Can Authors Give Negative Book Reviews?

The other day, I was scanning Goodreads and came across what appeared to be a not-so-nice review of a fairly well-known author's book. Upon closer inspection, however, I realized it was actually a rather scathing indictment of the author's reaction to negative reviews in general. According to the reviewer, the author was warning other aspiring authors to not give negative ratings to books, since it could damage their budding careers in the long run. If you bash an author's book and later want that author to write a blurb for you, for example, forget it.

Now, I won't give either the reviewer's or the author's names, since I can't confirm the accuracy of any of this information. However, I don't think names matter much in this scenario anyway. I'm far more interested in the opinions that were raised in this exchange. 

The reviewer, along with others who left comments, seemed to have the attitude that authors who get negative reviews should put on their "big kid undies" and chunk it up as part of the business. The consensus was that no author has the right to tell people whether or not to leave negative reviews, whether those people are aspiring writers themselves or not.

Hmm. Interesting. I can't say I've ever thought about book reviews in quite this way before. I've always known that they held tremendous power for writers, but I never thought how that influence may come at a price. To be honest, the entire thing has me questioning some of the book reviews I've written myself.

While I'm not a book blogger by any means, I am a fairly avid reader and I have a couple of reviews up on Goodreads at the moment...along with millions of other people. So, I had to wonder: Are authors really out there scanning for reviews like mine, ones that may or may not have been favorable to them? If I criticize an author's prose, plot or character development, will that really come back to bite me once my own work of art is published?

Well, here's my take on the matter: I believe in the Golden Rule---treating others as you wish to be treated---but I also believe in honesty. The same freedom of speech that allows you to write a book in the first place is the same freedom of speech that allows me to examine that book with a critical eye if I wish. It is our right and duty as intelligent readers to think critically about what we read, not just swallow it down without digesting it.

That said, there's no reason for us to be petty and ugly when we offer our criticism. Whether we believe it or not, every published author slaved over the words we read, polishing and fine-tuning to make them as perfect as possible. And for that, they deserve our respect, not our insults and ridicule. We can disagree with their work without devaluing them as people, and that's an important distinction to make. At the end of the day, I think it's a compromise we can all live with.

What do you think? Do aspiring authors have the right to publicly criticize the work of their peers? If so, is there a way to do it respectfully? Can popular book reviewers be honest in their reviews, or has it become "politically correct" to only post positive reviews?

Trends I've Noticed in YA Fiction

Trends are funny things. They come in and go out like the tide, bursting onto the scene and fading away just as quickly. They're found in fashion, T.V. shows, movies and books, and the same ones seem to appear over and over again. Bell bottoms become flared jeans, slip-ons become pop kicks and leggings become...well, leggings. Each time we think these flashy fads are gone for good, they somehow reinvent themselves for a new generation.

Nowhere is this more true than in the world of literature, especially with the rise of the e-reader, which makes the latest bestseller a simple click or download away. Some argue that the entire young adult (YA) genre itself is a fad that will eventually fade like others. I strongly disagree with this logic, but that's another topic for another post. I do, however, believe that YA lit is subject to trends like all other genres of writing. Here are just a few of the ones I've noticed lately:

1. Dystopian fiction - This one is a biggie, arguably the most popular trend in the genre right now. Not to be confused with utopian fiction. Wikipedia offers pretty detailed explanations for both, but for the sake of simplicity, I'll just say that utopian fiction depicts an ideal world, a paradise of sorts. Dystopian fiction depicts the opposite, a world that is unraveling, often to the point of destruction. Today's dystopians include major blockbuster hits like The Hunger Games, Divergent, Wither, The Maze Runner and a host of others, but as blogger Lily Paradis so eloquently shared in her recent post on the subject, these books are hardly the first of their kind to imagine our world with a dismal future.
2. Dead protagonists - Book marketer and blogger Rachel Stark made a compelling case last October for the obsession we seem to have with dead girls in YA literature, and the trend only seems to have grown since that post was published. From stories where a life-or-death choice is the premise of the novel, to ones where the main character is already dead, to ones where characters are haunted by the deceased, one thing is disturbingly clear: Death, in all its forms, is apparently the new black (pun intended...sort of).
3. Love triangles - Ah, love triangles. Something about them just screams teenage angst, doesn't it? This trend is one of the oldest in literature, going back to the days of Shakespeare and beyond, but it seems like its most recent resurgence has come in full force. You'll be hard-pressed to find a YA book these days (particularly one with paranormal elements) that doesn't feature a heroine bouncing like a ping pong ball between two drop-dead gorgeous fellas. Most readers either love or hate them. I happen to be in the "love them" camp, but only when they're done well and don't hijack the plot. I'm totally Team Peeta, by the way.

As far as what's the "next big thing" in YA, I think that's anybody's guess, but I'd love to hear your predictions. I'll have my thoughts on the matter in another post.

What trends have you noticed in YA books lately? Do you read with the trends or away from them? 

Getting Back in the Saddle (Here We Go Again...)

I've spent the past few weeks debating whether I wanted to revive this blog or not. As you can see, it's been about 18 months since my last post. I didn't entirely abandon blogging during that time; I just wound up trying---and failing---to start new blogs in different locations, each with a slightly different focus.

My problem, I think, is consistency. I struggle with staying motivated to complete long-term tasks, which is why freelancing has been such a great fit. It gives me the freedom to work on a lot of different things so I don't have the chance to get stuck in a rut.

Blogging, however, demands a routine of sorts. It allows for spontaneity because you can control when you post, how often and what subjects you cover. Nevertheless, if you have any desire to develop and maintain a decent group of readers, you'd better be somewhat predictable. Otherwise, you can come off as a little kooky.

I get that...in theory. In practice, though, it's a different story. I used to think I was just lazy or disorganized, but lately I've stumbled across more than a couple of orphaned blogs, even a few from some of my writing role models. Apparently, many people are suffering from "blogging fatigue" due to the market being over-saturated. Another point I see coming up over and over again is that after maintaining a weekly/daily blog for a period of several years, most folks simply run out of things to say. After all, how many posts can you really write about knitting? Or your new puppy? Or superior methods of backyard grilling? 500? 1,000? 2,000?

Despite this recent turn of events, I don't think blogging is going the way of the dodo bird anytime soon. While fewer people may be starting and maintaining blogs compared to a few years ago, thousands upon thousands of people are still using them to express themselves, socialize, share information, and in many cases, uplift and inspire others. For these reasons, I believe blogs still have plenty of life left in them, even if it sometimes seems like they're dying off.

In a way, these ideas are also part of why I've decided to take up blogging again. There are other reasons too---my long-term goal of building a marketing platform for my writing, for example. However, in my heart of hearts, I just flat-out enjoy the medium that blogging provides. It allows me to say things that can't quite be said any other way, and that's why I want to stick with it if I can. Here goes nothing.

What about you? Do you maintain a regular, active blog? If so, what keeps you committed for the long haul? What makes a blog compelling and fun for you to read?