If you're an author and you find yourself wanting to respond unprofessionally to a negative review of your book, shut down your computer, walk away, and never look at that negative review again ... Today I came across an instance where an indie author received a 2-star review by a blogger and then decided to go on a tirade in the comments section of the blog (
click here and scroll down a bit to see what I mean). Commenters greeted the author with criticism for acting so unprofessionally in a public forum (I should note that some of the commenters weren't professional, either). Eventually, things got really ugly when the author cursed at one of the commenters for stating the truth. This author lost respect and sales (many commenters actually said that they would not buy her book because of her response). Now her book has attracted
nearly fifty 1-star reviews at Amazon.com. Some appear to be a direct result of her conduct at the blog. Ouch. What a mess. As an author, you're better off not responding!
On the other hand, you have
Gary Vaynerchuk (Vay-ner-chuk), a
New York Times bestselling author, social media consultant, and owner of the multi-million dollar company
Wine Library. He's taken a totally different approach to negative reviews ... In most cases, he comments by offering the reviewer a refund and asking if there's anything he can do to rectify the situation.
This comment thread from Amazon is a great example of how authors should respond to negative reviews...if they decide to respond at all. Gary has gained a ton of respect from his professional approach and rightfully so! If you're going to respond to bad reviews, this is how you should do it.
How do you respond to negative reviews? Join the discussion
here.
They can't all love me. Here's my favorite negative review - a 1 star:
ReplyDelete"This was one of those books that I just picked up off the shelves for no reason. I can't even describe how it was to read it, but I will try for all you sakes. You want to throw-up, scream, slam you head into the nearest wall, and tear the book to shreads the entire time you are reading it, but for some reason you can't put it down. (And that is not a good thing.)Even seeing the cover turns up stomach and makes me twitch. Just be warned when you read it that... well just be prepared to feel how I felt and even worse."
I don't respond at all
ReplyDeleteIs it a valid negative criticism? I think it makes a difference. If a reviewer can tell me where something I did fell short for them (character development was abandoned or did a 180, or something wasn't built up enough/properly), then I would try my best to take it in stride, keep it in mind for the next project, and try to improve (knowing you can't please everyone).
ReplyDeleteBut then there are reviews that don't do anything but bash and say, "it sucked, don't buy it!" Obnoxious, but best to try to ignore it.
I read on this yesterday and have seen many authors post similar posts. As a reader and a blogger, I definitely will not be picking up that author's book. It doesn't surprise me so many people posted 1-star reviews on Amazon because of it.
ReplyDeleteI like the approach the other author takes though. I'd probably be a bit shocked if he offered me a refund if I didn't like his book, but then I would just start laughing. I don't write many bad reviews because really if a book doesn't keep me interested throughout the whole thing, I drop it. I just don't have that many hours in my life to waste it on something I don't like.
AbsoluteAllen: I like your mindset. :)
ReplyDeleteAnon: Thanks for stopping by my blog
ReplyDeleteGreenlee: I agree; constructive criticism can be a blessing...
ReplyDeleteAmber: I just hope that those reviewers actually read the book and didn't just throw a 1-star review up on Amazon as retaliation.
ReplyDeleteI've actually wondered about this question. My book is somewhat controversial and I've expected some negative reviews to creep in here and there. So far, they've all been five-star, but I know that will change.
ReplyDeleteI think I would probably just express to the reviewer appreciation for having taken the time to read it and to write the review. Beyond that, I would probably say nothing at all . . . especially now that I've seen how it can spiral down. There's little chance of changing someone's mind once thoughts are in print.
I'm preparing myself for the possibility of a negative review, but hoping it will not happen. LOL
Thom: You have a great attitude, and that'll keep you out of a lot of trouble! :)
ReplyDelete