My book got a HORRIBLE review

Oh, hell, we all get 'em. Sweep 'em under the carpet and forget about it. It'll dray you down if you let it.

dascmom said:

You are right, cornflake. I did take the review more personally than I should have. But I think when someone criticizes my writing in a way that goes beyond honesty and heads into snarky and mean-spirited territory, it can be hurtful. I'm not angry at the reviewer, though, and I don't even wish that she didn't write her review. I agree that she has the right to express her opinion, especially since I asked for it. I guess this reviewer seemed to me to be more interested in catering to her own blog audience and enjoying the art of tearing apart a novel, than she was in constructively pointing out what she disliked about my book. But she has a right to her review style.

In my post, I asked other writers for suggestions on how to move on from the knowledge that someone prominent has such distaste for my work. I asked how to categorize it in my brain so I wouldn't question myself. And I have received excellent suggestions. Thank you all for them.

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I'm not trying to harp - you're entitled to feel whatever way you feel. I'm just, I dunno, interested maybe in the language you're using and I think it may be the way you're looking at it that contributes to how you feel about it. Which you can totally say you don't care, you feel the way you feel, but it's there...

The above - why would you think it's not honest if or because it's snarky? Why classify it as mean-spirited? I mean was it actually mean or did she just not like the book? Even if it was mean-spirited, why is that not honest? I think Twilight is awful, and I can deliniate my reasons quite specifically. Someone who loves, loves Twilight might have a 'you're just mean/hater/jealous/whatever' reaction but that's not got to do with reality or whether I'm being honest, you know?

Same as the second; if I reviewed Twilight or anything else, I would feel no need to be constructive. It's a review. Here, if someone asks for feedback on a wip, that should be constructive. A review is what someone thinks about the work. Anyway, as many including me have said, not everyone will like your work regardless, and you've got way more good reviews than bad. Just might want to, as I think you intimated, look at why you're taking it so personally because there will inevitably be more; it's the nature of the beast.

It's hard to tell without seeing the review (note: I don't want to see the review) whether the answer to your "Help me process this" is breathe deep and move on, or cornflake's discussion about analysing and perhaps changing the way you percieve reviews. They're two different methods, and they're not interchangeably effective.

If this

the best part of the book was when I was finished reading it

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is the tenor of the review though (and assuming the book isn't a spiteful, one-sided diatribe against something or other, which might invite that kind of response) I'd be inclined to go with "Breathe deep. Move on."




Also - best advice is always don't read them, unless they're stonkingly good or by Very Important Reviewers.*

Sometimes people just get... hung up. I always try to put a few hours between finishing a book I reaaally didn't like and actually writing the review. There have been books where that pretty much saved me from being a raging pile of literary hate. Not everyone is so wise.

I once read a book review that was scathing, furious, and made personal jabs at the author's intelligence. At the end? "I don't really speak English but I just really hated this book". The book was written in English. I honestly wonder what in the world they used to translate it. Did they translate it from English to Klingon and into their native language? ;-)

Point being, some bad reviews are just.. not worth the attention. You are getting 5 star reviews. As Mccardey said above: Breathe deep and move on. <3

Are people able to edit their reviews on Amazon/Goodreads? And are authors able to respond?

I've never used either, so I don't know...

dascmom said:

I am a first-time author (my book was purchased by an e-publisher and I've sold more than a thousand copies, mainly for kindle) whose book came out in September. I have generally good reviews from my readers: about 20 on Amazon 4.8 or so and 120 or so on Goodreads, and until yesterday I was between 4.05-4.08.

I just checked my ratings and they were down. When I looked into it I had received a one star rating from a reviewer (a fairly well-known one in my genre) who HATED my book. I mean, she really hated everything about it.

So, I started sweating before I even finished reading it, but I forced myself to absorb her feedback. My question is for other authors: How do you handle extremely hateful reviews? Where do you put this information in your brain? Knowing someone publicly abhors everything about my writing kind of cuts to the bone, if you know what I mean.

I could use some advice.
Thanks.

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One of my books has (I started off by saying 'I have' but such personal thinking becomes destructive very quickly) a 1-star review on GoodReads that I have not yet managed to read all the way through. I think I disagree with the reviewer on a few things, but I can't be sure. It's a sort of milestone of my self-confidence that one day I will sit down, read the whole, virulent thing, and then sit back and say "Well" and chuckle ruefully and start on my next book.

That day has not yet come. Perhaps it never will come. And y'know? That's fine. Because the review is not for me.

Reviews are not for you. Reviews of finished books are not 'feedback'. They're written a) for the edification of other readers and b) for the self-expression of the reviewer. Whether they serve this purpose or not is of no consequence to you and will not affect your writing or your career. Really. Look at all the bestsellers with horrible reviews. You say your book has already sold thousands of copies? Then one bad review is not going to hurt you. You're doing well! You may have room for improvement, like everybody, but you will improve!

Once you know the virulent (toxic, hateful--or, who knows, just brutally honest) review is out there, you can't unknow it, unfortunately. You may use its existance as a spur to yourself to write more and write better ("I'll show you, 1-star reviewer! My next book will be GLORIOUS!"). If you ever get a review that completely destroys your self-esteem, my advice would be to get a good friend and have them massage your ego for a bit--in private--and then go reread your story with their compliments in mind. It'll help you see things in a sunnier way.

