Friday, May 29, 2020

Advice on handling bad reviews


Erica here today. Just over a month ago, The Lost Lieutenant, the first book in the Serendipity & Secrets series released. Before long, reviews began coming in at the various retail sites. And as is inevitable, the first one-star review posted. 

Blah.

Reviews are a part of an author's life. They come in all forms. Raves, evaluations, recaps, spoiler-loaded, rants, and everything in between. While we love hearing from readers, sometimes those reviews and opinions can sting. So I asked some of my writing buddies how they deal with one-star or less than rave reviews.


Jan Drexler

Here's a one-star that I got for Hannah's Choice:

This book milks the tragic death of little babies for dramatic effect right from the beginning. Unexpected and traumatizing in a book you expect to be romantic and restful. I'm actually getting tired of Amish books because they all exploit a sincere and genuine religion and culture for fun and profit, and that's just wrong. I think this is my last stop with the Amish. I have too much respect for their sincerity and right to privacy.



Jan's advice:

Bad reviews are the pits. But they don’t have to rule your life. The first thing I do is to identify exactly what the reviewer didn’t like about the story (sometimes it’s hard to determine!) Then I decide if I need to consider the criticism seriously. Most of the bad reviews are written by people who have a beef with something that has nothing to do with my writing, so I go on with my day and try to forget about it. I also have advice for new authors: I never respond to a review. I want people to feel free to leave reviews without being afraid that I will argue some point with them!





Mary Connealy – In Too Deep

I think the reader should be warned when a book is pornographic. A good story was ruined by graphic sex scenes that went on and on and on. Each of the books in this series had the same thing - even used the same words. Seemed like she just transferred the pages to the next book, so I skipped a large part of the book. I will not be buying this author again. I wouldn’t even give it one star but you had no minus available.




Mary’s advice: Time. That's my advice.

They used to hurt a lot. Now I look back on the PORN review and have some affection for it.

I can smile now. So give yourself a day to mourn if you must. Also you can actually dig through the cruelty and see if there is any merit there. What did they object to, was there any validity to it, and can I do better next time?



Ruthy from Back in the Saddle

"Not my type of story."

Ruthy will give you her advice in the comments section! :) 



Amanda Barratt

1 star review for My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Lost Love

After all the praise and 5-star ratings in the reviews here on Amazon, I was shocked at how boring this was. I adore this couple and revere this man, but this book was trite. Embarrassingly trite. "Nein" and "danke" and other common German words everywhere We get it, they're German. This set the tone for the whole book. I admit, I skimmed after the first few chapters. The characters had no life in them. Read Love Letters From Cell 92 instead--it contains their letters. No silly made-up conversations. Read Eric Metaxas biography of Bonhoeffer instead.





When it comes to reviews, I've heard many authors suggest not to read them, except when a reader sends one to them directly or after a family member vets the reviews first. This is great advice! As Mrs. Patmore from Downton Abbey sagely said, "What the eye can't see, the heart won't grieve over." However, I've never been able to follow that advice. I tell myself I won't check reviews, and then invariably, when a new book releases, I always do. When I come across 1 star reviews, despite the mental pep talk I give myself along the lines of "art is subjective," there are times when the words sting and doubt rears its pesky head. After reading a negative review, I've found it helpful to do three things.

1. Give myself a moment to feel sad and discouraged. To eat ice cream, vent to a family member, or just acknowledge the feelings those words produced. But the key word is "only a moment." Staying mired in discouragement because of a negative review isn't healthy, both personally or as an author.

2. Ask myself if there's anything I can learn from that review. Negative reviews are written for a variety of reasons. Sometimes a book stirs painful emotions in a reader and the review is written out of those raw places. Sometimes the reviewer is just angry, and vents their anger by writing a vitriolic review. But sometimes there's a nugget of truth in a critical review--insight into an aspect of the book that could have been strengthened. This is especially true if multiple reviews point out the same problem areas. Tuck those nuggets away. Though you may not be able to rewrite that book, you can focus on improving the next one.

