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Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings, where the blog's owner Heidi discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.
Here is what is on deck this week:
DO YOU TAG AUTHORS IN YOUR (OVERALL) POSITIVE REVIEWS? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT AUTHORS NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THEM OR OPTING OUT?
First off - as of today, this isn't a new topic, though it was when I submitted this question to Heidi a whole bunch of months ago (I had even thought of using it for a personal post before I sent it to her, but I couldn't make the time back then). For instance, Sam @ We Live and Breathe Books did a brilliant discussion post about it last August. But since the title had already been incorporated in the TMST list when she did, oops, well, here we go. I did add a second question to the main one though, so I'm hoping to bring a fresh angle to the topic at hand.
Basically, yes, I do tag authors in 4/5-star reviews. And I get a little sad if they don't acknowledge my tweets at all (though I understand that some authors get tagged too many times a day to be able to stay on top of everything. But I'm also sure that some of them never check their notifications to begin with, which makes me even more sad, because...what's the point of having a social media presence at all then?). And honestly, I get a bit annoyed by authors who ask not to be tagged. It's not like we can keep a list of everyone who wants to opt out, can we? Also, they can simply choose not to click on the review link. It's THAT easy.
BUT, after reading Sam's post and its comments, I started to feel more self-conscious about my tagging. So, now it depends on the things I have to say about the book...I mean my nit-picking remarks...if I tag the author or not. I feel like, even in 4/5-star reviews, some are potentially more painful than others, so I make sure not to tag the author if I do believe they can be genuinely hurt by one of more of my opinions. Of course, it's still subjective, but it's the best compromise I could find. I still believe in tagging authors and giving them the chance to find out why their books were loved or/and made a mark. I'm not ready to give up on it, and probably never will 🙂. But I can do my best to practice kindness...
Well, that's it for now. And if you're interested in participating, here is the TMST prompt list for the rest of June (which is, uh...void LOL) and the month of July:
Basically, yes, I do tag authors in 4/5-star reviews. And I get a little sad if they don't acknowledge my tweets at all (though I understand that some authors get tagged too many times a day to be able to stay on top of everything. But I'm also sure that some of them never check their notifications to begin with, which makes me even more sad, because...what's the point of having a social media presence at all then?). And honestly, I get a bit annoyed by authors who ask not to be tagged. It's not like we can keep a list of everyone who wants to opt out, can we? Also, they can simply choose not to click on the review link. It's THAT easy.
BUT, after reading Sam's post and its comments, I started to feel more self-conscious about my tagging. So, now it depends on the things I have to say about the book...I mean my nit-picking remarks...if I tag the author or not. I feel like, even in 4/5-star reviews, some are potentially more painful than others, so I make sure not to tag the author if I do believe they can be genuinely hurt by one of more of my opinions. Of course, it's still subjective, but it's the best compromise I could find. I still believe in tagging authors and giving them the chance to find out why their books were loved or/and made a mark. I'm not ready to give up on it, and probably never will 🙂. But I can do my best to practice kindness...
Well, that's it for now. And if you're interested in participating, here is the TMST prompt list for the rest of June (which is, uh...void LOL) and the month of July:
- June 23rd: blog break - no post
- June 30th: blog break - no post
- July 7th: How do you feel about book banning?
- July 14th: Does your reviewing style change depending on the book? (I submitted this one)
- July 21st: What ruins a good read for you?
- July 28th: What things make a good book for you?
I'll be back for the meme on July 14th, of course 😉. Not that I'm avoiding questions that I didn't submit, but I can't keep up with them all...
Now tell me something...what's your attitude about tagging authors in positive reviews? (...because of course we don't even CONSIDER tagging them in bad/so-so ones, do we? 🙄)
Awww, I can't believe you mentioned me (thank you!). I like that you are considering what's in the review, even if it's positive overall. I think it's very brave to share your art, as it's a piece of you, and regardless of the fact that it opens you to criticism, it doesn't mean we have to tag authors so they don't our's, you know?
ReplyDeleteYour discussion came out before this one, so of course I paid due respect! 😉
DeleteI know you believe in letting authors know that we enjoyed their books no matter the rating, only you do that in a safe way, so to speak. That's what I'm trying to do after reading your discussion post and the comments 🙂. I still tag them, but with more care.
I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to this but for years now I have followed a policy of not tagging authors on any review. If I'm posting on a review book on Instagram I might tag the publisher but I usually just post a review on my blog and leave it at that.
ReplyDeleteAfter a lot of thought I decided that if authors want to go looking for reviews they can and that for some it might be anxiety producing to wonder if they should read a review or not. But that is from a perspective of a person (me) with a lot of anxiety lol
That's a valid point!
