the insidious nature of book reviews
Monday, November 1st, 2010My reaction to reviews isn’t quite like this. To read an explanation and some of my favorite hilarious negative reviews, go here.
If you live in Brooklyn, come see me and a bunch of other fine funny folks read our favorite top 10 lists at Matchless Bar in Greenpoint this wednesday! but wait! before you do, please go to Sarah Glidden’s book release party!! (These events are within walking distance of each other.)
I will also be doing a live podcast at King-Con in Brooklyn this Saturday from 4:30-5:30 with Lisa Hanawalt and R. Sikoryak, moderated by Brian Heater and Alex Cox. Come see us!
And afterwards I’ll be doing a comics slideshow for Carousel at 6:30 with Micheal Kupperman and Emily Flake! More at King Con
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November 1st, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Wow, Harvey Pekar really hated your book.
November 1st, 2010 at 2:20 pm
It’s okay though. Based on his feline expresssion, mr. moron’s cat thinks he’s an egotistical fat-head jerk. And, assuming the cat has to live with him, the cat would be in the best position to know.
November 1st, 2010 at 4:06 pm
You can find people that hate the Beatles, Mozart, Francis Ford Coppola, and Picasso.
It’s impossible to please everyone.
Success is the legitimate compliment.
November 1st, 2010 at 5:38 pm
Anyone who doesn’t like DATM sucks ass. Fuggetaboutit!
November 1st, 2010 at 6:51 pm
“Feculent.” Nice.
November 1st, 2010 at 9:01 pm
I actually review books for cash in a paper magazine and I’ll let you in on a little book reviewer secret that you can draw on every time you read some snarky little barb about your baby:
We are all secretly jealous that we haven’t published a book. I have said some nasty things about some terrible books that they truly deserved, but in the end, all the author has to do is say “Oh yeah? Well what have YOU done?” and all we have is “Well … I published this review …”
I can’t speak for those smarmy pricks who HAVE published books AND review them. Some day that will be me.
Some day.
November 1st, 2010 at 10:25 pm
have you ever considered doing t-shirts?
November 2nd, 2010 at 2:24 am
Aram - I thought it was Harvey Pekar tooo.
November 2nd, 2010 at 2:45 am
well. Everyone I’ve loaned my copy to fucking loved it and thought it was engaging and hilarious, and gives you hella props…fir what its worth..
November 2nd, 2010 at 9:31 am
Wow, crazy guy has the same taste in pajamas as Julia, maybe if they met in person they’d find they have more in common than not.
…that, or they only sell one kind of pajamas in the Wertz-verse.
November 2nd, 2010 at 10:10 am
my copy came in the mail today and i did a total happydance. suck on that, internet critic character.
November 2nd, 2010 at 10:19 am
“wertz-verse”!! aaah! do not like! do not like! I do not want to go to there, it’s the wertz. haha I hate myself right now
November 2nd, 2010 at 12:43 pm
It’s funny. You read reviews sometimes in which it’s obvious that the critic already didn’t like the author’s other stuff before sitting down to read their new project. Ugh. I got a review like that, once. It was from my mom. (not really. it was from Bookslut).
November 2nd, 2010 at 8:16 pm
I loved your book. It was genuine and made me laugh out loud several times, something I thought only three people in the world could do with any consistency. You are the fourth.
November 3rd, 2010 at 8:45 am
[...] Wertz on “The Insidious Nature of Book Reviews”: I wish I hadn’t read this funny cartoon by Wertz, as I hate to think anything I say type on the Internet could make a cartoonist cry. Of course, I [...]
November 3rd, 2010 at 2:10 pm
[...] true: Julia Wertz provides a peek into the effects of reviews on a creator’s psyche at The Fart Party. Then to prove she’s not that thin-skinned, she posts some excerpts from bad reviews at her [...]
November 4th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
But, but….I love your stuff:( Remember, Jesus loves you and everybody else who don’t is an asshole:D
November 5th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
I tend to agree, I remember the snarky reviews of my stuff more than the (if I may modestly say) good reviews. It’s so confusing! Professional reviewers don’t buy the books so they don’t have an investment in what they’re reading, so theoretically they’re more objective. Baldy McPajamapants, on the other hand, is outraged because he spent money on your book that could have gone towards a can of that spray-on hair.
November 7th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Sorry Julia, how about World of Wertz? In other words…WoW!
(LOL! Nerd jokes, I make ‘em!)
November 9th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Mister Martin Tanner, Baritone
of Dayton, Ohio
made his Town Hall debut last night.
He came well prepared
but unfortunately his presentation
was not up to contemporary professional standards.
His voice lacks the range of tonal color
necessary to make it consistently interesting.
Full-time consideration of another endeavor…
might be in order.
If you don’t recognize the reference, (and I woudn’t be surprised,) listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upZB5VlbC6o&feature=related
And always remember: You totally f—ing rock, girl! Your stuff is teh awesome! An never let anyone let you think otherwise!!!
November 9th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Bill Cosby said it best: “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” Also, if everybody liked it, that would mean Dick Cheney and I would both like the same thing, and that would be very upsetting.
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:58 pm
[...] more of Julia Wertz’s comics at her website — including this one about reviews on the internet. Or here’s an interview with her, complete with photos and [...]
December 2nd, 2010 at 1:03 am
Simply put, people who hate anyone for openly and honestly saying what they think are self assured douchenozzles whose lives are rife with hypocrisy.
May 26th, 2011 at 10:59 am
[...] I just posted “the Insidious Nature of Book Reviews” I thought I’d share a few of my favorite bad reviews of my books. To be honest, I [...]