Prior to reading a blog post by L.K. Madigan titled "GoodReads or BadFeelings?", I hadn't given much thought to the way an author might experience Goodreads.
I'm grateful for the perspective. According to Madigan, "It's GoodREADS, not GoodWRITES." She says, "I cannot blithely rate the work of my colleagues. I know exactly how hard it is to write a book. I will not reduce authors’ months and years of hard work to a number of stars."
Looking at it from that perspective, I'm loath to assign ratings. I have so much respect for writers and their craft, for the courage it takes to face the blank page and craft a story to fill it. The creativity, effort, and perseverance involved are impressive.
However, as a reader, I need some way to rate or quantify my experience. Star ratings are somewhat arbitrary and each person is likely to define them in their own way. Some may assign five stars regularly, while others will reserve the top rating for only those books they consider exceptional.
Writers usually have a small group of family, friends, or associates they trust to read and comment on their work. I'm sure it must be uncomfortable to suddenly hear an opinion from every reader in the world. I can understand feeling overwhelmed and upset by the tsunami of feedback.
When I give a rating, I'm not judging the author's ability; I'm making note of my personal experience of the book. Every person who picks up a book does so with a unique mindset and background. No two will have the same journey through those pages.
As a reader, I love Goodreads. It's a great way for me to keep track of what I've read and what I'd like to read. I like the community and exchange of ideas with other readers. My friends on Goodreads fall into two categories. First, there are people that have very similar reading preferences. If they like a book, it's a good bet I'll enjoy it. I also have friends with very different tastes to mine; thanks to them I'm often inspired to try a genre or book I wouldn't otherwise have considered.
I actually have mixed feelings about author profiles on Goodreads. One the one hand, it's wonderful to have an opportunity to get to know an author beyond the photo and one-paragraph bio on a book jacket. I'd like to be able to treat an author like any other Goodreads friend. It doesn't always work that way, however. Interactions can be a bit stilted. For example, how do I praise a writer's book without sounding sycophantic? Also, I'd like to know what authors read when they're not writing; paradoxically, they may not be comfortable sharing this because of their empathy for other writers.
Oh well. It's an imperfect world. What's good for some is bad for others.
At any rate, hats off to writers. You enrich my world beyond measure. Keep up the great work.
[a cross-post from Posterous]
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