In the brief life of The Way of Four Spellbook, I’ve gotten exactly three reviews, two very positive (About.com and Publisher’s Weekly). One, not so much.
I can take a bad review. I even link to the About review despite the fact that she calls me annoying. The reviewer is directly addressing the tone in which I write. She is entitled to an opinion about that; hence the word “review.” (Besides which, I even annoy myself.)
But a lot of reviewers don’t show evidence of actually knowing what a book review is.
My unnamed* negative reviewer wrote less than 150 words, of which virtually none were about my book.
She complains that the book is boring to her because she has “knowledge and experience.” Which makes me wonder if she thinks books for less-experienced people aren’t okay to write. I imagine this reviewer picking up a Judy Blume book and saying “Well, this would be okay if I was still a teenager, but come on, I’m in my forties!” Reviewers take note: Review the book in the context of its intended audience.
More importantly, the reviewer says “To me, this was just another book, pumped out by yet another Pagan author that is trying to gain recognition.” This is the heart of the matter:
Who the fuck is she to say how or why I wrote the book?
Sorry, but “trying to gain recognition” is just plain offensive. It says nothing about the book, so why is it in the review? Mostly, I guess, because Pagans have this passion for assuming that authors are ripping them off. And some are. Some write bad books. I’ve written reviews in my time that ripped books to shreds and then dribbled vinegar on the shreds. Because the books were bad. Shredding a book is just not the same as shredding an author.
It’s not like I’m the only Pagan author getting this treatment. Almost every author I know (and I know many) has been slammed as being in it “only for the money” (as if) or “pumping out” books (another beauty—how do you know how hard or easy my writing process is?). We’re too general or we’re too specific. We’re too fluffy or we’re too opinionated. We write too much AND (at the very same time!) we write too little.
After a while you start to suspect jealousy. Of course, I know as little about the reviewer’s life as she knows about mine. But the cumulative effect of hundreds of reviews of dozens of authors, reviews that snipe at the authors’ personalities, motives, and human decency without ever addressing content, leads one down that road.
*Since I’m being kind of nasty, I’m doing my reviewer the courtesy of keeping her name and url out of it.
(I got my copy yesterday. 😀 I’ll review when I’ve actually done more than squee over the pretty.)
Heh, I had a rather long and confusing paragraph about reviews I’ve received and the ones that made me both wince and think “… what was this person smokin’?” but I’ll spare you the agony. I do feel your pain, however.
Actually, I get a lot of good reviews and I really shouldn’t complain. It’s more about how people talk about authors in general, and how snarky they are for no good reason, really. I hear it all the time. “Pagan authors” this. “Lewellyn authors” that. Shut! Up! A book review is supposed to be about the book.
/rant
email me and I’ll send you my snailmail addy. If you can send me a copy, I’ll review it. Permanent link on my site, publish the review to several lists and newsfeeds.
😉
Love you girl.
Daven, write to Llewellyn and ask for a review copy, with that info. If they don’t get back to you, I’ll bang on their door, because I know you’ll give good distribution.
Love you more.
You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
If you put yourself out there, on the line, you’re attention-seeking.
If you hide yourself away, you’re selfish and cowardly.
This chick might be “raised in the Craft”, but she was obviously not raised with manners and tact. Once again I’m reminded of this fact: Pagan breeding does not necessarily equal good breeding.
I wouldn’t let this twit bother you.
Thanks D.L. I’m not really bothereed, I’m just using her as an example.
Okay, email sent for all three books. Which I will give honest reviews to.
as he thinks “man what a double-edged sword THAT statement is”…
Cool. Honest reviews are welcome, both edges. 🙂
Yeah, MOST pagan authors have a mansion and a Yacht (sp) Getting yours soon?
Yeah, MOST pagan authors have a mansion and a Yacht (sp) Getting yours soon?
😀
I have The Way of Four and like it very much. I’ve even used it with friends when we’ve explore the elements. I haven’t read the companion spellbook, but it’s on my list.
In any case, I couldn’t agree with you more about this weird backlash against Pagan authors and publishers like Llewellyn. It irks me for many reasons and I actually blogged about it last month.
One thing I’ve noticed though is that most of the folks complaining that these books are fluffy and just out to make a buck are fluffy, ignorant newbies who think they know it all. Remember my little exercise on a certain online forum some time back where I asked if folks knew people like Fred Lamond, Oberon Zell, Alex Sanders, etc.? They were like, who? Sad, sad, sad.
What cracks me up is that I got so many reviews complaining that I was too opinionated and strict about how things should be done. Well do you want fluffy or opinionated? They’re functional opposites.
Many authors do go “fluffy” so as not to offend. I chose to risk offending and I’m okay when people are offended. It makes the writing more interesting.
Don’t let it get to you Deb,some folks just need to prove to everyone how brilliant they are by denigrating others.
Well, I absolutely can’t wait to get my hands on it. I loved”the way of four” and find your writing style to be thought provoking and quite pleasing.
Thanks so much, Angela! I rather like my own writing style. 🙂 But I can see why a reviewer would say it’s too cute or too glib or whatever. I am glad you liked The Way of Four.
Do you ever do excerpts on the web,since though I can order your book here it’s liable to take forever to arive.
Do you ever do excerpts on the web,since though I can order your book here it’s liable to take forever to arive.
I have excerpts posted of all my book. Here’s the one from the latest book.
Geeze, Debb, I’m sorry to hear that! It makes me wonder if they even read your first book, “The Elements of Ritual”? Albeit I’ve become a bit jaded where Pagan lit. is concerned, I do fancy myself a rather discerning reader (I have a number of book projects in the work, myself; two are in collaboration with another well known, and always very well researched British HPs and Pagan-Author! I’m not one to drop names, so if you’d like to know, feel free to ask). So, I say this: I have been highly recommending your first book, most definately, to as many as I am able to! I simply haven’t read the sort of material that was in EOR, which is why I so highly recommend it. It allowed me to simply depthen my own personal Traditions! Is it still being published? And, if not– for shame on Llewellyn! ;o)
Unfortunately, I have been unable to afford a copy of “The Way of Four Spellbook”, though I have a copy of the “prequel”– I’m a penniless Pagan. Well, that isn’t exactly true! I have a total of– literally– one dollar in change in my pocket at the time of writing. *sigh*
May An Morrighan grant you fortitude of the Soul when you require it, my friend.
Take Care,
Wade MacMorrighan
P.S.–If you decide to pop on over to my MySpace page, rest assured that I am still, slowly but surely, “moving it.”
Thank you Wade. Y’know, this reviewer said she was reviewing WoF Spellbook even though she hadn’t read my “initial” book, WoF. Now, either she is such a bad writer that she doesn’t know “initial” means “first” and not “previous,” or she didn’t even know that I’d written an earlier book. Either way, dumbass is highly descriptive.
LOL… Totally! I just hope reviewrs are “kinder” when my own stuff is eventually published! I have some solo projects in the work, and am co-authoring some, too. But, Pagans, especially, can be rather brutal! Personally, and this may be just me, but I’ve always believed that if one is going to review a book (even if it is utter witchcraft, well…maybe not quite that far, LOL) they should pick some pros. and some cons– eithe way it’s not a very informative “review,” speaking in complete generalities.
Rock on!,
Wade
Thank you Debb.
[…] After stressing out (just a wee tad) over a bad review, I’ve got a fabulous one for The Way of Four Spellbook in hand. I’ll be posting it on the main website just as soon as I get the source (I have the author, but I don’t know where it will appear or has already appeared). […]