In a comment over at Alison Kent’s blog, Julie Leto posted something that surprised me:
In my mind, writing reviews like this one (not a bad review…a TRASH review) is the same as going to Walmart and standing in front of the romance section and telling people to put that book down. If you didn't like a book, say so…but you don't have to insult everyone while saying it.
Um, I have done this before. I have struck up conversations with readers browsing the romance aisles. I have offered up opinions to other readers at the bookstore to say, “I didn’t like this book but I really liked this one.” I didn’t realize that was insulting to the author. I mean, I guess it means one less sale, but I didn’t know it is a reader’s duty to not offer an opinion. Is it different if the person asks for your opinion? I’ve had that happen before. Reader stands in the aisle, contemplates a book, looks over at you and says “what do you think.” But now, I can’t respond lest I break some bookstore etiquette?
I know that I am rather new to …
Loading ...
Open Threads at Dear Author. Want to know what new releases are out this month and what readers are excited about reading? Check out the threads below. 
We don’t like to censor comments nor do we endorse the comments of any poster. We do reserve the right to moderate comments but most of the time will not, believing, as Justice Brandeis did, that the greater good is in “more speech, not enforced silence.”
