47 Responses to “Quotable Quotes”

1. 1. I usually don’t pay attention to review quotes for books, movies, television shows, etc. for the very reason you’re talking about. One small part of a review, taken out of context doesn’t tell me anything.
   2. I haven’t but I’m sure the author you’re talking about isn’t the only one who’s ever done this.
   3. I don’t think it’s dishonest if they are accurately quoting parts of the review but it is definitely misleading. However, if you look at it as the author advertising her book then it is no more misleading than a real estate listing. Everyone knows a cozy home is small.

   by Maureen on September 25th, 2006 at 6:30 am
   
   

2. Hello HelenKay, I sometimes read the quotes,but I have never bothered to read the whole thing if there is more somewhere else. I think the scenerio is strange,the author has a lot of faith that the reader’s won’t bother to check out the whole review. I also think it’s a bit risky for her to do that, why bother putting it on her site when I’m sure she had plenty of other reviews in her favor in there entirety. She must have wanted the prestige of a quote coming from that certain newspaper real bad is all I can think of as to that?

   by Dena on September 25th, 2006 at 7:03 am
   
   

3. I never bother to read review quotes and I hardly ever read any reviews, either.

   by Minna on September 25th, 2006 at 7:49 am
   
   

4. Hi Helen Kay,
   1. I do read review quotes but only to get a general feel for the story. I make my own decision on whether the premise sounds of interest to me.
   2. I occasionally search out the entire review but not often.
   3. I think if she had other reviews that were positive, I wouldn’t have risked using a partial of a bad review.

   by Cheryl S. on September 25th, 2006 at 8:05 am
   
   

5. I dont read reviews.

   And I would not include only posistive remarks from a non-positive review.

   I decide to read a book if it is an author I Like, from an excerpt on the author’s site, recommendations or the back blurb. (mainly #1 and #4).

   Thanks for offering a wonderful prize.

   When is your next book out? I believe you said it is a book by just you??? Too lazy now to check your site.

   by Pat L. on September 25th, 2006 at 8:25 am
   
   

6. I may glance at the reviews on a book but I don’t take the time to look at the reviews in a book, newspaper, bookstores, ect. Whomever is writing the review has their own preferences and opionions about books which may not necessarily be the same as mine. So, I decide on whether or not to read a book based on the back blurb.

   As for deleting part of the quote, I would have not used that source at all to put on the website. Eliminating part of the quote makes you question the motives of the author too much. However, if I was an author I would probably only add the positive review parts to my webstie too….and not mention sources w/ the bad reviews.

   by Kathleen on September 25th, 2006 at 9:10 am
   
   

7. Lately I’ve noticed that I only read reviews for books I’ve already read or don’t plan to read at all. If it’s something on my TBR pile or wish list, I won’t read the review. I don’t want to be talked out of reading the book and I don’t want the plot spoiled for me, even in a smal way.

   I read RT not for the reviews but for the recaps of the books and so I know what’s releasing. I do pay attention to what gets Top Pick and what gets one or two stars, but other than that, I don’t really notice ranking and it doesn’t affect my buying regardless.

   As for culling out a quote from not-so-good review, I think I’m so used to seeing snippets and just knowing that it’s just as likely the review wasn’t a good one, that it doesn’t even give me pause anymore. Movies do this all the time! It’s very rare that I’d search out the whole review, but I remember Sybil of The Good, The Bad and The Unread did this a few months ago for a review of some book. She was intrigued by the “snippets” and searched out the full review.

   by AngieW on September 25th, 2006 at 9:14 am
   
   

8. I don’t read any reviews. I like to read the book myself and decide if I like it or not. People have different tastes. One person may give a book a great review and below it, you might see a bad review for it. The only way to decide if you like it is to read it.

   by Amy S. on September 25th, 2006 at 9:18 am
   
   

9. I look at the blurb and an excerpt or few pages of the book though it is fun to skim through the review quotes on the cover. Have been known to look up the entire review if I found the quotes particularly interesting or quirky. As for how I feel about the good quotes taken from a bad review and posted on the author’s website….would depend on whether the points were really misleading when taken out of context, I guess. For example, if the sentence or two raved about the great characters , I would take the sentence at face value that the reviewer felt that there were great characters period.

   by Little Lamb Lost on September 25th, 2006 at 9:41 am
   
   

10. Review quotes don’t mean much to me either. And pulling specific quotes from a review feels like soundbites to me. Maybe entertaining, but definitely not telling the whole story. Doesn’t feel quite honest to me.

    by Sandy L on September 25th, 2006 at 9:56 am
    
    

11. I may read a quote now and then but hardly ever do I read a review. And when I do its not because of the quote. Just because someone else likes or doesn’t like a book, that doesn’t mean I will or won’t. I will read the blurp and scan a few pages of the book for myself then decide if I want to buy the book. If it is an author I know and like well then I may just grab the book anyway.