3. 1 star reviews can provide a good perspective shift, reminding me, ultimately, WHY I'm writing. Not to receive earthly praise, but to honor and glorify Christ. If I'm penning the stories He places on my heart, being faithful to grow in the craft of writing, and seeking God above all else, then it doesn't matter how many 1 star reviews a book receives. It only matters that I'm serving Him with the words He's given me.


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Carrie Booth Schmidt:

I think I've maybe given 2 one-star reviews my whole life. And I've hated doing it both times. I constantly preach KINDNESS to other bloggers & our JustRead reviewers. Not every book will work for every reader but there's never a reason to be ugly about it or question the author's soul or talent. My advice to authors would be - if there is no constructive criticism to be had from the review, just move on. Don't waste time stressing over it because, let's face it, some people on Amazon & Goodreads just like to give one star to be mean and feel empowered. Unfortunately, the trolls & the pearl clutchers will always be with us. :-/


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Jaime Jo Wright

Review: Great book to read at bedtime as it is so boring it will bore you to sleep! Seriously, just couldn't wait to finish this book. Such a slow, stupid story set in the past and present. Ho-hum...zzzzzzz.
The House on Foster Hill by Jaime Jo Wright

Getting a review that indicates your book has a better medicinal effect that prescription sleep aids could spiral me into a self-doubting pile of mush. But to cope with reviews like this, I try to step back and find the funny it. For real. They hated The House of Foster Hill so much they went so far as to include complimentary "zzzzzzz's"! Frankly, I balance reviews like this with other reviews that indicate the readers couldn't sleep because the book was so intense. Every reader is different and no book will resonate with every reader at 100% 4 or 5 star ratings. If that were the case, then The Great Gatsby would be high on my list . . . ahem.

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Rachel McMillan

The entire publishing trajectory sets you up so by the time you get negative reviews, you should have developed at least an expectation of them. For one, we query agents who reject us, for another, we submit our proposals to publishers who turn us down. Then, once you do have an editor, the rejection continues: your editorial memo might ask you to slice large pieces of a story you loved, or ask you to switch the narrative tense. And, when you go to pitch subsequent books in hopes of another contract, there is a chance that your idea will be rejected. It is all part of the process.

As much as possible, I don’t read my reviews: because reviews are not for writers, rather for readers. Once we publish a book, we relinquish ownership. ANY opinion is valid because it is at the discretion and privilege of a reader’s perspective. But it is their prerogative. They could interpret your Amish historical thriller as a metaphor for purple elephants, but that is their right. Thus, I stay out of the dialogue between readers to readers regarding my work and get uncomfortable when I am tagged in dialogue about my book ---positive or negative. Because I want readers to feel free to share without having the author peek over their shoulder. I am especially sensitive to this because while I write and publish, I am a voracious reader and was a reviewer long before I published my own work. I am still a voracious reader and I don’t love every book I read so how can I expect everyone to like every book I write? I think it is imperative to remember that a well-written review that takes the time to dive into the nuance of the story and the balance of good and bad, even if negative, is so much more helpful to readers than a slew of five star one sentence reviews that could look like they were written by your family. For example, often, what the reviewer didn’t like about the book, is EXACTLY what my catnip is. Just showing us, again, how subjective the entire thing is. So, I never share negative reviews or positive non-trade reviews sent by my publicist without reader permission. Everyone has a different take on this and I am certainly not the authority, but as a reader, I cherish the honoured tradition of being able to share my opinions with other readers and for me to share negative reviews of my own books makes me feel like I am breaking the trust I most love finding in online bookish dialogue.


 Erica Vetsch:

Wasn't interested enough to finish it.

