I got this review...now what?

[FarmerBrown]

So I entered a contest (didn't win) but part of the deal was getting a short review/feedback. As long as I cite the reviewer ("Judge, 2nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published eBook Awards") appropriately, I can reference the review and use parts of it with this disclaimer: "You may cite portions of your review, if you wish, but please make sure that the passage you select is appropriate, and reflective of the review as a whole."

I'm going to post the entire review/feedback here since I'm not using it for advertising, but trying to see which parts (if any) to use that comply with the stipulations above. The whole thing reads like compact feedback, so I've underlined what I feel reads more like a favorable review of my book rather than suggestions, which makes me feel like I'm cheating a bit, but that's why I'm asking for help

"This fantasy novel presents the reader with a diverse and exciting array of characters. Stellon, Flora, and Knives are each wrought with careful attention to their backstories and personalities. The writer does an excellent job mixing the magical (e.g. curses, beliefs, and traditions) with the behavioral in the creation of these identities. We really see each character acting out his/her characteristics, instead of just being told about them. I was particularly engaged with Flora's story, and I found the passages where she is cursed with her horse form especially interesting. The state of mind that the writer depicts combines both animal instinct and human reasoning. I don't think I've seen this done so well anywhere else. Having said this, I initially found Dagger extremely dislikeable. This doesn't necessarily signal a problem for the novel to address (there can be dislikeable characters), but I found it strange that we switched into her point of view so frequently and were not given mitigating information there. For instance, when Dagger repeatedly threatens to kill Stellon and/or Flora if they don't take her where she wants to go, the reader sees her extreme threats from Flora's point of view, but when we switch into Dagger's, there's no remorse or hesitation reflected. This in turn made me question the frequency of the point of view switches. The timing of the chapter breaks did not always facilitate the movement of the plot. I also thought there was a lot of unnecessary front matter that served to disorient and confuse the reader. The writer actually does a great job integrating the history of the world and its families in the beginning of the story, providing information through characters without overwhelming the reader. The glossaries and maps and indices seem unnecessary."

Thanks for any advice or suggestions! While I'm tempted to use this somehow for marketing (no reviews of my book so far, which I'm trying to be patient about), I'm also open to being persuaded not to use it if that would be the best option.

P.S. YES I've since learned entering contests with entry fees is almost a guaranteed waste of money, but I did it anyway and it's done with, so I'm just trying to make the best of it

 

[Penpilot]

It reads very much like a critique. Since they have the stipulation that you can only quote as long as it's representative of the "review" as a whole, I would say it's quite difficult to use it as promotion. I say this because, from the way I'm interpreting it, you're going to have to give the positive as well as the negative in order to have it be representative of what was said. Of course if you're willing to put the negative in, then there's no issue with using it.

My 2cents

 

[TWErvin2]

Penpilot, I think, is on target. If you quote only that which is positive, then you're not providing the overall direction or "the passage you select is appropriate, and reflective of the review as a whole."

Listing negative commentary is unlikely to help promote a work.

 

[Devor]

That disclaimer is pretty standard and doesn't mean as much as it sounds. Look at it this way. If you linked your quote to the full review, would your reader feel like it was misleading?

A line such as "I don't think I've seen this done so well anywhere else" would be very easy to abuse. But a line like "The writer does an excellent job mixing the magical (e.g. curses, beliefs, and traditions) with the behavioral in the creation of these identities" is reasonably in line with the review as a whole, even if it's only looking at the positive angles.

The bigger issue is whether or not the review is all that quotable.

 

[FarmerBrown]

Thanks for all the replies! I think the safest thing to do is to tuck it away for now, though Devor may be onto something. (I digest things rather slowly, so I'll probably give it another look in a week or so). Given the circumstances of this 'review', I think it has the most value as personal feedback which I will keep for future reference. Oh well.

Happy new year!

 

[Graylorne]

I had the same problem, only with the book version Award. First of all, it isn't a review, it's a Judge's Report, for your eyes only. As far as I know there is no full version for the public you can link to. (If there is, I'd love to know where...).

Second, the Writers' Digest Awards are among the few accepted awards for selfpublishers, so you don't need to be ashamed. Check what Writers Beware says.

In the end I posted a quote on my website and left it at that.

Yours gives very good comments, so I'd certainly re-read them later on. Good luck!