One reviewer's critique leads to an author's pique... how a 2-star review lead to a 4-letter word. [plus, man bites top off beer can, be amazed!]

BLOT: (29 Mar 2011 - 01:17:28 AM)

One reviewer's critique leads to an author's pique... how a 2-star review lead to a 4-letter word. [plus, man bites top off beer can, be amazed!]

Because there is always a chance that this is a stunt to act like a jackass on the Internet and get MORE hits, I'll keep it vague. It will sound a little weird, but stick with me, fair reader. We have a reviewer, let's call him R, who posts a review about a certain book, B, written by an author, A. A has posted the book on Smashwords to get reviews, but also has copies elsewhere, I gather. R's review is not super harsh, and if you don't believe you can see it here: R's review of A's B. Basically, it's [to him] a potentially awesome book foiled by typos [to me, it sounds like something I wouldn't read on a dare, but then I'm elitist or something]. If you can look past the typos, dance in the joyful bliss that is light reading. If not, then skip. Fair enough all around? Well, the author finds the review and flips out. Starts first attacking the reviewer for not downloading the fixed copy (which he says he did) and then posting reviews on other websites and then starts to call the review abuse and claims the reviewer is posting under different names to attack her and that he should be a man and respond to her emails.

After a few back and forths on whether or not sentences that talk about people watching "hypnotically Gino place more coffees out at another table with supreme balance" makes sense or not (Hey, I read House of Leaves, if she claims it's post-mod, I'll accept it*) the author comes back with the pithiest of pithy responses, and this is a *direct* quote: "FUCK OFF!" Hot damn that but that is some fine debating.

I write a lot of reviews. Used to. Have done. Might will again. You know what I mean. A few have been harsh-ish, but I tend to make sure the more harsh my review is, the more justification I can throw behind it. A couple of my reviews have gotten quoted by the author/creator, and that's always swell. Even got an email from a person whose work I reviewed somewhat negatively, but with exact reasons what I liked an didn't like, and got thanked for treating the material with respect. I do dread one day having someone go off on me, but until this day, I can look at A's response to R, and say, "Yep".

For all of you bored by all this fancy, schmancy book talkin', here's a video of a man biting the top off of beer cans and drinking those sudsy suds like there is no tomorrow a being...

* She doesn't and it's not.

LABEL(s): Book Publishing

OTHER BLOTS THIS MONTH: March 2011