I have a couple of approaches to receiving a one-star review. 

a) walk away. Don't obsess, let it go, it's one person's opinion. Realize that in the grand scheme of things...it doesn't really matter. 

b) celebrate it. You're a real author now. I belong to a FB group of authors where when one of us gets a first one-star review of a new book, we serve "One Star Cake." We find a picture of a cake decorated with stars, and we post it. (Bonus, no calories in one-star cake!) 

Today, we'd love you to join us in having some one-star cake. Please let us know your thoughts as a reader, an author, a reviewer. 


Order your copy of The Lost Lieutenant today!

Best-selling, award-winning author Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. She’s a transplanted Kansan now living in Minnesota, and she is married to her total opposite and soul mate! When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum and cheering on her Kansas Jayhawks and New Zealand All Blacks.

You can connect with her at her website, www.ericavetsch.com where you can read about her books and sign up for her newsletter, and you can find her online at https://www.facebook.com/EricaVetschAuthor/ where she spends way too much time!

73 comments:

  1. What a great post! Thank you for the compilation of one-star reviews and advice from real authors. I am unpublished as of yet 😊, but the one-star is something I dread. In September, I wrote a Facebook status update about bad reviews, so I searched it up and copied it. Pasting below:

    Had an epiphany recently. Every single book has bad reviews. Every one. So, I looked up the the most wondrous work of brilliance I've ever read—my favorite book. Here are a few of the one-star reviews (care to share some from your favorite?):

    • "Absolute rubbish...i kept reading to find out what all the high ratings were about. What a waste of time."
    • "I slogged through it, hoping it might get better, and was disappointed the whole way through."
    • "What a load of garbage. First of all getting though the boring yuck of his life story is just stupid. Then the story, parts aren't half bad. Getting interrupted by his italics was maddening. This book was not worth my money,time or effort. Save yourself!"
    • "Nonscence"
    • "This has to be one of the most egomanical books I've ever read. The forced cleverness and side bars are oh-so unnecessary! A classic? Hardly. And it is basically a good storyline. It's such a pity that the author goes off on his self-aggrandizing chatter all the time. Do yourself a favor. Buy the movie!"

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    1. That was a great idea, Rachel. If other readers can hate our favorite books, it just makes sense that not everyone will like our books either.

      By the way - I'm curious. What was that book? After reading the bad reviews, I want to read it!

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    2. Rachel, that was an excellent thought, to go check out the reviews of your favorite book. It reminds us that there is no such thing as a universally loved book.

      Don't fear the one star review. Embrace it as part of the process.

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    3. Jan, the book is The Princess Bride by William Goldman. :-)

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    4. Ha! I loved that book. ***** :)

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    5. I would give up my life for The Princess Bride! :) That's a huge Herne family favorite!!!!

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  2. Um, what she said. And she, and she, and she.
    I haven't received a one-star--yet. But that's probably because with one book and one novella under my belt, I haven't been reviewed all that much.
    I've been a professional NON-fiction writer most of my adult life and have developed somewhat of a thick hide, but when I published fiction I had to make it even thicker. This is my heart out there.
    I wouldn't take a one-star all that seriously. If someone dislikes my book that much, it's simply not the book for them and I should move on. Remembering that someone, in this case Pelican/White Rose, thought enough of my book to Publish It.
    It's the same as with contests with the big difference: contest feedback is between you and the judges, period, and a review is out there for the world.
    Personal feedback can also leave me scratching my head. When "Westward Hope" came out two women, one a friend and one a relative, mentioned that they were afraid I was going to "hit them over the head with religion," and they were glad I didn't. I'm still puzzling over that one. Does it mean I handled Michael's conversion and Caroline's growth in Christ well enough to appeal to a nonbeliever, or does it mean I wasn't doing the job God gave me and nothing got through? This is what I think about. During the commercials.
    I like Rachel M's advice that it's really reader to reader, Amanda's reminder that we write for Christ, and Jan's suggestion to never engage.
    I met my writing goals for May. Nothing else got done but who cares.
    Will be in and out today, not going far from home.
    Love you guys, and that's with SIX stars.
    Kathy Bailey

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    1. Congratulations for meeting your May writing goals, Kathy! I didn't come close...but I did get words written. I'm counting that as a victory!

