I have no doubt that many authors welcome reviews from their friends and from their family members. No doubt that these reviews will be rave reviews. And that's what authors want--rave reviews. But when it's from your mother? Your brother? Even your cousins? Your friends? To me, that's only one step above that of getting reviews from paid reviewers. You know--those people who make a living by getting paid to give authors a rave review. In other words, these are not honest reviews. They are dishonest reviews. To me, a review should be from someone who you DON'T know, someone who read the book and then gives a review based on his or her honest and unbiased opinion of it.
That's not to say that all reviewers can do that. Many reviewers revel in bashing others, especially authors. They seem to have a perverted pleasure in hurting someone by giving a brutal, and often dishonest review, even though they don't even know that person.
So it's a cruel world. But it's the world in which we live, isn't it? It is. If you're creative, you have to put it out there, however, and what other choice do you have? Do nothing? Many people choose that option. They do nothing. Nothing creative, that is. And for those of us who choose to create? It's a risk. Some will like what we do, and others won't, and it's up to them to express those feelings, but there is also the dishonest out there. Some are paid to rave, and some just have a twisted pleasure to hurt. As for the latter, I would consider them to be the cruel element of society. But they exist. Unfortunately.
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