I tagged an author in a negative review 🫣

I once tagged an author in a negative review. (No, I am not proud of myself.)
In case you were wondering, no you should not tag authors in negative reviews of their books. I learned my lesson and I now never tag an author in any review under five stars.

[@Jeanniebugg]

I once left a negative review of a book on amazon. The author decided to fight me in the comments. It was surreal.

[@ilovehorses_14]

HELP WHAT

[@lovetolovefairytales]

That happened to me on Goodreads.

[@xdani_thethinkingneko]

I just saw a video on books with Cindy read books,where a male author made a book he dedicated it to somebody who made a KZbin review that was negative about it..... it was really creepy too, because the book was essentially torture porn. I don’t have a problem with people reading stuff like that. I read that type of stuff to you sometimes. But just a combination of the fact that he wrote that while launching a hate campaign against a woman, just because she didn’t like his book....scary shit.

[@DellikkilleD]

@@xdani_thethinkingneko scary? weird sure, but hardly scary lol

[@AzraelThanatos]

@@xdani_thethinkingneko There's a lot of creatives that do that..I've liked Michael Crichton novels, but he kind of had some nasty things to do with writing his critics into books in his later years, and there are a few others who do that kind of thing on occasion. I don't like that kind of thing popping up, but it's another reason to not directly engage someone over things

[@katedustinrzonca9992]

I think there are two situations where it is okay to tag the author for negative reasons. 1) When the author specifically asks for feedback, positive and negative. And 2) If there are egregious errors in editing or formatting that make it seem as if the wrong version of a book were uploaded to the selling platform and you cannot reach the author any other way.

[@pieterd3408]

Honestly if a book has particularly repugnant morals or politics I also have no problem with letting the author know that.

[@ekaterinanyx4598]

​@@pieterd3408I'm sorry, who are you to tell the authors what "morals" they should put in their book?also, newsflash, books don't exist to be moralistic, books usually simply tell a story. Books also don't mirror the author's views or morals, unless you think Nabokov approved of child grooming and George Martin approved of inc*st. Not tagging authors in reviews is simply ethical. Not only in the west btw, but it's also agreed upon authors on KZbin in my country. Reviews are not for authors. Another newsflash, most of them don't read/watch them on purpose :)

[@pieterd3408]

@@ekaterinanyx4598 I might not have been clear. I don't really care if a book doesn't have morals in it. I certainly don't think that's a requirement to produce art. And obviously the events of a book or the actions of the main character don't necessarily reflect the author's worldview. But many books consciously or unconsciously normalise certain behaviours, and yet others function effectively as soft propaganda for certain worldviews. Many media and literature courses will teach you this. Now if I read a book that is really well-written, but also seems to lead many of its readers to, for example, fascistic worldviews and politics, I cannot ignore that when constructing a review. Now I obviously get that my reviews probably won't reach any authors, but when it comes to that kind of stuff, I wouldn't particularly mind if they did.

[@AzraelThanatos]

@@pieterd3408Most of the time, with reviews, the tagging just creates a fight there. By all means, mention it in the review, but don't try dragging the author into it to try to defend themselves. The only time to tag an author into it is if either the author asks for that, or there is a major flaw in the product itself such as formatting or similar where they are the ones most likely to be able to get things fixed with it.

[@meeponinthbit3466]

​@@pieterd3408 Very few people truly have any real morals, plus unless it's an autobiography, you can't compare a book to the author. It's a story, but not their story.

[@Djinn_Entonic]

Im of the camp "reviews are for readers" we arent paid to give critizism to the author, we are just saying our thoughts so other readers can make an informed choice.

[@TreeM1984]

i agree with this - it's just providing our own unique perspective on the story as a whole.

[@randoml97]

Plot twist: the other Author never got over the review you gave when you were 13 and the review was from their alt account

[@MidknytOwl]

3.5 stars isn't a negative review though, it's a positive one. I don't know if Goodreads still does this, but it used to give you rough guidance and 3 stars was "I liked it" and 4 stars was "I really liked it." 3.5 is definitely a positive review, just not a glowing one.