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    2. Yay for meeting writing goals this month, Kathy! You are a pro! I have NOT gotten my writing goals met this past month. Sigh. I hope when Covid goes, my brain comes back.

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    3. Congratulations on making your May goal. I sure didn't. I also think the comments about not hitting over the head with religion means you did a nice job of making the religious components organic to the story and not preaching just thrown in to make the story religious.

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  3. I agree with Rachel that once your "baby" is out there, you've relinquished ownership of it. I haven't published a book, but the movie I co-wrote has more one-star reviews than anything else, so I've felt a bit of that sting. Most of them said the story was fine (yeah!) but the production value was too low. Well, guess what, we didn't have the budget of a Marvel movie, so they were right LOL!

    I think you have to glean what you can from it, move on, and create the thing you're supposed to create. Let everything else fall off. Which is so much easier said than done!

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    1. Glynis, I love this. "Glean what you can, move on, and create the thing you're supposed to create."

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    2. "we didn't have the budget of a Marvel movie..." LOL!

      And I thought the story was great. :-)

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    3. Excellent advice, Glynis! Esp the move on and create. The minute I turn my manuscript in to my editor, it becomes a product, hopefully a commercially viable one. And as a product, people are open to like or dislike as they choose. I just always hope they will like :)

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  4. Fantastic post today. This seems to be a hot topic right now as I've seen it discussed on at least two other social media platforms. I think I've only ever left a one star review but premised it with as many positives as I could think of - though there weren't many...maybe 1 like the book cover. I always try to be positive but if there's something that didn't work for me, I usually include it. Those 2 and 3 starred reviews are the ones I pay attention to as a reader.

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    1. I'm wracking my brain to remember if I've left a one star review. I know I left a 2 or 3 star one recently on a book from one of my favorite authors, and it truly pained me to do it. I outlined where I thought the book had missed the mark, and also wrote that I would buy the next book, because I truly loved that writer's work.

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  5. I like to refer to one star reviews as "Texas Reviews". (You know, Texas: the Lone Star state.) If you are going to go down why not go down big, boldly, and with braggadocio? Oh, 'Texas Review', where is thy sting?

    I'm on the side of many authors who never read a review but have a trusted individual read them and then forward any useful comments that could help them on their next book.

    It also helps to have someone report any factual errors in the book that reviewers have found so that you can be prepared when someone at a talk or book signing brings those mistakes up. Never be blindsided when you don't have to be.

    I once had a writing contest entry get an "A", a "C" and a "D" (they didn't have an "F" category). The "A" judge 'got it' and loved it. The "C" judge was no sure if I was really being serious in the piece and the "D" judge thought I was being serious and making fun of romances.

    Lesson: if you are going to be cute, you better make it clear to your readers that you are trying to be cute. That's up to you as a writer. Maybe the fault does not lie in our stars!


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    1. Vince, your contest entry shows exactly how subjective writing is, and why they have multiple judges for most writing contests. It does help if a reader has pointed out a research or factual error...however, those can be subjective, too! Perhaps you've done your research and a google armchair expert wants to tell you differently. I've had that happen. :)

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    2. This is funny... the Lonestar thing... I remember entering a contest down there, twice... two years in a row... and being hammered. I mean HAMMERED by the judges, to the point where I've never forgotten their comments... author should try using words normal people understand... author lost me on page five and it was a struggle to even read the rest.... author's use of big words is annoying.... Those were the nice ones... And that book went on to being one of my bestseller indie books, so there's that.... and not a one-star review on its page. So the readers loved it even if the contest judges in TX hated it.... and they were not appreciative of my work the following year, either, and I believe that was Winter's End, my debut novel, but it might have been another North Country book... and no one-star reviews on those, either.

      So while most judges try and be fair, that TX contest which shall go nameless was a tough, tough nut to crack.

