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Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 639
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 12:58 am: | 
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I've decided not to write book reviews anymore. The reviews I write in exchange for a free book are no longer worth my time. The reviews I was paid to write just caused too much negatively when I was being honest and the book wasn't to my liking. Plus publishers and authors expect you to write a positive review just because they have paid for the review. I can't deal with that bad karma anymore.
From now on, I will just buy or borrow the books I want like everyone else. Hopefully, I will find other ways to be paid for my writing.
I want to give a big shoutout to Troy for actually paying a brother to write reviews. Ain't nobody hardly doing that anymore. |
Urban_scribe
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Urban_scribe
Post Number: 693
Registered: 05-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 08:14 am: |
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Shucks, Emanuel. FWIW, I thought you were a top notch reviewer. I enjoyed reading your reviews - they were always evenhanded, fair, and spot-on, IMO.
I loved the review you gave my debut novel. Of all my reviews, yours was amongst my favorites.
It's so difficult to get a quality book review from a quality reviewer who doesn't allow their personal perspective of the genre to stand in the way of them evaluating the merit of the work.
Your expertise, your insight, and your honesty are a great loss to the book industry. Continued success to you in your writing endeavors. |
Thumper
Veteran Poster
Username: Thumper
Post Number: 613
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 03:19 pm: |
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Hello,
Emanuel: Believe me when I say that I feel your pain, literally. I'm sorry to hear that you will not be writing reviews anymore. I've been there, actually was at that point before I went back to school. It just got to a point where I didn't want to read another book PERIOD. The three years did me good. I am determined that I will read now for my pleasure, and if there's a review in it, I'll write one. I can not go back to reading books that I know I will not like, or if the subject matter is the same one that has been rehashed to fu_king death, no matter what the authors say. So, man, go and read what you want, write how you want, learn, and keep developing your voice. Whatever you do, don't loose the fire in your belly. |
Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 640
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 06:33 pm: |
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Urban_Scribe,
I don't know your true identity so I'm shocked to discover I reviewed your first novel. Now I'll have to go through the archives and try to see who you might be. Or you can email me. I'm good at keeping poster names secret. Thanks for the words of encouragement.
Thumper,
EXACTLY! I got to the point that I dreaded reading fiction, especially self-published fiction. Arguing about the review made it ever worse. Being a self-published author myself, I found that to be ironic, a self-published author who dreads reading self-published books. And when you read really great work, it's hard to go back. Of course, not all self-pubbed work is bad though. The gems take some digging to be discovered.
I am still writing though. Just finished the rough draft for my novel "Love Comes Apart." First my new writers group will have at it, and then I'm sending it to an independent editor before submitting it to publishers and literary agents. Meanwhile, I will seek non-book review freelance gigs for pay. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 12768
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 23, 2008 - 11:29 pm: |
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I gave Urban Scribe's book a positive review also, Emanuel.  |
Rondall
Moderator
Username: Rondall
Post Number: 164
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 25, 2008 - 03:24 pm: |
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Oooo-whee!!
Needless to say, I understand and respect your decision. And yes, there is a certain "expectation" that you will/should write a positive review when the publishing company has dropped a few dollars on your forehead. And I politely refused to read nor review certain books of poetry.
I have never enjoyed slaughtering someone else's vision of poetry. Everyone who writes poems is a poet, there I said it. Some will write things that does not appeal to many people and some will bring great joy from their inner voice.
But if you put it out there for the world "feel" be prepared for some reactions to be not what you expect them to be. |
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