DeleteAt first I have no idea what you mean by tagging because I don't tweet (& I'm a bit of a Luddite) but now I know, I find it a bit strange. But I'm not into the tweeting world so maybe it's not so strange.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't understand why reviewers have to worry about author's feelings. But like you say, they can choose to read the reviews or not. I don't think it matters because I have not heard any authors re-writing their books even when there are thousands of bad reviews. I only knew one author who rewrote one of her books though I didn't find the first version all that bad.
But it is nice to be kind and seeing sensitive how some people get, I think it's quite fortunate that I'm not tweeting.
Have a lovely day.
Sometimes bad reviews have impacted a book, if early reviewers (those who had access to advanced review copies, that is, the ones that go around prior to pub date) were calling out some problematic behaviour from the author (e.g. if the author in question was careless about representation of ethnicity). In those cases, some changes were made, and a new version of the book officially hit the market. But most of the times, reviews are for other readers, not for authors. That being said, I like to give them the chance to read a review to let them know their book was loved. Usually, those with a huge social media following don't even acknowledge it (I want to believe it's because they can't keep up with all the notifications), but indie/small pub authors do, and sometimes you can make their day (or hurt their feelings of course, but why would you, unless you are a monster? LOL).
DeleteAnd yes - sometimes Twitter wars ensue! But it's usually when an author feels entitled and claims that people have misunderstood them and all that, just because they can't handle ANY criticism. And they didn't even get tagged in the first place, but went out of their way in order to read reviews and harass the people who wrote them even if they weren't offensive. It's a good thing that most authors are reasonable though.
I don't usually tag authors in my positive reviews. However, if a book literally blew me away and has become a new favourite, I will tweet the author and tell them that I loved their book. I've only had someone not reply once, and tbh, it was a bummer for me because I was really ready to fangirl at their response. But, I guess authors aren't obligated to have a big social media presence if they don't want too. Still, I find it very kind of the authors who do take the time to acknowledge their fans' tweets.
ReplyDeleteAw, I'm sorry, but at least it was only one author - and I guess sometimes it's not easy to keep up with all the notifications. It's always a bummer, isn't it? But I think there are authors who DO read tweets, only they're more likely to interact with those that don't actually mention a review. There's this author I always tag in reviews because I love their books, but who only retweeted one of my tweets (and commented on it) when I mentioned I was sad they didn't have a book out this year. They more or less said that a tweet like that gave them a boost of confidence while they were all alone in their room writing the next book and wondering if people were waiting for it (not in those words, but that was the overall mood). It was really nice!
DeleteI see I'm the black sheep here, because I can't seem to opt out of tagging, though I've learned to be more cautious. Not for fear of backlash, but because I don't want to hurt the author's feeling just in case.
I don't usually tag but sometimes I do, especially if a book really impacted me or I just loved it so much I want everyone to know (or I want the author to know). I would probably tag more if I was more active on social media. I'm on Twitter and check it daily but I'm not SUPER active, you know? I think if I was (and I want to be) I would do it more, since if my review is positive I would like authors to know how much I loved their book!
ReplyDeleteIt's probably safer not to be very active on social medias LOL. Then again, it's so nice to have a circle of friends to talk to on a daily basis, and to be able to reach out to authors. Though even when you love-love one of their books, there's always (or often) that small thing that bugs you that you mention in the review, and it could hurt the author, if a little. To be honest though, you're less nitpicky than me, so it's probably safe for you to tag authors (and for them too!) 😉.
DeleteTumblr essentially has two tagging systems. The first one is more of an organizational tagging system to help people find posts about topics they like, and I always tag authors and book titles in that one. Otherwise, unless they happen to follow me and see the post in real time, no one can find it.
ReplyDeleteThe other is an @ system for tagging other blogs, and it shows up in notifications. (This sounds more like the Twitter tag, but I'm not that familiar with it.) I use it for games/discussions with other bloggers, but I've never tagged an author in one of those, and I doubt I'd ever be brave enough to, even for a 5-star review.
However, anyone can check the former tag system to find things, so authors can basically opt-in to read them if they want to. Occasionally, an author likes or reblogs one of my posts, and it totally makes my day. 😍 Is there a lot of author interaction on Twitter?
It sounds like the first one is akin to the shelf system on Goodreads, while the other is more of a real notification system (and yes, it does sound like the Twitter tag one). In a way, the first one is even better than the @ one, because the author finds you and interact with you on their own terms, just because they choose to.
DeleteIf we're talking about established authors with a decent number of followers, I wouldn't say that there's a lot of author interaction on Twitter. They probably don't see half the stuff concerning their books, and even if they do, they probably don't have the time (or will) to acknowledge everyone. Not that being aware of this makes their silence more bearable for us fans 😥 😉. But indie/small pub authors are much more likely to interact, which is understandable.
If I'm friends with the author and I enjoyed the book and wrote a 5 star review I will probably tag the author. If I really loved the book and I don't know the author I will tag the author sometimes. I never tag the author if it's a negative review. I figure if the author is going to the trouble of following me on Twitter, promoting their books and/or gave me an ARC and I loved it, I figure they won't mind being tagged in the review.
