This week's topic from The Broke and the Bookish is favorite authors in a specific genre; so here are my top ten non-YA fiction authors. But really I don't read so many adult books, so there are only four authors on this list.
1. Liane Moriarty, author of What Alice Forgot. (Okay, I've only read one of her books, but I absolutely loved the writing style and really want to read more of her work.)
2. Jodi Picoult. I know her books are super-sad all the time and horribly traumatic, but I sort of can't stop reading them.
3. Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays With Morrie. More sad books, but great, oddly life-affirming sad books.
4. Ally Carter, author of Cheating at Solitaire. Okay, I know Carter is known mostly for her YA books, but her two adult novels (Cheating at Solitaire and Learning to Play Gin) are so great; they're among my favorites.
Showing posts with label authors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label authors. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Authors and Negative Reviews
If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may have noticed that the topic of reviewers, authors, and negative reviews comes up every so often. Mostly it comes up in the context of authors (or aspiring authors) writing reviews and the ethics and problems that come up.
But today I want to talk about something else, and that is the more widespread issue of authors responding (or not responding) to negative reviews.
As a reviewer and a reader, there are some books I don't like. There are books (though not many, thankfully) that I hate. There are plenty of books I don't care enough about to finish. I'm hones in my reviews and if I don't like something, I'll talk about it. I don't usually rant or get too personal/emotional (though I can think of an exception to this). I should also mention that I've never had an author personally get upset at me for a review of their book. I like to think that this is because my reviews are non-inflammatory, but the more realistic option is probably just that the authors I review critically/negatively either don't see my reviews or handle criticism well.
Authors, from a reviewer's POV, that negative review is not about you. It's not. It's about this book that they spent their time and money -- or if not their money, at least their time -- on and that disappointed them or annoyed them or, okay in some cases, even angered them. It's not about you, sitting behind your computer, writing this book that they didn't like.
It's easy for me to say that. I'm not an author.
But from my perspective, there are certain things you can and can't (or at least, shouldn't) do when you get a negative review.
Do not comment on it.
Do not write a blog post about it.
Do not tweet about it.
Because no matter how innocuous and "not mean" you think that comment/post/status update is, the reviewer or one of their friends or a potential reader is going to read it and think you're a little bit crazy maybe and definitely a lot unprofessional. There is no way for this to be a good thing. I know this because I've seen authors do it again and again, many of them having no idea the can of worms they're opening when they respond to or talk about a negative review online.
On the flip side, here's what you can do as an author.
You can cry. Or scream. Or whatever it is you do when you're sad or angry.
You can rant to your close friends, mother, spouse, or another trusted person.
You can decide that reviewer is stupid and ugly and you never liked them anyway. Just don't actually tell this to people. Keep your mean thoughts to yourself and those closest to you.
Additionally there's something else an author can do. I know that different reviewers have different thoughts about this, but if you really feel offended by something in a review -- if you honestly, honestly think the reviewer was attacking you and not your book, approaching them privately via email might not be the worst idea. But if you do this, choose your words carefully. It's one thing to say: I'm sure you didn't mean this personally, but what you said about my looks/beliefs/intelligence/family/whatever came across as personally offensive and saying something like: It's not nice to say [whatever it is they said]; that's not what a book review is supposed to be.
Again, different reviewers have different thoughts when it comes to this type of approach. Personally, I never mean to offend anybody and if I do, even if it's in a critical review that authors shouldn't comment on, I wouldn't be upset at this being brought to my attention. And I have a feeling that many other reviewers probably feel the same.
Reviewers and authors (and everyone!): what are your thoughts on an author responding to a negative review? Additionally, though I didn't discuss it in this post -- when do you think a review crosses the line between being critical of the book and being critical about the author? And is it okay for a reviewer to cross that line?
But today I want to talk about something else, and that is the more widespread issue of authors responding (or not responding) to negative reviews.
