A friend has published a book--I dislike it. What to say?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you say to a friend who has published a romance novel that you think is TERRIBLE? It's published by a respected publisher (like Simon & Schuster, but not S&S). I just can't think of a positive thing to say.
I truly love this friend and am in awe that she is a published author, while mothering two little sons, and I've told her so.

I cannot believe you are a published author! I am so proud of you! I recommended the title to the library so you can get more readers. Do you have any ideas for your next novel?

Exactly, you find SOMETHING positive to say (clever plot twist, detailed descriptions or character development, impressive that she found the time to complete it despite the other demands on her time..). Any adult with decent social skills should be able to find something nice and supportive to say. Come on.

[Anonymous]

Another published author here. Agree with those who have said to just congratulate your friend on the accomplishment. I’ve done both traditional publishing and self-publishing and both are different feats in their own way and take an extraordinary amount of grit, patience, rejection, and determination to see the project through until it’s out in the universe. Support your friend on that aspect.

[Anonymous]

Write a snarky anonymous Amazon review!

In all honestly, just congratulate her. And surely there's something you can find to say that's positive, even if it's like the name of a character or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you say to a friend who has published a romance novel that you think is TERRIBLE? It's published by a respected publisher (like Simon & Schuster, but not S&S). I just can't think of a positive thing to say.
I truly love this friend and am in awe that she is a published author, while mothering two little sons, and I've told her so.

I had the same experience recently, OP. I thought the book was terrible. But, I've kept my mouth shut. I feel sad for people who read the Amazon reviews and think it is going to be good. A lot of those "reviews" are people who know the author or her family personally or they are part of the author's book-writing-publishing circle.

Just smile and say "congrats." And don't get into any conversations about the book.

[Anonymous]

I get what OP is feeling, and it need not be jealousy. I love to read, and badly written books offend me in a visceral way that, say, an appalling outfit or decorating scheme never would. I even get queasy when friends mention a book that has gotten a lot of popular acclaim that I think is just awful.

But I do think it is exciting for someone to be published by a real publishing house. So it's sort of like what another pp was getting at--say your friend was promoted to a position, say in an industry you would never, ever be caught dead working it (time share sales??). You can still be impressed by her accomplishment even if you might feel more sincere admiration if it was something else. Focus on "that's so exciting!" and leave it at that. And you really can always just say you couldn't get into the book or something, that happens with the best books with some readers, it is not a universal thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another author here with a different opinion from the PP author.

I actually don't mind *at all* if people don't read. The most uncomfortable thing for me is when someone "apologizes" for not having read it. It's ok, I don't need you to read it!

Best thing to say: "I'm so happy for you!"

Other kinds of commentary can honestly be awkward due to the fact that 99 percent of authors are neurotic:

"I liked it, but not as much as your first!"
Rational me: cool, everyone has preferences
Author me: omg I am getting worse as an author, how is that possible!

"I liked it even more than your first!"
Rational me: cool, everyone has preferences
Author me: omg, my first book was SO personal so did I do a bad job of it?

"Do you have an idea for your next book?"
Rational me: that's nice, they're interested in my career
Author me (if answer is no): *dies inside*
Author me (if answer is yes): *mumbles something vague*

The LEAST helpful thing is criticism about a published book. Unless there's a factual error or a typo that could be fixed in a reprinting, don't tell me. Don't tell me if you didn't like a character. (In fact, maybe consider the possibility that I didn't want them to be "likeable"! Books need bad guys, folks. It's the way stories work.) Don't tell me if you think that my genre is stupid, or pointless, or derivative.

If you truly WANT to be helpful to an author, here's some ways to do it:

- Buy a book. Or buy it on audible. Or check it out from the library. (This is super helpful because libraries buy a bunch of books from authors who are popular at their branches! Do not ever feel weird about checking something out from the library. Libraries rule.)

- Go to a book launch/event if it's local to you

- Post a picture of the book on social media. There's some marketing factoid that's often quoted about people needing to see a book cover an average of 7 times before they decide to read/buy. You don't have to post that you liked it, you can just say "I'm so excited to read my friend Larla's new book!" That's gold.

- Review on Goodreads, if you have an account there

- Review on Amazon ... many people don't realize that you don't even have to have purchased the book from Amazon to review there. As long as you meet some minimum of $ purchases you can review it. Obviously you should read the book first. And if it's your friend, don't trash it. But even negative reviews are technically helpful, because the algorithm will start recommending books to readers after they have a certain number of reviews (I think it's 50)

And one more thing...
- do NOT under any circumstances download a "free" book unless it is from your library. I'm talking about the sketchy sites, you know the ones. Those are completely trash and besides being illegal, they undermine the entire book industry. For some reason, several people who are supposedly book lovers have bragged to me about how they do this. Do not be that person.

you're not an author, you're an absolute wind-bag

[Anonymous]

"Congratulations, I can't believe you published a novel with two toddlers running around, you are just amazing, I am so incredibly proud of you! What's next in your writing journey??"