Along the way, several folks also said that while they might not be comfortable giving negative reviews personally, that doesn’t mean they’re not good with others giving negative reviews, which I think is an important point. Everyone makes this decision individually, and to my mind it’s about no one else telling someone else–even, yes, someone else who hopes to publish one day–what their decision should be. And also about making the general atmosphere just a little less threatening for book blogging in general.
I figure I can’t control how others react to reviews. But I can at least say that, hey, I promise I won’t act or react badly toward others on account of them. Here are some other writers saying similar things in their own ways:
– Holly Black (as part of a roundup of related posts): Mafia redux
– Sarah Rees Brennan: Hang up the fedora: reviewers and the YA mafia
– Rachel Manija Brown: Yes, you all have my full permission to hate on my work
– Emma Bull: Yes, you can dis dat
– Megan Crewe: On not liking my books, and the books I don’t like
– Deva Fagan: Miscellany
– Malkin Grey: A statement
– Karen Healey: A history of snark
– Katharine Kerr: Sure, if you hate my books, you can say so
– Justine Larbalestier: I Love Bad Reviews (Talks both about why bad reviews can be satisfying for readers, and why critiquing art is essential in a larger sense)
– Madeleine Robins: Hit me With sticks. I can take it. (Just keep your opinions of her children to yourself. :-))
– Madeleine Robins again: On textual analysis (further thoughts about reviews)
– Catherine Ryan Hyde: An Open Letter to Authors
– Bibliographic Searcher: Readers’ rights: my pledge
– Tiffany Trent: The mafia of one
I’m sure there are other posts out there that I’m not seeing, too. If you know about any of them, let me know, and I’ll add them.
Also, YA Highway has a nice roundup of the larger discussion.