[@pendlera2959]

I agree. I don't like how anything other than 5 stars is considered negative. That's like saying anything less than an A is failing.

[@MidknytOwl]

Exactly! And a 3 is not a C, it's more a B. 4 is an A, and 5 is an A++. 5s should be rare; I think a lot of reviewers give them out far too easily.

[@ilzetzouves3398]

I'm very stingy with my stars... a 5 star book blew my mind and I need to reread it again immediately and I will probably never get sick of rereading it over and over again. 4 stars: it was very good. I really really liked it. 3 stars: I liked it , it was a good book. Solid. Maybe an editing error here or there or grammar oopsie, but a good, enjoyable story. 2 stars: it was okay. Usually more errors and the story or characters could be better. 1 star: not my cup of tea. Most books that I read get 3 stars on goodreads. I don't think of them as bad reviews at all and I don't think of those books as bad books either. I'll probably re-read those books again at some point again and will enjoy them again. They just didn't blow my mind or left me with "okay what did I just read! This was... I can't even... wait, I need to... how am I meant to even... what am I supposed to read now??" type of vibe.

[@luckystar9279]

It's entirely dependent on what the reviewer said in the review. Not everyone thinks of the stars in the same way. And anyways, a star review is barely a review compared to thoughts someone actually bothered to write out.

[@robertawalsh2995]

@@luckystar9279 Right. The stars are just a rating and really aren't that helpful in judging a book because assigning them is so subjective. I read reviews but pretty much ignore the stars.

[@sunglory4488]

What I find fascinating with this is that you were a teenager and already an author?^^ WOW, that's really impressive!!

[@BooksandBuns]

Self publishing exists, as do writing competitions. I was a 'published author' at 15 by having two of my stories feature in anthologies, it's not that hard to do in this day & age

[@DeathnoteBB]

⁠@@BooksandBunsNo offense but I’m gonna say having one or two books out isn’t the same as a story feature or a writing competition

[@BooksandBuns]

@@DeathnoteBB they're physically published books. Say what you want, but they're still actual books. Many writers get their start through short stories, some through magazines & some through anthologies. Many established authors feature in anthologies. & when you're a minor, unless you're a nepo baby, you don't get many other opportunities than that unless you self publish cause no publishing house is gonna risk publishing a new author whose a literal minor

[@DeathnoteBB]

@@BooksandBuns I think you read my comment as the exact opposite of what I meant. You sounded like you were downplaying being a teen author and I was explaining how she said two BOOKS meaning it wasn’t just a competition she won for a short story, she fully wrote two books.

[@BooksandBuns]

@@DeathnoteBB I am a teen author. Unless America functions differently, I seriously don't believe she genuinely has had two professionally published books before reaching the age of majority. I am literally telling you my own experience of being an underage author who is now an adult. Anthologies are valid books, but they are some of the only books an underage author has the chance to get published in because they are UNDERAGE

[@DanielleBaum]

i once had an author track me down at the university I was working at and start emailing my dean, the provost, and the president of the university because I said his accuracy to facts was horrid... it was, which is why no one would publish it. some people just be weird yo

[@syedarizvi7290]

bruh thats crazy, it's criminal he stalked you for a bad review. hope you're ok

[@dionysus_adores]

The REVIEW Wasn't even that bad compared to the unhinged comments on books. Especially for women authors, omg the dramatic loonies I tell ya. And for all ya I mean not that bad of reviews I'm talking bout reviews not stalking. Stalking is insane

[@ambivvvvvvvvvalence]

@@dionysus_adoresyes minimize others very real problems, that will get people to agree with what you say next 🙄

[@smudge8882]

​​@@dionysus_adores I don't think you understand the seriousness of what OP was saying. Bad reviews are much less severe than being tracked down IRL. The latter is genuinely dangerous

[@dionysus_adores]

@@ambivvvvvvvvvalence hey I meant review not the stalking. The review wasn't that bad

[@johannageisel5390]

No, I did not know to not tag authors. But I have never thought about that either. I don't often write reviews.

