Kai .'s Blog: Word Lover, Books, Poems and Scripts - Posts Tagged "posting-kai"
Bad Reviews
How do you deal with bad reviews? I was a book reviewer for a couple of years before I published. I remember that I was fairly strict - made sure that the editing quality was fair, the story was engaging and the plot development was consistent. I didn't give much thought to the emotion of the author, the time and energy it took to write the story, or that the point of view of the author might be completely different than mine. I thought I was a fair reviewer, I even rated a few authors too generously, but I did hand out several low reviews.
Now, I am on the receiving end of judgment. An uncomfortable seat. Very uncomfortable. A poor review affects a writer, even if they subsequently dismiss it and move on. It's like being a parent and having a teacher tell you that YOUR child ruined the classroom. My Baby? Not My Baby!!
A poor review makes you protective of your work, of the purpose of the book and what you were hoping to accomplish with the story. It can be difficult to separate yourself from the work, in an emotional capacity, and to accept the criticism on its face.
A real book reviewer, with a proven record, often offers a valid perspective-whether we want to hear it or not. It is important to read negative reviews along with the positive ones, and improve upon them. As difficult as it may be to swallow, the poison pill may just turn into the vitamin that your writing needs.
Now, this does not apply to the random, unidentifiable amazon reviewer who slaps you with a 1 star because you "took to long" with publishing the book, or they are mad at what you did to their favorite character. The emotional responses that sometimes result in a low rating have to be swallowed and ignored-it comes with the territory. Also, pay no mind to the person who clearly didn't read the book, but took the time to post a low rating, just because. Always take a second to discern the difference between a reader and someone with a different agenda.
But, when posted by someone with literary integrity, sometimes the low review is the small hurdle an author has to jump to push themselves to write a greater story.
Now, I am on the receiving end of judgment. An uncomfortable seat. Very uncomfortable. A poor review affects a writer, even if they subsequently dismiss it and move on. It's like being a parent and having a teacher tell you that YOUR child ruined the classroom. My Baby? Not My Baby!!
A poor review makes you protective of your work, of the purpose of the book and what you were hoping to accomplish with the story. It can be difficult to separate yourself from the work, in an emotional capacity, and to accept the criticism on its face.
A real book reviewer, with a proven record, often offers a valid perspective-whether we want to hear it or not. It is important to read negative reviews along with the positive ones, and improve upon them. As difficult as it may be to swallow, the poison pill may just turn into the vitamin that your writing needs.
Now, this does not apply to the random, unidentifiable amazon reviewer who slaps you with a 1 star because you "took to long" with publishing the book, or they are mad at what you did to their favorite character. The emotional responses that sometimes result in a low rating have to be swallowed and ignored-it comes with the territory. Also, pay no mind to the person who clearly didn't read the book, but took the time to post a low rating, just because. Always take a second to discern the difference between a reader and someone with a different agenda.
But, when posted by someone with literary integrity, sometimes the low review is the small hurdle an author has to jump to push themselves to write a greater story.
Word Lover, Books, Poems and Scripts
Ever get a thought that you are just pushed to share? Something that makes you say "hmm?" This space is where I share harmless introspection, or poetry and stories. Hope you enjoy - whether you agree
...more
- Kai .'s profile
- 42 followers