ReplyDelete"I figure if the author is going to the trouble of following me on Twitter, promoting their books and/or gave me an ARC and I loved it, I figure they won't mind being tagged in the review."
DeleteThat makes sense! Unless it was mostly the publisher's works, but authors get very involved in their own promotion these days (at least those who haven't reached Stephen King's status!).
Congrats on having your question chosen! I only tag (sometimes) for 5-star reviews (if I"m really excited).
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate a retweet which some authors (and publishers) are great at and others are not.
"(if I"m really excited)."
Delete😂
Yeah, a RT or like doesn't take much time, does it? but some authors/publishers simply don't engage. I mean, I don't know, maybe they get a thousand notifications a day and never ever read them. But still.
I don't tag authors on any reviews! I think I need to force myself to be more social.
ReplyDeleteThis is a problem especially when I decide to read and review a book sent to me by an author. In these cases, I will email back the link to my review, but I will not tag them on social media. Well, I'm brutally honest on my reviews and sometimes I feel bad for them to read my thought (even though they should expect it, if they sent me a poorly edited book).
Ha! If they did reach out to you and their book was subpar, they have to accept what comes their way.
DeleteI loved Sam's discussion post, but it did make me a bit self-conscious about tagging authors. 😅 I've mostly stopped tagging authors, because I saw quite a few say they don't like to be tagged, period. (Which I'm a little uncomfortable with? We're doing free promo, no matter how big or small our reach is, and they can just, like you said, not click on any links?) For a while I'd tag them in 4/5 stars one... until an author tweeted it makes her angry when someone tags her in a 4 star review. So I switched to only five stars until the whole "we don't want to be tagged at all" debacle.
ReplyDeleteEven so, I do make exceptions sometimes - like, I wrote "mini" reviews for two diverse books, and the post came out more like a recommendation post than a proper review. I tagged both authors, and they were so thankful and happy. They both commented, liked, shared and one of them seemed especially thankful. This, btw, is why I'm always hesitating before NOT tagging - lots of authors love to see positive reviews.
Also, I've seen many authors say that they like to be tagged in lists/recommendations, so I tend to tag them in those too. And most of everyone likes "best of the year" posts, as far as I saw. :) Great discussion!
"I've mostly stopped tagging authors, because I saw quite a few say they don't like to be tagged, period. (Which I'm a little uncomfortable with? We're doing free promo, no matter how big or small our reach is, and they can just, like you said, not click on any links?)".
DeleteLOL, yeah, that's another interesting angle - we're still promoting their work for free, and unless it's a bad review (but sometimes even in that case, because we all know one man's trash is another man's treasure), they should be happy to see that their books are talked about!
"For a while I'd tag them in 4/5 stars one... until an author tweeted it makes her angry when someone tags her in a 4 star review."
Angry? I can understand anxious, but angry? What kind of special snowflake says this?
I'm glad you had such positive experiences with your minis. Maybe it's because recs usually focus on the positive aspects of a book, or maybe it's because those writers are appreciative human beings - who knows! Personally, I don't want to hurt anyone, and Sam's discussion made me reconsider my stance on those reviews that can be unwittingly controversial, but I get angry (yep, it's my turn LOL) when someone tells me what to do. I keep coming back to the "no one is asking you to click on my link" point...
Great discussion to have- personally I don't tag authors- but I know that others do that with my blog posts and that's cool (if they're overwhelmingly positive) I'm not too bothered if I don't get an acknowledgment, but it's super cool if the author does take a moment to like it or comment (but I also understand there's a possibility they won't read it at all, if they have a policy to not read any reviews, which in some cases can be for the best). And, if the author does have a pleasant response, then my admiration for them will go up exponentially.
ReplyDelete"(but I also understand there's a possibility they won't read it at all, if they have a policy to not read any reviews, which in some cases can be for the best)"
DeleteGood point - there are probably authors who never ever read reviews, not even 5-star ones, and if it's what it takes for them to keep their mental peace, more power to them!
If the review copy came through the author and not the publisher, I do have to email them to let them know. This is only the case for two authors with me and I have a history of loving their books. Otherwise? I tend not to tag them in reviews AT ALL. Mostly because even in my four and EVEN in my five star reviews, sometimes I mention a little bit of criticism... because I am that kind of reader >> If it's all praise (rarely, I even have some criticism for my all time favourite books) I will maybe tag them but generally I just don't. My reviews are for the publishers and readers after all :)
ReplyDeleteIt's rare for me not to have a quibble with a book either, and in those cases, better safe than sorry (also, why hurt the author's feelings?). I do agree that reviews are for the publishers and other readers, only sometimes you feel the need to tell the author they had an impact on you, you know?
Delete