Author Chelsea Biddiscombe

Hi friends,

Let’s talk about something that I’ve seen discussed on Threads these past couple of weeks.

The statement: Authors should not be reviewing books from other authors on their platforms. Agree or disagree?

Honestly, I’m torn on the subject. For instance, I started out on Tiktok reviewing books, I did it for over a year and a half. I have a Goodreads page where I review what I read and if I really liked the book I even type of a paragraph or two. That’s what I’ve done for so long. I enjoy reading something and letting other readers know what my thoughts were.

Now I’m questioning it all. I understand the argument, which goes something like this. An author reviewing another author’s book, especially if it’s not a five star read, is tacky because other authors are like their coworkers. It would be like one restaurant chain dissing the service at another restaurant chain on their marketing platform.

Do I think I’ll stop reviewing books? This is where I’m torn. I’m on a few PR teams for a couple of authors, and part of that is to talk about their stuff on social media. That I won’t be stopping because I believe in those authors and their work.

Will I stop using Goodreads and the rating system on there? Probably not. When I started Goodreads it wasn’t for others, it was for myself. I have a horrible memory and Goodreads is how I track for myself the books I read and what I thought about them. It helps me track my reading goals, and if others see my reviews and it helps them out, then I’m happy to help.

What I may stop doing is posting any commentary on one and two start books. I will probably stop talking about books I didn’t really like on Tiktok. But I still will put a star rating on what I read on Goodreads. Does that seem fair? I’m now an author, but I’m also a reader, so having a foot in both worlds comes with shades of grey.

What do you think about this? Agree or disagree on the idea that authors don’t need to be reviewing other authors’ books?