I got a “like” from Martha Hall Kelly for my review of Lilac Girls on Goodreads. I was blown away. She took the time! Makes me want to read more and write more reviews.
They shouldn’t have done that ?. I’m writing a book, and it’s overall super frowned upon/ tacky to engage with readers like that (try to bully readers about negative reviews).
Once I preordered a book from Amazon and they sent it to me a few weeks early for a reduced price. I felt obliged to at least write a review, which I did. No response from the author. I guess it depends upon the author.
It means a lot to an author when you take the time to draw attention to their work. And, it means a lot to me if I receive feedback from the author. It’s fun to know if an author has read your review or comments. I often receive a thank you.
Yes! Dave Boling, who wrote The Lost History of the Stars. I wrote an honest review where I was a little negative saying that I had started to lose interest but stuck with it and was glad I did. Glad I wrote that since he then responded to my review!
I left a review on Goodreads of a memoir once, a good review and the authors sister commented with a scathing response saying every word of the book were all lies. I removed my review.
My son got a pretty nice response. He’s a bookseller so has opportunity to review for the publishers. Btw, he highly recommends this book. Stephen Florida by Gabe Habash
Cyra McFadden saw my review on Amazon of her memoir “Rain or Shine” (which is now one of my favorite books). In part, she emailed me: “… I was so bowled over by it, and your generosity in posting it on the Net, that I tried to phone you to tell you so in person. The national operator couldn’t provide me with a number, so I’m taking this means of telling you that you gave me a huge shot in the arm…. To be read with such empathy and appreciation by someone like you, a kindred spirit who also loves the West, makes me believe that I did the right thing – emotionally if not financially – to write the book that I wanted to write instead of the one that might have made more commercial sense. You really are the dream reader, the one MFK Fisher had in mind when she said ‘Tis the good reader who makes the book.’ Inexpressible thanks, and if you’re ever nearby, please call and let me buy you a drink, or a car.”
Not a review, but I have replied to author’s email newsletters. Have received replies back from Karin Slaughter, Michael Lister, and Dwight Holing ( we talked about Oregon stuff as he went to U of O, where I live.
I always tweet my reviews and tag the authors. I have to say most like the tweet and some even reply. It’s so amazing to be able to interact like that.
When I was about twelve years old I wrote a letter to John Steinbeck because I loved The Grapes of Wrath. Mrs. Steinbeck wrote back to me thanking me for the letter and explained that her husband had passed away.
Tweeted about the newest book by Matthew Pearl and he retweeted, then sent me a signed page from the manuscript of his first novel. He’s really appreciative of his readers – and his books really are fantastic!
Not a review, but I got a postcard from John Updike in 1981. He told me his heroes when he began to write were Ted Williams, Soren Kierkegaard, Marcel Proust and his father. I just googled the address on the card and it’s a house built in 1804, sold in 2005 for $1, so I assume it stayed in his family. He died in 2009.
Yes…kinda creeped me out at first, because I felt like “who am I to critique them? They have BOOKS published!” But it’s really an honor actually to have an author respond or thank me.
Yes. One author took exception to my opinion, asked me to change my review !! [this was a review on Amazon]. My review was polite and thoughtful and didn’t slam the author or book. I’d given it 3 stars. She was a new author and wanted a 5 star rave. The book didn’t deserve a rave in my opinion, but I did change one sentence that was a little too negative.
Yes, once. I wrote the review saying that the book was disappointing and she replied that I should have double checked the genre (“faith inspired”) before reading it.
Having read a great deal of classics, I would have been more than happy to read Shakespeare’s response to my review on Hamlet! ?… That being said, I hardly ever post reviews and the very few times I met an author in the flesh, I spoke to them about their works, so you might say yes, they did respond, which is really cool!
It’s not actually written yet, but I consider it as Shakespeare’s best play. Whatever you wish to find in a story is there: deep thoughts, likeable characters but also absolute monsters; betrayal and revenge; ghosts; love, cruelty and madness… Hamlet is a very disturbed prince, and Ophelia the weak victim of his dreadful plan; Gertrude and Claudius are despicable monarchs, even if some people might not find the mother so spiteful; the scene of the play within the play is a masterpiece of mise en abyme, double entendre and vulgarity in disguise… And this quote from the play is always in my students minds as soon as we’re back to school: POLONIUS: What do you read, my Lord? HAMLET: Words, words, words.
Well, I guess it depends upon the author. Some respond; some do not. But I thought it was very cool that Martha Hall Kelly stopped and read my review and reacted to it, even if it was only a like.
I got a “like” from Martha Hall Kelly for my review of Lilac Girls on Goodreads. I was blown away. She took the time! Makes me want to read more and write more reviews.
Usually after I leave an ARC review, the author will leave a comment/like. 🙂
How do you get ARCs?
Netgalley offers the chance.
Or I’ll befriend them on social media and ask how to become a part of their ARC team.
On several occasions, I’ve written to authors on their website when I have been especially touched by their work and received a personal response!
I have a few established authors as friends. So I let them know when I’ve written a review.
Everytime on twitter because I tag them in it
Yes; often.
I gave a review of Sara Paretsky newest VI Warshawski on Twitter and she responded with a thanks! I was blown away!
I rated a book 1 star on Goodreads (didn’t write anything) and the author commented to ask me why ? I felt like an asshole lol.
They shouldn’t have done that ?. I’m writing a book, and it’s overall super frowned upon/ tacky to engage with readers like that (try to bully readers about negative reviews).
Luckily he was pretty polite about it, but I still felt weird!
I would have too ?
yes
Yes
yes
Once I preordered a book from Amazon and they sent it to me a few weeks early for a reduced price. I felt obliged to at least write a review, which I did. No response from the author. I guess it depends upon the author.