      But of course that's yesterday's news!

      :)

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  6. How fun, Erica! Congrats on your one-star cake. ;)

    You know, I don't mind bad reviews when there is really something they don't like about a story. Not everyone will like every story. But the ones that drive me crazy are like the one for Mary's Christian romance that said it was pornographic with sex scenes. HUH? That review has to be for the wrong book. I think I actually responded to that reviewer, saying there were no sex scenes in that book. haha

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    1. I think the one that drives me the most nuts is "The book arrived and the cover had a dent in it." They're not reviewing the writing or the book, they're reviewing amazon shipping or their mail carrier. But there's nothing an author can do about it.

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    2. Erica, I agree with that. I think the people who do that are thinking they are just reviewing a product they received, without realizing that they are actually leaving a bad review for the book itself.

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    3. Missy you are on there, me too. I was nice about it, but both of us said something like, "This has to be on the wrong book. There's nothing even vaguely, distantly porny about this sweet, Christian romantic comedy.
      I did contact Amazon. but the review remains. I let it stand as a bad example of the failings of media in general.

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    4. Erica I know, right? That's not the WRITER'S fault. C'mon. Read the book and judge it, review it on the content!!!

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  7. I am waiting for my first bad review. I know it will come. But having left a few low-star reviews for others, I know everyone has their own pet peeves and dislikes. And I try to at least be nice about the ones I leave, pointing out it might just be my personal preferences. And I agree. Reviews are for readers. But it sure does help this author's heart on a day I am doubting my chosen career to go back and read the good ones left on my books. :-)

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    1. I agree, it can certainly chirk you up to read some good reviews when you're having a bad day. I put a handful of nice reviews into what I call my "Shiny File." It's like bringing out the sunshine on a rainy day to go back and remember that I can write things that other people like...sometimes. :)

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  8. There is never an excuse for a cruel review, but if someone didn't like it (and inevitably, they will), I think it's fair for them to say why, though preferably in a professional manner. I've always been in the say-something-positive-to-offset-the-negative camp (but then, I don't read books I don't expect to like. It has happened, but rarely).

    As a reader, I prefer to look at the 3-, 2-, and 1-star reviews to see what they have in common. I don't necessarily trust them out of hand (some are pretty out there), but sometimes they warn about content that I just don't want to read. And then there have been a lot of books in which the number one reason for a low rating is that it is Christian. Sometimes they complain that there's no sex. When things like that are the main reason for a low review, I feel more encouraged to read it, not less. That reviewer might not have liked this sort of thing, but I do.

    Now, as an illustrator, I just don't look at the reviews of my books, positive or negative. Both stress me out.

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    1. I tend to put more weight on low reviews for a product rather than for a book since books are so subjective, but I do peruse the reviews of a new-to-me author before I buy.

      I got a low star review this week because my book had too many 'Kissy Scenes.' All I could think was that Carrie Booth Schmidt would be so proud of me! :)

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    2. Erica, I do not understand this "too many Kissy Scenes." Does such a thing even exist? LOL

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  9. I absolutely love this post.
    It scares me to think my book will be insulted, but hopefully, it will never called porn. (Mary!) LOL.
    My worst critique from a contest was, "I hate this! I hate this! I hate this!" It's always stuck w/me, but honestly kind of made me laugh because it was so over the top.

    I love all the advice to eat ice cream. That's my way of dealing w/bad news.

    Thanks ladies for keeping it real!

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    1. I don't need a bad review to eat ice cream. Just sayin'. :-)

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    2. Connie, the contest comment "I hate this! I hate this! I hate this!" says way more about the person who wrote it than the work.

      When I come across hateful one star reviews, I remember...I've never met a person who felt the need to be hateful about someone else or their work who was living a better, happier, or more fulfilled life than I am.

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    3. Oh my, on that contest judge! I hope the coordinators saw that and didn't invite her/him to judge again. They may have hated it, but judging shouldn't be a vent session on the poor writer soul!