    As far as that author or any author using a the best quote about their book, it was an honest quote & like everything else buyer beware.

    by Tammy G. on September 25th, 2006 at 10:17 am
    
    

12. I read review quotes on book covers and on blogs. Rarely do I search out the
    entire review; sometimes I do if I might find an answer to a contest question.
    I believe it would have been better to have the ‘whole’ review or at least mentioned
    that there was more to the review.

    by Robyn on September 25th, 2006 at 10:38 am
    
    

13. I don’t usually read the reviews and I definitely wouldn’t have used only the good parts of a review. I wouldn’t have used that review at all.

    by Joyce on September 25th, 2006 at 10:40 am
    
    

14. Hi Helen,
    I really do not read reviews at all. I may glance at one occasionally. So that makes the other question moot.

    I defintely would use a good part of an unfavorable review, would consider that dishonest. Better to go with rave reviews.

    by Karen T. on September 25th, 2006 at 11:10 am
    
    

15. Sorry left 0ut an important word - I meant to say would NOT NOT use a good part…..

    by Karen T. on September 25th, 2006 at 11:12 am
    
    

16. #1 & #2. I usually don’t read book reviews, I much rather find out for myself if I like the book or not.
    #3. I think it’s a bit dishonest. If the author wanted a positive quoute they should have chosen one from a reviewer that actually liked the book.

    by Marie on September 25th, 2006 at 12:26 pm
    
    

17. I usually don’t read reviews. Word of mouth and new releases from my favorite authors usually filled the bill for me.

    As far as taking the “good” clip from a poor review, I say use what you can get. Movies do it all the time! A reviewer can tear down a film yet say one small positive thing and the positive quote is used on the promotion material. It’s not a lie, the reviewer DID like that particular point.

    by Denise on September 25th, 2006 at 12:28 pm
    
    

18. wtg sabrina
    i do not do reviews, it seem so hard and could not get the words out.
    i do read reviews though and i can’t help it lol.

    by KIM H on September 25th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
    
    

19. I do read the reviews sometimes but i usually base my opinions on the actual excerpts. Many people have varying opinions and most people understand that. I like to see where people have posted something in a review that they didnt like or didnt understand about a book. It shows me that the author is being honest and welcomes a true opinion of her work. That is the kind of thing that would draw me to read more of her writings. She should not be ashamed of of what a person or group of people think but instead take their thoughts as something that could influence a future writing. We learn most things from other people and this would be a great way for her to do so.

    by Billie on September 25th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
    
    

20. I don’t bother with reviews at all because as far as I am concerned the reviewer’s taste and opinion may be dfferent from mine. I like to make my own decisions based on blurbs and excerpts I have read. As far as using a Quote from a bad review I think while not totally dishonest it is risky because some people do rely on reviews and may look it up. I think it is better to just use positive reviews on your site. Safer too.

    by Cherie Japp on September 25th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
    
    

21. I do not read reviews either. I can decide by myself whether I want to read a book - and that decision is determined by either an autobuy author, or the paragraph written on the back of the book. I sometimes take recommendations but usually the first 2 reason determine by choice.

    I too think it dishonest to include only the good part of a bad review.

    by Helen Mac on September 25th, 2006 at 1:10 pm
    
    

22. I rarely read review quotes and never search for the whole review.

    If there were other positive reviews available, I think it is a tad odd to use the favorable parts of a bad review…why use the bad review at all?

    by Jennifer Y. on September 25th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
    
    

23. Hello HelenKay,

    I do read reviews and I receive a magazine called RT Book Reviews that I read every month. I like the reviews in this particular magazine because they give a summary of the story. I don’t rely on reviews to choose my books, because I often like material that others don’t prefer. But the reviews help me locate the story lines I’m looking for in a novel.
    I’ve read some quotes on books (by other authors) that were way off. I remember one book by Candace Bushnell (4 Blondes) where the quote mentioned it was light and breezey. The book was not light and breezey at all. More dark and depressing.
    So I shy away from looking at the quotes on books.
    If I were an author, I’d probably shy away from using material from bad reviews and strictly use the good reviews on my website. Might as well reference the people who really enjoyed my work than those who found it substandard.

    by Sandra M. on September 25th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
    
    

24. Well, just a thought, but maybe the author was making a little lemonade out of some lemons, a kind of nudge-nudge, wink-wink to the reader?

    I wouldn’t do it, but I found it funny when a friend of mine, who got a 1 on a book from RT, joked about putting “RT says my book is # 1!” on a t-shirt or something. Maybe it’s a similar thing?

    by Leslie Kelly on September 25th, 2006 at 1:21 pm
    
    

25. Although I am a reviewer, I don’t judge a book by reviews, because I like to make my own opinion about a book.

    by Danny on September 25th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
    
    

26. I generally don’t read quotes on author sites. More often than not I don’t read quotes on the book, unless the book was bad. Then I wonder who they suckered into giving it a good quote.

