jack-the-hack-_writingtipsMore inane ramblings from me on Displaced Nation. This time about reviews.

“Should a review like that count? Well, here’s the rub. Mass appeal retailers who positively encourage reviews as part of their business model are far too egalitarian. There’s very little discernment and no filter. Generally speaking, every comment carries equal weight.”

More…

Imagine the absurdity of two openly gay, married, middle aged, middle class men escaping the liberal sanctuary of anonymous London to relocate to a Muslim country. I chronicled our exploits with the mad, the bad, the sad and the glad in a blog for the whole world to ignore. Then came the book which became a critically acclaimed best seller. Its success opened out a whole new career for me, firstly as an author, and now as a publisher. Who'd have thought it? Certainly not me. In June 2012, we ended our Anatolian affair and paddled back to Britain on the evening tide, washing up in Norwich, a surprising city in eastern England, then to the wilds of Norfolk as the only gays in the village. I’m sometimes nostalgic for our encounters with the hopeless, the hapless and, yes, the happy go lucky. They gave me an unexpected tale to tell and for this I thank them.

10 thoughts on “Now Let’s Review the Situation”

  1. Absolutely Jack. Every comment carries equal weight regardless of where it came from or how much of the book the reviewer actually read. I read one review recently where the reviewer admitted reading only a few pages. He got the book for free so gave it a try. He said he knows if he will like a book in 10 minutes and he didn’t like this one in 5 minutes. He had the temerity to publish his 5 minute dislike and call it a REVIEW. What is even worse is that the likes of Amazon publish that as a REVIEW!! By all means comment that you like or don’t like something but don’t insult readers by saying it’s a REVIEW. Remember my post on this subject. http://jamoroki.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/what-is-a-book-review/

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  2. It is unfair and unfeeling to give a terse clip about a book, especially one not read from cover to cover. The story line or subject matter may not be someone’s cup of tea and that’s okay. I have thoroughly enjoyed books others have turned their noses at. The trouble is, good reviews DO draw me to a book but so do bad ones because then you want to know what all the hoopla is about.

    Before someone writes a review, they should read the whole book. Then again, if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything. Sigh.

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