Wednesday 29 August 2012

Reviews

A Fellow-Sherlockian recently suggested a Forum for answering one's critics. When it comes to reviews, I've had both 'ravers' and 'stinkers' - making one wonder if those who metaphorically put pen to paper have read the same book. The 'star' system is a blunt instrument used to rate everything from lavatory seats to lawnmowers, and sites such as The Bookbag uses untrained reviewers who only need to submit something to show they are reasonably literate before being let loose to praise or pan whichever book they choose. It doesn't seeem to matter either way whether or not they understand it. Even worse, the only qualification for reviewing a book on Amazon is to become a customer. I must confess I'm with Alistair Duncan on this. Read the reviews, learn from them if possible - and then get on with the next project.