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  10. The best line in this post is that reviews are for readers, not writers. How true! I keep that in mind when I read reviews of other authors' books, and I need to remember it for my own books, as well.

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    1. True! It's as if we're reading something we aren't supposed to in effort to find reasons to feel good about ourselves. And then suffer when we read something that has the opposite effect.

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  11. Loved reading through these perspectives. Having just received a DM through Instagram from a potential reader/reviewer who could NOT endure more than two chapters of what she'd considered offensive 'purity culture' (I had to do a little research to determine what her angle was here), I was shocked. How did she come to that in a contemporary romance about the need to trust in a loving and faithful God? How did I write something that triggered her so badly? Learning that she was a self-proclaimed non-binary, raised in an abusive purity culture and today suffers from PTSD as a result was enlightening. I hate rejection. Hate. It. But if I'm writing in obedience to God, the real hero, and he smiles on my work, then that's a good thing. If he blesses it and sends it out into a fallen world, I will offend people. Period. Just posted a short devo today on my blog entitled, "When My Hero is Rejected" about how Jesus suffered rejection as a necessary part of our redemption story. No one know more about the heartache of receiving a negative review than he does :)

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    1. How kind of you to look behind that reader's words to sense her pain. And how right to know that if you write Biblical truth, you can expect some pushback.

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    2. Purity culture? That's a new term for me.

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  12. Oh my. I have never given less than three stars as I can always find something positive to say. We may not all like the same books but I would not bash a book just because it wasn’t my cup of tea. As my parents taught me if you can’t say something nice then choose to say nothing at all. I love and support y’all. Blessings!

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    1. Ah, Lucy, you are so kind. Reviews may be for readers, but authors read them too! I always write the review with the author in mind, writing what I would tell them in person. Sometimes I think the online review process allows for enough distance and anonymity that people feel they can say things more harshly than they would in person.

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    2. I gave a one star review once. And that stupid book deserved it. But then I felt bad and took it down.
      Guilt...the handmaiden of a nice person.

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    3. Mary, I gave a one star review once, too, and it deserved it. I didn't take it down. Only one I've ever given. I didn't even feel guilty, either! And, no, it wasn't for anyone here in this group. Love you all!

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  13. Thanks for sharing these reviews. Loved this: Also you can actually dig through the cruelty and see if there is any merit there.From Mary Connealy. So true. And I'll have to read that book again. I must have slept through the sex scenes...lol. Like with Jaime Jo Wright's review on The House on Foster Hill, did the reader even read that book?!

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    1. Sally, I was baffled by the review on Mary's book. I kept thinking they either have a very low tolerance for romance, or they totally have the wrong book! :)

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    2. Sally, it is OBVIOUSLY tacked onto the wrong book. Now that I think about it, I guess "In Too Deep" could be sort of naughty sounding. There could be a dirty book with that title.

      I was, of course, amazed at my sweet, Christian Romance which did have perhaps two scenes where the hero and heroine...married for quite some time through a marriage of convenience...do eventually close the bedroom door for obvious reasons.

      That was pretty racy. My heart is speeding up just thinking about it. So sorry!

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  14. I enjoyed the post, Erica. I find most one-star reviews to be rather pathetic. Most don't have any valid criticism. Sometimes they amuse me. I find so many one-star reviews of suspense books that say it was so boring they couldn't finish when I couldn't put it down because of the suspense. There are also a lot of books that will have a 1% 1 star review and 90% 5 star. Pretty clear it is just the reviewer with the problem.

    I also see one-star reviews where the reviewer apparently thought one was best based on their comments. I wish somebody could flag those to have them changed or removed. The other reviews that bug me are the ones where they complain they didn't know the book would be religious. I feel that is on them. If you are going to be so offended by reading something religious, then you better make sure you know about the author or publisher you are reading. And definitely be sure you are reviewing the right book!