    I will look those up and when I see a quote by giggles (because more often than not it is a bad review).

    I do think it is dishonest and rather bad form of the author (if the author did it). It is one thing to try and make the best out of a bad review and another to pad a list of good review quotes.

    by Sybil on September 25th, 2006 at 2:46 pm
    
    

27. I don’t read the review quotes as they mean nothing to me. All books don’t appeal to all people.

    by Estella on September 25th, 2006 at 2:50 pm
    
    

28. I may read the review quotes on an author site or the book jacket, but they don’t influence my decision to purchase. That being said, I have never felt the need to seek out an entire review. Book reviews are like movie reviews, no matter how much they may say otherwise, something of the reviewers persoanl taste comes through and I prefer to judge for myself.
    As to whether an author should pick out and use the “good parts” of the review, I don’t really have a strong opinion on that. I guess becuase I don’t pay all that much attention to the reviews, period! :???:

    by Angie-la on September 25th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
    
    

29. I think I’m the friend who made the “RT thinks I’m #1″ comment, but it wasn’t original. Someone told me that when I got my first one from RT. I laughed heartily. Puts things into perspective. Also, that was my bestselling book ever. That’s the real perspective!

    I see nothing wrong with using a positive quote from a review, even if the entire review ended up being negative. The “grade” that goes on a review means squat. I’ve read A reviews that were bland and had nothing “quotable” and then have read C and below reviews that had lots of good stuff to say. It’s not like the author made up the good stuff–it was quoted. Whatever BIG NAME newspaper reviewed the book is accountable for both the positive and negative things they said. But what author is going to quote the bad stuff? They were probably wrong about that part anyway. :-)

    Seriously, quotes catch my interest, but more because I’m an author than because I’m a reader. I see them for what they are–promo. Which author was it that quoted her mother on the cover? Stephanie Bond on BODY MOVERS. “This is the best book I’ve ever read!” or something. Totally cracked me up!

    by Julie Leto on September 25th, 2006 at 4:08 pm
    
    

30. Helen,
    I do read some reviews in the RT Bookclub magazine but I don’t let that influence my decision to buy my books. If one of my favorite authors have a new release and the reviews aren’t that good, I will still buy the book because everyone has their own opinion of what constitutes a good book.

    by Janet on September 25th, 2006 at 5:02 pm
    
    

31. I do not read reviews, so no need to search for FULL review.

    I do think it was a touch dishonest to only include the favorable comments from an unfavorble review.

    by Joanne V. on September 25th, 2006 at 7:33 pm
    
    

32. lol Julie…but I didn’t wanna “out” ya…(says the woman whose first book got a big whopping 2 from RT. :shock:

    I actually got a review from Mrs. Giggles that had this sentence like, “if only Harlequin would publish more books like this…” or SOMETHING like that…then trailed off into a really snarky criticism, not exactly “I wouldn’t need to buy more toilet paper” but something like that. I laughed and wrote to her, telling her I was gonna use the first half of the sentence and cut the rest off and she lol’d back. She’s got a great sense of humor, and I honestly don’t think she’d have cared if I did it (not that I was serious, and I’m sure she knew it!) I think reviewers figure it’s part of the game and as long as their words are quoted correctly, if an author (or movie producer, or TV exec!) can make the review seem better than it was, that’s exactly what they’re going to do.

    Like Julie, I’ve had some reviews that have wonderful quotes–like my 2nd book, which got a 3 from RT, but had this outstanding final line that was emininently quoteable and you’re darn right I quoted it…in full. (There were no negative comments at all in the review, just that number grade, which had me scratching my head.) Then my latest book, a 4 1/2 top pick, had nothing I could quote! So I think you have to grab what you can.

    by Leslie Kelly on September 25th, 2006 at 7:57 pm
    
    

33. I’m not a big review reader. I’ll occassionally read reviews (like the reader ones on Amazon.com) if I’m unsure about a new-to-me author. I don’t ever read the quote or reviews posted on an author’s site. Of course they are going to pick the best quotes or reviews. How is posting a bad review going to help their sales?

