Furry Writers' Guild Forum

Should authors comment on their own work?

I think a lot of this comes down to beliefs on what a review is, and what the purpose is.

To me, a review is meant to be a tool that a consumer can use to decide whether or not to buy something. It is meant to do this by having somebody attempt to be unbias, and giving their critical evaluation of the work. This does not logically exclude the possibility that a writer may be able to view their work objectively, but, at the same time, the fact that the writer is so attached to their work means it is very unlikely. Thus, from a consumer’s point of view, a review from a writer is not very helpful, as the writer is more likely to be biased. Some people use reviews to guide them when they want to buy something, and they do that because they take them to be “what other people like me have said”.

I think that a writer should be able to talk abuut their own work, but the term “review” has an implication of objectivity/distance from the product. Perhaps a “critical reflection”, would work better for when a writer talks about their own work, or something else entirely. Giving a rating in a system where that will influence the overall rating seems slightly wrong as well. I always took those kinds fo star-ratings to be “other consumers have said…” If that result is then altered by people who have worked on the product, or have some investment in it, then it gives a less acurate reflection of what other readers think of it.

Psychologically, I think we feel safer taking advise from other consumers. Even if it’s not the writers intention, I think some people can feel “dirtied” from the idea that somebody is trying to take advantage of the trust put in reviews.

For me I guess it’s a case of ‘why would I review my own work’?
What could I possibly say in a review that the reader couldn’t pick up on by reading the actual book?
I mean, I’m not going to give it anything other than a 5* or else why did I even think it fit for publication? Readers aren’t going to buy a book because the author says it’s good.

However I do agree with the above post. A critical evaluation of the book is absolutely fine, so long as it’s not posted as a review I feel - on a blog or comment thread perhaps.

I think that there is a bit of a stigma with self-reviewing your own work, especially as a self-published or small-press-published author. There are a number of said authors who post 5* reviews and solicit 5* reviews/ratings from people who haven’t touched the book just to boost their numbers. Now, not at all saying that’s what all authors who review their own books, not by a long shot, but the stigma is still there and that’s one of the reasons why I personally avoid doing so.

I no longer even rate/review books I publish through Jaffa Books.

I have mentioned before that I don’t believe an author should review their own work. It’s different if they are reviewing an anthology they are in and state flat out they are in the anthology and aren’t rating their story. (as I believe a number of people in the FWG have done, and see no issues with)

But if an author reviews their own solo work, I think it becomes a matter of ego. I can and do understand the idea of self reviewing your own work as an author. We all know which works of ours are better than the others. But posting them publically under the review system skews the ratings you get.

I actually love the idea that was suggested in regards to posting your own thoughts on your own works in a blog. Blogs tend to be more personal and it would go a long ways towards making an author seem more self aware, more approachable, and more human. You can also talk about your works in more detail and even compare them against each other. There are a lot of benefits!

But just giving yourself 5 star ratings? It skews the final ratings. Let your work stand up for itself, cut the apron strings to your baby and let it fly on its own wings. ;D

I think everyone necessarily has opinions regarding their own work-- certainly I’m prouder of some of my books and stories than others-- and that it’s pretty much okay to discuss said opinions with close friends and fellow authors. Indeed, in the latter case it’d otherwise be almost impossible to discuss craftsmanship and similar issues. I think it’s also okay, if one is lucky enough to produce an “important” work, to discuss how it was inspired, etc, with anyone who may ask, including someone who wants to maybe write an article somewhere on the subject. There are probably other “proper” circumstances as well that I can’t think of offhand. But…

I definitely don’t think it’s right for an author to formally review their own work in any public setting, if for no other reason than because objectivity is impossible. And I triply don’t believe one ought to do it on Amazon or any similar site. The entire marketing concept there demands objectivity, transparency and a level of honesty in product reviews that I don’t think I’m capable of applying to my own work, and suspect no one else is either. Because of this such a review can therefore have no real utility, and only serves to make the author look like an egoist even if that was the last thing they wanted or intended.

I even think it’s poor form to review/rate the anthology you are in (even if you skip your story). When we’re talking about objectivity, the author’s review is going to be good. Yes, an author can have an objective opinion about the rest of the book they are in, but stating anything short of a positive-leaning-neutral opinion in a review is unwise at the very least. Very few authors are going to publically post a poor review of a book they are in. Even if that author’s story is the only one worth reading in that book, that author still wants their own story read. You tearing to shreds all the other stories but leaving yours absent just wouldn’t look good either. And giving a book you are in a bad review is a good way to not get invited to other anthologies.

Beyond anthologies, an author’s opinion of their own work is likely to change as time goes by, so how is that going to be reflected in any ratings or review or whatever?

On GoodReads, I have commented on my books. It gives me a chance to be a little more informal about it - basically I write about my inspiration behind the book and how I feel about it. Stuff that isn’t really appropriate to the blurb (because that’s gotta be kinda neutral).

Here’s my personal “Review” of my Fellowship of the Ringtails book:

In the spirit of Redwall (but with a higher body count, less singing and less cordial) and the earlier works of Paul Kidd, I bring you the first book in “Lemurs: A Saga”. “Fellowship of the Ringtails” was first conceived several years ago, after I saw the movie “Madagascar” and was thoroughly disappointed by the fact that in a movie called “Madagascar” the main characters were all large African charismatic mega-vertebrates.

What the world needed, I decided, was a novel set in Madagascar that was actually true to the spirit of this extraordinary and beautiful, but tarnished, country. Thus the character of Aurelia (a silky sifaka) was born, and put into the care of Fiantrana, a ringtailed lemur. This story has been a labour of love, sweat and tears and is intended to be the first of a trilogy, following the tale of Aurelia, an orphaned heir, and based somewhat on my own experiences and knowledge of Madagascar and lemurs, along with a healthy dose of imagination and fantasy.

I hope you enjoy it!

Honestly, I felt uncomfortable even rating CB on GoodReads. It just feels kind of taboo, and I remember reading from some professional author (can’t recall from where) that it paints a rather poor image. That was just one author though, and this is just coming from me, so shrug