Okay, I want to talk for a minute to the authors out there, especially the indie self-pubbed authors out there. You non writing folk can keep reading, I don't want to discourage you from reading. Hell, if anything, it may give you a peek into what your favorite authors may be going through.
Okay. So....you got a negative review on Amazon or B&N or wherever. Feels like the end of the world, eh? Like all the time and efforts you put into that book, all the money you spent out of pocket to have a cover designed, the pages edited, the whole thing formatted...all of it was a waste. Someone with the crazy chick magnet handle doctorwhoisyourdaddy69 wrote that your book lacked depth, or that the characters were pathetic, or that the ending was stupid and predictable and actually resolved nothing.
What to do?
Some people would tell you to just ignore the bad reviews. Some would say never read your reviews at all. Both have some merit to what they want you to do, but I think that - to a degree - there is a third option. Learn from the bad reviews.
Since I put out my book The Uninvited, I have been lucky enough to get a good bit of very positive reviews. But yesterday I actually got my first not so grand one. It was a 3 star review, and while the reviewer said that he read the book in one sitting and seemed to breeze through it, he had 3 big problems with it.
Reading his list of issues with my book stung. Okay, let's get this out of the way first. If you're going to be a writer, whether you pursue traditional print or self-pub, the number one rule is that you have to have thick skin. You're going to hear from people that what you just spent hours or months or years working on - pouring your heart and soul into - is shit. Sure, they probably won't say it that bluntly...but the underlying message is the same. And I'm not saying this guy was telling me that my writing was shit.
But he certainly had problems with it. Now, I don't agree with him, but I'm willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. He's most likely a well read dude who knows what works for him in a story. For some reason, my book didn't quite hit on all the notes he needed it to.
So how can I learn from this bad review? Easy. First, I don't let it discourage me. You can't let a single negative thing people say to you about your writing affect your writing. For every doubter there's going to be a slew of people who support you. And if nobody is supporting you, then fuck 'em all. You shouldn't be writing for them....write for yourself. It's like Stephen King said once. (and I'm paraphrasing slightly here) "I write for myself. I write things I enjoy. If other people happen to like it too, all the better."
Words to live by, my friends.
So, yes, I don't let this guy's review get me down. He didn't like that book? That's cool. I'm sorry he didn't, but I can't help that. What I can do is remember things he pointed out and make sure that I ensure those aren't weaknesses in the next book. If, for instance, he had pointed out that dialogue during action scenes came off as hokey or just a step above the Oscar caliber dialogue in a porno movie, then I'll try to remember the next time I write dialogue in an action scene to take extra care. Read it out loud (that's a great tip regardless of the prose...) to check that it doesn't sound too stiff or "I'm here to clean your cable."
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I'll try to write the next book as if this guy is standing over my shoulder telling me how to write. But if he pointed out something, then I'll try to make sure I cover that as best I can, to the best of my satisfaction. If someone tells you that it's stupid or predictable, the way you ended the book, then make sure you take some time on the next one to ensure that the ending isn't predictable.
I'm trying really hard not to make it sound like you should alter your writing based on reviews. You shouldn't. But I look at reviews - the negative ones - as tiny little reminder signs just off the highway as you're traveling along towards the completion of the next book. That's all.
In the end, it's YOUR book and you have to be happy with it. If other people don't like what you wrote, then they can either not read the next one, or go write their own damn book. What counts is your happiness with the work.
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