Book Talk: To rate or not to rate
"Is it fair to use a scale rating system?" This is a common topic among those in the book world and I figured that I'd throw out my two cents on how and why I rate books.
I don't think there is any right or wrong answer. What it comes down to is doing what you're most comfortable with. It seems like the general "pro" group consensus is that rating provides a reference point for readers while the "con" consensus group is that rating is so subjective that it loses its meaning. I agree with both points.
When you look at sites that use rating systems (Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble), it's hard to tell whether or not you should trust the rating. Some fans will flood the sites with biased ratings to promote the book. Opponents then come in and mark down all of the good reviews while leaving one star ratings. With those sites, it's usually the 3 star ratings that I trust the most. I guess I figure that the reviewer found both good and bad points (as a good reviewer does) and is willing to point both of those out. Verses the heavily negative 1 stars or overly praising 5 stars. The other problem with these sites is that users that don't typically use a rating system are forced to; possibly skewing ratings away from a normal curve (if we want to get into statistics...which I don't). When I use these sites for finding new reads, I typically go by reviews rather than stars for these reasons. Which brings us back to why many reviewers don't like rating systems in the first place.
The Book Cove does use a rating system, however, and here's my philosophy behind it. I like to keep myself as consistent and unbiased as possible when reviewing. While I will always write my personal likes and dislikes about a book in a review, I do not use those to determine a rating. The rating system is broken down by fundamental building blocks of a book. Either the book includes them, or it doesn't.
Another reason why I use a rating system is because I figure my readers can adjust my rating to their likes and dislikes based on my review. For example, they have read enough of the same books as I have to know that what I call a 3 is more of a 4 to them, or vice versa. I know that I do this with blogs that I read frequently and don't think of it as a "hassle" when trying to "decode" another's rating system.
Basically what it comes down to in my mind is using the written review to really judge whether or not I will like a book - regardless of rating - and then using the rating of the book to determine overall quality of the book. "Likeability" and quality may or may not follow each other, but both are there for each person to make a decision on.
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So how about you? As readers or reviewers, what do you find helpful/not helpful regarding rating and review systems?
I don't think there is any right or wrong answer. What it comes down to is doing what you're most comfortable with. It seems like the general "pro" group consensus is that rating provides a reference point for readers while the "con" consensus group is that rating is so subjective that it loses its meaning. I agree with both points.
When you look at sites that use rating systems (Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble), it's hard to tell whether or not you should trust the rating. Some fans will flood the sites with biased ratings to promote the book. Opponents then come in and mark down all of the good reviews while leaving one star ratings. With those sites, it's usually the 3 star ratings that I trust the most. I guess I figure that the reviewer found both good and bad points (as a good reviewer does) and is willing to point both of those out. Verses the heavily negative 1 stars or overly praising 5 stars. The other problem with these sites is that users that don't typically use a rating system are forced to; possibly skewing ratings away from a normal curve (if we want to get into statistics...which I don't). When I use these sites for finding new reads, I typically go by reviews rather than stars for these reasons. Which brings us back to why many reviewers don't like rating systems in the first place.
The Book Cove does use a rating system, however, and here's my philosophy behind it. I like to keep myself as consistent and unbiased as possible when reviewing. While I will always write my personal likes and dislikes about a book in a review, I do not use those to determine a rating. The rating system is broken down by fundamental building blocks of a book. Either the book includes them, or it doesn't.
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| Fundamental errors meaning grammar, flow of plot, readability, etc. |
Another reason why I use a rating system is because I figure my readers can adjust my rating to their likes and dislikes based on my review. For example, they have read enough of the same books as I have to know that what I call a 3 is more of a 4 to them, or vice versa. I know that I do this with blogs that I read frequently and don't think of it as a "hassle" when trying to "decode" another's rating system.
Basically what it comes down to in my mind is using the written review to really judge whether or not I will like a book - regardless of rating - and then using the rating of the book to determine overall quality of the book. "Likeability" and quality may or may not follow each other, but both are there for each person to make a decision on.
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So how about you? As readers or reviewers, what do you find helpful/not helpful regarding rating and review systems?
Ratings are GREAT provided they're legit. Someone sent me a WORD Document of a novel he'd self-published. Amazon had over 6 FIVE STAR rating praising the book. I only read the first two pages, because I lost count of the errors I found. You name it I found it. All of those ratings had to be done by friends who could reviews.
ReplyDeleteI once had a two star which I luckily got removed by contacting Amazon for my debut YA Paranormal romance novel. It was clear he hadn't read the entire, only part of the preview. He said the book would only appeal to a young girl [ and not to an adult] So far I've been basically happy with the reviews/ratings I've received.
I dislike individuals who merely concentrate on the structure of the novel [editor's POV] instead of the actual story. I think real readers [the vast majority] read books for the enjoyment the story might bring and not to the amount of errors they'll be able to find.
IMHO
I agree. I generally do not get too caught up with editing - that is unless it's so poor that becomes distracting. If it starts to become a game of "count the ---" then it's bad.
DeleteReading the right genre is so important for reviewing. I can't help but laugh when I read a review that says "I've never read --- before, but I read this and didn't like it. So 1 star".
Hi, there! I think most people can get their head around 1-5 (star-type of things). Same for contests. Beyond that, people are confused. It's hard to find something to say about books we aren't in love with, but there is usually a nugget there that might appeal to someone else. It's all subjective.
ReplyDeleteI too can almost always find something good to say...be it a good theme, character, etc. Which is why I really like thorough reviews that take that into account!
DeleteRatings and reviews can be totally subjective when at least a dose of objectivity is needed. recognizing the key elements you've outlined move reviews toward a middle ground. Taking genre preference out of the mix is important. An avid mystery reader may not like a sexy romance - not because it isn't a worthy book, but because they don't like romance in general. However, readers many not realize that and end up giving it a low rating. Therefore, in addition to your 5-glass rating scale, an awareness of genre etc helps. I'll be printing out your guide and using it in the future. Thanks for posting it.
ReplyDeleteGenre preference is huge. It amazes me when I turn down a book review because I don't particularly like the genre, and the author still really wants me to review it! It's hard to be unbiased in that sense if you're loathing every minute.
DeleteI'm glad my chart is of use to you!
I do rate on my blog, but in my review I try to show both the positive and negative in my view. That way if I don't care for an overly romantic story and you do - you will know to read it even if I didn't care for it. I like both types of blogs. I almost always read the review - rating or not.
ReplyDeleteI don't rate books on Closed the Cover. I review them and that's it. I worry that people will skim for the rating instead of reading why the book was rated that way. I would rather people skim the content of a review.
ReplyDelete