Don't Give Away (My) Story!

Jeff Cohen

I read reviews of my 

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books. I know I shouldn't but I do and there's nothing you can do to talk me out of it. So let's accept that as a given and move on.

It's also to be expected that some of the reviews are not glowing, and that's also not what this is about. People are entitled to have their opinions and they are also free to not like my writing if it doesn't work for them. That's fine. I'm not that easily wounded.

What drives me crazy is when they give plot points away.

No matter what your opinion of a book might be, revealing story elements that are supposed to be surprises--especially the ending of a mystery novel (!)--should be out of bounds in all cases. The reviewer is not the only person who will read the book, hopefully. Give another reader a chance to discover what goes on and decide for him/herself whether the execution of that story is enjoyable or not.

I don't understand the motivation to spoil a story for someone else. Does it give the reviewer a feeling of power? Is it simply that they don't think the story is all that surprising, so telling the world (or a small part of it) what goes on is not a problem? Are some reviewers merely stupid, or mean? I can't answer those questions. 

There was a time when I was in college that I would review books for the Rutgers Daily Targum. Mostly I reviewed music or 

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movies, but the occasional book would come by. And some of them were terrible, which many years later led to me thinking that maybe I could do better than that, certainly. But I was careful, scrupulous even, not to give away plot points even in the most turgid of tomes that crossed my desk. That, I thought, was a line that no reviewer would cross.

Apparently I was wrong.

On sites like Amazon it is possible to report the reviewer and note that important story elements are revealed in the course of the review. I don't do that because I don't want to come across as the thin-skinned author who can't put up with anyone who doesn't simply heap praise upon his work. Because I have noticed that the spoilers do tend to come more often (although not exclusively) in negative reviews.

Elsewhere it's often just too late to do anything about it. But here I can appeal to those readers of this blog who might offer the occasional review of a book or a movie (or a story of any kind): Be careful what you choose to reveal. Use the back cover synopsis if there is one as a guide. Talk about the premise of the story and refer, when you must, to scenes along the way for illustration of a point you're trying to make. 

But don't give away the store. There's no benefit to it and you simply come across as a poor reviewer. Spoiler alert: Nobody likes that.

Comments

[Debbie]

Here's the thing with Amazon reviewers-- they are not reviewers. They don't know the rules, the traditions, the expectations. They read the book and they are posting something about it. Often that something will be what moved them the most-- the happy wedding at the end, the death of a favorite character. And authors bring this on themselves by imploring so often that readers review their books on Amazon or Goodreads or wherever, or else there won't be any more of them and the reader will be sad and the writer and his family will starve. I occasionally post an Amazon or Goodreads review, but I would never read one as an aid to deciding to buy and read the book.

[carl brookins]

Well, Debbie is incorrect. In part. There are a lot of good, professional reviewers who post on Amazon. Not all, maybe not even most, but many. On to important matters. I agree with you, Jeff. Totally. Fully. Completely. I also really wonder about the mental capacity of some publishers who put spoilers on the backs of some of their books, or in the ads they run. Or...I attended a session at a Bouchercon some years ago in which the rep of a large NY publisher carefully explained the plot and resolution of an upcoming mystery to the audience, including the fuming author who happened to be sitting nearby. Life, ya know?

[Jack Getze]

Can't be many negative reviews for your work, ace. But those that exist, let'm drink Drano.

[Kristopher]

I agree with Carl, there are plenty of good reviewers on Amazon, and there are also countless who don't have a clue what they are doing. But that is to be expected. Amazon's insistence on weighting all reviews equally (from a 1000 word dissertation to a complaint about how the book was shipped) is the reason I refuse to post my reviews there.

But let's not fool ourselves into thinking they are the only ones at fault here. Years ago, I stopped reading reviews in The New York Times because inevitably, they always give away too much of the plot. I want to read the book myself, thank you. I'm just looking for some information to let me know if this is the type of book I will enjoy.

Since starting the blog, the comment I have heard most from my followers is that they love coming to BOLO Books because they know they will get a well-writing review that will contain no spoilers, yet will have enough to allow them to gauge if the book is "their type of thing." As a reviewer, that is my job.

[Shaz]

The main problem there is that inexperienced reviewers are prone to parrot the plot rather than analysing. Ten pars of precis, then recommended/not recommended stuck on the end doesn't count as a review. The sound you hear is me grinding my teeth ...

[Patty]

I write very few reviews, mostly because I'm terrible at it. I don't reveal plot points, I just can't figure out what points to talk about, so mostly when I review it is glowing and only my opinion, seldom talk about actual plot, other than I like it or that I didn't figure it out. Sigh.

[Donald A. Coffin]

Jeff, if I ever do that to you (or to anyone else, for that matter), please let me know (I think you have an email for me). (I try not to give anything away, or, if I know I'm going to, I try to warn people--this usually happens with books that terminally irritate me because there's something stupid or obvious or something.)

[Star]

Agree--so many Amazon commenters do the fifth grade book report thing--give the whole plot to prove they read it. I long ago learned to read reviews after I listened to the book--or if I abandoned. But yes, even though I love writers (I am one--screen), I often chip in 1-2 star comments.

[Star]

I even like a little tantalizing rather than analysis...

[Star]

I once twitted a reviewer for spoilers and was informed that if an event was in the first 50 pp of the book, it was OK to put it in. Where this person got that I have no idea.

[Lynne Patrick]

On A&*@*n or anywhere else, anyone who has so little insight that all they can put in a review is a plot summary is simply a bad reviewer. I review a lot, and if anyone ever catches me giving spoilers, please feel free to slap me around the head.

[Linda Brue]

I agree a bit with those commenting here, in that I believe a lot of the amateur reviews are done following the same form as we did in book reports in grade school. I'm an amateur reviewer myself; I love books and enjoy sharing my reads with others. Also, reviews are one way to help me decide to try a book. Interestingly enough, I often learn a great deal from both negative and positive reviews. But when reviewing, I try very hard to expose as little of the plot as possible (and definitely NOT the ending!) Mostly, I try to share what the tone of the book is, a bit about the characters, and that sort of thing. I don't usually read jacket copy, especially that given on the front flap of the dust jacket, because it often gives away plot points! When I start reading a review and the reviewer is simply relating what happens in the book I'll stop reading and never read a review by that person again. So I agree with you wholeheartedly, Jeff--please don't spoil the book!