    I’m sort of on the fence on whether the quote usage was dishonest or not. For me, I would have just found a more favorable review and not used the quote at all. But like Leslie just said… it’s very possible that she had more favorable reviews that just weren’t quotable and decided to pick out a decent quote out of a not-so-good review. I suppose it all balances out in the end.

    by Jennifer K. on September 25th, 2006 at 9:30 pm
    
    

34. I read reviews, but I think they rarely play into whether I buy a book.

    by Nicole on September 25th, 2006 at 11:34 pm
    
    

35. I personally don’t bother with the reviews. If the back summary sounds good or if I like a previous book of that authors I will purchase another. However, I do read the reader recommendations on Mary Gardner’s site after finishing a book. If I find that someone’s opinion is similar to mind I will note down that person’s name and check for other books that she recommends. Quotes on a website or book cover all tend to be positive…. or why put them on! I don’t have a problem with an author promoting her book in that way. To me it’s a given that if it’s a fragment of the quote you probably aren’t getting the whole story or they would have put the “whole” quote on.

    by Laurie G on September 26th, 2006 at 6:07 am
    
    

36. I agree with Laurie; I don’t read reviews either. The back of the book tells me if I will buy the book or if it is an author I like or on a chat if I hear that several people are recommending a book that is the genre that I like.:wink:

    by Patty B. on September 26th, 2006 at 7:25 am
    
    

37. I don’t read the reviews either. It looks like most of us don’t. I buy a book because of the blurb on the back or because I like the author. I also don’t read the quotes. An author isn’t going to use a bad one whether it’s the whole quote or just part of one.

    by Carol on September 26th, 2006 at 8:48 am
    
    

38. :smile:I rarely read reviews. I rather trust my own judgment. And I too agree that I feel it dishonest to include a good segment from a bad review.

    Very nice prize you are offering! Thanks for a chance to win it.

    by Brenda R. on September 26th, 2006 at 10:11 am
    
    

39. I rarely read reviews. I pick up a book if it interest me and decide for myself if it is a good read. If I were a writer, I don’t think I would pick out the good parts of a bad review and post it. I would just post the good reviews.

    by Crystal B. on September 26th, 2006 at 3:09 pm
    
    

40. I don’t read reviews and I think it not so kosher to include only part of a review (the good) when some is good and some is bad.

    I like to make my own decisons when choosing a book.

    by Helen L. on September 26th, 2006 at 9:19 pm
    
    

41. I rarely read review quotes. I hardly notice them on the books. I knew that it wasn’t uncommon for authors to only pick out the good parts of a review and post it on the site. Knowing that, if I do read a review, I always click to read the whole text.

    I don’t think it’s dishonest if there is a link to the whole review. If there isn’t a link, then that falls a little into the dishonest category. I suppose from an authors point of view you need something to draw attention to your book. You find the best parts and post that.

    I don’t read a lot of reviews. Only when a book is a perfect 10, gold star or top pick does it draw my attention. I’ll still read more about it before buying. It seems to be that online there are way too many books that fall into the “5″ category so even though that is considered very good to the review sites, I take it as average.

    by KimW on September 27th, 2006 at 6:39 am
    
    

42. I do not read reviews. But I do say that I agree that it is a bit dishonest to pick out only the good part of a bad review and publish it. We all seem to be in agreement here on that.

    by Lori D. on September 27th, 2006 at 10:39 am
    
    

43. Letter grades are bizarre, but then so is the process of pull quotes.

    I got a fabulous review from a big paper, but it was structured in such a way (two books) that there were no good pull quotes. Lines like “Compared to the radiant heroine of Peterfreund’s book, this other heroine…” blah blah blah. Bully for me ont eh radieant — too bad I can’t share that.

    But then there may be other reviews that were more mixed, yet have pull quotes which capture the positive aspects that the more overall positive reviews do not. Some reviews are even structured in this manner. ET reviews, for example, have a sort of “things we love, things we don’t” structure.

    There is also a argument to be made that saying you should not quote the positive from a mixed review is denying those positive aspects. Would it be more honest were the writer to deny the review existed?

    Finally, authors have very little say about which reviews get highlighted on their books, and where, and how. In my experience, that’s been very much up to the publisher.

    by Diana on September 27th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
    
    

44. I am pretty much in agreement with everyone. I do not read reviews either and do not think you should only pull out good parts of a review; that is leading the public to believe the author of the review totally liked the book and had nothing bad to say. If I was the author doing the choosing about posting a review of one of my books, I would choose totally favorable reviews.

    by Artie M. on September 27th, 2006 at 11:22 pm
    
    

45. I do not read the reviews either. I pretty much decide to read a book if it sounds interesting to me. And I agree about using part of a review with much of what the ladies said.

    by Patty B. on September 28th, 2006 at 4:07 pm
    
    

46. 1. I occasionally do, but I don’t think it affects whether or not I buy the book. If I’m looking at the author’s blog or the online reviews, it probably means I plan to buy the book already. Only a good pal’s review will change my mind.

    2. Nope.

    3. I don’t think it’s dishonest. The reviewer did write that after all.

    by May on September 28th, 2006 at 5:45 pm
    
    

47. No. I don’t read reviews either. And I think it misleading to only quote good parts of an interview; in my mind it makes me believe the reviewer liked the book and found NO faults.

    by Brenda R. on September 30th, 2006 at 4:47 pm