[@SeanStephensen]

I’m more than happy to be tagged in a negative review of my work. I don’t assume that my work is perfect and I’m happy to hear the experience of someone who has spent some of their time on earth absorbing and thinking about something I made

[@204lemon]

The world need more open minded people like you

[@ekaterinanyx4598]

​@@204lemonit's not about "open-mindedness" 😂

[@ekaterinanyx4598]

Authors who ask to not be tagged in reviews don't do it because they can't take critique:) Also, professional authors most of the time don't read reviews at all. Because reviews are for readers, not authors

[@SeanStephensen]

@@ekaterinanyx4598 I don't mean to imply that they do it because they can't take critique. I'm just stating why I find great value in hearing reviews of my own work. Reviews can be for authors as well if they choose to read them :)

[@thelastwish558]

I'm relatively new to goodreads and I rarely write reviews. I never knew that some people tag authors in their comments or that people shouldn't do it either but I've never thought about tagging authors in their reviews. Im glad that the author you tagged years ago was fine with your apology. The part about someone rating your book 3.5 stars and tagging you definitely feels like karma to me😂.

[@patrickbailey2799]

To be fair, that's the thing, right? You had to learn the lesson as a teenager a decade ago when the author reached out to you. This still being well into the age of social media internet. Why didn't you know? Why wouldn't this person have to learn it as well? Perhaps they were also a teenager. By your own admittance, you didn't follow up with them. How could they know? Perhaps they won't learn this lesson because you chose not to reach out to message them. Food for thought.

[@DeathnoteBB]

“I thought we all knew by now-“ that’s the thing though, one person learning something doesn’t mean the entire world has. I’m sure the author you tagged back then thought the same thing

[@hurricaneofcats]

Yeah. Every teenager has to go through the same learning curve we did. These rules often aren't spelled out anywhere and there's always someone new to the space who can't read the room. Especially teenagers 😅

[@giordanodsouza9563]

That's what I was thinking!

[@AliciaRainbow]

Which is why it's helpful to have things like this of someone nicely saying "hey don't tag authors in negative reviews." I wouldn't have known either when I was a teenager.... then again when I was a teenager there wasn't really anywhere to leave negative reviews other than Idk myspace maybe?

[@EsmereldaPea]

FWIW, just because you learned that lesson doesn't mean it's common knowledge, especially amongst consumers.

[@ehdrake]

I wouldn't do it (I learned a similar lesson prior to publishing) but I honestly love reading my negative reviews. They're either a) enlightening to my areas of opportunity or new marketing strategies or b) really entertaining because I love a good rant, and I know it's not personal. Hell, one of my newer author buddies I met because she rated me 3.5 stars, and I appreciated her honesty (she didn't tag me, I just reached out.)

[@MrDoenyon]

I really find it fascinating (as in freaking weird) how anything short of 5 stars out of five is considered bad those days. I know it's a question of algorithm and such, but like seriously... Such a weird way to conduct oneself.

[@Tim3.14]

I don't know about novels, but when big corporations ask you to rate your experience, they often treat 5 stars as good, 4 as neutral, and anything lower than that as bad. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@robertawalsh2995]

I found out the hard way that rating systems have gotten crazy. If a doctor asks you to rate the pain from 1 to 10, say 10. Your life may depend on it.

[@michaeldomeier]

If the author wanted to read reviews of their work, they would. No need to tag someone.

[@DellikkilleD]

its rude to talk about someone without notifying them you are doing so. come the fuck on

[@dr4gonwriter]

Maybe you’ve answered this in another video, but can you tell us more about your publishing journey? How did you publish as a teenager? Did you go traditional or self-published? Is it something you can support yourself on? Always curious, as someone who gave up on being a writer because she thought it wouldn’t pay the bills 😅

[@Elliott-hf8rb]

Sometimes books arent just for people and that is okay. :)

[@mercycunningham2813]

Personaly I love feedback. Sometimes negative feedback really funny. We laughed very hard when a book of a friend got a one star review because it isn't a travel guild. The book is very obviously gay romance. I do admitt I do have a look at negative reviews to check if something went wrong, we are all human and shit happens.

