Reading as a Writer: Shifting from Private to Public

Woman using an ereader.

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

For a long time, I avoided Goodreads altogether.  It’s the kind of place that makes me uncomfortable as a writer and so I figured I shouldn’t be on the site at all.

But I’ve found that I can completely avoid my own books on Goodreads as long as I don’t deliberately look them up.  And Goodreads has a lot to offer for readers.

I decided at first that I didn’t particularly want to share what I wrote as my author profile on the site.  That’s mostly because I didn’t want to say if I didn’t enjoy a book…as Elizabeth S. Craig, Writer.  And I didn’t necessarily want to share what I liked, either and have it  be a public endorsement.  Mainly what I wanted was a place to track my books, authors I enjoyed, and my reading life and find recommendations.  So I set up an anonymous account there.

As time went on, I began to feel a little more comfortable about sharing what I was reading.  And I’m not sure why: I’m a horrid reviewer (better at book blurbs).  It started with my inclusion of what I was reading in my reader newsletter that goes out when I have a release.  I found that when I wrote a few short sentences about several recently-read books, I had a very positive reader response. Readers were actually emailing me back about what they were reading, too.

Then BookBub started a recommendation program where they  emailed readers your book picks…a nice way to keep in readers’ minds in the interim between books.  As long as the reviews I wrote were short, they were fine. :)

Finally, I’ve just started posting some of what I’m reading on my author profile on Goodreads (either books that I’ve just finished and enjoyed, or books that I’m pretty sure I can give a positive review).

I only mention books that I’ve enjoyed.  That’s just my own rule of thumb.  I want to help my readers discover books that I think they’ll like.

Because so many readers have asked me in the past to recommend other cozy series to them, I also feel the need in my newsletter and on BookBub to explain that the titles I’m recommending are not cozies.  I usually can’t read books in my genre while I’m writing them and considering the fact that I’m always in the process of writing a cozy, I rarely read them.

In a lot of ways, and in case you couldn’t tell from this post, reading as an author is a little awkward.  But it’s becoming more comfortable for me.

For ideas on what to read, check out the Reading as Writers category on the free Writerskb.com.

For further reading on being a reader and a writer, see:

5 Tips for Reading as a Writer by Andi Cumbo-Floyd

Is it Fair for Authors to Review Other Authors? By Kristen Lamb

3 Reading Tips for Writers from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers

As a writer, do you publicly share what you’re reading and how you like it?  Do you ever give books negative reviews?

Thoughts on the Public Nature of Reading as a Writer: Click To Tweet

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Elizabeth Spann Craig

View posts by Elizabeth Spann Craig
Elizabeth writes the Memphis Barbeque series (as Riley Adams) and the Southern Quilting mysteries for Penguin and writes the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink and independently. She also has a blog, which was named by Writer’s Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers. There she posts on the writing craft, finding inspiration in everyday life, and fitting writing into a busy schedule.

23 Comments

  1. Alex J. CavanaughOctober 26, 2018

    I’ve fallen behind on Goodreads. I’m good at star rating but not so much at writing a review. And I’ll only do it for books I liked, three stars or more. Keeping it positive. And I don’t finish books I’m not enjoying so it’s not fair to rate them anyway.

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 26, 2018

      I’m exactly the same way. The funny thing is that I’m decent at writing endorsements/blurbs, but my reviews just aren’t well-written. I think it takes a special gift, ha! Maybe I’ll improve with practice. I feel the same about my short story writing…it sucks.

  2. Elizabeth SeckmanOctober 26, 2018

    I don’t write good reviews either. But if we did, maybe we’d be pro reviewers.

    I also only do positive reviews of books I enjoyed. As a writer, I know how bad a rotten review hurts- why would I want to do that to my fellow word travelers?

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 26, 2018

      I just feel like anything longer than 3-4 sentences and I’m really meandering from thought to thought without it being cohesive. Maybe I’ve written too many book endorsements, ha! You’re right–not really important that we’re not great at reviewing since that’s not our main focus!

      I’m with you on the positive reviews. Also, I feel like it just doesn’t look great, professionally, for readers to see us giving a negative review to another writer’s book.

  3. B.E. SandersonOctober 26, 2018

    I never thought about my reviews being an endorsement, but I’m not that popular a writer and since I only review books I enjoyed, I guess I’m okay with it. Actually, it’s not so much only reviewing books I like, it’s a matter of not reviewing books I don’t finish and I don’t finish books I don’t like. The last low-star review I left on Goodreads was a reaction to a book with an awesome premise that really disappointed the crap out of me. And the author then contacted me, which made me feel really bad, so I deleted the review.

    I have begun noting my DNF (did not finish) books on my more personal blog, but I scrub the identifying info out. Just date, genre, and what about the book made me stop reading. I thought it might be interesting to my blog readers.

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 26, 2018

      Yeah, I’m getting over the endorsement issue. Probably a good thing.

      The funny thing is that in my personal notes on Goodreads on the anonymous account, I’m able to fluently describe (to myself, because this is the private notes section on Goodreads that doesn’t go into the public update stream) what it was that I *didn’t* like about a book. I have a harder time fluently describing what made it work. Maybe because, if it worked, I was caught up in the story and not being analytical. Or maybe, again, just because I suck at writing positive reviews. :)

      I love that you’re doing the DNF review on your blog. I’m making a mental note to run by and take a look (think you said it ran on Saturdays).

