Would you tell a friend their book is awful?
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Anonymous
Trust me, the system is already compromised. |
Anonymous
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It's a huge deal for her to get it published. Somebody (several somebodies) saw something good or interesting in it, even if you didn't. No book is for everyone.
Say something nice and true like "You must be proud" or "you must have worked so hard on that." Or just mention SOMETHING about it you liked: a character, a line. No book is perfect and most authors are self-aware enough to know that, but to criticize the book is like telling someone her baby is ugly: just don't. It ultimately reflects more on you (not being able to share in a friend's joy) than says anything about your discernment as a literary critic. |
Anonymous
It's SO compromised, and she needs positive reviews so her book will keep showing up in search. I'd review any friend's book positively. IMO, it's so crappy to put some kind of misguided faith in the holiness of Amazon's algorithm above support for a friend. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
I had a friend who published something I really didn't like. I said things like-- wow, published! This is a huge deal! I can see you a lot of effort and yourself into getting this out into the world. And wow, [character X] really made me think about [issue y]. |
Anonymous
+1 A lot of things in life fall into the “harder than it looks” category. And writing a book is a good example. Everyone thinks they can write a book, but unless OP is a successful published author, she should be impressed by the fact that her friend published a book—and with one of the big 3 (or 4 or however many there are, I forget), no less! I don’t know that OP realizes how unlikely it is to get published at these places. If your friend wrote a book and one of the big publishers bought it….bravo. End of story. As for OP’s pointing out editing issues, “consistency” issues, and plot holes…plenty of blockbuster movies have plot holes in them and editing mistakes. Art is imperfect because it is made by people. Try to be happy for your friend, who should be very proud. And if I were you I’d reflect on why you are nit-picking….jealousy can be a map. |
Anonymous
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So, plot twist!
I’m the author. My friends have given polite, vague congratulations, minus one who told me who awful the book is. Was just curious if the rest were lying, and it seems like they were. Pretty depressed now. |
Anonymous
I'm an author too. The likeliest thing is they didn't read it. Publishing a book made me realize how few of my friends read at all. |
Anonymous
Also, though, I don't believe you. Doesn't ring true 
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Anonymous
I mean, I wrote a book that's "badly edited with plot holes." 
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Anonymous
Ha! Almost all books have plot holes: plot is hard and that "friend" is a schmuck. Publishing a book was both a long desired goal for me and a traumatic experience that has taken me years to get over. Just try to enjoy it for its own sake and don't worry about people's reactions. Easier said than done, I know. |
Anonymous
| One of my book club friends wrote a book and we read it as one of our monthly picks- in general people were very nice about the book and only offered positive feedback such as "I never knew that about you" and "that was interesting" (but in all honesty no one thought it was very good)- I have another friend who wrote a NYT best seller and told her that her book was a great read and written so well. |
Anonymous
There is no such thing as constructive criticism or feedback. It is better to hear criticism from you than literary agent. Be gentle but tell her. |
Anonymous
Don’t say anything negative unless your friend has a very thick skin. The book critics will do that for you. If your friend asks try to find one or two points you can say something positive about. My DH writes as a serious hobby and he really takes it personally. |
Anonymous
| No, try and find something you like about it to comment on. |