[@wa4jd]

New people, whether young or just not familiar with a new-to-them space (i.e. KZbin vs. FaceBook vs. Instagram) may legitimately have no clue. You were young and hadn't thought through that particular action and consequences. I'm old and relatively unfamiliar with social media, but I treat it as if everything is being shouted in a room full of strangers. Mostly I keep my mouth shut to appear less clueless than I actually am.

[@jacobd1984]

I’d imagine since it’s a question of internet etiquette, someone is bound to see it differently, so it may not be a question of not knowing not to tag an author in a review.

[@VonUndZuGeist]

If KZbin still had the 5-Star system instad of the Thumb-Up I'd probably rate this video 3/5 stars aswell. Just for the lulz. Otherwise Book Goblin gets a solid 5/7.

[@samevans1289]

First off, I have a book (and moreso, an author) recommendation in regards to negative reviews, for anyone that's into thrillers - "The last word", by Taylor Adams. Love his writing. Secondly, my mind is blown that a 3.5 is considered a negative review. Seriously? For me, a 5 star on GR means A++, "this book blew me away, I'm wary to start anything else any time soon bc I feel like nothing will compare to it" kind of thing. 4 means I really liked it, so a 3.5 is a good rating imo.

[@weltenreier6024]

3 stars are negative? I read 50-70 books a year, if there are five books with 5 stars among them, that is a lot. 3 stars mean for me: a solid book, but I didn‘t feel a spark. 3 stars also mean for me: a book, that has potential but some things didn‘t work out (e.g. bland characters). By any means, 3 stars are not negative.

[@204lemon]

Thing is, everyone has different rating systems. I agree with you on 3 stars books are fine, but I never thought some people would've thought 3 stars meant bad

[@ladygodiva2]

​@@204lemonmost places where ratings are accepted (think: Goodreads) have established meanings for the star ratings. And 3 stars is not negative there 😂 it's "i liked it"

[@krista833]

I love the dedication to your husband in your third book.

[@victoriakohler627]

It’s totally possible the person who tagged you, is also a minor or very young person. So they may not have the experience and knowledge on certain etiquette yet. 😂 I babysit sometimes and one thing I’ve learned is that what is obvious to a 25 year old is not obvious to a 5 year old or even 15 year old 😂 Teaches me a lot of patience

[@purplepedantry]

When you learn something yourself, you expect it of everyone else.

[@angeldark404]

I was legit not expecting you to be the narrator for daindreths assassin

[@David_Baxendale]

A conversation going as it should. Rarely does it go that way..

[@WisdomAndWar133]

You know all of those things that "Everybody knows"? You aren't born knowing those things. So if you take one thing that "everybody knows" and assume that every adult (18+) knows that, tens of thousands of people learn that every day.

[@jrcorsey]

I don't know enough context for this story to be clear. What platform was the review on, what platform were you tagged on, what were the consequences for you, is tagging you in reviews sometimes appropriate? I wish you had explained this at a lower level

[@princecharon]

Yeah, I also feel like I'm missing a lot of the context, here.

[@velar1s]

No, I didn't know that. I kind of thought that if I'm giving an honest, constructive review, that the author would want to know it. Like, in the third series of an author I really liked from the beginning, a huge plot and danger was only caused by the main character being TDTL. That wasn't a problem at all with her privious books, and the MC in this book was supposed to be strong and intelligent as well, so I don't think that was intended. Wouldn't she want to know from her loyal readers that this plotline didn't make sense, but her worldbuilding and writing was still very good? She recently released the first book of her next series and so far, so good, no (too) dumb main characters. But good to know from an authors view! It's not like I usually tag authors anyway in reviews.

[@XenoTUF]

My sister private messages authors to complain about their book to them. 😭😭😭

[@Pineapple_Cheasecake]

Really?!

[@BooksandBuns]

I bet she's already gotten black listed by multiple authors, writing communities can be real tight

[@Daelyah]

Now, if only she could put that much audacity into writing her own books and putting them out for the world to see, would she equally welcome such behavior directed at her from others?

[@pendlera2959]

I really hope some day an author decides to just let her have it and publicly posts an amazingly written snarky response. The kind of response that people would request to hear them read out at conventions for years to come.

