Can we talk for a minute about Goodreads? So I recently signed up as a way to find out about new books I might enjoy. Well, that was my main (public) reason for joining. The second (private) reason was because I wanted to be able to dish the dirt on books I loved/hated in a place where it was expected.
This blog is not a book review site, although I tend to devour books on a regular basis. When I love a book, I want to tell people so they can enjoy it too. And when something stinks like last week's tuna I want to warn folks off so they don't waste the precious hours I did.
Now, I appreciate that everyone has their opinion of what makes a good book. I also understand that while I might not have enjoyed something, that others may find it good. But at some point I have to start asking "Who are you people?". I want to shout "That book was pig slop! How could you give it 5 stars? Are you the author's mom?!"
This is about the time when I start to worry about today's savvy reader. I wonder if I'm wasting my time trying to create something creative, insightful, funny and heart-warming. Maybe I should just throw some garbage up on Amazon and charge $.99 for my gross misuse of the English language packaged in 256 pages. After all, if some of these reviews are to be believed, people will read anything.
Then I stop myself and remember that my writing is not just about selling books (although I'd be lying if I said that isn't important at all). If I put my name on it, I want it to be good. No, scratch that, I want it to be great! And I want 5 star reviews from strangers and not just my aunt in Tulsa.
So I will continue to plug away at making my work shine and keep the faith that somewhere out there is a gaggle of readers who can appreciate a good read.
What about you? Do you worry about the quality of today's readers?
Also, if you want to know my thoughts on books, you can check out my Goodread's account here.
Here's the thing... as writers, we are far more critical of what we read. What could be a wonderfully engaging story will throw us off for some minor grammatical offense. At least, this is what I try to tell myself when I'm looking at ratings on Goodreads. :)
ReplyDeleteUltimately, I have to be glad that everyone likes different things. Because if the world was only comprised of the 25 people on Goodreads who hated my book instead of the hundreds upon hundreds who liked it, I wouldn't sell many books. And those people who didn't like it... well, they're entitled to their opinions too. So basically, while Goodreads can be an interesting tool, I don't know how particularly helpful it is at the end of the day.
I agree with you on being critical as writers. I try to keep a clear line between writing a review and writing a critique. Although sometimes I wonder if the authors in question would have benefited from a few more honest critiques before hitting the publish button. :)
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