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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Book Review

Book Review

Everyone is a Critic

By Steve Laubeon July 10, 2023
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One of the burdens an artist must bear is the scrutiny of public opinion. It can either be exhilarating or devastating. At the risk of oversimplifying the issue, let’s look at some categories that define this topic.

Opinion
Everyone has an opinion. The problem for the author is to determine how much weight to give to those opinions. One mistake a writer will make is to ask someone or a group of someones, “What do you think of this?” with “this” being your work or the cover of their latest book.

Think of it this way: If someone asks for your opinion and genuinely says they want to hear your thoughts, you will give that opinion … and it is often critical. It is as if we don’t feel like we have been “honest” unless we find something wrong or something we don’t like. We can become overly nitpicky and focus on things that are not vital to the design or the composition of the project. And this is where it becomes dangerous for the author. The tendency is to place too much credence on these types of opinions, given by those who may not have the experience or know-how to truly be of service. That is not to say their opinions are wrong or misinformed, merely that discernment must be used when filtering these comments.

Gathering too many opinions can clutter a sure vision or shake your confidence. It can become like the cynical definition of a committee: “A body that keeps minutes but wastes hours.”

Review
In my opinion (see what I did there?), there are two kinds of reviews. Internet reviews where anyone can post their thoughts (see above) and published reviews where a critic renders their perspective (see below). While the ease of online reviews has revolutionized how we shop, they also need a huge dose of discernment.

One of my clients had a review posted online of their book, which read in part, “Any sane individual would not be able to go further than page 5 of this idiocy. … Yack, the worst book of the decade, not just the year.” Obviously, the reader despised the book; but in other sentences, that person revealed that their problem with the book was its Christian content. So they were attacking the book based on religious grounds.

With many e-books being heavily discounted, the chance of finding a “reviewer” who takes issue with the author is quite high.

Many say that if a book has 100% five-star reviews, they won’t buy it because “it isn’t possible for a book to have everyone love it equally.” It is the four-star reviews that often explain why the lack of the fifth star. Often, one-star reviews are from “someone with an axe to grind.”

Since reviews are readily accessible, they are the source of many authors’ emotional and spiritual depressions. Do reviews get you down? Don’t read them. Do reviews make you sky-high and excited? Don’t read them. They are opinions. And some people love to give you their opinions whether you want them or not.

Critique
On the other hand, a critique usually comes from someone who is being paid for their expertise or an expert who volunteered to lend a hand. For example, a critique group that you trust can become a valuable source of feedback and help you on your journey. In one way, this is a curated response from a reputable source.

Your editor’s response to your manuscript falls under this category. It is a critique. While it is still an opinion, it is a measured one coming from years of experience and a desire to help make the book even better.

It doesn’t mean you have to love the critique. In fact, it may make you frustrated or even angry. But that is part of the creative process. As Calvin Miller once said to me when I was his editor, “It is the clash of two rocks that makes a spark. The spark of creativity.” Of course, he said that after telling me he disagreed with my critique of a portion of his manuscript.

To further explore the topic of critique, I highly recommend you read the following articles:
“Critiquing Critiques” by Rick Daley (on Nathan Bransford’s blog)
“Finding the Right Critique Partner” by Tamela Hancock Murray

Critic
I think one of the greatest descriptions of the critic’s job is found in the words of Anton Ego, recited in the film Ratatouille. He declares:

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.

Well said.

Your Turn
Have you asked for “opinions” of your work and become confused by the advice?
Have you received an over-the-top bad review?
Is there another category of “opinion” that I missed?

 

[Originally posted in another form in April 2013.]

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Category: Book Business, Book Review, Career, Craft, Creativity, Writing CraftTag: Career, Critiques, reviews

Adopting an Author (Not in a Legal Sense)

By Dan Balowon July 5, 2023
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Most authors find the promotion part of publishing a book at best challenging and, at worse, a necessary evil. Some authors enjoy it, seeing it as an important part of getting a book noticed and into the hands of readers. The antidote to this entire platform thing is to first think about readers and those you will influence through your work. It’s a borderline magic potion to enjoying the …

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Category: Book Review, Personal

My 50 Favorite Books (That I Didn’t Write or Represent)

By Bob Hostetleron April 19, 2023
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People occasionally ask me how I became a writer; and my standard answer is, “I was raised in a family of readers.” And over the years I’ve read thousands of books (that I can remember by title and author, that is). Not counting comic books. Not counting textbooks. Oh, and not counting my own books. So, when I sat down recently to try to list my favorite fifty books, I faced a daunting task. I …

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Category: Book Review

Book of the Month – October 2021

By Steve Laubeon October 11, 2021
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I’ve known Les Stobbe for well over 30 years. And here he is, at age 91, publishing a new book! God Moments in My Publishing Life: The Making of a Writer and Publisher was just released by EABooks Publishing. I want to recommend it to all of you. I had the honor of endorsing this book and wrote, “It is important to hear the stories of our industry’s history. Our confidence in …

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Category: Book Review

Where Do Your Readers Come From?

By Guest Bloggeron May 24, 2021
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Today’s guest writer is Carla Laureano. She is a two-time RITA® award-winning author of over a dozen books, spanning the genres of contemporary romance and Celtic fantasy. A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked in sales and marketing for more than a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write full-time. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband, two sons, …

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Category: Book Review, Book Sales, Branding, Indie, Marketing, Self-Publishing, The Writing Life

Read “A Christian Reading Manifesto”

By Steve Laubeon April 5, 2021
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Last year David Steele created this document: “A Christian Reading Manifesto.” It bears review for those of us in the writing of books and those who believe in the power of reading said books. Given the efforts of our secular culture to redefine words and their meaning, his statement “Reading Forces Us to Reckon With Words” resonated. I’ve often said, “People of …

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Category: Book Review, Career, Christian, Theology

How Do I Pick the Right Genre for My Book?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 16, 2020
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The “Your Questions Answered” Series __________ I’d love to learn more about the system behind categorizing books, specifically fiction. I want to write a book that fits well in a category and make sure a book I’ve already written fits into a definite category, but I feel like I’m missing a lot of specifics. Also, I’ve learned from this blog that it’s important to …

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Category: Book Proposals, Book Review, Genre, Your Questions Answered Series

10 Ways to Read More

By Bob Hostetleron January 16, 2019
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A few weeks ago, I posted on this site about my annual reading plan, which usually guides ¼ to 1/3 of the 100 (or so) books I read each year. As often happens when I talk about my reading plan, several people asked, “How do you read so much?” After all, I keep fairly busy as a husband, father, grandfather, writer, speaker, literary agent, and man-about-town. So how do I manage to read a book or …

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Category: Book Review, The Writing Life

The Book That Changed My Life

By Bob Hostetleron November 7, 2018
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Books have changed my life, many times. The Bible has done so, of course, on an almost daily basis, as it has done for so many others. But, while it tops the list, other books have had huge impacts on me. Beverly Cleary’s The Mouse and the Motorcycle introduced me to the joy of reading. C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity and Josh McDowell’s Evidence That Demands a Verdict fueled my teenage spiritual …

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Category: Book Review, Career, Reviews, The Writing Life, Theology

Expert Training

By Dan Balowon October 2, 2018
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With so many types of media available to citizens of the 21st century, anyone can appear to be an expert in anything. Access to the internet makes everyone smart. Or at least appear to be smart. Fifteen years ago I searched online for the acronym LOL because I wasn’t cool enough to know what it meant. Now I know.  It means “left out letters” for people in a hurry to communicate. If you are going …

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Category: Book Review, Branding, Marketing, Platform
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