As a reviewer and a reader, there are some books I don't like. There are books (though not many, thankfully) that I hate. There are plenty of books I don't care enough about to finish. I'm hones in my reviews and if I don't like something, I'll talk about it. I don't usually rant or get too personal/emotional (though I can think of an exception to this). I should also mention that I've never had an author personally get upset at me for a review of their book. I like to think that this is because my reviews are non-inflammatory, but the more realistic option is probably just that the authors I review critically/negatively either don't see my reviews or handle criticism well.
Authors, from a reviewer's POV, that negative review is not about you. It's not. It's about this book that they spent their time and money -- or if not their money, at least their time -- on and that disappointed them or annoyed them or, okay in some cases, even angered them. It's not about you, sitting behind your computer, writing this book that they didn't like.
It's easy for me to say that. I'm not an author.
But from my perspective, there are certain things you can and can't (or at least, shouldn't) do when you get a negative review.
Do not comment on it.
Do not write a blog post about it.
Do not tweet about it.
Because no matter how innocuous and "not mean" you think that comment/post/status update is, the reviewer or one of their friends or a potential reader is going to read it and think you're a little bit crazy maybe and definitely a lot unprofessional. There is no way for this to be a good thing. I know this because I've seen authors do it again and again, many of them having no idea the can of worms they're opening when they respond to or talk about a negative review online.
On the flip side, here's what you can do as an author.
You can cry. Or scream. Or whatever it is you do when you're sad or angry.
You can rant to your close friends, mother, spouse, or another trusted person.
You can decide that reviewer is stupid and ugly and you never liked them anyway. Just don't actually tell this to people. Keep your mean thoughts to yourself and those closest to you.
Additionally there's something else an author can do. I know that different reviewers have different thoughts about this, but if you really feel offended by something in a review -- if you honestly, honestly think the reviewer was attacking you and not your book, approaching them privately via email might not be the worst idea. But if you do this, choose your words carefully. It's one thing to say: I'm sure you didn't mean this personally, but what you said about my looks/beliefs/intelligence/family/whatever came across as personally offensive and saying something like: It's not nice to say [whatever it is they said]; that's not what a book review is supposed to be.
Again, different reviewers have different thoughts when it comes to this type of approach. Personally, I never mean to offend anybody and if I do, even if it's in a critical review that authors shouldn't comment on, I wouldn't be upset at this being brought to my attention. And I have a feeling that many other reviewers probably feel the same.
Reviewers and authors (and everyone!): what are your thoughts on an author responding to a negative review? Additionally, though I didn't discuss it in this post -- when do you think a review crosses the line between being critical of the book and being critical about the author? And is it okay for a reviewer to cross that line?
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Brand Authors vs. Everything Authors
I'm not the sort of reader who will read absolutely everything by my favorite authors. I mean, yeah, I've read every Dessen novel, but it's because I enjoy her type of stories. They're character-driven contemporary novels -- right up my alley. If tomorrow she started a series about a zombie-killing werewolf girl (you know, just for instance) I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be rushing out to buy it.
The truth is: I like how, with some authors, I know what I'm getting. I wouldn't call Sarah Dessen formulaic exactly, but there's definitely a certain comfort in knowing what "type" of novel you're guaranteed to be reading. She's an incredible author whose ability to write complex characters and realistic relationships is pretty much unparalleled in my mind. And I love that.
But then on the other side there are authors like Maureen Johnson, who write a bit of everything YA-wise. I haven't read all of her books. I haven't loved every book of hers that I have read. But she's still another of my most favorite authors and (maybe ironically) a big reason for this is how diverse her books are. Even in her contemporary novels there's a good mix of varying types of POV, series and non-series, and character- and plot-driven stories. She's an author who is so far from being "boxed in" to a certain genre or "type" of novel, and that's a little bit of what I aspire to be as a writer.
All of this makes me wonder: is it better to be an author with a strong "brand," like Sarah Dessen? Or is it better to be an author who writes a bit of everything, like Maureen Johnson? Is there even a "best" here, or is it all so unique to the individual writer? So, my question for you - as a reader, what type of authors do you prefer reading? And for any other writers/authors out there, what type of writer would you rather be?
