How to Respond to a Bad Review

AKA Consider the Source

Once you are published, and your shiny new book is out there for all the world to read, not everyone in the world will love it. Some will, and some won’t. Hopefully the people that do will tell you via positive reviews. Those that don’t will definitely tell you with negative reviews.

spooky buds

Most online book retailers like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble have a 5 star rating system. There is also the opportunity for the reviewer to leave a comment.

For any review that rubs you the wrong way, consider the source.

Did they say they didn’t even finish the book? Is every review they have written negative? Did they give any reasons why they didn’t like they book (characters, plot, themes) or was it just not what they expected?

Reminder: you cannot meet *everyone’s* expectations.

It’s impossible. People are too different from each other – that’s why there there are so many readers for so many authors. It’s a good thing, really.

For any author, especially a debut author, a bad review can be emotionally painful, no matter how much your head tells you it doesn’t matter. For those times, here is an open love letter to help you out.

And congratulations! If you hadn’t written and sold that book, there wouldn’t be anything to review.

Josh Lyman: Because you tend to call some bizarre factoid from a less-than-reputable source and then you blow it all out of proportion.
- The West Wing“The State Dinner”, 1.7

Oct 20, 2009

Tags: reviews

Categories: writing