Is exercising tact and caution a good idea or does it stifle discussion?
Over the course of my time spent on reader groups and reviewing books, I have seen a myriad of conversations and reviews online that have made me cringe a bit. Some people can come across in really harsh ways (maybe without even meaning to). And this harshness can be hurtful.
Authors are real people with real feelings who have spent real time writing and that all deserve some consideration.
However, readers are also real people with real feelings who are spending real money. That also deserves some consideration.
The biggest rule – a personal attack on an author is never okay. Not in any forum. Not for any reason.
An author friended me on my personal Facebook account. I pretty much accept all friend requests except for those suspicious successful widower accounts (ha!). I am who I am and have strong beliefs and opinions. The author eventually got mad at an opinion I hold. They gave me the what for on my social media page and promptly unfriended and blocked me. What I did not and will not do is speak out against this author or take out my own feelings about this event on their books – even though I felt like they were being childish and a tad dumb.
My second rule – you should never disparage a book or author you have not read. You don’t know if you didn’t like it. And it is unfair to the author and the book.
My third rule – In mixed spaces where readers and authors are part of the same group – where things can be very personal – tact is required. Being inflammatory or harsh in negative recommendations is just not necessary. Social media groups connect us in a different way than a site like Goodreads. Social media is designed to connect us as people, rather than connecting us to books. There is a way to moderate your words, so you can still be honest without coming across as mean and spiteful.
My fourth rule – Goodreads, Amazon, Bookbub and other review spaces are fair game, and authors and readers alike need to be thicker skinned. Readers need to be able to put their opinions out there. They need to be able to say, “This was the stupidest thing I’ve ever read, and it wasn’t worth the match I set it on fire with,” and be able to back that up with their reasoning.
Readers need to be able to express their honest thoughts about what they read, however they come out. Other readers count on honest reader reviews. But this needs to be done in appropriate forums using language and tone that are appropriate for the platform.
Jessica Reads Smutty Books 