Raine Balkera - Romance Author

I'll jump right in on this one because it's been on my mind for a while now and today encountered another 'trigger' instance that pushed me to write about it. I'm talking about Romance Reader / Reviewer reviews again. It's obvious (to me) that there are quite a few Romance readers (perhaps readers of other genres, too) who are very narrow-minded and live in-the-moment so as not to be taken seriously. However, when they under-rate a novel based on that way of thinking/believing, it does the author no justice -- which is why I've decided to speak my mind on the topic. If you follow me (lol) then you're aware of my having read a number of novels in a variety of genres. However, my favorite remains Romance novels, and I write Contemporary. On a daily basis, I browse this category in search of new reading material and will habitually scroll down to the reviews section and read them. I'll admit that most reviewers are honest when they...

We've all read at least one review (possibly about our own novel) that manages to not only upset but also give the impression that said reviewer would write something awful regardless of content or execution. It's a tough call, especially when it isn't the author's job to cast judgment on a reader in the same way a reader can and will do to any and all authors. We've probably read at least one blog post or online magazine article that recommends authors 'ignore' bad reviews, and I know a few authors who never read their book's reviews at all: good OR bad. Yet there are authors who like to brag-post a glowing review -- which probably has more to do with attempting to boost sales than it does a need to feed their ego -- but again, it's hard to tell sometimes. Lately, we read and discuss the issue of 5-Star reviews and their possible draw-backs. There are countless blog post and online magazine articles that offer some form of advice about...