Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat.
This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week. As we are a faith-based group the questions refer mainly to Christian fiction or non-fiction.
Today’s question is:
When reviewing a multi author boxset do your review all stories?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation by commenting on this post or on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group. Remember to comment today on Tuesday Book Chat to enter the giveaway.
Let’s chat!
Short answer is yes. When I review a multi author boxset I need to have read all the stories. My reasoning is how can I give a star rating if I haven’t read the whole boxset? What, does frustrate me is 5 star reviews stating the reviewer only read one story. This use to happened more when authors were chasing the NY Times best seller list.
I once had an author ask me to read a box set done by a writer’s chapter in the USA. They all wrote about the same event in an apartment complex. The first story was excellent written by an established author, but a couple of the stories were confusing and not quite ready. In my review I could talk about the stories that were 5 star worthy without mentioning the ones below par. The organiser was happy for me to give a 3 star rating after seeing the review. She wanted honest (which is very refreshing) and it was done as a help for some of the writers who had yet to be published.
Your turn.
I look forward to reading your comments here or at the FB group.
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Hi Jenny, I have reviewed and recommended smaller multi-author box sets and collections (mostly 4 books or less). I read every book in those collections – no DNF’s.
I can understand readers wanting to support their fave authors and only reviewing the book by that author in their box set review. It’s time consuming to read and review every story in the collection. Also, they may not have liked all of the other stories but don’t want to broadcast that fact precisely because they read an advanced reader copy (ARC). These collections are bargain priced, typically 2.99 or less, and are still a good deal even if you only read a couple of the stories.
I have a number of book recommendations on my author blog that are obsolete because the box sets no longer exist in that format. Sometimes I’ll post a recommendation for a book when it’s rereleased as a single title. Again, that takes time and it’s not a high priority.
Since the box set reviews at Amazon and the retailers will eventually disappear when the multi author collection ends, the only exception being if a print version was also released, I’d encourage readers who review ebook box sets on the retail sites to also post their reviews at Goodreads, especially if they’re not posting them on a blog.
When all the stories are released as single titles by each author, they can help their fave authors by reposting their original review of the story on the newly rereleased book.
Makes sense. Ironically I have bought box sets but then never read a single story. But when its been releases on its own have read it. I think on box set tipped me over the edge. nearly all the reviews were 5 stars and one of the 6 or 7 was read and in this case they only talked about that book most of these were only for 1 or 2 of the stories. There were a few who had read the whole book and gave a 4 star which it really deserved. I have to say I am so glad the whole NY times best seller list is gone cos the pressure to buy was intense. I now rarely buy a box set with 10 or more authors. I much prefer the 3 or 4 boxsets. Already read 2 of them this year. These are normally just a little longer than many current books with around 350 – 400 pages. Which isn’t that long to review the whole set.
I don’t review unless I’ve read them all. It makes it hard if I didn’t like some of the books, but I usually try and be specific and brief about what I didn’t like while also trying to give some good feedback as well. I prefer reviews which let you know what they didn’t like, because sometimes it saves me from reading a book I wouldn’t have wanted to read (too spicey). But other times, what they didn’t like (usually the faith content) is something that I did want to read, so a negative review can actually help me want to read the book.
But the short answer is: I only review if I’ve read them all.
I did a big reply which was eaten. What you said makes sense. I tend to read lower reviews first. if they are just ratings no comment I dismiss as often disgruntled people. (Its like if you buy different things I learnt reading the lower reviews and then 3 stars I have been saved buying bad items. Something I learnt the hard way a few years back)
I know often what I like others may not and visa versa. Years back I read a book I didn’t like didn’t like the heroine and if not a review book would have thrown it away. The end of the year it was in the top ten reads of so many reviewers they didn’t react the same way I did cos the reason I struggled they didn’t have that issue.
I usually do a review for the box set as a whole and mention the books that really stood out to me in the review.
Thanks for commenting Cindi. Sounds like a good plan.