I was going to delete the whole policy page altogether and simply say I am not accepting review copies at this time. At all. Ever again. Because I am tired of the whole relationship thing between bloggers and authors and the 'expecting' of a fabulous review and if it's not a fabulous review then we are going to talk about it on facebook thing cuz we must be a doormat.
So Sick Of It.
I am tired of seeing authors calling bloggers names, and I am tired of bloggers calling out other bloggers for whatever snafu/drama of the day is going on.
Apparently, we all can't just get along. At all. There will be cliques, there will be gushy reviews, there will be negative reviews.. and really, I am okay with that. It's the backwash that happens when all this collides.
SO, the 2012 Update is now saying that I will complete the officially requested blog tour/whatever promo type book reviews that are on my plate for the next few months.
And then I am going to be EXTrEmeLy picky about what books I 'review'. I will review for those authors that I do NOT have such a relationship with that I feel I could honestly give a 2 star review if I have to. Have I ever, though? It's very rare.
*Hint to Authors* There are many Christians out there. You don't have to be. But don't start spewing your hatred on Facebook, because then I am not touching your book with a ten foot pole. No matter how good you continue to
Some fun posts to read and peruse as you contemplate my ire at this whole book reviewer thing...
It started at a blog who posted a review. The author mentions it on FB, which caused this to happen:
http://respiring-thoughts.blogspot.com/2012/07/renae-rambles-is-book-blogging-for-me.html
Then I see this:
http://sarahshistoryblog.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/lets-hear-it-for-reviewers/
http://nevillfeast.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/what-does-it-take-to-be-called-an-amazon-fora-troll/#comment-2138
And then there are the Goodreads Bullies whatever dramas going on.. and then I see some more thoughtful posts..
http://kbgbabbles.blogspot.com/2012/07/art-of-practing-arc-stopping.html
http://dearauthor.com/features/letters-of-opinion/something-is-very-wrong-with-us-and-its-not-bad-reviews/
http://estellasrevenge.blogspot.com/2012/07/reviewers-vs-authors-youre-adult-and.html
And then there is drama galore/case in point:
http://www.pocketfulofbooks.com/search/label/authors%20behaving%20badly
and then Goodreads has a plethora of drama, here are two:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/969368-why-has-my-review-been-hidden?class=mediumText&order=a&page=18
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1210092
and editing to add this one, too:
http://coreyann.me/?p=141
and editing to add this one, too:
Pseudonym Etiquette, courtesy of Audra
And then this idiot who says bloggers don't even know HOW to write
Lev Raphael on the Huffington Post
Which is why I take a step back and say HEY, Can I REALLY be objective? Book reviewers are a commodity to the author. We promote and market your book for free. So what if it's not a 5 star review? What if I thoughtfully created a review, spent days knowing the author will see this and I lovingly crafted this three star book review since I KNOW you get a google alert and you fabulously post each and every fabulous review on Facebook.. and then -dun dun dunnnn - my three star review that took me days to read and then thoughtfully a review goes ignored.
I wrote this post in June 2012, and again in March 2013 this same negative feelings came back to me which resulted in the following post:
http://www.burtonbookreview.com/2013/03/to-review-or-not-to-review-that-is.html
Which was then lifted from my site and reposted elsewhere, I am so special to have people steal stuff, which meant I had to install a NoRightClick javascript code, and then created this post http://www.burtonbookreview.com/2013/03/to-post-or-not-post-that-is-question.html
If you really truly wanted the official review policy, you can find it here. That way, my FTC Watchdogs can see that I have a review policy that was formulated to their liking. And if you still think I would want to review your book because I have before then you should have my email address on file. I am on netgalley. And facebook. And linked in. And twitter.
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