Both of these questions are still things I'm thinking over for myself and I'd love to see what others think.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday Ten - Authors That Deserve More Recognition
This meme is hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish.
Amidst the big author names in YA, such as Maureen Johnson, Suzanne Collin, and Sarah Dessen, are dozens of other authors I love that notably less people know about. Whether I've read two or a dozen of their books, here are ten authors that I would sincerely love to see get more recognition. (The reason I'm not including authors I've only read one book of -- or that only have one out so far -- is because this list would end up looking more like a list of 10 books that need more recognition instead of authors. Trust me, there are so many debut authors and novels that I love.)
Also, for those of us that regularly read YA and MG and are fairly involved in the online community, a lot of these are no-brainers, but they are the authors that I'd love to see get more recognition out there in the real world. In short, these are ten under-recognized authors that I wish everyone knew about.
In no particular order...
Amidst the big author names in YA, such as Maureen Johnson, Suzanne Collin, and Sarah Dessen, are dozens of other authors I love that notably less people know about. Whether I've read two or a dozen of their books, here are ten authors that I would sincerely love to see get more recognition. (The reason I'm not including authors I've only read one book of -- or that only have one out so far -- is because this list would end up looking more like a list of 10 books that need more recognition instead of authors. Trust me, there are so many debut authors and novels that I love.)
Also, for those of us that regularly read YA and MG and are fairly involved in the online community, a lot of these are no-brainers, but they are the authors that I'd love to see get more recognition out there in the real world. In short, these are ten under-recognized authors that I wish everyone knew about.
In no particular order...
- Sara Zarr (Story of a Girl, Sweethearts, Once Was Lost) -- I could talk for ages about the depth of my love for Sweethearts. It's one of my all-time favorite books, contains my absolute favorite quote, and is just so incredible. Sara Zarr is a brilliant writer and storyteller. Her characters and their relationships (in Sweethearts and Once Was Lost especially) are amazingly real and well-written.
- Kristina Springer (The Espressologist, My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours) -- Springer's middle grade novel, My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours, is honestly one of the cutest, funniest, and refreshing books I've read. Though I generally have a harder time finding great MG than I do YA, this one was a slam dunk. Additionally, her YA novel The Espressologist is also so cute and awww-worthy.
- Courtney Summers (Cracked Up to Be, Some Girls Are, Fall for Anything) -- There's a part of me that doesn't even know what to say about Courtney Summers. Her books are amazing, of course, and Some Girls Are is one of those books that has affected me more than many many other books. But more than that is the fact that Courtney Summer manages to write so well about anger and emotions and the different ways that girls can be messed up. Her books are dark but hopeful with dysfunctional characters that you (or at least I) just can't help but root for.
- Gayle Forman (If I Stay, Where She Went) -- Gayle Forman has such a way with words. She writes about trauma, loss, heartbreak, and the most difficult choices ever with such beauty and ease that you'd think the words just fell onto the page. Any author with that kind of skill is one who deserves recognition.
- Lynne Rae Perkins (All Alone in the Universe, Criss Cross) -- Like so many of the writers on this list, I just don't even have the words for how great these books are. All Alone in the Universe is quite possibly the one book ever that I've wished I was the one to write. And Newbery Winner Criss Cross has such searing moments of truth in it that it's amazing. Perkins also has a recent YA out (As Easy As Falling Off the Face of the Earth) that I really want to read but haven't yet.
- Robin Palmer (Geek Charming, Cindy Ella) -- I don't like Cinderella and I never have, but I absolutely adore Robin Palmer's retellings of fairytales. They're so cute! And the characters have winfaces! And I really want her to write more and more and then everyone know about them and read them and sorry for devolving into total spasms, but Disney Channel is making a movie of Geek Charming. This is incredibly exciting.
- Wendelin Van Draanen (Sammy Keyes, Runaway, Flipped, The Running Dream) -- I thought that Flipped was one of those middle grade books that just everyone had read, but I've asked quite a few people and apparently it's not nearly as popular as I thought. Most people know Draanen as the writer behind the Sammy Keyes mysteries, but her stand alone novels are just fabulous. Flipped in particular holds a very special place in my heart, but The Running Dream is her new book and I also definitely recommend it.
