Following last month’s post on reading for my reviews, I thought I’d share a little of what I do with them once they’re written. Obviously the appear on Annecdotal, but where else? Well, there’s Goodreads which drew me in initially as an attractive way of keeping tabs on my reading. Another way I keep track is through the listings on my reading and reviews page although, because I’m better at remembering the book than the author, the alphabetical ordering doesn’t always help. Then there’s Twitter (along with the myriad hashtag days) which can generate some lively discussion and Facebook which, probably because I still don’t know how to work it properly, tends not to. Also, because most of the books I review come from the publishers, I tweet and email them the link; if it’s from one of the Hachette companies involved in Bookbridgr, I also log the review there. That’s quite a lot of admin, but there’s still one glaring omission that troubles me somewhat; it’s not exactly the elephant in the room, but the huge empty space where that elephant should be.
A couple of authors asked me recently if I’d post my reviews of their novels on Amazon. I was gratified that they liked my analysis sufficiently to want it to be more widely available (and, while honest, engaging and respectful, neither were gushing outpourings of adoration), but squirmed at the conflict my desire to be helpful and my reluctance to engage with what looks like a behemoth monopolistic bookseller that exploits a legal loophole to avoid paying a fair amount of tax on its UK income.
To me, leading a moral life entails, not just treating other people decently, but caring for the environment too. It also means not passively colluding with unfair practices and, as Norah Colvin said in her #1000Speak for Compassion post, being attentive to the hidden ecological, public health, social and economic justice consequences of our actions, including what and how we consume. Yet our human limitations, as well as the sociopolitical context of the modern world, militate against this. We make compromises and trade-offs, constantly juggling conflicting priorities, constantly failing to live up to our ideals. The right path isn’t always clear. Should I boycott the organisation that legally contributes a miniscule proportion of its profits to our tax revenue or campaign against the government that enables this to happen? Should I support a fellow author or relieve my own cognitive dissonance, head in the sand, pretending the only Amazon that matters is the female warrior or the 4000 mile South American river.
For many of you, this will be a non-issue. Authors, small-press and indie authors in particular, have little option but to engage with Amazon to bring their words before the world. Readers who support those authors understand the importance of posting a review where it has the best chance of being seen. When my own novel is published in July, I’ll be grateful for the exposure that comes from an Amazon review. Can I be so hypocritical as to refuse to post there myself?
Writing a little while ago about her own Amazon discomfort, Claire King points out that authors aren’t responsible for the struggles faced by bookshops; nor for where readers choose to shop. As readers, we can make an ethical choice about where we spend our money; as writers and as reviewers our power to make a difference is much less. So I’ve decided to start sharing some of my reviews on Amazon. I’m still trying to get to grips with the star rating system (it’s different to the one on Goodreads, but I’m a little uncomfortable with both – expect more on this later!) and with whether I can use the same headers there as I use my posts, so I can’t yet commit to doing it for all my reviews. As I’m also still unsure about the extra admin, it makes sense to prioritise books from small presses that need it most.
To me, leading a moral life entails, not just treating other people decently, but caring for the environment too. It also means not passively colluding with unfair practices and, as Norah Colvin said in her #1000Speak for Compassion post, being attentive to the hidden ecological, public health, social and economic justice consequences of our actions, including what and how we consume. Yet our human limitations, as well as the sociopolitical context of the modern world, militate against this. We make compromises and trade-offs, constantly juggling conflicting priorities, constantly failing to live up to our ideals. The right path isn’t always clear. Should I boycott the organisation that legally contributes a miniscule proportion of its profits to our tax revenue or campaign against the government that enables this to happen? Should I support a fellow author or relieve my own cognitive dissonance, head in the sand, pretending the only Amazon that matters is the female warrior or the 4000 mile South American river.
For many of you, this will be a non-issue. Authors, small-press and indie authors in particular, have little option but to engage with Amazon to bring their words before the world. Readers who support those authors understand the importance of posting a review where it has the best chance of being seen. When my own novel is published in July, I’ll be grateful for the exposure that comes from an Amazon review. Can I be so hypocritical as to refuse to post there myself?
Writing a little while ago about her own Amazon discomfort, Claire King points out that authors aren’t responsible for the struggles faced by bookshops; nor for where readers choose to shop. As readers, we can make an ethical choice about where we spend our money; as writers and as reviewers our power to make a difference is much less. So I’ve decided to start sharing some of my reviews on Amazon. I’m still trying to get to grips with the star rating system (it’s different to the one on Goodreads, but I’m a little uncomfortable with both – expect more on this later!) and with whether I can use the same headers there as I use my posts, so I can’t yet commit to doing it for all my reviews. As I’m also still unsure about the extra admin, it makes sense to prioritise books from small presses that need it most.
© Charli Mills My leap to this week’s flash fiction prompt won’t seem so clunky if you revert to thinking of Amazon as a powerful woman or a mighty river. In a lovely post, Charli Mills describes attending a garden party in her neighbourhood with a bunch of admirable older women and invites us to compose a 99-word story inspired by this photograph from her own solitary birthday cruise. My contribution has slipped away from the garden but hopefully pays tribute to those older women living life to the full, with a nod to the more melancholy theme of my Valentine’s Day compassion flash:
They eyed me suspiciously as we queued to embark. Evening cruises are for lovers, according to the young. My binoculars dangling from a strap around my neck were meant to place me above all that. But spotting birds holds no appeal without you.
The youngsters scurried below deck to the bar. I wrapped a scarf around my hair, found a seat in the prow. Beyond the jetty, the breeze made my eyes water. Or was it the sunset gilding the mountainside across the lake? I leaned back, contentment washing over me. Absorbed in nature’s romance, the decades rolled away.
They eyed me suspiciously as we queued to embark. Evening cruises are for lovers, according to the young. My binoculars dangling from a strap around my neck were meant to place me above all that. But spotting birds holds no appeal without you.
The youngsters scurried below deck to the bar. I wrapped a scarf around my hair, found a seat in the prow. Beyond the jetty, the breeze made my eyes water. Or was it the sunset gilding the mountainside across the lake? I leaned back, contentment washing over me. Absorbed in nature’s romance, the decades rolled away.
As this will be my last post this month, I thought I’d finish off with a reminder of the twelve novels I’ve reviewed in May. If you’ve missed any, just click on the image and you’ll see the full list.
Look forward to catching up with you again in June!
Look forward to catching up with you again in June!
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