reviews_and_ramblings (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
reviews_and_ramblings) wrote2009-03-26 09:24 am
reviews_and_ramblings) wrote2009-03-26 09:24 am
The ramblings part of the journal
I really should let not the spur of the moment drives me, but it's the second time that I slept very bad since I had a not nice conversation soon before going sleep. Since I was careless enough to start this thing online, even if then continued in private, if there are people who witnessed to that, please don't make name, I really am not writing this to bring damage to another person, but only since, if I take it inside, it will burst later in a bigger way.
More or less 2 months ago I received a nice review request, and a lot of you know that I really appreciate those. It was from a new author and new publisher, so I was even more glad. Have you notice that I give priority to new authors and publishers? It would easy enough to raise comments on famous authors, but I really think that even the newest author deserves a first chance. I'm not sure but I think that I'm quite alone in doing so, and I believe so since many authors wrote to me telling that I was their "first". And most of the time I already bought the book when they ask a review, it happened only yesterday with two requests, I already had the book.
Anyway when that request arrived I was pretty clear with that author, I said that I didn't buy the book by myself since I believed it was a menages with a woman on the side, and you all know that I don't really like them. The author assured me that it was not and so I accepted the book. I even read it as soon as possible, to give the author as much more visibility near the release date as possible. I started the post giving a warning to the content of the book, specifying that it was not a menages, and received comments, even from the author, saying that many people didn't understand it and was grateful for the warning.
Then nothing for a month; after a month another review site reviewed the same book, starting the post in the same way as me, warning the readers on the content of the book; at that point the author (or the publisher) realized that they were losing readers and took the right measures. All right, two voices are better than one, but now the author is thanking that second review site saying that all started on it. I gently made notice that it was not exactly like that and the author in different comments replied to me that:
1) maybe my review had not so much space or visibility... yes right, that month my LJ had 13.300 single visits when the average for a review site is 3.000/4.000 (those are the standard to be considered "review site"), and the review remained in the front page for a week, I always try to not let them shift on second page for a reason, you know?
2) maybe people didn't read the review since I'm not enough M/M focused (on the contrary of the other review site) and so people didn't understand that it was not a polyamour book... yes, right, if I was more M/M focused I would be a man! I reviewed 1057 books at yesterday and only 20 are M/F and only 73 are menages, and among the menages only 9 with a woman, so 29 books with a woman in 1057 means a 2% of all my reviews.
3) maybe on the other review site the post received more response from people... yes, right, my review received 22 comments from 6 different people, 4 of them not involved directly with me or the author, on the other site it received 16 comments all from reviewers of that site other than 1. 22 comments... yesterday the post in which I featured Allan Hollinghurst, winner of a booker prize, received 17 comments...
So am I taking all this wrong? Should I stick with Man Candy Posts, Gay Romance Movies, and reviews of books that will be read anyway? Should I write reviews in which I say that every book is terrific? Should I ignore a review request from an unknown author and publisher till some other review site spend its time to "taste" it in advance? I know that the answers to all these questions is NO, but authors please, when you send me a book to review could at least take a look at my LJ? NOT ENOUGH M/M FOCUSED?!?!
More or less 2 months ago I received a nice review request, and a lot of you know that I really appreciate those. It was from a new author and new publisher, so I was even more glad. Have you notice that I give priority to new authors and publishers? It would easy enough to raise comments on famous authors, but I really think that even the newest author deserves a first chance. I'm not sure but I think that I'm quite alone in doing so, and I believe so since many authors wrote to me telling that I was their "first". And most of the time I already bought the book when they ask a review, it happened only yesterday with two requests, I already had the book.
Anyway when that request arrived I was pretty clear with that author, I said that I didn't buy the book by myself since I believed it was a menages with a woman on the side, and you all know that I don't really like them. The author assured me that it was not and so I accepted the book. I even read it as soon as possible, to give the author as much more visibility near the release date as possible. I started the post giving a warning to the content of the book, specifying that it was not a menages, and received comments, even from the author, saying that many people didn't understand it and was grateful for the warning.
Then nothing for a month; after a month another review site reviewed the same book, starting the post in the same way as me, warning the readers on the content of the book; at that point the author (or the publisher) realized that they were losing readers and took the right measures. All right, two voices are better than one, but now the author is thanking that second review site saying that all started on it. I gently made notice that it was not exactly like that and the author in different comments replied to me that:
1) maybe my review had not so much space or visibility... yes right, that month my LJ had 13.300 single visits when the average for a review site is 3.000/4.000 (those are the standard to be considered "review site"), and the review remained in the front page for a week, I always try to not let them shift on second page for a reason, you know?
2) maybe people didn't read the review since I'm not enough M/M focused (on the contrary of the other review site) and so people didn't understand that it was not a polyamour book... yes, right, if I was more M/M focused I would be a man! I reviewed 1057 books at yesterday and only 20 are M/F and only 73 are menages, and among the menages only 9 with a woman, so 29 books with a woman in 1057 means a 2% of all my reviews.
3) maybe on the other review site the post received more response from people... yes, right, my review received 22 comments from 6 different people, 4 of them not involved directly with me or the author, on the other site it received 16 comments all from reviewers of that site other than 1. 22 comments... yesterday the post in which I featured Allan Hollinghurst, winner of a booker prize, received 17 comments...
So am I taking all this wrong? Should I stick with Man Candy Posts, Gay Romance Movies, and reviews of books that will be read anyway? Should I write reviews in which I say that every book is terrific? Should I ignore a review request from an unknown author and publisher till some other review site spend its time to "taste" it in advance? I know that the answers to all these questions is NO, but authors please, when you send me a book to review could at least take a look at my LJ? NOT ENOUGH M/M FOCUSED?!?!
no subject
I don't know what happened a minute ago but my post didn't appear so I'm trying again.
I pulled the name of the book because I thought there was enough controversy on this matter already. I have said enough about this particular issue so this is my last word about it.
By the way "pissing match" is a term commonly used for stuff like this and has nothing to do with either pissing or matches. :)
Re the photos, I get many of them from about 10 - 12 sites including Beautiful, Hunk Du jour, Manpaper etc., and many other websites including yours. Since I never remember the source by the time I post - sometimes weeks later, I won't take any more from your site. There may be a few remnants appearing in the next few weeks but no new ones unless I take them from another site that originally stole them from you (complicated, isn't it? ) *g*
I was actually going to write you this week on another subject - funny how things happen. I'll be in touch.
no subject
> There may be a few remnants appearing in the next few weeks but no new ones unless I take them from another site that originally stole them from you (complicated, isn't it? ) *g*
I always try to give the credit to the photographer if I can, but I know it's a problem to find them sometime. And if the photos is of common use (means that you can find it everywhere), I really couldn't say that someone (not you) stole it from me, it wouldn't be right (also I use photo from other site, even if I try to put the link to the source).
What took my notice was a friday post in which a lot of pictures where from one only of my post and it was a "dedicated" post to a single photographer that I contact directly. I felt bad for him to see his photos posted without credit above all since I contacted him lamenting that his good work wasn't receiving enought credit... that was the reason why I was so upset, I almost felt as if I brought more damage to him than doing nothing.
> I was actually going to write you this week on another subject - funny how things happen. I'll be in touch.
This sounds almost threating ;-) (I'm joking!). Will wait for your mail. Elisa