I want to start off by saying that this is a topic that has been debated about a lot lately and I wanted to put in my thoughts on it as well. First off I want to say that every blogger is different, just like their blogs are different.
Now let’s talk about what a 3 rating means to me on Ali’s Bookshelf, a 3 rating on my scale means that it’s a really good book, did I absolutely love it and couldn’t put it down, no, but I did like it a lot. It doesn’t mean mediocre and it doesn’t mean that I didn’t like it. It means it didn’t blow me away. With this being said, I want you all to know that the 3 rating isn’t as scary and evil as others think it actually. I know a lot of other bloggers feel the same as me and some don’t, but this is the way I feel.
On my blog, a 3 means I liked the book but of course there were things I didn’t like. I will say that on my blog I tell author’s what I didn’t like and what I did. I explain to them why it didn’t get a higher score. I think as a blogger if we are going to rate books or anything we need to be very honest and tell why we are giving it the rating we are. I know I don’t just look at a book and say that one gets a 3 just because. I read a book and put a lot of thought into the rating I give it.
I know some authors think the 3 will be the death of their book, but I don’t really understand how that truly is a true statement. How can a 3 kill their sales? Amazon has really taken the 3 rating and crumbled it to make it look like a bad thing and I for one don’t think that’s a good thing. I think on some sites we need to put what the rating means, like I said before a 3 rating for me doesn’t mean the same as someone else’s 3 rating. So there is the main problem. Everyone’s 3 isn’t the same!
I for one am pretty tired of Authors and bloggers fighting over ratings and authors asking bloggers to take down their review just because they gave the authors book a 3 or lower. I want to say right now that is not professional and I for one try to be very professional on my blog even when it comes to ratings.
From what I’ve found authors and bloggers don’t really speak the same language either, so what I ask of authors before I even agree to read/review their books is to go over my review policy and my rating scale, then if they understand it and I like their book then I will review it.
As a blogger myself, I think we need to explain our rating scales a little better also, like I said before maybe if we tell why we gave it that rating in a polite way then maybe there wouldn’t be authors going off on bloggers. (Not saying it won’t happen, but it might lower the times it does, maybe)
So really, my take as a blogger on the topic of the 3 rating is this, each blogger is different just like most books are different. So as a blogger we need to say what the rating means, to this blogger a 3 isn’t a bad thing, it shouldn’t crush an authors sales. A 3 is a good book, it just didn’t blow me away like other books have.
I would love to hear your take on the 3 rating; do you agree or disagree with my take on it? It’s fine if you don’t, but I’d love to know why.
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Latest posts by Ali @ Ali's Bookshelf (see all)
- A Book Blogger’s Take on the 3* Rating - July 4, 2012
For me, a three-star rating can mean one of two things; either I liked the book OK, but it was full of grammar and spelling errors; or I didn't like it, but it was fairly well-written and I think others in the reading community might like it.
Speaking of unprofessional authors, I once was asked to take down a five-star review, because in the review I pointed out some plot-line discrepancies. The author accused me of trying to "drum up editing business" and that I would cause people to not buy her book in hopes that a better-edited edition would be released first! sigh Then there was the guy to whom I gave a three-star review, commenting in the review that if I based it on only my opinion, I'd give it two stars, but since I thought it was fairly well-written – and that would be worth 4 stars – I was giving it three instead. First he bugged me for DAYS asking "well, is it 2 or 4 stars?? 2 or 4 stars??" Umm – THREE! Then he posted on Facebook, saying I was giving "five-star reviews to crap". Ugh. Why are people like this?
Now, sometimes I give one-star reviews that fairly well-written books (like I recently did to The Technomancer) because I can't finish them.
I state right in my profile on Goodreads exactly my rating criteria, so anyone who subsequently whines at me gets a tongue-lashing :-)
I once had a friend chide me for giving 3 stars to a book on Goodreads. "You might make the author mad," she said, "and that person might then say bad things about you to hurt your writing career, and then you won't get invited to do guest blog posts and stuff." She was basing this advice on her observation of the career of her sister, who writes romance novels and has a traditional publishing contract. I felt a little like I was back in high school, being advised what to do to get into the cool kids' clique…. (I did not change the review, which was of a book by a well-established author, and so far I've had no trouble getting shots at guest posts. ;) )
Hi Ali, I agree with your take on a "3" rating, and I think it's wise to emphasize that every reader/blogger is different. As an author, I tend to look at readers' average rating on Goodreads when I receive a rating. Some readers vary greatly in their tendencies to give ratings of "1" or "5".
I had some call me on a 3 star review – in fact it Katy – what did you think of it and I had to decide. 4 & 5 stars grab me by the short hairs. 3 stars didn't but probably someone else will like it as well.
I take off one star for bad editing. Katy in pointing out plot holes (which I've done but not in detail because of spoilers) you've done EXACTLY what professional reviewers do.
I wish they would read popular authors and understand this is what reviewers DO. At least we're not food critics so they won't spit in our food. hehehe
I agree with what you're 3 means. I typically don't do reviews on my blog, but I have posted a good number of reviews to Amazon and Goodreads.
If a book blows me away, has me emotionally engaged with the story, and keeps me up hours after bedtime reading – that's a 5.
A good book that I have trouble putting down is a 4.
A book that kept me interested until the end and felt satisfying, but didn't have the "wow" factor that some books have – well, that's a 3. And that's most of what I read, because I'm picky as hell.
My standard rating is a 3. A book full of errors, or one I can't finish because of poor writing, spelling, grammar, etc. and is a 2 or a 1 – well, I rarely spend time writing reviews for those, because it would take a lot of time for me to write a constructive and useful review, and I don't want to spend that much time with books I don't like.