star thing is from me (yay!??!) The reason why I didn't take any stars off is there was no point. your tale is solid and the errors didn't take away much from the story. Not to mention, i just trampled past the words anyways because I was more concern about whether the X saw what he wanted to see more than the words itself. besides, it was pretty obvious to me what those words were meant to be, so it wasn't hard. I can re-go through the book to proof read if you want, but it might be a few days before I am finished ^_^


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## ASparrow (Oct 12, 2009)

Wow! Instant feedback and interaction. Isn't the internet great? Any crumb of grammar or spelling advice that can be thrown my way would be most appreciated. Just be sure it's done using the latest version of my book available from Smashwords, others have bravely gone through my minefields before you (and since you last downloaded).


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## anivyl (Nov 12, 2009)

add my insomnia and need to geek around on the internet a little before bed time, yes internet is awesome! sure thing, I will re-download it and go through it for you! don't expect a quick turnaround though, this early in the week ^_^


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

ASparrow:

I was about to tell you about the typo and spelling thing that all Indie authors suffer through and how some reviewers are focused on that, but there you go, clarification from the horses mouth. If your story is good enough and your writing style engaging, most readers and reviewers will turn an eye (not a blind eye, because they see it) to typos and spelling. One of the benefits of eBook and POD is that you can accumulate feedback on a novel and release maintenance replacements at no cost to you. Every novel I publish I swear will be typo free and I'm getting there, but no cigar. This next one I've delayed for 2 months in an attempt to get there (even employing text-to-sppech on my DX for the last go 'round). Unfortunately, with the Independence of self-publishing, you assume ALL the responsibilities of the publisher, and although the industry has become a beast, and removing it from your cage may seem safe, you still must shoulder all dem dings dat day do. And being an Indie is no excuse. I'll tell yer that.

Ed Patterson


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

going the indie route in regards to editing is hard. A solid freelance editor is going to cost some moolah, so more than not you go it alone. I went over my script countless times, each time finding more things that were in error. I thought I had it like I wanted...then Boom! I got an email just last night from a friend saying that they liked the story but it had some editing mistakes. "[email protected]#M!!!!!!"

Anyway, I take solace in the simple things. I was reading _Brimstone_ by Robert. B Parker and found 3 typos and word substitutions.

I know I'm going to get blasted at some point about grammar/spelling/etc...at some point, probably in the not too distant future...but you just do the best you can and always try to improve.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

Even with books from the big-name traditional publishers, I find errors in more than half of them.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Typos are one thing. Spelling another tihng. BUT grammar, when it comes to creative writing, is in the eyes of the beholder. You must have it for legibility, but sometimes I get "mistakes" leveled at me because I choose in many instances to use fragments, a technique I learned from a very astute agent and have acquired at the foot of the masters - you know, King, Hardy, Dickens. Yet, I get - 'tis ungrammatical. I also get the occasional malapropism barb. Now if I use steel insteal of steal, or pique, peek and peak interchangeably, I agree. Shame on me. But sometimes I'll use a word for its sound and less for its meaning (or its archaic meaning). These a style choices. So, when some reads your relatively clean book and tells you they found many mistakes. Thank them and ask for a list (chapter and verse) as you can review these and apply them to a maintenance release. You'll find that their definition of a mistake is your definition of "style." I once described a house as "Tara", and a reviewer stated, what the heck's a "Tara." Sorry. My mistake. I should recall that some of my readers have never heard of Gone With the Wind and such references are much too arcane and are deemed mistakes. I guess, for that reviewer at least, any reference to Greek gods would go over a cretin's head. (and note, I said cretin not Cretan, but made the sentence more punacious, which, btw way, there's no such word - but I bet I didn't lose you).  

Ed Patterson


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

But I LIKE fragments.*

And I'm not afraid to use them!

*in certain situations


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Archer:

Use them when you have an action sequence, where you need to bleed off one-word fragments in a row, followed by a longer fragment and then a one worder that acts as a voiced period. Many authors believe that style must be maintained evenly and consistently, but not so. In action sequences (some of the hardest things to bring off), fragments are your friend. (See some brilliant action sequences in *In Her Name*).

