Is That Book Actually Poorly Written?

This has to be one of the most controversial topics on social media, aka bookstagram, booktok, and probably any other book-focused social sphere. Many people believe that for a book to be “well written,” it must be literary. You know the kind: Faulkner, Salinger, Orwell; the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, what these reviewers are missing is 1. perspective and 2. an understanding of the goal of said book. Now, are there poorly written books that have gotten published? Sure. But ACOTAR, Twilight, and a million other books are not among them. I know these are strong claims, so stay with me. 

In my opinion, this primarily comes down to three modes of thought: audience, goal, and the great comparison. 

Audience 

First of all, we need to consider for whom the book is written. Is it YA? Does it stick to a specific classic structure, maybe one you find predictable? Does the protagonist have an extremely specific voice, or do they have niche interests?  

Is a book poorly written or just not for you? 

Let’s take Twilight, for instance. Twilight is a YA (young adult) fantasy romance. Are you an adult who rarely dives into romance novels? Yes? This book is not for you. Are you attempting to read it because it’s popular, but you’ve never read about vampires before? Yes? This book may not be for you. Do your reading interests lie mostly with reading Tolstoy or Hemingway? This book may not be for you.  

1. It’s YA, so to judge this accurately, you need to put yourself into the mindset of a teenager who is probably just now discovering books that are not part of a school curriculum. This group is likely just starting to understand symbols, motifs, and poetry.  

2. This is fantasy, so if you only like historical fiction, you probably won’t enjoy reading about a guy whose skin glitters in the sunlight. It’s completely illogical and goes against the many visuals we see from Bram Stoker or Anne Rice. However, if you are 16, isn’t having skin that glows in the sunlight instead of burning so much more exciting? It’s fantasy, and you must be able to take yourself out of what you know, be willing to learn about a new world.  

3. It’s romance. Consider being a 17-year-old girl (like Bella) and never having had a romantic experience with a boy. Or being an adult and having never been noticed by the attractive and mysterious man. You need a certain amount of lovesick nature (definitely varies) to indulge in romance novels. Hallmark built its empire on city girls moving to small towns and falling in love with sexy locals. Sound familiar?  

Goal 

This so so so important and too often forgotten. What kind of book is it? And no, not genre, but experience. Here are some experience-based book categories we should consider. And no, these aren’t official publishing terms, but I find them to be helpful when describing a book’s experience goals: 

1. Beach Read: Fast-paced and accessible with a strong escapist selling point.  

2. Page-Turner: Fast-paced and plot-driven. Usually includes a grounding element that encourages the reader to interact with the story. (ex: a whodunnit) 

3. Slow-Burn: Pacing builds throughout the narrative to one large emotional or plot-payoff. 

4. Heavy Read: Emotionally intense and usually character-driven. Often has multiple layers and varying pacing changes to show emotional depth.  

5. Comfort Read: Familiar narrative with very low stakes. Often fast-paced and similar to a beach read.  

Before you judge a book, consider what kind of experience you typically enjoy? Do you enjoy a beach read you can sit down with at the end of a long day and enjoy like a movie? If so, you probably won’t enjoy a heavy read that you’ll have to put down multiple times or that might slow down and keep you struggling to stay awake. You also might not like a slow-burn, where all you feel is tension for 300 pages until the battle is finally won or the MCs share a kiss.  

Also consider where you are in life. Are you burnt out at work and mentally can’t handle the load of a 500-page psychological thriller? A comfort read that holds little surprise and guarantees an HEA (Happily Ever After) might be more up your alley, despite your enjoying page-turners in the past.  

The Great Comparison 

Finally, consider where we are today before comparing common-day authors to Austen or Wilde. When we think about these classic novelists, they were so successful because they told a story in a way the world had never seen before. They created the devices upon which our 21st century writers build their stories. Of course, I was not alive with many of these giants, but I can only imagine the slack Mary Shelley got when she submitted Frankenstein. I’m sure many a townsfolk uttered, “She’s no Matthew Lewis.” But she wrote it anyway and is now a giant of classic literature and the Mother of Science Fiction.  

All this to be said, someone has to be willing to do something different, despite criticism. Ever wonder what makes a cult classic a “cult” classic? It means it initially bombed in the box office and years later developed a cult following. Where would we be without the Heathers or Pulp Fiction? Those filmmakers were willing to fail because they understood the power in creating the story that needed to be told.  

Summary (TLDR) 

Next time you see someone deeming a book as poorly written, question whether it’s actually poorly written or just not the right book for that reader. If you are battling with your own judgment, consider whether you are the right audience, whether you understand the book’s experiential goals, and whether the book is simply pushing the boundaries of what we think is “normal” or “acceptable.”   

We can’t all be Charlotte Brontë. We can’t all be Cormac McCarthy. But gee, I’m sure glad their editors chose to sit back and enjoy the ride.