Authors Are Readers, Too!
Thoughts on Authors as Book Reviewers
Something I didn’t expect when I officially “became an author” (Yes I still have a weird feeling saying/typing that. I am an author! I published a book!) is that suddenly I am seeing people say that authors shouldn’t be reviewing books.
My reaction to that is… WHAT?
I’ve been reviewing books and “in reader spaces” for 20 years now. Blogging, BookTubing, Instagramming, author stalking, and hosting a book club since 2004. Do I give all that up because I published a book?
I went to Threads (I asked here on Substack too, but got one response which was actually better than I expected) and asked for opinions on this matter. Many responses were like mine which is, authors are readers too.
Most people agree that if an author is reviewing a fellow author’s book (and we are all fellow authors, right?) it should be positive. That we should be lifting up and encouraging each other. That if we feel negative toward a book, we should not say anything about it. That it’s okay for authors to be in reader spaces as READERS and not AUTHORS. (Is this why I chose a pen name? Perhaps. Maybe I am trying to keep my two personas separate?)
So why do I keep seeing posts about authors staying away from reader spaces and refrain from giving their thoughts on books? I think it’s because if they are doing it with their author persona, it can be seen in a completely different light. Maybe if they are at all critical it feels differently coming from a peer vs a reader.
On the other hand, if it’s a positive review, maybe it can feel like it’s a “rub my back and I’ll rub yours” kind of thing. I’ll give you five stars if you give me five. Basically, the “honest review” part goes out the window.
At least I’m assuming this is what some people are worried about.
I find it fascinating and like I said above, something I truly never expected and am so surprised to see.
As for me, I think I’ll continue being a reader and frequenting the reader spaces. My BookTube channel will go on. I’ll continue to talk about what I loved reading that month and participate in as many bookish events that I can. I will add indie author books to my TBR and read ARCs when I can. I don’t think I’ll be able to get any of this reader thing out of my system despite the fact that I published a book.
What do you all think? Are you an author that hangs out in reader spaces? What’s your take on all this? Or do you, as an author, read books but keep your thoughts to yourself? I would love to know if you’ve seen this discourse and how you handle this!
