Grrrr! On My Book Reviews

I'm gonna use this space to grouse. I am usually pretty good about accepting criticism, unless it's non-constructive criticism. What I mean is, on Amazon, every one of my books has some reviews on them, both positive and negative, and every one has one basically stupid review that shouldn't warrant posting that says some unfounded negative comment.

For example, on my Harveyville book, someone complained that the book is poorly laid out and just random reprints of my old fanzine "The Harveyville Fun Times!". Well, it is! I've never lied about it. It is a scrapbooky type of book similar in style to Domenic Priore's "Look! Listen! Vibrate! Smile! book about The Beach Boy's "Smile" album. I would love to do the full-color, coffee-table treatment for Harvey Comics, but I haven't yet been able to interest a publisher.

And, on the TTV Underdog book, someone else was complaining that I didn't cover two minor characters that only appeared in the final season of "King Leonardo" and weren't that significant. Big friggin' deal. Did you like the book otherwise? No comments about that by this reviewer.

Recently, on the Cracked book, someone complained that my book only tells a history and is not a best of book, and is now returning because he felt that he didn't get what he paid for. I never claimed it to be a best of book. I've always said that it was a history. Did you like it on those merits? I can't do a "Best of Cracked" until Cracked.com gives me permission to do so.

It's a shame people don't read about my books before buying and use the "Look Inside" feature which is available on some of them. Then they complain that it wasn't what they expected, when it is clearly laid out and give me a low rating based on that, rather than if they enjoyed the book on the terms with which they were written. It gets my goat!

So, to make me happy, and you are not obligated, if you read and truly enjoyed or truly did not enjoy any of my books, I would appreciate you going on Amazon and telling me so or not. I don't mind the negative review if it has constructive criticism, not arbitrary bitching about some moot point or feeling mislead since you didn't do your research ahead of time and based your purchase on what the book ought to be in your mind instead of what it is.