One question I do have for you–how much of a part does Convention play in a review?

We all know there exists a set of conventions to every genre and even subgenre or subsets of a particular genre. How often does a book’s delivering on those conventions (or not) affect a reader’s like or dislike of the book.

To use an example, if you have a paranormal shapeshifter romance, there exists conventions that fans of PSR have come to expect. There are a number, such as pack or group behavior, actual shifting, some sort of secret society, themes about family life as illustrated by a pack, and a romantic entanglement and its own associated conventions, to name a few. Generally, if a book meets some number of all the expected conventions, it “fits” expectations. But what of a book that is PSR but doesn’t include enough of the conventions? How much does that affect a review-quality look at a story?

I hope I’m making sense, because I really am curious as to how much of a reader’s enjoyment of a story has to do with if they’re getting what they expected, which is more subjective (and may be able to be used to fine-tune promotion efforts and increase customer satisfaction with an end product)

“I seem not to be communicating well myself. Maybe I need more English lessons!”

The native English standard would tend more toward “I don’t seem to be”

And my genealogy traces back to the 18th Century in Maryland! I’m relatively native as these things go. (wink)

Thanks for the example, though. I tend to pick up the mannerisms of my characters when I’m writing, and this is one of those occasions.

Example of what you’re looking for right there. “I seem not to be—” The negative after the verb it’s talking about.

The native English standard would tend more toward “I don’t seem to be”

Because these errors are at the foundational level of reading – that is, because they greet the reader at the most basic level of comprehension – they can exacerbate problems some had with other textual elements and other response factors.

I think this is pretty important. When I read, I embrace the author’s “world” completely. If errors like these start popping up, it throws me out of the “world,” and I lose my faith in the author’s storytelling ability. Sort of like, “if I can’t trust you to write a coherent sentence, how can I believe in your story?” For me, they’re not just pesky technical details – they reflect on the author’s authority as a writer.

As a writer this is something I’ve noticed–how a character or pov can feel like it’s from a foreign-born character and you can even “hear the accent” simply because of the author’s skillful sentence structures that mimic that of the character’s native tongue. It’s something I’ve noticed, and so when you mentioned it, Robin, I was quick to notice.

Thank you all!

I tend to be more forgiving of ebooks than I am of paper published books. I cut new authors a lot of slack, and old favorites not so much. Sometimes I’m in the mood for a nitty gritty medieval romance (Roberta Gellis) and if I pick up a lighter one (Garwood or Dodd, for instance whom I also love) I get grumpy at them for not writing like Gellis or Kinsale, which is hardly fair.

For these reasons I seldom say I don’t like a book/author unless I’ve tried it multiple times. (I would not be a great reviewer ). The exception, is, of course, when there are too many “craft” mistakes. Poor research, poor grammar, poor plotting.
Best,
Patty