Getting Bad Reviews

Getting Bad Reviews

This is one of new writers’ – particularly Indie/Self-Published – greatest fears. And for good reason.

Why is everyone afraid of getting bad reviews? It’s simple. When you’re just starting out, every review is crucial and negative reviews can break you.

That’s multi-faceted. There’s going to be little worse than releasing your work after spending hundreds of hours bleeding into the pages and being met with a low rating. People take it personally, and – sometimes – they’ll lash out against the reviewer. More on that later.

In addition to your own fears and doubts amplifying hundredfold, your sales prospects can fly out the window if you’re hit with low ratings within your first few reviews. Now, it’s important to note that many readers don’t base their decision on ratings or reviews, as they’re subjective and sometimes outright malicious toward the writer. Many will disregard the feedback that’s been acquired and take the risk to make their own decisions. To those people, you’re brave souls and your service in the shadows often goes unnoticed.

First, every writer needs to recognize one fact: Not everyone will like your work. There are many reasons why, ranging from your writing style, the content, the plot, etc. Really, there are hundreds of reasons why they may dislike it, but typically very few that will make them fall in love.

I’ve been lucky, so far, to avoid very many ratings that I would consider low (I’d consider 1-2 of 5 to be unfavorable). But, I remember my first 2-star rating on Goodreads and how it felt to get it. I was pretty distraught, I won’t lie.

Recently, I was talking to a new friend on Twitter (check out their witty blog!) and we discussed that exact review. I’m going to post it below, because there are some important things I want to bring up to other writers. (For example, a reviewer recently released a video where an author demanded they remove their unfavorable review)

First, I can’t begin to thank Max enough for his honest feedback. It helped me improve as a writer and I learned more from his 2-star review than I would have had he given me a higher rating. You learn best from negative experiences. He’s a writer as well, and my respect for him drastically improved by him taking the time to respond to me. You can check his site out here!

Here’s the most important tip for authors who receive bad reviews: Be professional and respectful. These people took the time to read your work and rated it honestly. Would it have been better for you if they had stifled their opinions? Sure. But that takes us into our next point.

NEVER ask someone to change or remove their review. You don’t have that right. This is something some new authors have such a hard time accepting. It goes back to the fact that not everyone will enjoy your work. But they took a risk and attempted to read it. They have the right to offer their genuine feedback, as they would want to see when considering purchasing another book in the future.

Reviews are a leading factor in getting your book picked up by new readers. Yes, a low rating can hurt your future sales. It’s up to you as a writer to take the negativity in stride and try to improve. Is it also important to realize that sometimes people will leave false negatives (such as the ever common ‘my book came with a crease on a page, 1 star)? Of course. But readers will often pick through those and disregard them.

Even more damaging than a single bad review on your work is how you respond to it. I’ve seen a small handful of writers who lash out against a bad review with no sense of respect or professionalism. And, let me tell you, those people have almost definitely come to regret that, I promise.

So, today’s lesson comes down to a single point: Show respect.

Bad reviews can be distressing, but try to focus on the learning opportunity. Reach out and see if they’ll provide details as to what they didn’t like about it – if they didn’t initially. Reaching out to Max to discuss his rating led me to being a better writer and I would’ve continued to make the same mistakes without his input.

I have a few book reviewers with my book on their TBR list that I’m looking forward to getting their feedback. They may give low ratings or they may give me the highly-cherished, glowing 5-star review. In either case, I’m grateful that they’re even willing to consider my work at all.

Best of luck to all my other fellow writers, and happy reading to those who prefer to lose themselves in the magical worlds we create.