I received my first “negative review.”
Someone didn’t like my book! (And no, I’m not going to link to the review because I don’t need people to start a flame war there. People are entitled to their opinions). Yes, I was quite shocked – I mean, how could someone not like my book? My book is amazing and awesome!
Isn’t it?
NO?
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WELL CLEARLY YOU, DEAR REVIEWER, ARE STUPID AND DON’T KNOW HOW TO READ AND WOULDN’T KNOW GOOD TASTE IF IT DANCED NAKED ACROSS THE ROOM AND THEN A NINJA KICKED YOU IN THE FACE. HOW DARE YOU BESMIRCH MY WRITING? HOW DARE YOU THINK MY BOOK ISN’T THE GREATEST THING EVER WRITTEN SINCE… WELL SINCE THINGS WERE WRITTEN! HOW DARE YOU…
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Huh. Maybe they had a point? Maybe I should have done X, Y, & Z instead of A, B, & C? Maybe I should email them and explain why I did the things I did that they didn’t like. Maybe if I do that I could change their mind, and THEN they would like my book. I’m certain that if I talked to them we would become friends and they would like me like my book and then they’d remove that review and…
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*sobbing* WHY DON’T THEY LIKE MY BOOK? WHAT IS WRONG WITH MEEEEEEE? WHY DO THEY HATE MEEEEEEE? I AM A TERRIBLE WRITER AND SHOULD NEVER EVER WRITE ANYTHING EVER AGAIN! I SHOULD REFUND ANYONE WHO EVER BOUGHT MY BOOKS THEIR MONEY THEN WRITE AN APOLOGY MESSAGE TO THEM ALL AND THEN COMPLETELY ERASE MY ONLINE PRESENCE AND PRETEND AS IF NONE OF THIS EVER HAPPENED. MY LIFE IS OVER! *deteriorate into unintelligible sobbing*
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You know what? This is ridiculous. What am I crying about? This is ONE negative review. So one person didn’t like my book?
*spots a couple other negative reviews*
Okay Self, so a few people didn’t like your book. Who cares? By far most people who have read it have loved it, and guess what, remember that teen girl who said “you are officially my hero… I have never devoured a book so quickly or enjoyed it so much… my new favorite book… my new favorite series, and you are my new favorite author…You inspire me…” Yeah that one. And remember that your daughter decided she loved reading because of your book? Oh yeah… So, pretty much everyone else in the world could HATE your books, and the fact that you just caught your daughter up reading at 0430 because she didn’t want to put her book down makes it all worth it.
And the truth is, it hurts.
Yes, it hurt my feelings to see that someone felt so negatively about something I’d poured hours of my life into, and worse it made me doubt my writing ability.
And yes, I wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.
But wallowing in self pity is not only silly, but it’s destructive.
Because here’s the thing, I KNOW I wrote a good book. It’s not the best book, it definitely has its fair share of problems, but it’s a GOOD book. It entertains. It has a plot. It has a heart. It has a purpose. By far, the vast majority of my reviews have been spectacularly positive.
But despite all that, it still hurt to read someone’s words (it was somehow worse that they were a perfect stranger) listing all the things they hated about my book – things I can’t fix because I think they are essential to the story. Or worse they just hated my story for no apparent reason and didn’t even bother to write a review. Just gave it one star. (Also, don’t give unto the temptation to email/message the reviewer).
Well, that and it hurts whenever someone tells you “your baby is ugly.”
It’s a bit funny in hindsight – I thought I had a thick skin, but I guess it’s not as thick as I thought.
But really, it’s my own fault. I KNOW my book isn’t going to appeal to everyone. And I know there are going to be some nasty reviews out there. Yet I went out looking… For the plethora of good reviews, there is that one (several now) where the person didn’t like my book, and for some reason that’s the one I focused on.
*HEAD DESK*
I need to not go read reviews of my books if I’m not prepared to deal with what I see. My stories aren’t for everyone, and that’s okay! How boring would life be if we all liked the same things? Yeah, no thanks. So I’ll take my hits with a smile, and if I see any constant themes use my negative feedback to improve my writing.
Because really, what am I complaining about? “OH WOE IS ME… SOMEONE DIDN’T LIKE MY BOOK! MY LIFE IS SO HARD! LET ME GO CRY ALL THE TEARS.”
Yeah, when put in perspective, it really is a silly thing to get worked up over.
Thanks for all the love everyone.
-How to respond to negative reviews, by Beth Revis.
-How to deal with a bad review.
-One Star Reviews of Redshirts.
Saturday:
1pm: Geeks Rule!