    I am about to hop onto Zoom to see my nephew defend his doctoral thesis at Cal Tech. I'm sure I won't understand it at all, but I will be there for support. Tonight we are having a family Zoom party to celebrate him. We were supposed to be going to California in June to see him graduate with his doctorate, but that won't happen now.

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    1. First, congrats to your nephew! What an accomplishment! I'm sorry you can't be there in person, but good on you for supporting how you can.

      Those reviews where the reviewer RAVES about the book and gives it one star...make my head numb.

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    2. Oh, congrats on your nephew! I was so thrilled to be in Jersey when Sarah was given her doctorate... That was the big day, the graduation paled in comparison to seeing so many bright and accomplished people gather around Sarah. It was like watching her dream come true.... and it's nice to say now that she's just as much at home helping on the farm as she is in some mega conference, explaining the plight of abandoned refugees and the cross-political policies that leave them stranded in foreign lands.

      Roots and wings, Sandy.... and it sounds like that nephew has both. Sorry you can't be there. Very, very sorry, my friend.

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  15. This is Ruthy's advice that she sent me and I didn't get into the blog in time! (Totally my fault!)

    One star reviews don't bother me as much as two-and-three star reviews and there's a real good reason for that: For whatever reason unbeknownst to me, the person that takes the time to leave a one-star or a stinging review is probably angry at something way more important than a book... so that's sad. I always think of a woman who was really mean to me when I was a young mother. She was just awful and we were at a function together and I went home feeling stupid, hurt and ridiculously unimportant.

    She tried to kill herself later that week.

    That's when I realized I wasn't her real target. Anger and depression had her in their grips long before I walked into that ladies' night.

    That taught me to shrug off meanness because I don't know what's going on in the other person's head, or walked in their shoes. But the three-stars make me want to try harder to gain that 4th star. I'm not sure what that says about me!

    Thank you, Ruthy!!!

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    1. Ha, I posted it down below because I didn't read in order, I just felt bad that I was working outside today (you know, working on my tan in my trikini.... that's a bikini with a matching face-mask!!!!) :) and then realized that Erica hadn't received my comments....

      And now I'm tired, but this post is so much fun.

      We need to throw a party.

      I miss people.

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  16. I remember once reading through some reviews and right, one stacked on top of the other.
    A one star that said, "This book could not have had an editor. It would never have gotten published in such terrible shape. Go read a good book on how to write."

    Next review: Mary Connealy is the finest writer of her generation.

    sigh

    Ok, all that tells you is, you've got to take the bad with the good.
    And if you can't take criticism...you probably need to find a different line of work.

    Novelist wanted : Must be masochist.

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    1. Oh man, it's enough to make you question your calling isn't it?

      And you ARE the finest writer of your generation. So there.

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    2. Atta girl, Erica. And I LOVED the Lost Lieutenant. I just reread it and am CRAZED for book #2. It's just beautifully written, very high stakes, always something coming hard and fast that makes it impossible to put down. Excellent work. And all the regency language. I love regency romance but I'm intimidated to write it and have, in fact, among all that I've written, especially before I was published, never tried a regency.

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    3. I can't believe you read it again! You are the BEST! <3

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  17. This was so fun to read, Erica! We all hate rejection, but we get rejected in a number of different ways in life. Learning how to let the bad press or hateful words or one-star reviews slide off our backs is one of the important keys to a happy life. Just my two-cents.

    I'm giving this blogpost 5 Stars!

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    1. Debby, I love that! I'm giving it five stars, too! :-D

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    2. Debby, you're so right. It's a mark of maturity and the right focus if we can let harsh words go.

      I wish I was more mature and focused...but I'm getting there! :)

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    3. Lucky for you, Erica, as a writer you're gonna get plenty of practice!!! YAY!