[@BooksandBuns]

@@pendlera2959 yeah, but then they're gonna get accused by the 'reviews aren't for authors!' crowd for *interacting* with a reviewer

[@syenite]

I just had a reviewer track down my email on Xmas day to tell me she left a review and wished me a merry Xmas and hope I enjoyed the review. It was a 2 star review. Some people do not know. It was a case of "clearly not for her". I didn't respond to email or review but clearly not everyone knows not to tag authors.

[@DeathnoteBB]

Was it a grandma? I feel like older people don’t understand that reviews these days are 5 by default and then take away stars for issues, perceived or otherwise. She probably assumed the system was _add_ a star for everything you liked, and two meant it was 2/5 things she liked, rather than 3 demerits 😅

[@johanbolin6793]

It's very possible you're dealing with Karma. Bless you though. I think you've handled it all very well..

[@JillianPlomin]

It was bad form for her to message you, as well. Maybe this happened before writer online etiquette was formally established. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@spacecaptain9188]

Why tho? I don't see the harm so long as the feedback is constructive.

[@ladygodiva2]

Three stars isnt negative 🙃

[@blasader]

Why is not ok? What kind of etiquette forbids an author writing a tagged negative review?

[@Dunybrook]

People are very different. It would never occur to me to ever tag an author for any reason in a book review.

[@mischarowe]

There are too many people left in this world who do not know to NOT tag authors. So this'll still be a thing for a good long while.

[@DustyGloo]

But if we dont tag you how can we beg the creator of the universe to bring our favourite problematic cuaracters back 😂😂😂

[@sardonisms]

I just don't tag authors in my reviews, positive or negative. No hate to those who do, it just doesn't even occur to me because I'm not trying to talk to them or even about them. I only tag if I want to ask a question or start a conversation.

[@maem7462]

Plot twist it was the author from long ago giving you karma lol

[@Dragonmoon8526]

I've noticed a number of KZbin videos that focus on book reviews. You click on one, and the algorithm sends you a 100. Anyway, I learned real quick not to watch or read those. Why? Because that was their opinion or experience with the book. It may not be mine. Even if I don't like a book, I'm going to hold my tongue. Because of the same idea. I may not like it, but someone else could.

[@shanividal8885]

I never thought of tagging the author. It is super legitimate to rate something according to the way you see fit, as it is an option that is available to use. But never even for a tiny moment was legitimate in my mind to tag the author. I don't leave my rating to the author but to other readers. The author shouldn't care for what I as an individual think about their creation as it is a complete product and I am only one person with a subjective opinion.

[@maypasifiki9360]

When I'm not vibing with a book, I will put it away for another time. I won't give a review of DNF or a low rating because I feel that would be unfair to the author especially because I've come to learn that my state of mind can affect how I perceive the book. Daindreth's Assassin was a 5 star rating for me by the way. I appreciate a good slow burn romance

[@val.teacup]

I do have a similar story. I didn't tag an author but I did post a very harsh review in a space where the author saw it. Worst part- I love that author. We did have a small conversation and I don't do stuff like that anymore. Negative reviews are for goodreads

[@icarusbinns3156]

A lot can be said about an editor, as well, in the final product. One book… it’s probably a mix of the author and the editor. The author has multiple books out now but due to the sheer Not Good of the first one, I cannot bring myself to read any more. No, I don’t remember the book. I think it had ‘light’ in the title? I don’t recall, other than it was not good

[@Melanie-Elisabeth]

Unless you have a very important question you want to ask them, why even tagging someone if you don't want an answer? o_o

[@DellikkilleD]

3 stars isnt a negative review tho, its a middle of the road review.

[@mischarowe]

Imo, depends on the intention.

[@Li54299]

The only time I leave bad reviews for books is my personal preference to it. Like I don't like this book because it was super slow to start and I'm not a fan of the character style or it has a ridiculously huge cliffhanger that is never cleared up in any of the books. I don't try to attack the author in the review, that is just rude. You can not like something and specify what you do not like about it without belittling people. I also think when you write a review you need to keep the context of why something is done a certain way in the book in mind. Like one book I've read had some child like writing in it but using context the pov of some parts of it is from a character that doesn't have the normal educational level of someone their age level so childlike makes sense especially when its a first person pov.

