What's your reason for not reviewing a novel?

[Eldoria]

Reasons For Not Reviewing the Novel​

We might have read a novel on SH and not left a review. Or perhaps the author asked for a review in the feedback forum, but we might have ignored the request.

I am an active member who provides reviews on novelupdates. However, on SH, I rarely provide reviews. Here are some of my reasons:

First, I have received personal attacks from authors who insist on asking for feedback. Hello, is it polite to do that to others?

Second, reviews are not appreciated. It's okay if you disagree with someone else's opinion. But respecting others is a moral obligation. Often reviews are not appreciated even if the author asks for it. Just a like or a short reply is actually basic etiquette in respecting other people's opinions. But ironically, authors (especially new ones) often ignore that. At least you should respect the existence of the reviewer. Ignoring them is the same as considering the reviewer as not existing.

Third, my energy is often used up taking care of my own novel. So I rarely read other people's novels nowadays unless asked.

Fourth, even if an author asks for a review with the promise of a review in return, and I agree to that verbal agreement. When I've already given an honest review, the author unilaterally reneges on the agreement by ignoring my review and refusing to provide a review in return. This is truly ridiculous. If they promised, why did they break it? In the end, they've compromised their own integrity. This makes it difficult for me to trust authors who ask for reviews with the promise of a review in return.

Ultimately, mutual respect, integrity, listening and accepting openly in the interaction between the author and the reader (reviewer) are important. If you don't want to listen, why do you ask for other people's opinions? If you don't want to respect others existentially, how can you demand that others respect you?

 

[BigBadBoi]

Too lazy

 

[RepresentingAnti-Representings]

Give me review.

You will have your review when you fix this DAMN NEXT CHAPTER BUTTON!!!!!!!

Infinite loop


In all seriousness.

Most of the reviews I have made got taken down :(
Yes, I was lazy to write who knows how many words, but I did write a good, honest opinion in them.

Since then, I rarely leave a review.

I try to comment as much as I can tho.
Be supportive fellow readers 07

 

[expentio]

The old Bambi quote. If I got nothing good to say, I rather shouldn't say anything.
I'm extremely nitpicky about stories. Small issues are pretty grating for me. This may also apply to novels I like. At the same time, I know how much effort lies in making a story. I don't want to drag down the score by giving a mediocre review with 3-4 stars.
Maybe if it's undeniably worse, but then I'm holding back on ripping someone's work apart.
I was even itching to write a review about a story that turned out to be a heavily tropey cultivation story, just with magic instead of ki. To the end, I hated almost anything about this. How the MC was quite the arse, how the magic tiers separated people to be untouchable by their lesser, to the point of plot armor. I had a lot to say about it.
Still, there was always the thought if speaking up would make me seem petty.
Usaually, of it's smaller stuff, I try giving pointers in the comments. Maybe it can theoretically be corrected. But even then, I worry I might discourage an author I found to fancy. Communication is hard, but I don't think one should spray everything one has everywhere.

 

[Macha]

I come from a place where it's rude to give reviews when the author don't ask for it.

That, and when some author ask for reviews, it's usually just a stunt for publicity. Don't ask me for reviews if you are just looking for readers, there are nothing to review (the story is just beginning), or you are not the author (the original author is a clanker/someone else who don't speak English)

Let me tell you one thing: here in SH, reviews alone won't get you into trending. This isn't RR where all you need to do to raise your rank is do review swaps (which I found indigenous)

 

[Arkus86]

Part of it is laziness. Another part is, if I'm not sure what to say in the review, I just don't. Same if I think what I could write is too subjective, rather than addressing the objective qualities of the story. Also, I'm better at picking out the negative qualities of a story to talk about, rather than just praising it. And usually authors are not asking for a honest opinion, they are asking for empty 5-stars - and some are asking for 5-stars explicitly (it's also why I usually skip reading 5-star reviews, I'm looking for critique in them, not empty praise).

This isn't RR where all you need to do to raise your rank is do review swaps (which I found indigenous)

I rather find it dishonest. Whenever I see someone asking for review swap, all I see is "come and boost my rating, and I will boost yours". Unlike even regular reader reviews, this creates a certain expectation of the other party, not to mention asking a review from someone who will likely only quickly skim through a part of the story.
As if the rating system was not skewed enough with people throwing 5 stars at nearly everything.

 

[MagicDaddy]

Writing 3000 more words perchapter, translate it, and edit it over and over take so much time. Not to mention when I got client in comic making. I want to review someone works, though. Four or five stars for their hardworks. But whenever I randomly read any fiction, most of them are not for me. It feels so weird to imagine being strong with system and stuff when we can simply doing push up or learning how to fight. I can't enjoy it, unless it has deeper background, proper research and interesting world building.

 

[FleecedSheep]

I don't really review, only because I tend to lurk. I have an account, but it's mostly to post my stories, otherwise I keep logged out to read. It's probably not fair to do that, especially since I'm probably messing with metrics, but I do value my privacy more than not. I do think if I found a story good enough, but somehow didn't gain any traction, I'd put myself out there and review, but otherwise it's not really a concern for me.