- Dana Reinhardt (How to Build A House, Harmless, A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life) -- It's been a while since I've read any of Reinhardt's novels, but her writing has a simplicity that I really love and though How to Build A House is a "quiet" book without a jump-out-and-grab-you hook, the story is wonderful. And I remember Harmless being a page-turner, though I haven't read it in years and years.
- Sarah Ockler (Twenty Boy Summer, Fixing Delilah) -- Just the premise of Ockler's debut novel, Twenty Boy Summer, inspired me. Eighteen pages in I was crying. Sarah Ockler is such a great author; she writes the sad-but-real stories with both hope and bittersweetness; I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
- AS ALWAYS, I KEPT ONE SPOT EMPTY TO SIGNIFY OUR HOPES AND DREAMS*
*Gavin Volure, 30 Rock.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
FIVE: Great Author Moments
To be perfectly honest I don't go to enough book events to have five author moments from 2010 alone, so instead this is a lineup of author moments from my life. In a (hopefully-but-probably-not) chronological order, here they are...
1. Cindy Pon's book launch for Silver Phoenix.
The kicker here is that I've never read Cindy's book, but because the launch was close to me and I wanted to buy a copy to giveaway on my blog and because my buddy-buddy-roo Khy was going to be there, I went. And I had a fabulous time. Not only is Cindy Pon an incredibly incredibly sweet person, but her book launch was a ton of fun. There was people! And books! And Khy video taped it!
2. Gayle Forman's event for If I Stay.
This event was a little further away from me, but it was for a book I'd heard awesome things about and I'd actually had some email correspondence with the author (what about? I DON'T REMEMBER). In any case, I decided to skip out on my last couple classes of the day and drive to the event, which was a couple hours away. I was operating on about four hours of sleep that day and had to blast Lady Gaga on repeat to keep myself awake on the drive up. The bookstore was this adorable little children's bookstore in the middle of a very western-y looking town and Khy was there (me and Khy live a few hours apart so we end up going to book signings together fairly oftentimes) and other people were there and Gayle Forman was wonderful. I'd missed the "reading" portion of the event, but she had a Q&A where she answered some questions about the book and afterwards I bought a copy of the book (which, btw, is wonderful and I can't wait for the sequel) and got to talk to her for a while. The message Gayle Forman wrote in my copy of If I Stay when she signed it is absolutely the best note from an author I've ever gotten in a book and I loved meeting her. I loved driving out and blaring Lady Gaga, loved the event and meeting the author and hanging out with Khy, and I loved driving back home, happy and exhausted, after a completely awesome day.
3. Sarah Dessen's signing for Along for the Ride.
It's no secret that I love Sarah Dessen's writing. The Truth About Forever was my first introduction to YA literature -- the book that made me love reading it and want to write it. Since then, I've accumulated every Dessen novel there is and read most of them multiple times. So of course I had to meet Sarah Dessen when I had the chance. I went to the signing/reading with Cindy Pon and had a wonderful time. I did meet Sarah Dessen and talk to her for a couple seconds, though of course I don't remember what I said and I'm sure whatever it was, it sounded stupid.
4. John Green and David Levithan's signing for Will Grayson, Will Grayson.
I haven't read Will Grayson (or much by Levithan, really), but John Green is one of my favorite authors. An Abundance of Katherines made me laugh the way few books have been able to do and Paper Towns is just incredible. Seeing how many people were at this signing was awesome, of course, as was meeting John and hearing him talk about his books. The event was livestreamed (wait... is that a word?) and me and Khy were sitting right next to the computer; a couple of other bloggers said they could hear us talking before the event really got started, which I found hilarious.
