What to do when you get a bad review
I’ve been lucky. I admit it. My debut novel has been largely well received. But it hasn’t gone unscathed, I assure you. I’ve weathered a few unpleasant (to put it mildly) reviews. And I can tell you from firsthand experience that no matter how many kind, flattering, awesome reviews you get, when one of those baddies arrives, you will still feel the pain.
I just got one, and yeah, it hurts.
I’d share the review except that it gives away two major plot twists, and I’d rather not reveal those. The reviewer has written exactly four sentences about my book and divulged two major twists. He basically wrote, “This happens. And then this happens. And then this happens. And then this happens.”
I received this particular review on NetGalley, and the person who wrote it was designated as a “Reviewer” (as opposed to bookseller, media person, or educator), so it’s disappointing to me that he doesn’t know what a review actually is.
A review is a combination of a short summary of the book—without spoilers—and an opinion of what the writer did well (i.e., what they enjoyed) and what wasn’t so stellar (i.e., what they didn’t care for). Then either a recommendation to readers/followers, or not. No mocking tone necessary.
This is what I expect from a person who deems himself a “reviewer.” If you’re a regular reader leaving a review on Amazon, you are more than welcome to say, “I really liked it: or “I didn’t like it” and leave it at that.
To Each His Own
I understand how books work. I understand that I might love a book that other readers feel the polar opposite about. I certainly don’t expect everyone to like my book. As a matter of fact, I’m always somewhat surprised when readers do. What I don’t understand is why a so-called reviewer would take the unprofessional, uncalled-for road of disrespecting a writer. Lots of bad reviews sound angry, I’ve noticed. Like they want to shout at someone for “making” them read the book. But no one is “making” them read it. No one is making them download a complimentary copy, either. So why take a mean or condescending tone? Most authors (indies especially) have a hard enough time getting attention as it is—we have to fight for every little bit we get—so there’s no need to smack us down as well.
The strange thing is that this guy gave me three out of five stars. That doesn’t make sense to me. Why mock my book and then give it a decent rating? It’s like another review I received from a woman who said “the writing was beautiful” and “the ending was awesome” and then gave me two stars. This is the type of mystery reviews sometimes carry with them. These are the questions authors will never get answers to.
Should You Read Them or Shouldn’t You?
You need reviews to make it in this industry, so you’ll have to decide how you want to “deal” with them. Will you read your reviews? Nothing says you have to. A good review will set your spirits soaring but a bad one can’t be erased from your memory and may wreak havoc on your self-confidence. Once you know what’s been said, you can’t un-know it. Some people have their friends preview reviews for them. Others don’t read them at all. Ever.
If you do read them, here are some tips to help you through the negative ones:
1: Be ready to feel bad. When I receive an unfavorable, or unfair, review I go through varying shades of hurt, anger, embarrassment, and general feelings of vulnerability.
The questions that flow through my mind include the following: How many people will see this? Will they decide I’m a bad writer? Are they laughing at me? Will my writing career be able to withstand this? Should I ask Amazon, NetGalley, etc. to take it down?
The answer to that last question in most cases is no. Why? Because you’ve written and published a book, and in doing so, you’ve put yourself out there. Anyone who wants to read your book can get a copy. If they don’t like what they see and they’re feeling superior, they can write whatever they want (without using profanity), and the review will stand. They can use a condescending tone and give away spoilers if they want to.
2: Let yourself stew a bit. Feel free to mentally play out the “How dare you?” tongue-lashing you’d give the reviewer if you ever crossed his path—but then, very important, put the idea of payback out of your mind. Revenge is not an option here. Don’t respond to reviews on social media. You’ll only end up looking even more unprofessional than the reviewer does. Walking away is the only way. Remind yourself that the reviewer is just one person, one reader, and you already know you can’t please everyone. Does their opinion matter more than someone else’s? As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, JA Konrath says, “Someone else's opinion of you and your work is none of your business.”
3: Tell yourself it’s okay. Really. It is. Every author out there gets unfavorable reviews. Some highly successful authors get a lot of them. Here are a few books that have received more than their fair share of bad reviews: The Great Gatsby, The Help, The Hunger Games trilogy, The Twilight Saga, and, yes, believe it or not, Harry Potter!
4: When some time has passed and you feel less emotional, consider whether anything the reviewer said could be helpful or constructive. This is something you can’t ignore if you’ve received numerous bad reviews. If several reviewers negatively mention the same issue, then you know it’s something you need to work on, or at least be aware of, in your books in the future.
What They Say About Toughening Up Is True
Some people will love your book and other people will not love your book, and if your happiness (and confidence) relies on the latest review you have received, then the reviewers are in control of how you feel on a day-to-day basis. Don’t give them that control.
It’s true that if you want to be a writer, you’ll have to grow a thick skin. The things that can combat the negative feelings bad reviews bring to light include believing in yourself, knowing you’ve done your best, remembering that other people have praised your work, and giving yourself permission to say, “You know what? I don’t care! I can’t control what people think.”
Then remind yourself that you’ve got writing to do, and get back to work.
Kim Catanzarite is a writer, editor, and instructor for Writer’s Digest University. Her novel They Will Be Coming for Us has received many postive reviews—and one or two clunkers.