On the other side, I don't like asking for reviews. In a way, it's like asking for a gift. I'd rather someone organically decide to give a review, then ask for one. Even if, at times, I wished someone would give me their thoughts. I mean, I have no idea what will be in that box when its opened. Will it be something I like, hate? Or just kinda meh. Better to just sit back and hope, pray, or whatever, rather than throwing myself into the deep end.

I also can't expect much since, again, I tend to lurk when I read. Getting bad metrics or little tractions is to be expected with an account like that. Lastly, sorry you had to go through all that. People can suck at times. As for review swaps, I don't do it for much the same reasons you brought up. That, and it does leave a bad taste in my mouth. I'd again, much prefer my story, or stories gain traction naturally rather than through shoving it into people's faces.

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

I come from a place where it's rude to give reviews when the author don't ask for it.

That, and when some author ask for reviews, it's usually just a stunt for publicity. Don't ask me for reviews if you are just looking for readers, there are nothing to review (the story is just beginning), or you are not the author (the original author is a clanker/someone else who don't speak English)

Let me tell you one thing: here in SH, reviews alone won't get you into trending. This isn't RR where all you need to do to raise your rank is do review swaps (which I found indigenous)

Review?

 

[Racosharko]

Web novels don't tend to be good subjects for reviews.

I can do a first impression, or some really cursory and superficial comments but nothing really important.

A story is a beginning a middle and an end.

Most webnovels are havent even reach the first turning of the first inciting incident. Whats there to review there is nothing there.


If someone completed a novel and ask for a review that a different matter, but these people dont tend to ask for reviews.

 

[Hoshino]

I'm too lazy-nya... Also I don't think others would find it helpful anyways-nya.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

It's not complete. Reviewing an incomplete novel may lead to having to revise the review later.

That and just not having the time to read it properly.

Edit: As for ignoring "Requests for Feedback" (etc.) that is because there are so blasted many of them. If a story finishes (either one I'm reading or one I'm writing) I may pick one, pretty much at random, but that's it.

 

[whitesculptor]

People cannot tolerate the truth, therefore one cannot review another as it'll most of the time be less than 5 stars, thus crushing their ego.

 

[LesserSarcasm]

A review is an opinion, opinion are subjective in nature and people get offended and butt hurt as a result, no opinion no butt hurt people, I personally review novels with my money, if its good enough and they have a patreon with advance chaps i might consider it. But I wont post on some forum or board about it.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Although the fact people rarely use feedback or drop writing altogether shortly after a feedback irks me, it's not the deciding factor. Getting retaliation doesn't bother me either. I don't care. I had a couple of guys in my threads that butted heads with me. One said I was right after a year has passed, the other probably dropped writing. Getting 1-star reviews in revenge? I don't care. Didn't care back when I was writing and posting actively, don't care now.

So what is the main reason then? After two free feedback threads, watching after multitude of other similar threads I came to understand that feedback and reviews are useless. The way they are used and asked for on this forum.

Generally people don't want feedback here, they don't want reviews, they don't want critique either. They want a reader. Considering "hey go read my stuff" doesn't work, they use the next best thing which is, "I might benefit from some feedback" threads. That's my main reason. I don't want to read something that I would've never picked up on my own. By the way, if you think only newbies or people who have zero readers do it, you are wrong.

Now, if I read something on the main site of my own volition I usually write a review. I write it not for authors alone however, it is also for other readers, a 50-50 mix.

 

[OokamiOkuri]

Although the fact people rarely use feedback or drop writing altogether shortly after a feedback irks me, it's not the deciding factor. Getting retaliation doesn't bother me either. I don't care. I had a couple of guys in my threads that butted heads with me. One said I was right after a year has passed, the other probably dropped writing. Getting 1-star reviews in revenge? I don't care. Didn't care back when I was writing and posting actively, don't care now.

So what is the main reason then? After two free feedback threads, watching after multitude of other similar threads I came to understand that feedback and reviews are useless. The way they are used and asked for on this forum.

Generally people don't want feedback here, they don't want reviews, they don't want critique either. They want a reader. Considering "hey go read my stuff" doesn't work, they use the next best thing which is, "I might benefit from some feedback" threads. That's my main reason. I don't want to read something that I would've never picked up on my own. By the way, if you think only newbies or people who have zero readers do it, you are wrong.

Now, if I read something on the main site of my own volition I usually write a review. I write it not for authors alone however, it is also for other readers, a 50-50 mix.

Same here. I usually write a review to warn other readers, like the story is an unauthorized translation or breaking the content guidelines. It's harder for the author to delete reviews than comments.

 

[Arkus86]

I write it not for authors alone however, it is also for other readers, a 50-50 mix.

It actually baffles me how many authors seem to think reviews exists exclusively for their benefit, and get pissy when you write one aimed at potential readers. Though I'm noticing it's more prevalent among authors who can't handle criticism.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

It actually baffles me how many authors seem to think reviews exists exclusively for their benefit, and get pissy when you write one aimed at potential readers. Though I'm noticing it's more prevalent among authors who can't handle criticism.

It's a definition of the word problem I think. Personally, I don't care about forcing others to adopt my definition, but I won't be forced to use their definition either.

 

[AnonUnlimited]

When I realized that asking for reviews is really just asking for 5 stars 90% of the time (not actual percentage, just anecdotal).

 

[Asherah]

I'll review when the novel is done which is quite rare, that's why I don't really review novels.