Fragments are also useful to congeal passive voice. There was this and that and the other. Then there was something else. Well, the infamous "was" word is needed, but in a sequence aparagraph will sag. Too many "was" words makes a sponge. Fragments are handy then. The first sentence can be passive, but when the second shows up, you can either make it active by rearranging the syntax (we all know how) OR Boil the second sentence down to a single word fragment. And no cheating with one of those darn, grammatically correct semicolons, which I virtually ban from my writing. Periods and commas are traffic cops (hard and soft). What's this wussy semicolon. A yellow light. It's a syphon, that's what it is. So, be brave. Fragments. Use them. Action. Tight and unambiguous, and I just used a bunch.  You'll not piss off your reader, but you'll send English teachers to the brink jumping off with the Lemmings.

Ed Patterson
I'm beginning to love this thread.


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## SimonWood (Nov 13, 2009)

Nathan said:


> eh, what can you do about a bad review? You can't please everybody. Everyone has their own particular tastes and preferences, so you can't please them all. Sure, you should take note of the critical reviews and see if they can help you along, but in the end you have to write the way that you want to, with the stories that you are passionate about. (I say this with the comfort of having not had any hardcore reviews of my work, mind you  )
> 
> I think it was a harder obstacle letting friends and colleagues review the story. These are people that you actually SEE everyday, in the hallways or in meetings. Their impressions were what I was most worried about. Nothing like sitting in a meeting knowing everyone around you thinks you're an idiot  .


I'm with Nathan here. You can't please all of the people all of the time.

Also the thing to remember here is that you lose ownership of your story the second your book gets into the hands of the public. No matter how well written the story, every person who reads it won't see the same way the writer did. They apply their own life experiences to the piece and see what makes sense to them. Part of being a writer is letting go of the work once it's out there. I won't say a bad review doesn't sting, but you shouldn't let it get you down. It's only an opinion, not an arrest warrant.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Editing is definitely one of our biggest challenges-but it's absolutely essential, IMO, if we want people to take us seriously. In some respects, we have even a higher hurdle than "traditional" authors/publishers, because we haven't earned the reputation for quality yet. People see a typo in a "traditional" book (which I find all the time, often more than one per book), and shrug it off. They see the same typo in an indie book and it counts as a strike against indie publishing. So I think we have to hold ourselves to a very high standard to prove that indie authors produce some very high-quality, professional, well-edited work.

My novels have been around for a while (I wrote the first in 2000), but had sat dormant for a while before the recent eBook revival and my re-devotion to trying to market them. So I was fortunate to have lots of time to make SEVERAL passes through them (along with having 3 extremely intelligent, good editors pick them apart). I find that you reach a point where, no matter how many times you look over it or re-read it, you won't find anything new. If you missed a typo the first 10 read-throughs, you'll miss it on #11 too. There are two solutions: you can try some tricks like reading pages backwards (which may catch some typos but is not great for grammar), OR you have to set the thing down for months or even years and come back to it with fresh eyes.

After doing all that (MANY read-throughs, 3 good in-depth outside edits, comments from several other readers, and re-editing it years later), I thought I caught everything. And, so far, so good for _Right Ascension_. Yet, when I added in some of the front matter to _Declination_, I somehow spelled Right Ascension as Right "Ascesnion." Argh. It's only the freakin' title. It's also my email address. And website. You know how many times I type that word? I wanted to bang my head against a wall. So I re-did all the electronic versions and re-uploaded at CreateSpace and paid for another proof to fix one letter.....


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Text-toSpeech on the Kindle 2 or DX is a wonderful last pass-through to catch things that you and everyone else has missed. It's like a vacuum cleaner, and since you're listening and following along, you'll catch things that you wouldn't when your eyes are disengaged from the act of reading. For an author, a Kindle is worth the price of the text-to-speech. I wish I had used it for my first 13 published books. I'll use it for my next 13.  

Ed Patterson


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> Text-toSpeech on the Kindle 2 or DX is a wonderful last pass-through to catch things that you and everyone else has missed. It's like a vacuum cleaner, and since you're listening and following along, you'll catch things that you wouldn't when your eyes are disengaged from the act of reading. For an author, a Kindle is worth the price of the text-to-speech. I wish I had used it for my first 13 published books. I'll use it for my next 13.
> 
> Ed Patterson


I wonder what the text-to-speech would have done with my book. Is there a "toothless hillbilly" dialect function? Cause I would have needed that.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

When I read my text backwards, it says: 'I buried Paul'
and 'Archer is the Devil' over and over...

