I need a card to carry

[julesjones]

Conversation elsenet at the weekend led to this thought: I want to be a card-carrying member of the "owning your one star reviews" movement. Literally card-carrying. I think it would be highly amusing to have a nice little laminated card with the logo John Scalzi often uses on his posts regarding same, (for example http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/06/19/and-now-some-one-star-reviews-of-redshirts/) that I can take to cons. It would be handy for conversations where someone genuinely believes the world owes them non-stop five star reviews (as opposed to feeling bruised and wanting to whine to friends before moving on).

I am in two minds whether to have choice examples on the reverse of the card itself, or to quote the last couple of paras of the original post at http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/04/24/mmmm-one-star-rific/ and affix a slip of paper with current favourites, which changes from con to con. (The rules of the game are as in the original post -- no mocking the reviewers, or siccing the fanbase onto them. The idea is to accept that 20% of the readers will not like your book, and move on. And maybe enjoy the better crafted examples.)

I shall have to see whether I can prod the colour printer into life before Eastercon. Or maybe just slip a couple of copies into my next order from Moo.

Comments

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

That is such a cool idea... :)

[julesjones]

[giggles at your icon]

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

What a great idea. I know that I have hated things that many people rave about (I always wish that that I could read the book they read, but reader experience is always unique to each reader). Likewise, I'm sure there are things that I love that other people hate.

[julesjones]

Yup. And furthermore, I have read things that I know objectively to be good, but which Do Not Do It For me (one of the Hugo nominated shorts last year was a prime example), or which I know objectively to have serious shortcomings, but which I love to pieces anyway.

[carl-allery.livejournal.com]

Huh, that's not a 1 star on Loose Id then, or amazon. Hmm, seeing which, you appear to have no reviews at Amazon. I'll have to sort that. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed Nice Tie, thank you. Just figuring out what to say. I also really need to review Dolphin Dreams in both places as far more people need to be reading about kinky dolphins. :)

[julesjones]

There's a one star review of The Syndicate at Amazon US which makes me wince every time I see it, and which I know has actually sold the book to a couple of people because they read the guy's reasons for not liking it and thought, "I think I'd enjoy that." So yes, early personal lesson in how a thoughtful, articulate one star review may be more helpful than an undetailed "It was fab!" That's the one I'd be inclined to quote.

Glad you liked Nice Tie. :-) Reviews on Amazon UK would be most welcome. The solitary UK one of The Syndicate is I think a result of me actively soliciting a review, *any* review even if unfavourable, on afp, because Amazon failed to put up any details of the book other than title and authors. No blurb, no nothing, for weeks, in spite of prodding. So I asked would someone please put up a review that at least gave some idea of what the book was about.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

It is sadly me...