Got my first bad review on Amazon

Bongo said:

I'm itching to look her up on Facebook (she included her full name and wouldn't be hard to find) and send her a "thoughtful" message...

I'm not going to do that though.

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Good! Do. Not. Do. That.

Can anyone cheer me up a little? How likely is this to affect my sales?

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FWIW, as a reader, I often skim reviews before buying a new book. Solitary one-liners, whether they're "this is great!" or "this sucks!", are things I ignore, because neither helps me understand whether I'd like the book.

So I wouldn't sweat it.

Chances are it will have zero nada zilcho effect on your sales. I have never passed on purchasing a book based on one, or even a few, one-star reviews. Especially if the reviews are no more helpful than "bleh. Who cares?" I look at the consensus, such as the line chart showing the frequency oofd the different stars. If it's a book I'm interested in that scores low, I look for the helpful reviews to help me figure out why it's not doing well.

Being that your book is self help, the reviewer might indeed know a lot about the subject already so to her it might not have been anything new. But to your audience, given quite positive reviews, the material is obviously new and helpful. Or she might have bought in to the idea that she can use the comments and reviews of other books to steer people toward her own, or she gets off on being negative, or perhaps she ho estly thinks your book isn't helpful. Who knows? In any case, I take the approach that if it were any of my business I would already know. Move on. And never, ever respond to a bad review.

As a shopper, this is exactly the kind of review I just ignore, because it's not specific or helpful at all. It just assumes every reader is exactly the same as the person who posted it. Others will probably ignore it as well.

Negative comments on the internet are always going to sting, but if you spend your time responding to every single one of them, you're just going to end up exhausted and angry.

I wouldn't sweat it. The majority of your reviews are very positive. And tbh when I'm checking out books, if I see a book has at least SOME negative feedback, it reassures me that the positive feedback is likely genuine, too. Because if you look up well-established and awesome writers (whomever they are to you), they have negative feedback, too.

Hbooks said:

I wouldn't sweat it. The majority of your reviews are very positive. And tbh when I'm checking out books, if I see a book has at least SOME negative feedback, it reassures me that the positive feedback is likely genuine, too. Because if you look up well-established and awesome writers (whomever they are to you), they have negative feedback, too.

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Bolding mine. This is so true. If you want to make yourself feel better, look up your absolute favorite book and read the one-star reviews (and there will be plenty). It's a good reminder that no matter how good a book is, there will always be someone who doesn't like it.

Hbooks said:

I wouldn't sweat it. The majority of your reviews are very positive. And tbh when I'm checking out books, if I see a book has at least SOME negative feedback, it reassures me that the positive feedback is likely genuine, too. Because if you look up well-established and awesome writers (whomever they are to you), they have negative feedback, too.

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Out of curiosity I just looked at two books on Amazon Kindle that I know were excellent whether one liked them or not, Girl on the Train and Code Name Verity. Both have a whole slew of one star reviews. I get it the protagonist in Girl on a Train isn't going to appeal to a lot of people, but it's still an excellently written character. And Code Name Verity, that book is incredible.

Definitely an eye opener that one star reviews are just going to happen and aren't in and of themselves anything to worry about.

I take a slightly broader view.
If an author is realistic and living in the real world, they should expect one or two stars reviews.
That means things are normal.
Things aren't normal in my opinion when there's a long trail of 5*, or even 4* come to that.
Ultimately, I think it's better for authors to interact with reality than a bubble!

Hbooks said:

... if I see a book has at least SOME negative feedback, it reassures me that the positive feedback is likely genuine, too.

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Exactly this!

I agree with those who said this is the type of review I ignore. I only pay attention to the thoughtful seeming reviews - nothing like, "This is great! 5 stars!" or like the one you got. Those tell me nothing. I'm sure it's so much easier said than done to not let it get to you. But try not to. That woman obviously has nothing better to than to go around trying to make authors feel like crap. I don't understand it, but you can't take a review from someone like that seriously.

I also, however, agree with those who said that a little negative feedback is actually a good thing. Take for example, my self-published books. The only reviews on there are from close family and friends, and of course they are great reviews. Which is great, but it also makes it look as though only my close friends and family read it. Which is probably true. LOL

I have gotten 1 star reviews on every one of my books so far, so join the club! haha. Sure they sting a bit, but they're understandable. I know I've read books I didn't like, or didn't finish for whatever reason. It happens. I also agree those books with only 5 and 4 stars something's up with it, it isn't normal.