[@Malumbrus]

3.5 is 7/10. How is that negative? It's not a great score but it's not 1 or 2.

[@author_mackenzie_wheat]

I completely agree with book criticism because it helps to get totally honest reviews back. And I am also an author of one book so far which is a fantasy and I would be so happy if you would consider reading it and leaving a review. It’s called Kala by Mackenzie Wheat. The cover may not be the best but never judge a book by its cover (which is a lie because sometimes I still do)

[@author_mackenzie_wheat]

Since you were a young author do you have any advice for promoting books? I’ve been struggling and could use a fresh perspective

[@Hihihihihiiii-xe4qq]

WAIT SHE IS THE ONE WHO WROTE DAINDRETHS ASSASIN?!?

[@nala7829]

Yes!

[@nazimelmardi]

Actually we do. If you are respectful and have a real opinion and understanding on the given book? Authors like Steven Erikson usually answer it in comments here. And Brandon Sanderson or Joe Abercrombie have their ways to answer messages from people. We do have reviews less than 5/5 just listen Merphy Napier’s or even Daniel Greene’s vids and yet both were invited in Sanderson’s home. And yes, Daniel is an author. What are you reading that the author is so shallow? 😂

[@EMO_alpha]

Uhmm you guys need to take a lesson from the rap game and lean into beef. That would be tight

[@BooksandBuns]

Don't tag authors in negative reviews, & don't tag people you're blatantly lying about on twitter, it's Internet 101

[@9Johnny8]

For the second I'd say: Don't blatantly lie about people on twitter, but that might just be me.

[@BooksandBuns]

@@9Johnny8 sure, but tell that to someone on twitter & you run the risk of getting your head bit off

[@9Johnny8]

​@@BooksandBuns So you teach them how to get away with lying instead, makes sense. /jk

[@BooksandBuns]

@@9Johnny8 it ain't a crime if you never get caught 😉

[@lunaoliveira7965]

But why should authors not be tagged on negative reviews? It’s not like they are obliged to answer. Isn’t dealing with all sorts of feedback something that comes when you put something on the internet?

[@mischarowe]

Etiquette. Common sense. Decency. Oh, and reviews aren't for the author - they're for potential readers who may or may not buy the book based on your review. Take your pick. Authors shouldn't be tagged unless they've specifically asked for it or there's a technical problem with the book and the publisher (etc) cannot be contacted. Period.

[@spacecaptain9188]

@@mischarowe Obviously not a common sense, since so many people don't see the harm in it. And if you tag the author, then it IS also for the author. There's a lot of information that can benefit them as well as other readers.

[@mischarowe]

@@spacecaptain9188 If you tag the author for anything other than legit concerns it's a waste of the author's time. And needy. And stupid. Are you saying it's okay for people to tag authors just to 💩 on them? Because that's what this whole topic is about.

[@blablah6958]

If an author gets upset about a negative review they should consider 1.) take valid criticism or 2.) ignore if it is just bashing or a case of „ book wasn‘t for this reader. And yes i am saying that as someone who finds the idea of „ reviewer spaces“ stupid. (I need to add: authors should NEVER respond directly to one reviewer)

[@mischarowe]

Authors shouldn't be tagged anyway. And they also shouldn't be in the review space for their books.

[@blablah6958]

@@mischarowe yeah an author should not be tagged but a writer has the right to read or watch reviews of his book. This whole „reviewer space“ bs is just stupid. The author should be able to handle critcism, but to ban them from any kind of conversation with the readers isn‘t fair.

[@mischarowe]

@@blablah6958 It's not stupid. It's just for readers. That's what reviews ARE. An author has the right to go into the space but they're opening themselves up to a lot of discourse and if they respond, they'll just come across as immature. An author that responds to reader reviews is just asking for trouble. Nobody said anything about banning them. Don't be dramatic. Authors get enough feedback during the editing stages of their work. They don't need more opinions after it's published. And even if they feel like they do, it's still not the place for them to get into it with readers. Period.

[@mEmory______]

Idk maybe if a criticism is unfair, an author can take time to disagree with a criticism as long as its fair. There is more communication that way.