One hilarious moment with 'text-to-speech': If the word 'miss' is at the end of a sentence, as in 'That was not a thing to miss.'
It reads 'Mississippi'. 
(Heheheh!)


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

My books have lots of Chinese names - but I got over it (except in my new book, there's a character names Hu Min, and whenever he appears at the end of a sentence, it's Hu Minimum, wich is the latin version I guess). Tzu Tzu is always tee-zee-you tee-zee-you, but despite those things, the text-to-speech is the best "last" polisher that I can recommend. It doesn;t replace an editor, but it catches things that will amaze you.

Ed Patterson

PS: The female voice does a better job than the male.


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

SimonWood said:


> I'm with Nathan here. You can't please all of the people all of the time.


which is why I can't wait to add this blurb to the back cover of my book

"This book is a travesty like no other in the history of mankind. For God sakes man...get an editor" - Simon Wood


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Nathan:
(snork!)

Ed: Regrettably, I was raised by a lit prof and I have a tendency to be a grammar stickler. 
Readers have not complained, however. Also, I write in narrative style (passive voice), and I see very little wrong with that. Some of my favorite classics (from which I have taken influence) are written that way. Scientists write that way. 
Ye gods! No hope for me, I guess.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

And, by the way, you should see what text-to-speech does with ELVISH.

(hee, hee! Hoot! Snork!)


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## SimonWood (Nov 13, 2009)

Nathan said:


> which is why I can't wait to add this blurb to the back cover of my book
> 
> "This book is a travesty like no other in the history of mankind. For God sakes man...get an editor" - Simon Wood


Hey, I'm glad that blurb worked for you....


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Ed, text-to-speech is a good tip. I'll give that a try next time... especially since it's a good excuse to get myself a Kindle....


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

archer said:


> And, by the way, you should see what text-to-speech does with ELVISH.
> 
> (hee, hee! Hoot! Snork!)


  I was almost tempted to ask which kind of Elvish, Sindarin or another. Yep, it's getting to close to my LOTR movie marathon that I allow myself once a year.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Sierra:

No one speaks Sindarin nowadays. We've all reverted to Quenya.

Namarie
Ed Patterson
(What do you use to produce your Tengwa?) Ooops! Wrong thread. Betsy'll be here with a Elvish Hat, and you see I didn;t say, Elfish.


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

Well that's a great thing to tell me now. I don't know which version of the English to Elvish dictionary I have.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

It's amazing how a thread can morph from bad reviews to which dialect of elvish is used.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Actually, I've not heard Quenya or Sindarin in TTS, but Alterran Elvish (of which there are three dialects) sounds pretty darned funny in TTS.  

Hey, Ed:
Eleni sila lumen omentielvo.

(Elvish has left the building...)


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## anivyl (Nov 12, 2009)

hahahahaha!

back on the bit about grammatical/spelling/fragment errors though, I thought I should just say a few more on that. I know and understand that as a writer things can go awry. As a reader, and I know many of my bookworm friends are similar, I go for more of the story than the actual write up of the book. 

I think, personally, I only get pedantic on the grammar/spelling used when the book was already tearing my hair out. My bf and I, for example, we understand the necessity of fragments, nuances and even made up words. it's ok. it's just not ok to have a terrible storyline/non-existent plot, and then still parade around a load of terrible english to go with that in "the name of writing".


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

archer said:


> Actually, I've not heard Quenya or Sindarin in TTS, but Alterran Elvish (of which there are three dialects) sounds pretty darned funny in TTS.
> 
> Hey, Ed:
> Eleni sila lumen omentielvo.
> ...


Archer,... 