4pm: Read-A-Likes
7pm: Phineas and Ferb Uncovered
Sunday:
1pm: Girlz Rule!
4pm: Music Show Mash Up
7pm:Bad Boys! Bad Girls! (I may have to leave this one a smidge early to catch my flight home)
Lastly, need a copy of my books? As it happens you can buy them here.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
War of the Seasons
by Janine K. Spendlove
Giveaway ends September 12, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Tags: books, conventions, reviews, tips, writing
In my somewhat longer experience, there are three kinds of reviews: positive, negative, and bad. Negative reviews hurt, of course, but once you calm down, you can see which parts can be relevant to your future work, and which parts don’t matter. Positive reviews make you feel good, but after you calm down you discover that maybe they said things they shouldn’t have, such as comparing you to other writers who you do not at all resemble (as has happened with me). The the bad reviews, where it soon becomes obvious that the “reviewer” (quotes to signify that that the title “reviewer” may be spurious) is more concerned with showing off how clever he or she is, and is writing for the money (as I know all too well from a really bad review from someone I will not name on the internet — ask me some time).
The best reviews are those thoughtful ones which credit you for what you did well, and which point out with courtesy where you could have done better. Think of our evaluations in the writer’s workshop. Those are immensely valuable.
But you got reviewed, and despite the pain, someone may read it and say that what the reviewer didn’t like is really just what the reader is looking for. I’ve had that experience too, as a reader.
As a reviewer, it’s hard to write bad reviews. But it isn’t fair to anyone to sugar coat every review. But your books are awesome to a lot of people, so it’s something to be proud of!
And go Kaleidoscope track!
Congratulations! I’ve always considered getting bad reviews to mean two things as a writer: First, it’s a rite of passage, so welcome to the club that we’ve all been a part of all the way back to Shakespeare and before. Second, it means you stirred somebody’s emotions strong enough that they took the time to write the bad review — true, you’d rather stir their emotions the opposite way, but at least you’re hitting them somewhere. Thus, the worst review you could get IMO — “Meh. It was okay.”
Ah, sounds like you’ve arrived! I wouldn’t let it get to you. I am bracing for the onslaught of cutting remarks over my writing but the good news is you’re a writer and you have something to be critiqued. That’s a huge accomplishment. You have a voice and a story and it’s yours. I’m proud of you and I love your writing style. More, I respect your thought process. You’re in the game now and all suited up for some hits – so it’s good to get them, feel the sting, and learn from it. You’re right, you can’t please everyone (and you don’t want to). I’ve already started rethinking a lot of stuff I loved reading as a kid and I’m not very gracious to them for their mistakes – yet they are successful. Your job is to take the critiques and become better. And I know you will.
AL
At the end of nearly every class we fill out a survey. One of my teachers won’t read hers until the final is graded. She says there can be 150 surveys talking about how awesome she is and how much the student learned/was inspired and 1 “she’s a harpy” comment. That 1 bad likely from a student who was going to fails gets to her. I don’t think it is ever easy to be critized.
Before I write any review that is negative I ask myself is the book a genre I would normally read and would I have paid for the book in the store based on back page and what not. If my main reason for reading the book was it was free or it was outside my usual genres I consider if I should write a review. I also mention that in my review. I have emailed with a few authors to know they are real people and real people deserve honest curtosity.
I have noticed in the age of the internet and now with so many of us with access on our phones, there become more and more keyboard warriers who will say err type things they would naver say outloud or in person.
Oh yeah and I loved both your books.
Oh and a seller on Amazon has your book for sale for nearly $85!!!
You want bad reviews, you should do the shootout I do. I am clearly a glutton for punishment for going back, but the comments they make sometimes make me wonder if they actually know how to read. (Today, for instance – my story starts with the FMC tripping, hurting herself and commenting about how her foot is bleeding. Comment “I don’t understand where the blood comes from. You should tell us that.”)
Good for you for working through this and being honest with yourself.
OMG, I loved your reaction almost as much as I love your books. Your fantastic. Mr. One Star possibly was confused by the whole rating system and thought that 1 star meant you were #1. Yeah, that’s it! Crisis averted!
Your books DEFINITELY appeal to my friends and I, and I hope you’ll keep writing them (because if you don’t, I will cry a lot. I mean… A LOT. Like, I would never get over it. Could you live with ruining most of the adult life of a perfect stranger? How could I possibly hold a job if I cried all the time? HOW COULD I DO IT, SPENDLOVE????).
Also, what time frame are you looking at for book three? I feel like I’m already starting to get teary-eyed… chop-chop.