I had a couple of topics I wanted to discuss and couldn’t decide which one to write about today. So I decided to combine them. I apologize in advance for the long post. If you want to read it, maybe you can break it up into two days or something. LOL.
First, should authors review? You do realize, I’m sure, that there’s no right or wrong answer to that. It’s your choice. However, I’m wondering if it even matters anymore since a couple of authors told me that Amazon is taking down reviews from authors. That doesn’t even make sense because authors are readers, too, but it might be because there are so many authors that give bad reviews to the “competition”. Yeah, it happens. I used to review a lot, but to be honest, I did it partly out of obligation. Yes, I loved the books, but if I knew the author, then there’s the chance people think you are just a friend trying to promote a friend’s book. And that can sometimes hurt more than help. Then there’s the situation where you want to review a friend’s book and you really don’t like it. What do you do then? I’ve pretty much stopped reviewing books by authors who are pretty well established and have lots of reviews already. And I might review a book if it has several bad reviews and I thought it was a really good book. I hate to see a book I really like get bad reviews. It’s really getting to the point, though, that trying to review is bogging me down. I read a LOT of books, and I just don’t have time to review every one of them. On Goodreads, you can at least just pop over and give a book some stars, so sometimes I’ll do that even if I don’t review on Amazon. I’m not saying I’m going to stop reviewing altogether, but I’m not going to do it much on retail sites. So I’m thinking I might start doing some reviewing on my blog. I want to write more on my blog anyway, so that might be a good way to have an extra post here and there. I could even do a post on “What I’m Reading” and just give a little comment about each book. I don’t know, I haven’t decided yet. We’ll see.
Next, I want to talk about how I’m burned out on Paranormal Romance. I never thought it would happen. When I wrote and published my first novel, it was a paranormal romance called A Rocky Path. It’s a ghost story. Then I did a couple of vampire books, a couple more ghost stories, more vampire/werewolf books. And I threw in a fantasy romance, Starfane, in the mix. The funny thing is, until I started writing PNR, it wasn’t what I was used to reading. I used to read horror, mystery, thriller, detective…but no PNR. Then when I started publishing that very thing, I really got into it. I was reading it like crazy. I have friends who write PNR, and I tried to read all of their books. I was like a sponge, soaking up the vampire love stories. The Black Dagger Brotherhood series blew me away. But, suddenly, things shifted. I started getting burned out on the BDB series, which I listened to as audiobooks. After I listened to the 8th (or 9th) Brotherhood book, I had to hear something different. I listened to a historical romance by Rose Gordon, which I enjoyed immensely. I’m currently listening to Micro by Michael Crichton (RIP). Next, I’m going to listen to Joe Hill’s (Stephen King’s son) latest book. Then MAYBE I can get back to the BDB. This burnout may be what’s affected my writing and making me change my current WIP. It was originally supposed to be a PNR, but it’s now apparently going to be horror. I like horror, but I never thought I would be able to write it. I was almost afraid to write The Gnome, but many people have told me they really like it. So I feel a little more confident about my WIP. For those friends of mine who write PNR, don’t worry…I know I won’t feel this way for too long. I WILL be reading your books. Just give me a little time. 🙂 But I also want to find some more indie authors who write other things, like horror, mysteries, etc. I do have some author friends who write in these genres, but I want more. I like to support indies, so I would rather read those authors when I can.
So I kind of feel like my post was rambling. I almost did this in kind of a stream of consciousness way, just writing what came out of my brain. If it makes no sense, please forgive me. I’ve had a rough few months. LOL
lauralynnelliott.com 
I read so much paranormal romance I get burned out on it sometimes too, but I just take a break. Paranormal and paranormal romance books will always be my favourite, though.
I heard of Amazon taking down reviews but I haven’t actually seen it in action. Obviously I review a lot of books for my blog but they’re only a fraction of what I actually read. Like you, I do try to leave something on Goodreads – I know how indie authors especially appreciate the feedback.
I like paranormal romance a lot, I just need something else sometimes. It’s like how much I love pizza, but sometimes need a burger. You know?
I never review traditionally published authors except giving stars on Goodreads. They usually don’t need any more reviews. The funny thing is, although they get good reviews, trad authors get a LOT of bad reviews, too. That has always made me feel better when I’ve gotten a bad review. LOL. When I want to pick up a book by a new author, I usually let the sample tell me if I would like it or not. I don’t read a lot of reviews. And I HAVE bought books BECAUSE of the bad reviews just out of curiosity. And they have never been bad in my opinion.
I agree with all you say here Lauralynn. I did leave a 3 star review of one famous traditional author and she rebuked me on Twitter!! She gave me a lesson in how not to accept reviews. She wasn’t used to 3 stars and even though I explained how well written it was, just that I didn’t enjoy it, she said that didn’t count? It did to me. I don’t review trad authors now. I do like to suppot indies (I’m one! 😀 ) and have chosen most books I read on the cover/blurb/sample – then reviews. I read the 3 and 4 star reviews mostly. They usually give the truth.
I can’t believe a famous trad author rebuked you! That’s a rookie thing to do.
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Hi Lauralynn. You getting burned out on paranormal romance is kind of like me getting burned out on horror lately. LOL. Could be there’s just too much real horror going on in the world, or it’s just zombie overload from my current WIP. I’m actually reading a thriller right now called Samurai, inc. It’s about a guy trying to solve murders committed by a Japanese hitman–not exactly ‘light’ reading, but it’s a little out of my usual paranormal genres. I think it’s good to mix up what you write and read once in a while to stay fresh 🙂
I never thought you would get burned out on horror. 🙂 I think it’s just overload. Plus, my reading taste has ALWAYS been eclectic, so I NEED to read different things. Too much of one thing can burn me out.