5. Heidi R. Kling's meet up for Sea.
This wasn't an actual event. How un-actual was it? There was no reading or official signing, and the bookstore hadn't even gotten their shipment of Sea in for it. But it was awesome all the same. For one thing, it was at the bookstore in Downtown Disney, which gave me a supergreat excuse to drive out to Disneyland (I don't love driving, but I do love Disney) and it was basically just Heidi Kling and a bunch of bloggers sitting and talking. Heidi is every bit as wonderful and friendly as you'd expect her to be and I had a blast talking books with people like Khy and Catt in real life, as well as browsing the bookstore shelves and comparing which books we'd read.
& now five authors I'd love to meet but haven't yet:
Courtney Summers
Maureen Johnson
Susie Day
Lynne Rae Perkins
Sarah Ockler
(and, of course, lots more)
1. Cindy Pon's book launch for Silver Phoenix.
The kicker here is that I've never read Cindy's book, but because the launch was close to me and I wanted to buy a copy to giveaway on my blog and because my buddy-buddy-roo Khy was going to be there, I went. And I had a fabulous time. Not only is Cindy Pon an incredibly incredibly sweet person, but her book launch was a ton of fun. There was people! And books! And Khy video taped it!
2. Gayle Forman's event for If I Stay.
This event was a little further away from me, but it was for a book I'd heard awesome things about and I'd actually had some email correspondence with the author (what about? I DON'T REMEMBER). In any case, I decided to skip out on my last couple classes of the day and drive to the event, which was a couple hours away. I was operating on about four hours of sleep that day and had to blast Lady Gaga on repeat to keep myself awake on the drive up. The bookstore was this adorable little children's bookstore in the middle of a very western-y looking town and Khy was there (me and Khy live a few hours apart so we end up going to book signings together fairly oftentimes) and other people were there and Gayle Forman was wonderful. I'd missed the "reading" portion of the event, but she had a Q&A where she answered some questions about the book and afterwards I bought a copy of the book (which, btw, is wonderful and I can't wait for the sequel) and got to talk to her for a while. The message Gayle Forman wrote in my copy of If I Stay when she signed it is absolutely the best note from an author I've ever gotten in a book and I loved meeting her. I loved driving out and blaring Lady Gaga, loved the event and meeting the author and hanging out with Khy, and I loved driving back home, happy and exhausted, after a completely awesome day.
3. Sarah Dessen's signing for Along for the Ride.
It's no secret that I love Sarah Dessen's writing. The Truth About Forever was my first introduction to YA literature -- the book that made me love reading it and want to write it. Since then, I've accumulated every Dessen novel there is and read most of them multiple times. So of course I had to meet Sarah Dessen when I had the chance. I went to the signing/reading with Cindy Pon and had a wonderful time. I did meet Sarah Dessen and talk to her for a couple seconds, though of course I don't remember what I said and I'm sure whatever it was, it sounded stupid.
4. John Green and David Levithan's signing for Will Grayson, Will Grayson.
I haven't read Will Grayson (or much by Levithan, really), but John Green is one of my favorite authors. An Abundance of Katherines made me laugh the way few books have been able to do and Paper Towns is just incredible. Seeing how many people were at this signing was awesome, of course, as was meeting John and hearing him talk about his books. The event was livestreamed (wait... is that a word?) and me and Khy were sitting right next to the computer; a couple of other bloggers said they could hear us talking before the event really got started, which I found hilarious.
5. Heidi R. Kling's meet up for Sea.
This wasn't an actual event. How un-actual was it? There was no reading or official signing, and the bookstore hadn't even gotten their shipment of Sea in for it. But it was awesome all the same. For one thing, it was at the bookstore in Downtown Disney, which gave me a supergreat excuse to drive out to Disneyland (I don't love driving, but I do love Disney) and it was basically just Heidi Kling and a bunch of bloggers sitting and talking. Heidi is every bit as wonderful and friendly as you'd expect her to be and I had a blast talking books with people like Khy and Catt in real life, as well as browsing the bookstore shelves and comparing which books we'd read.
& now five authors I'd love to meet but haven't yet:
Courtney Summers
Maureen Johnson
Susie Day
Lynne Rae Perkins
Sarah Ockler
(and, of course, lots more)
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