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  18. I know I have given one 1 star review because I considered the book plagiarism and wanted to discourage people from buying it or reading it. Otherwise I don't waste my time writing 1 or 2 star reviews. Generally 3 stars is the lowest I give. If I don't like a book, I won't bother reviewing it.
    This was a great blog post. I was very surprised to read that anyone considered anything Mary Connealy wrote as porn.

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    1. That's a good policy, Dawn. If you have a legit reason to leave a one-star, you should do it, with tact and honesty, but without brutality.

      Yeah, you have to watch that Mary Connealy. Racy, man. :)

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    2. It must've been unintentionally racy. I suppose...subliminal???
      Not sure if that's a genre!!!

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    3. Dawn, I used to do reviews when I was younger and even stupider than I am now... but when I realized I hurt an author's feelings by giving her a 4-star review, I realized reviews were best left to other people.... and I would never leave someone a 1 or 2 star review.... Or probably even a three. Mostly because I know that not all books are my cup of tea.

      My sister raved about Angela's Ashes.

      I threw it across the room and then burned it.

      So it was an acclaimed bestseller, but it was a hot button topic for me and I was like.... Why would I read this? I lived it.

      But for her it was therapeutic.

      Aren't we a wonderful mix of creatures????/

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  19. Oh Mary, that review is priceless!!! Maybe they meant to review a different book with the same title...

    I appreciate Rachel's thoughts as well. As a reviewer I try my best to be honest with my ratings and reviews so that other readers can trust my recommendations. And being open about what specifically did or didn't work for me helps other readers recognize whether those same things would or wouldn't bother them.

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    1. Heidi, I like that you balance what you did like with what you might not have liked so much. And being a reviewer is about gaining trust, the trust of readers who are looking for honest reviews, but also publishers who are establishing a group of reviewers who have integrity and seek to give honest opinions.

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  20. Hi Ercia,
    I just wanted to say that I adored the Lost Lieutenant, it was such a good book.

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    1. Angeline, thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the story. And thank you for taking the time to post here about it. That makes me so happy! :)

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  21. Erica, thank you for this great blog. I once heard Susan Elizabeth Phillips at a workshop say something to the effect she doesn't worry about the one or five star reviews - it's the 3 star reviews that worry her. Thanks to you and all the other authors who shared stories and advice today.

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    1. Tanya, that's some sage advice from Phillips. Hit jobs and Raves often don't contain as much information and carefully thought out ideas of what was liked and disliked as those in the middle.

      It's hard sometimes though to evaluate one three star review vs. another, because everyone gets to decide what the star system means to them. Some people never give five star reviews, and a four star means they absolutely loved a book. Therefore a book they mildly liked might get two stars or three.

      Reviews are subjective, and so are star ratings.

      Yay.

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    2. Exactly, Erica! One of my fellow reviewers very rarely gives 5 stars. A 4 star for her is an excellent read, and she gives many 3 stars, but to her that's a good book. I tend to rate higher than she does on the same book, and if it's a 3.5 star for me I put that in the review, but I round it to 4. I rarely give 3 stars, but I'm quite careful to pick books and authors I think I'll love.

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  22. Okay, here is how I reacted to the one-star review for Back in the Saddle which my Prodigal cowboy Colt Stafford.... "Not my kind of book"...

    One star reviews don't bother me as much as two-and-three star reviews and there's a real good reason for that: For whatever reason unbeknownst to me, the person that takes the time to leave a one-star or a stinging review is probably angry at something way more important than a book... so that's sad. I always think of a woman who was really mean to me when I was a young mother. She was just awful and we were at a function together and I went home feeling stupid, hurt and ridiculously unimportant.

    She tried to kill herself later that week.

    That's when I realized I wasn't her real target. Anger and depression had her in their grips long before I walked into that ladies' night.

    That taught me to shrug off meanness because I don't know what's going on in the other person's head, or walked in their shoes. But the three-stars make me want to try harder to gain that 4th star. I'm not sure what that says about me!

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    1. Wow, Ruthy! I'm going to do my best to remember your wise words here.

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