Burn out on one genre is completely understandable. And when it comes to your WIP, just let it be what it is, and worry about a category after. 🙂
Probably good advice. Just write and see what happens. 🙂
Varity is the spice of life, or something like that. Spread your wings and fly, LL (hmmmm, I use a lot of birds metaphors, gotta work on that).
I like birds.
I don’t blame you on the reviews. It’s hard to want to review when you think it might get reviewed. Then it’s like, “What’s the point?” I don’t review often anymore like I used to. I’d rather go over to Goodreads and leave a star rating. Sometimes it’s hard to think of what to say about a book even if you know what you liked or didn’t like. But then, people start to question your reviews if you never leave bad ones (and I can’t stand to leave bad reviews on anything; I’d rather be the reason people smile, not get discouraged).
You know, sometimes I need a break from romance and won’t read it for months. I still write it (though I mix up the sub-categories to get a break). I love horror. It’s so much fun to be scared or sitting on the edge of your seat to find out what happens next. And I loved The Gnome. 😀 I’m excited about your next book!
I can’t stand to leave bad reviews, either. People will probably question why all my reviews are good, but it’s because if I don’t like a book, I just don’t review it.
I’m really glad you liked The Gnome. It was really fun to write. I just hope this next one will meet your expectations. :p
I have been book-blogging for three years, and recently published my first speculative fiction novel. I did worry about whether to stop reviewing after publication, but as I never leave bad reviews (I only review occasional books, and only if they’re a 3/5 or more) I didn’t see the problem. I really can’t understand why someone would lie about someones hard work and say they disliked it, just because they are ‘competition’ ? The world has enough readers in it, I really don’t see the need. Awful!
I will also say I rarely give 5*. I might read a perfectly written, structured, executed novel, but it might not resonate with me for whatever reason. Then I give it a four and explain. If there were things which niggled, errors or typos, but I still thought it deserved merit, I’d give it a three and explain. But anything less and I wouldn’t review it. No one needs a ‘bad’ review and I get no pleasure in leaving one.
I’d be incredibly peeved if Amazon removed all my reviews (the one I wrote or the ones I’ve received from other authors). A few bad-apples shouldn’t dictate the rules of reviewing. If an author is consistently leaving bad reviews, fair enough, remove them. But otherwise, I see no issue. Or perhaps authors should only be allowed to give a review of 3 + ? That might help?
Anyway, now whose rambling 😛 Glad you’re feeling a renewed confidence after your genre redirection. I read more horror and erotica than I know I could write. I keep getting asked to expand on a short story I wrote (The Dead Party – Political satire/horror with zombies)… I may do that one day. For now, I’m working on the second in the The Supes Series – urban fantasy/paranormal mystery – and love to read similar. I do like the occasional thriller or horror, though. Keeps me stimulated, makes me think a little harder. PNR are nice enough, but I bore of the template of any romance novel. I prefer to speculate the ending. 🙂
Your book and your short story are actually on my Amazon wish list. That’s the only way I can keep up with everything I want to read! 🙂
I heard from one author that Amazon was removing author reviews, then another author said that had actually happened to them. I’m not sure what the situation is. I’m like you, I don’t give bad reviews. If I don’t like a book, I just don’t review it. And I’m even hesitant about giving 3 stars. But I’m also pretty forgiving as long as the book entertains me. What I can’t tolerate is when there are errors on page after page. Then, I usually don’t review. I got really upset with a reviewer one time when they said one of my books had errors on every page. That was a blatant lie, and one of the reasons I know people do bad reviews on purpose.
You can ramble all you want. I certainly don’t mind.
I usually only review things I like. If I don’t like it, I don’t finish it, and would never have the details to review it anyway.
That makes sense. I used to finish a book no matter what because I hate not to finish what I start. But I’ve realized my time is too precious to waste on a book that I don’t like. Not every book is for everybody. So I have a few I didn’t finish now.
I used to read more paranormal, but it seems like you HAVE to mix up your reading or you start to feel… stagnant.
I JUST started reading Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham. Now I LOVE Lauren Graham as an actress, she was in Gilmore Girls, but this is her first stab at writing. All I can say is WOW! I saw her do an interview on The Today Show, and she insists that the story is a work of fiction, but you can tell there’s a LOT of truth thrown in there. She wrote something she knows intimately about. I’m only on Chapter Eight, and this isn’t the type of book I would normally read, a story a about an actress struggling to get work, but I’m LOVING this book. And…it made me think about how important it is to write about stuff you know, stuff you feel passionate about. It SHOWS. OMG it shows!!!
I just gave up on a book because it felt as if the author was going through the motions. It didn’t feel realistic in ANY way. It was like, “Do you even talk to people, like…ever?” It just felt so fake and forced. Lauren’s book feels…real. The characters feel real. They have depth. Even though I have NO experience in the theater, other than watching productions, I feel like I can get inside her main character’s head. I think that’s one of the secrets to good writing. You NEED to make the reader understand what it’s like to be in your character’s shoes, regardless of the genre. And good writing, even if it’s not something you’d normally read, is really enjoyable.
Juli, stagnant might be a good way to put it. I think we just have to have some variety sometimes. And I guess that goes for writing as well as reading.
The book by Lauren Graham that you’re talking about doesn’t sound like my cup of tea. But you said it wasn’t usually yours either, and yet you’re loving it. That just shows what good writing can do when you’re reading out of your normal genre.
The thing you’re talking about, getting into your character’s head…that’s what I like so much about Stephen King. He’s the master when it comes to making you feel for his characters, I don’t think anyone does that better.