If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while Edenredbutchertechcrunch, you’re probably aware that I tend to give a lot of negative reviews. When I first started reviewing books, this was not my usual way of doing things. It wasn’t until recently when I realized that this was how I had been reviewing for years! However, after seeing how many positive reviews I get on some of the books I review, and the number of people who really like what they read, it’s become something of an art now. While it may feel like you have nothing to lose by giving negative reviews as they are short and sweet, it actually helps readers discover new books and authors so much more easily. Here are few reasons why you should give your reviewbooks a negative response…
The author usually doesn’t know what they’re doing.
This one might surprise you, but I’ve been reading forever and a few years ago, I never once heard of an author starting a series until they were in the final draft of their book! The average author starts their own novel and then lets it languish in an editing phase, while others pick up where they left off and start writing the second they get their first draft done. The fact that you didn’t even begin to enjoy the book until you finished it is a big, big red flag! If you think the book you’re reviewing sucked, you should probably give it a negative review too.
## The book is boring or doesn’t have much to offer.
This one might surprise you, but I’ve been reading forever and a few years ago, I never once heard of a novel being called “boring” before its cover was released! Yes, I know, it’s a gross understatement, but you’re wrong if you say I didn’t start to read—I started exactly one year after the initial release of my first novel. The average reader starts their first novel about a year after they’ve been published, so be sure to track your reading habits! If you put off reading because you were too busy working or saving for a home, you’re either a latesticker or a house burner. Both of these are awful habits to walk away from once you finish your book. As soon as you start to relax, unwind, or take a nap, your book starts to gel and bloom. So, don’t put such a hold on your reading because you’re too busy saving for a home. Start saving now, and you’ll have extra money to invest when you’re ready to face the world.
## The old book has too much repetition and is hard to understand.
This might shock you, but I’ve always been a really good reader, but not during my childhood. When I was a kid, I always read the same thing—I would read chapter books, history books, and random books. If another book bored me, I would borrow a story from the other book, or I would read the two books in a weekend and ignore the boring parts. If reading a lot puts a standstill in your flow, or if you feel like you’re reading a bit slowly, try putting down the book and looking up words. If you want to be faster to read, try reading a fast contemporary novel. If you want to be slow to read, try reading a slow classic. If you want to guess what happens next or decipher the meaning of things, try reading a dictionary. Generally, this will help with your understanding of the words and how they sound, but if you can’t understand the words, then just ignore them.
## The description of the book is too general or doesn’t relate to the character’s situation.
I know this one doesn’t sound too shabby either, but in this day and age, general descriptions are going to come across as extremely generic. If a character’s outfit gets descriptions in one place, or the language of the book gets mentioned a lot, it’s just going to rub people the wrong way. Don’t just ignore the general descriptions and come back to the characters in a more detailed way when you’re ready to publish.
## The book is too short.
This might shock you, but I’ve always been a reader who is slow to read. If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while, you’re probably aware that I tend to give a lot of negative reviews. When I first started reviewing books, this was not my usual way of doing things. It wasn’t until recently when I realized that this was how I had been reviewing for years! However, after seeing how many positive reviews I get on some of the books I review, and the number of people who really like what they read, it’s become something of an art now. While it may feel like you have nothing to lose by giving negative reviews as they are short and sweet, it actually helps readers discover new books and authors so much more easily. Here are few reasons why you should give your reviewbooks a negative response…
## The author usually doesn’t know what they’re doing.
This one might surprise you, but I’ve been reading forever and a few years ago, I never once heard of an author starting a series until they were in the final draft of their book! The average author starts their own novel and then lets it languish in an editing phase, while others pick up where they left off and start writing the second they get their first draft done. The fact that you didn’t even begin to enjoy the book until you finished it is a big, big red flag! If you think the book you’re reviewing sucked, you should probably give it a negative review too.
## The book is boring or doesn’t have much to offer.
This one might shock you, but I’ve been reading forever and a few years ago, I never once heard of a novel being called “boring” before its cover was released. Yes, I know, it’s a gross understatement, but you’re wrong if you say I didn’t start to read—I started exactly one year after the initial release of my first novel. The average reader starts their first novel about a year after they’ve been published, so be sure to track your reading habits! If you put off reading because you were too busy working or saving for a home, you’re either a latesticker or a house burner. Both of these are awful habits to walk away from once you finish your book. As soon as you start to relax, unwind, or take a nap, your book starts to gel and bloom. So, don’t put such a hold on your reading because you’re too busy saving for a home. Start saving now, and you’ll have extra money to invest when you’re ready to face the world.
## The old book has too much repetition and is hard to understand.
This might surprise you, but I’ve always been a really good reader, but not during my childhood. When I was a kid, I always read the same thing—I would read chapter books, history books, and random books. If another book bored me, I would borrow a story from the other book, or I would read the two books in a weekend and ignore the boring parts. If you think you’re reading a bit slowly, try reading a fast contemporary novel. If you want to be faster to read, try reading a fast contemporary novel. If you want to be slow to read, try reading a slow classic. If you want to guess what happens next or decipher the meaning of things, try reading a dictionary. Generally, this will help with your understanding of the words and how they sound, but if you can’t understand the words, then just ignore them.
## The description of the book is too general or doesn’t relate to the character’s situation.
I know this one doesn’t sound too shabby either, but in this day and age, general descriptions are going to be met with much criticism. If a character’s outfit gets descriptions in one place, or the language of the book gets mentioned a lot, it’s just going to rub people the wrong way. Don’t just ignore the general descriptions and