Reading other 1 star reviews, like others have said, works like a charm for me. Just keep going and focus on the positive. 2 to 7 sales a day is awesome!!!

I'll say what I've always said, which is that I've bought many books based on one-star reviews. Often what people find objectionable is exactly the sort of thing I'd like to read.

Bongo, in the case of a review like that on a self-help book - if I were book shopping, I'd completely ignore it. If I knew everything there was to know on the subject, I wouldn't be looking for a self-help book, now would I? One-Star Reviewer might know it all, but I sure don't.

Also, never respond to reviews. Come to AW and rant about them, sure; but never make a public response.

lizmonster said:

I'll say what I've always said, which is that I've bought many books based on one-star reviews. Often what people find objectionable is exactly the sort of thing I'd like to read.

Bongo, in the case of a review like that on a self-help book - if I were book shopping, I'd completely ignore it. If I knew everything there was to know on the subject, I wouldn't be looking for a self-help book, now would I? One-Star Reviewer might know it all, but I sure don't.

Also, never respond to reviews. Come to AW and rant about them, sure; but never make a public response.

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Yep. Rant here, (but don't name names).

One star reviews are absolutely normal.

And yes, there are people who pretty much only give one-star reviews. Don't sweat it; don't pay attention to it, just go write your next book.

Sorry to hear about your 1 star review. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Seems likely that every book will get a negative review at some point. If the negative review you receive doesn't seem like it contains much substance, move on. If it contains something substantive, then that's something you're able to address, right? Just my view.

I agree with the others. A negative review may sting, but ultimately, it's one more review on Amazon, so, from a purely mercenary perspective, this is STILL helping you in the search engine optimization game. Not only does it add legitimacy to the other reviews, since nothing but good reviews is suspect for any book, but it now also means that people who type in the title of your book and use words "bad" or "sucks" are more likely to get hits on your book now that negative reviews exist. Even when people are taking the time to write a bad review, as long as they're doing it online, this is actually helping you.

MaeZe said:

Out of curiosity I just looked at two books on Amazon Kindle that I know were excellent whether one liked them or not, Girl on the Train and Code Name Verity. Both have a whole slew of one star reviews. I get it the protagonist in Girl on a Train isn't going to appeal to a lot of people, but it's still an excellently written character. And Code Name Verity, that book is incredible.

Definitely an eye opener that one star reviews are just going to happen and aren't in and of themselves anything to worry about.

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I know this is a bit off topic for this thread, but...what? You find Girl on the Train "excellent"? In what way, exactly? I'm staggered.

EmilyEmily said:

I know this is a bit off topic for this thread, but...what? You find Girl on the Train "excellent"? In what way, exactly? I'm staggered.

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I thought exactly the same thing !!!!

EmilyEmily said:

I know this is a bit off topic for this thread, but...what? You find Girl on the Train "excellent"? In what way, exactly? I'm staggered.

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It takes a very skilled author to make an unlikeable character likeable and I think the author did that with the protagonist. And I thought it was a good mystery with a complex plot.

Some of the people who said they didn't like it either disliked the main character or expected it to be like Gone Girl which it apparently wasn't. I can understand why the character was not to everyone's taste even though I thought the author portrayed her skillfully. As for Gone Girl, sometimes expectations can ruin a book but I don't know in this case having not read Gone Girl.

MaeZe said:

It takes a very skilled author to make an unlikeable character likeable and I think the author did that with the protagonist. And I thought it was a good mystery with a complex plot.

Some of the people who said they didn't like it either disliked the main character or expected it to be like Gone Girl which it apparently wasn't. I can understand why the character was not to everyone's taste even though I thought the author portrayed her skillfully. As for Gone Girl, sometimes expectations can ruin a book but I don't know in this case having not read Gone Girl.

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I enjoyed The Girl on the Train, but I was expecting "the next Gone Girl", which was what the Amazon page promised me, so I was a little bit disappointed. T_T Publishers rly need to stop tagging every frikkin suspense/thrillers with FMCs as "the next Gone Girl".

Bongo,

Don't feel bad about your one negative review. There are no consistently accepted standards of quality in writing, and for all you know, the reviewer disliked your book because your surname reminded her of a crazed ex. Or perhaps she had reading comprehension issues and is just not a careful enough reader to discern nuances within your text. (Keep in mind that Jane A. received some horrible reviews in her time. And that some people think The Girl on the Train is "excellent." There is no accounting for taste).

If I were you, I'd just ignore the bad review. Or scour reviews of your favorite authors, and take note of the fact that all of them have bad reviews as well.

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