(TBH, I'm currently rereading the novel with the 1-star review, and the critiques I remember from the bits of it I read are...well, some of the issues are there, but some I am very certain are not. And that's frustrating. But y'know? There is absolutely nothing I can do about it, except keep writing what I'm writing except better next time, and hope other readers may one day sit down with the book and go "Hey...that 1-star reviewer was completely off about this!" and other readers who never saw the 1-star review will read the book and go "Hey, this is brilliant! 5 stars! No, 7--out of 5!")

In any event, hugs on the occasion. Do not respond to the review (unless it was one you requested, in which case your only response should be "thank you for reviewing it"). And congrats on selling many copies to what are clearly your fans!

you can always check here for encouragement:

https://twitter.com/AvoidComments

dascmom said:

Thank you, ACP! I will admit that some of the criticisms she made were well-founded, and snarky is this reviewer's personal style.

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I wrote snarky reviews when I was younger. One of them said something like, "At least there was nothing further to read after the hero's declaration of love, and all's well that ends."

I didn't hate either the book or the author. I just found many aspects of the book disappointing or annoying, and the people who read my reviews at the time weren't writers, so there wasn't much point in doing a detailed, constructive analysis of what worked and what didn't work. Also, I got out a lot of my frustration with the book by being snarky.

Of course, years later it was my book that got the shaft from a reviewer. So I don't have much grounds for complaint. But whether you're a nice person like yourself or a meanie like me, you'll get this kind of review.

As for how I handled it? I griped to a few close friends and made a mental note never to send this reviewer anything of mine again. That's all I can do and all I want to do. Anything else gives that one nasty review way more power than I want it to have in my life.

dascmom said:

You are right, cornflake. I did take the review more personally than I should have. But I think when someone criticizes my writing in a way that goes beyond honesty and heads into snarky and mean-spirited territory, it can be hurtful. I'm not angry at the reviewer, though, and I don't even wish that she didn't write her review. I agree that she has the right to express her opinion, especially since I asked for it. I guess this reviewer seemed to me to be more interested in catering to her own blog audience and enjoying the art of tearing apart a novel, than she was in constructively pointing out what she disliked about my book. But she has a right to her review style.

In my post, I asked other writers for suggestions on how to move on from the knowledge that someone prominent has such distaste for my work. I asked how to categorize it in my brain so I wouldn't question myself. And I have received excellent suggestions. Thank you all for them.

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1. go visit SYW here....sometimes snark is what folks are best at wielding, and sometines it is the only weapon that penetrates a blithely ignorant or dismissive would-be writer. So, it is out there. In fact, I would advise against EVER sending me a query. EVER.

2. The best suggestion thus far is to stop reading reviews. I know calla a bit, and some of the others. I've seen them take a few knocks, and dish a few out, on here. If THEY don't read them, because they KNOW they can't handle them.....you need to man up before you die of self-inflicted wounds. You said yourself you're thin-skinned and obsessive, and underlined it with your use of language like hateful and venom. You keep reading reviews, and you are either going to drive yourself crazy till you quit or you're gonna become the star of the week in the Roundtable sub-forum's very own How NOT to Respond to Reviews thread.


that is my honest advice, honestly trying to help you. Stop reading; you're seeking praise and validation, and they're great when they come, but you're going to kill your own career by doing it.

Reviews are all just opinions. Every last one. And I say this as an aspiring novelist who publicly reviews novels.

Think about it this way: have you loved every book you've ever read? I know I've read some #1 NYT bestsellers and absolutely loathed them for a plethora of reasons. My opinion is dramatically different from millions of others, apparently. But that's okay.

I can only imagine how tough it must be to read a bad public review. (The closest I've come is reading my public critiques of my WIP--ouch!) That's why I've started only publishing reviews of books I enjoy. (Unless the author is some mega-best seller. I figure they can hack my little dissenting opinion.)

Reviewers should in no way make it personal against the author. That is trashy and unprofessional. It's about the work—but yes, I understand it can be impossible to separate.

Just think of all those fabulous reviews. Be proud of that achievement and keep moving.

I hope it's okay that I'm bumping this thread rather than creating a new one.

My debut historical romance is getting released next month, and reviews are starting to appear on GR. They're mixed. And...I appreciate them all because they mean people are reading and taking the time to review...but I should probably stop checking GR.

This thread has some great advice thus far. Any other suggestions for growing a thicker skin or distracting oneself from reviews? (And is there a way to block your own access to GR?...)

ARoyce said:

I hope it's okay that I'm bumping this thread rather than creating a new one.

My debut historical romance is getting released next month, and reviews are starting to appear on GR. They're mixed. And...I appreciate them all because they mean people are reading and taking the time to review...but I should probably stop checking GR.

This thread has some great advice thus far. Any other suggestions for growing a thicker skin or distracting oneself from reviews? (And is there a way to block your own access to GR?...)

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Every time I go to GR and see a review I say, out loud, "Thank you for taking the time to write a review".

Even if it's a two or one star. Even if it's a DNF.

Why?

Because I think it's HARDER to put up a bad review than a glowing one. It takes time to write a review and plenty of readers who love or hate a book never, EVER put up a review.

These people, whether they love or hate it, are taking the time to voice their opinion. Which they have a right to have and I thank them for adding their voice to the crowd, whether it's a one-star review or five.

Say "Thank you" and move on. I've had the same book receive 5 stars and DNF's. Each to their own but that's how I handle it.