Anyway, trying to keep on topic...I try not to make up words because it confuses me and Word. There are still times when a fragment will creep in and to keep the feel on the passage the way I meant it to be it's hard to de-frag everything.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Anivyl:

Y'know, you're right. To me, the ability to ignore mechanical imperfections in a book is a lot like the ability to ignore clutter in a room. Some books are like sterile rooms with absolutely nothing out of place. Some are like the average 'lived in' environment with a wee bit of clutter, the comfy room wherein you're not afraid to put your feet up. Those books have a familiar, comforting 'voice' and the errors aren't distracting. Then there are the books whose mechanics are so inept that they resemble rooms with roaches and old garbage all over the floor--the ones where you have to 'clear a path' in order to move from one end to the other. I detest such surroundings, and refuse to read such books.

Brrrrrrrrr! Roaches!

Hey, Ed!    (heheh!)


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

archer said:


> Anivyl:
> 
> Y'know, you're right. To me, the ability to ignore mechanical imperfections in a book is a lot like the ability to ignore clutter in a room. Some books are like sterile rooms with absolutely nothing out of place. Some are like the average 'lived in' environment with a wee bit of clutter, the comfy room wherein you're not afraid to put your feet up. Those books have a familiar, comforting 'voice' and the errors aren't distracting. Then there are the books whose mechanics are so inept that they resemble rooms with roaches and old garbage all over the floor--the ones where you have to 'clear a path' in order to move from one end to the other. I detest such surroundings, and refuse to read such books.


anybody want to stop by my place?


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

Okay, I'm going to point that image out to Mom the next time she gripes about what my desk and its surrounding area looks like.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

Nathan said:


> anybody want to stop by my place?


There's a show on A&E called "Hoarders"...


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

alright, just for the record....that's not my place


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

It's mine.   Clutters Last Stand. And as for the roaches, it depends on whether you exterminate or smoke 'em.

Ed Patterson

PS: Archer - here's a challenge for you. When the Fragment warning comes up in Word, do what I do - "Ignore all." Yikes. Nothing like living on the wild side.


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## anivyl (Nov 12, 2009)

Nathan said:


> anybody want to stop by my place?


that is so not your place, not to mention it's not a recent photo HAHAHHA


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

anivyl said:


> that is so not your place, not to mention it's not a recent photo HAHAHHA


you're right, that pic is older than the intertubes


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

We should have a special thread for that picture and parse out the objects and make an invientory. I see vaseline there.

Ed Patterson


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## ASparrow (Oct 12, 2009)

Yay!  I got my first really bad review on Library Thing (two stars!):

"While I liked the begining and premise of this book, I am not its target. I think it is for teen age boys. The story started off great, but became so bogged down in Action/Adventurer, war and other mindless stuff and languages that did nothing to move the store along. I found myself after 101 pages starting to go cross eyed, and skimming. One thing I hate is to read a book that just stops and then find out there are more books to go."

I can picture the blurbs:  "mindless,"  "(will make you go) cross-eyed"

Now I just need a one star and I'll have the whole gamut in my portfolio.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

A Sparrow:

And like all one and two star reviews, it's a grammatical mess as in "move the store along." My last one-star review said that "the underline story was good." Gee, since none of it used "underline," I guess I missed the entire formatting boat,   But that reviewer's 5-star reviews are just as messy. 

Ed Patterson


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## ASparrow (Oct 12, 2009)

Edward C. Patterson said:


> A Sparrow:
> 
> And like all one and two star reviews, it's a grammatical mess as in "move the store along." My last one-star review said that "the underline story was good." Gee, since none of it used "underline," I guess I missed the entire formatting boat,  But that reviewer's 5-star reviews are just as messy.
> 
> Ed Patterson


Maybe he read between the underlines


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I think she was underwater.  

Ed Patterson


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

ASparrow said:


> The story started off great, but became so bogged down in Action/Adventurer, war and other mindless stuff and languages that did nothing to move the store along.


I don't understand the part about "languages". Is there a portion of your book that discusses different languages? Or, is the reviewer stating that the language you used does not move the store(?-LOL) along?


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## ASparrow (Oct 12, 2009)

RedAdept said:


> I don't understand the part about "languages". Is there a portion of your book that discusses different languages? Or, is the reviewer stating that the language you used does not move the store(?-LOL) along?


Beats me. One major character speaks broken English. Other characters face language barriers when they become exposed to unfamiliar cultures. Miscommunication and misunderstanding were some of the spices I used to create challenging situations.The "stranger in a strange land" theme was my main inspiration for writing this story, but maybe it became too confusing.


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