---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Her books were put down by most critics…"
description: "\"Her books were put down by most critics but readers would not put down her books.\" — Gene Shalit"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd3/gene-shalit-103009_books_her-books-were-put-down-by-most-critics_698135.jpg"
---

#  Her books were put down by most critics but readers would…

![“Her books were put down by most critics but readers would not put down her books.” quote by Gene Shalit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd3/gene-shalit-103009_books_her-books-were-put-down-by-most-critics_698135.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd3/gene-shalit-103009_books_her-books-were-put-down-by-most-critics_698135.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd3/gene-shalit-103009_books_her-books-were-put-down-by-most-critics_698135.jpg)

> “Her books were put down by most critics but readers would not put down her books.”

Gene Shalit

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Critics dismissed the books, yet readers kept reading because they found value and enjoyment.

**In simple terms:** Readers love the books despite critics.

Key Takeaway

Trust reader feedback over critics.

Themes

literature reader loyalty critical reception popularity subjectivity

Mood

enthusiastic curious

Type

review commentary

When to use this quote

- book clubs
- libraries
- online reviews
- author promotion

Key Concepts

marketing cultural taste consumer behavior

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do readers sometimes reject critical consensus?
- What makes a book resonate with readers?

A Different Perspective

Critics may still influence sales.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readers/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't write for publishers, certainly not for critics, and not for readers, But I am delighted that so many people have found my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-m-auel/i-don-t-write-for-publishers-certainly-not-for-critics-and-not-for/)

[Jean M. Auel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-m-auel/)

> [As a writer, its important to stay true to your story without giving a hoot about publishers, critics and readers. You should do your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/as-a-writer-its-important-to-stay-true-to-your-story-without-giving-a/)

[Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/)

> [“One of the results of this self-examination — for that is what the writing of this book amounts to — is the confirmed belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/one-of-the-results-of-this-self-examination-for-that-is-what-the/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [Normally, I have a lot of alpha readers on my books. These are people that, once I finish a novel, I let them look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/normally-i-have-a-lot-of-alpha-readers-on-my-books-these-are-people/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [I've always been drawn to writing for young readers. The books that I read growing up remain in my mind very strongly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-wolitzer/i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-writing-for-young-readers-the-books-that-i/)

[Meg Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-wolitzer/)

> [A book is always a dialogue with other readers and other books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/a-book-is-always-a-dialogue-with-other-readers-and-other-books/)

[Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/)

> [You know, I didn't write my books for critics and scholars. I wrote them for students and artists. When I hear how much my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/you-know-i-didn-t-write-my-books-for-critics-and-scholars-i-wrote/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [“And so we beat on, books against the critics, borne back ceaslessly into rewrites.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/and-so-we-beat-on-books-against-the-critics-borne-back-ceaslessly/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [By and large, the critics and readers gave me an affirmed sense of my identity as a writer. You might know this within yourself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-ellison/by-and-large-the-critics-and-readers-gave-me-an-affirmed-sense-of-my/)

[Ralph Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-ellison/)

> [The early readers are in-between books for the kids who aren't ready for novels yet but are done with my picture books. It's really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lin/the-early-readers-are-in-between-books-for-the-kids-who-aren-t-ready/)

[Grace Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lin/)

> [Of all the nations in the Western world, the United States, with the most money and the most time, has the fewest readers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/of-all-the-nations-in-the-western-world-the-united-states-with-the/)

[Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [I'm a fan of Hugh Kenner, Richard Ellman, Lionel Trilling and Frank Kermode. All these people have taught me how to read - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/i-m-a-fan-of-hugh-kenner-richard-ellman-lionel-trilling-and-frank/)

[Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/)

## More by Gene Shalit

> [Some films could only have been cast in one way: Screen tests were given and the losers got the parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-shalit/some-films-could-only-have-been-cast-in-one-way-screen-tests-were/)

Gene Shalit

Explore all 2 Gene Shalit quotes

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

Markus Herz

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Her books were put down by most critics but readers would not put down her books.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gene Shalit"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-shalit/her-books-were-put-down-by-most-critics-but-readers-would-not-put/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-shalit/her-books-were-put-down-by-most-critics-but-readers-would-not-put/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd3/gene-shalit-103009_books_her-books-were-put-down-by-most-critics_698135.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd3/gene-shalit-103009_books_her-books-were-put-down-by-most-critics_698135.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd3/gene-shalit-103009_books_her-books-were-put-down-by-most-critics_698135.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Her books were put down by most critics but readers would not put down her books.” — Gene Shalit",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Gene Shalit",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-shalit/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Her books were put down by...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-shalit/her-books-were-put-down-by-most-critics-but-readers-would-not-put/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-shalit/her-books-were-put-down-by-most-critics-but-readers-would-not-put/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
