Lessons learned from bad reviews - #MFRWauthor

52-week Blog Challenge

A couple of years or so ago, I received an absolutely brutal review of Russian Gold, the second book in my Russian Love mafia romance series. I do mean brutal. And I did everything wrong in response to that review. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. So, authors who receive a negative review should know the following:

• Don't respond. That's right, do NOT respond to the person who left that ugly review. In general, actually, it's wiser not to respond to any review. Bask in the warm glow of praise and analyze the bitter and even hateful comments in criticism. Responding only encourages trolls to beat you up some more, and you come across as defensive.
• Learn from criticism. If the reviewer has cogent points, then take them to heart and set yourself to improvement. Improvement may mean revising the reviewed manuscript or applying the lessons learned to the next manuscript.
• Invest in professional editing. Most indie authors earn less than $1,000 annually in royalties and so think that professional editing is too expensive. Yes, professional editing is expensive; however, if you want people to invest their money to read what you write, then isn't what you write valuable enough for an investment of your own dollars? 

If you read a book that's just awful--"Where's the eye bleach?"--and justifies a negative review to warn other potential readers away, then I have two recommendations for you:

1. Keep criticisms objective. Do not blather on that you loathed the book, state why you loathed the book. If you purchased a book and received something else, then don't blame the author because delivery is not under the author's control. If you purchased an installment that ends in a detested cliffhanger and the book's description informed you of the cliffhanger, then your mistake doesn't warrant a negative review. If you downloaded a romance with a maturity warning, then don't complain the book contains explicit content. If the content is littered with grammatical or factual errors, then say so. If unprofessional formatting distracted you from the story, mention it. If the protagonist is too stupid to live, then feel free to call that out. If you don't finish the book, state why. If the narrative drones on with "tell" instead of "show" or passive voice instead of active voice, then warn people--and the author. Simply entering something along the lines of "This is the worst book I ever read" doesn't help the author and doesn't help potential readers.
2. Focus on the book, not the author. Criticism of the book does not include disparaging the author's parentage or character. Have a little class and dignity. A poorly written or edited book does not translate to assumption of the author's moral turpitude, lack of intelligence, or other grievous flaws.
   

That horrible review I received couched some very good points within a heavy dose of vitriol. However, I gleaned from it that the reviewer did not have an issue with the writing itself, but with the main character. Regardless, I learned that what seems obvious to me isn't obvious to others. For instance, in Russian Gold, the heroine has a much different background than her two friends: she's from a conservative, Midwestern farming community with all that entails. Readers, apparently with more cosmopolitan, urban backgrounds, didn't understand what I thought obvious: the heroine's crisis of conscience. That failure to understand lies not with readers, but with the author.

Another book of mine, The Barbary Lion, also garnered nasty reviews. One reviewer complained about the length of time the heroine spent avoiding capture and return to the hero's clutches: 21 years. To her, it seemed excessive. In that paranormal romance, the main characters are immortal, so I didn't think 21 years much more than a drop in the proverbial bucket. Another reviewer complained of the hero's brutality and the heroine's realistic reaction, while a different reviewer appreciated my decision not to romanticize the cruelty or soften the realistic elements. 

Different strokes, different perceptions. I have ghostwritten fiction with plots that left me cold. But I'm one person with one opinion. What I dislike, others find amazing and wonderful. Those ghostwritten books, overall, receive good reviews. I'd like to think it's because I wrote those dreadful plots well, but perhaps the reasons favor my clients' ideas over the execution. I'll never know.

Negative reviews sting. They hurt. Every single one feels like a personal attack, no matter how objective. As an author, I know this. As a reader, I follow my own advice when leaving a negative review. After all, if I catch three grammatical errors in the opening sentence (and, yes, I have), then the book will certainly receive a negative review as well as a DNF (did not finish); however, that review will focus upon the book's actual problems. I hope the author will learn from it to improve his or her next manuscript.

Because that's what I try to do.