Yes! Jeff Carlson!
Yes, Bill Schutt responded to my Goodreads review of hia book Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures. I flipped out! ?
It means a lot to an author when you take the time to draw attention to their work. And, it means a lot to me if I receive feedback from the author. It’s fun to know if an author has read your review or comments. I often receive a thank you.
No
Yes
Yes!
Yes
Yep
Yes! Dave Boling, who wrote The Lost History of the Stars. I wrote an honest review where I was a little negative saying that I had started to lose interest but stuck with it and was glad I did. Glad I wrote that since he then responded to my review!
Yes
Cathy Glass responded to my short feedback.
I left a review on Goodreads of a memoir once, a good review and the authors sister commented with a scathing response saying every word of the book were all lies. I removed my review.
Wow!
Yes and to comments on fb..
I actually get to have conversations with two of my favorite authors Occasionally!! ??
Yes Sandra Dallas
Faith Hunter does <3
Yes! Lisa Lutz did
My son got a pretty nice response. He’s a bookseller so has opportunity to review for the publishers. Btw, he highly recommends this book. Stephen Florida by Gabe Habash
Yes!
Yes
Marie Force
Cyra McFadden saw my review on Amazon of her memoir “Rain or Shine” (which is now one of my favorite books). In part, she emailed me: “… I was so bowled over by it, and your generosity in posting it on the Net, that I tried to phone you to tell you so in person. The national operator couldn’t provide me with a number, so I’m taking this means of telling you that you gave me a huge shot in the arm…. To be read with such empathy and appreciation by someone like you, a kindred spirit who also loves the West, makes me believe that I did the right thing – emotionally if not financially – to write the book that I wanted to write instead of the one that might have made more commercial sense. You really are the dream reader, the one MFK Fisher had in mind when she said ‘Tis the good reader who makes the book.’ Inexpressible thanks, and if you’re ever nearby, please call and let me buy you a drink, or a car.”
What a generous response to your review! I’m reading her book simply on the strength of that email! ?
Wonderful! You will surely love the book!
Yes! Beth Hahn, author of The Singing Bone, a book I very much recommend if you were interested in Emma Cline’s The Girls.
Not a review, but I have replied to author’s email newsletters. Have received replies back from Karin Slaughter, Michael Lister, and Dwight Holing ( we talked about Oregon stuff as he went to U of O, where I live.
Yep!
Yes!
I always tweet my reviews and tag the authors. I have to say most like the tweet and some even reply. It’s so amazing to be able to interact like that.
When I was about twelve years old I wrote a letter to John Steinbeck because I loved The Grapes of Wrath. Mrs. Steinbeck wrote back to me thanking me for the letter and explained that her husband had passed away.
Oh wow! What a thoughtful thing for her to have done.
Tweeted about the newest book by Matthew Pearl and he retweeted, then sent me a signed page from the manuscript of his first novel. He’s really appreciative of his readers – and his books really are fantastic!
Clare Vanderpool replied to an email I sent her. She was very gracious and appreciative.
Not a review, but I got a postcard from John Updike in 1981. He told me his heroes when he began to write were Ted Williams, Soren Kierkegaard, Marcel Proust and his father. I just googled the address on the card and it’s a house built in 1804, sold in 2005 for $1, so I assume it stayed in his family. He died in 2009.
Yes!
Yes…kinda creeped me out at first, because I felt like “who am I to critique them? They have BOOKS published!” But it’s really an honor actually to have an author respond or thank me.
Yes!
Yes. One author took exception to my opinion, asked me to change my review !! [this was a review on Amazon]. My review was polite and thoughtful and didn’t slam the author or book. I’d given it 3 stars. She was a new author and wanted a 5 star rave. The book didn’t deserve a rave in my opinion, but I did change one sentence that was a little too negative.
An former coworker who wrote a book asked me to give her book five stars on Goodreads and a good review, she asked everyone she knew to do this.
Yes
Yes, once. I wrote the review saying that the book was disappointing and she replied that I should have double checked the genre (“faith inspired”) before reading it.
Yes
Having read a great deal of classics, I would have been more than happy to read Shakespeare’s response to my review on Hamlet! ?… That being said, I hardly ever post reviews and the very few times I met an author in the flesh, I spoke to them about their works, so you might say yes, they did respond, which is really cool!
Can you give your review on Hamlet, please?
It’s not actually written yet, but I consider it as Shakespeare’s best play. Whatever you wish to find in a story is there: deep thoughts, likeable characters but also absolute monsters; betrayal and revenge; ghosts; love, cruelty and madness… Hamlet is a very disturbed prince, and Ophelia the weak victim of his dreadful plan; Gertrude and Claudius are despicable monarchs, even if some people might not find the mother so spiteful; the scene of the play within the play is a masterpiece of mise en abyme, double entendre and vulgarity in disguise… And this quote from the play is always in my students minds as soon as we’re back to school:
POLONIUS: What do you read, my Lord?
HAMLET: Words, words, words.
Yes. I think authors who are gaining momentum tend to repond to reviews especially on Goodreads. (Well in my experience).
Yes, quite a few. They appreciate the feedback.
Not often, but I got a moving response from an author of a painful memoir.
What was the book?
The Song and the Silence. Great book!
two times now! my comment has wound up on the back of the published book.. tickled me silly!
Yes!! ?
Yes, Jon Hassler, a kind man and wonderful MN novelist and playwright, gone too soon.
Yeah 80% of the time I get a comment back on social media when I share ❤
Yes ?
Yes
Well, I guess it depends upon the author. Some respond; some do not. But I thought it was very cool that Martha Hall Kelly stopped and read my review and reacted to it, even if it was only a like.