      1. B.E. SandersonOctober 27, 2018

        My reading wrap-up on The Writing Spectacle every Saturday. Stop by if you get a chance. Today’s is kind of boring, though, since I didn’t do much reading last week. http://writingspectacle.blogspot.com/2018/10/saturday-reading-wrap-up-102718.html

        1. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 27, 2018

          Thanks for the link!

  4. Margot KinbergOctober 26, 2018

    You know, Elizabeth, I’ve mostly avoided putting up book reviews (other than the occasional blurb), mostly for the reasons you outline. And yet, as you say, readers do want to know what authors are reading. And I think it’s interesting to learn from others’ recommendations. Besides, it’s a help to other authors – and we should be helping each other – when you mention you’re reading their books. Hmm….something to think about!

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 26, 2018

      Honestly, you’re the best reviewer I know, even if you don’t think of them as reviews. You’re able to concisely get at the meat of a mystery novel and its appealing elements without your opinion getting in the way. And without spoilers! I should model my reviews after yours.

      1. Margot KinbergOctober 26, 2018

        *Blush*

  5. JwellingOctober 26, 2018

    I don’t share what I’m reading on goodreads or elsewhere anymore. My extended circle of friends includes some fairly vocal individuals for whom social justice is a new and attractive hobby. Maybe they’re really concerned about issues of inclusion and the timeing was right? Like I could tell. Ann Arbor hosts a good deal of posturing mixed in among the concern.

    The clock strikes 13 with increasing regularity around here. I cannot devide if I’m in the world of Orwell or Heller. Its an odd reality which makes me wonder if perhaps Im already dead?

    Like you, I cannot read in my genre when composing new stories. Non-fiction helps there.

    1. JwellingOctober 26, 2018

      My ipad’s spellchecker hates me. “Its” “it’s” … Did it do this aotofix routine to Jobs?

      1. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 26, 2018

        Oh gosh…spellcheckers and autocorrects. I swear those things are out to get me! Worst is when it corrects my text messages to include profanity…to the endless amusement of my “kids” (who think it’s hilarious since it takes something extraordinary to prompt me to profanity in front of them).

    2. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 26, 2018

      The social part of the social media thing…I totally get it. Facebook is not a happy place for me. And Goodreads is just a tool, not a hangout, for sure…there’s a good deal of negativity there. And the last thing I have time for is a debate of any kind…even over books. I’d rather just hear what everyone’s *enjoying* and then follow-up on recommendations. And I agree…I feel many days as if I’ve stepped through the Looking Glass, a la Alice.

      I’ve found that I can easily read my genre as long as I stay away from my subgenre. So I’ll read noir, police procedurals, psychological thrillers. If it’s cozy, I usually can’t. If it’s *questionably cozy*, but billed as a cozy (“Magpie Murders” comes to mind…has cozy elements, definitely not cozy to me), then that seems to work, too.

      1. jwellingOctober 26, 2018

        I’ll have to try the “out of range” genre reading. I’ve wanted to get back to Cadfael in the Elias Peters series. That’s pretty far from me.

        Great idea!

        1. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 26, 2018

          Hope it works! That’s a great series.

  6. Deborah Nam-KraneOctober 26, 2018

    My biggest problem reading as a writer is noting when a writer breaks “rules” and then spending time debating whether that helped or hurt the story.

    I have no problem leaving public reviews, but I don’t do it on Amazon anymore. Long story, but after almost fifteen years of reviewing on the site I took down every review I could last year. I avoid using Goodreads because they’re so tied into Amazon, but I will grudgingly review books for some indie authors there. I would probably delete my account altogether if one of my writer-buddies didn’t like to use it for group messaging.

    I review on my library website now, but I admit to leaving more “starred” reviews than text these days, especially if I wasn’t a big fan of the work. I think it would be terrible if other authors didn’t share or review what they read; one of my favorite authors shared a book that he loved and because of that I read it. It is now one of my favorites, but I never would have heard of it if it hadn’t been for him.

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 26, 2018

      This post didn’t go into how distracted I get when I start looking at a story’s underpinnings and get into writer mode instead of reader mode, but it should have! Sounds like you’re the same way.

      That’s cool that you’re getting book recommendations from favorite authors! I haven’t tried this (reading my favorite authors’ blogs, etc), although I’ve gotten some good recommendations from Stephen King off Twitter and from interviews (which sounds a little crazy since I’m a chicken as a reader, but he frequently recommends non-horror stories).

  7. Deborah Nam-KraneOctober 26, 2018

    You can’t get in a room with a bunch of writers without someone referencing Stephen King’s writing advice! I still turn away because I’m horror adverse too but I suspect I’ll come around soon.

    And I think the ultimate test of a good writer is that fellow writers shut down their inner editor and just enjoy the ride :)

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 26, 2018

      I read a ton of King’s books from 1987ish until 1996ish. When my first child was born in 1997, I couldn’t stomach horror anymore. King has a penchant for making terrible things happen to children, which didn’t bother me at all until I became a mom. I think I managed to read his “Thinner” and “Insomnia” post-97, only after ensuring they had nothing to do with kids!

      Good definition of a good writer!

  8. HilaryOctober 28, 2018

    Hi Elizabeth – I guess if you’re an author – you do need to ‘put yourself out there’ – but can understand you can’t read or comment in your own genre on Goodreads … maybe just put in the titles etc … but I don’t know! So I’ll leave it there … I just enjoy reading when I get the chance – but not novels very often now … cheers Hilary

    1. Elizabeth Spann CraigOctober 29, 2018

      It makes sense that you’re more of a nonfiction reader since you write nonfiction, yourself! Hope you have a happy week.

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