Stylo Fantome's Blog - Posts Tagged "bad-reviews"

Since I decided to hit publish, I have seen this pop up a couple times - so basically, since June.

Authors saying they are going to pull their books from Amazon and other respective buying sites, for lots of different reasons.

They're upset because of spoilers, upset because the work is being pirated, or upset about bad reviews, stuff like that.

I'm not quite sure how to feel about this - or if I'm "allowed" to feel a certain way. I only have one book out, maybe it'll feel different after I have more, maybe the next story won't do as well as Jameson's. Who knows?

I know bad reviews suck. And I mean, they SUCK. Like, my heart starts pounding and my lips go numb, SUCK. Stabbing pain in my chest, SUCK. My story Degradation has 192 5-star ratings. It also has 4 1-star ratings.

Guess which ratings stick with me the most? Hint: it ain't the bigger number.

I actually dreamed last night that I woke up to multiple 1-star written reviews (maybe nightmare would be a better word than dream). It's a horrible, horrible feeling that I don't think can be fully explained to someone who doesn't do this. It's like someone telling you that you're not good enough, that you're less than, that everything you worked so hard for and believe in so much is all just garbage.

And words hurt. I've read 1-star reviews for books that made me laugh and that I thought were funny, and ones that were insightful and helpful to the author, but most of the time they're just mean and hurtful. So you didn't like a book. That sucks - you wasted your time and money on something that sucks, I get that, makes me angry when it happens to me, too. I have left "negative" reviews.

But to take even more time to leave a nasty, hateful review that says mean things about the book, characters, and author seems a bit much to me, personally. Not only does it hurt our feelings, but it makes a lot of us wonder how the reviewer would fair if they were put behind a computer and told to bang out 100,000 words - and they had better make sure it's something EVERYONE will like! Luckily, I have yet to receive a review quite like that, but I know it is coming. Just look at some of CJ Roberts' lower reviews, or M. Night's. Mean, mean, mean. If those authors went to those reviewers and said similar things back about their own life goals, I can guarantee there would be tears.

Still, even with all that - the fear, the pain, the sadness - I would never pull a book over mixed and/or bad reviews. Going in to hitting publish, I knew that there was a good chance the book would flop. That everyone would hate it. But really, what's the worst that could happen? I'm exactly where I started. And for bigger authors, they still have other successful books out there, and I'm sure more books within them - plus that one "dud" is no doubt SOMEONE'S favorite, so why deny them that? Don't be a spoil-sport.

And as for pulling a book over spoilers or pirating, well really, I'm sorry, but I think that's stupid. People will always spoil anything/everything. If I don't want to know anything about a book, you know what? I don't look it up on Goodreads, I just buy it. I think it's ridiculous to pull a book in order to control your reviewers.

And as for pirating - if something exists, people will figure out how to steal it. This is fact. Doesn't matter what you do, the book will get out there illegally some how. It's not fair, but if it upsets an author that much, they can track down the websites and use their copyright claim to have the site removed. Problem solved. Pulling your book over pirates is also pulling it from fans that would actually buy it - which is money in the pocket. And the illegal copy is still already out there, people who already bought the book could rip the file and pirate it. I think if you want to publish a book, prepare to have it pirated. Just a fact of life.

All I know is that what has been e-published, cannot be un-e-published. We are in the technology age. If it exists online, it exists forever. And Goodreads doesn't allow books to be deleted, so the page for the book will always remain - so none of those above mentioned problems would be solved by pulling.

Books are ..., it's weird, but they're almost sacrosanct to me. I am okay with a lot of other questionable things in life, but I draw the line at books. I am firmly against plagiarism *shudder* or ANY kind of censorship, even from the author, to a certain extent. Please don't censor me from your work - it will make me just not want to read you anymore. Someone could steal my car and I would be very upset and would think they were a jerk. But damage some of my books or try to get a book banned, and I'll think you're the fucking devil.

So basically, how I feel, if I publish a book, it will never be pulled.

However, that doesn't mean I can't stop acknowledging its existence if it does so badly it embarrasses me ;D

So a question I have asked myself a couple times over the years, and CONSTANTLY since July 21st - why is it always easier to believe bad over good?

Ten people tell you that your outfit is cute. One douchebag says your ass looks fat. Night. OVER.

It's the same way with reviews. One negative review easily discredits all positive.

Why? This is not logical. This doesn't make sense. From a clinical, objective stand point, I can step aside and say "not everyone will like everything, and just because someone doesn't like it, doesn't mean it's 'bad', it's just a difference of opinion. A difference of taste. And one versus many obviously shows which one you should take seriously."

But from a normal, every day person stand point, it's more like "GOD WHY!? WHY!? WHY DID I DO THIS!? Maybe I can delete the book and no one will ever know I hit publish!"

Which is STUPID. I KNOW this is STUPID. I would think someone else was STUPID for reacting this way. So why do some many of us authors feel this way?

I had an "ah ha!" moment today, after I received a less than stellar review. I had read the review and kept thinking "yup, exactly. That's what I was worried about - that the story read like that, came off like that. Horrible. I knew it."

And that's when it dawned on me - confirmation.

Someone gives a positive review. Lots of people give positive reviews. HUNDREDS of people give positive reviews. I'm shocked. I'm surprised. I'm astounded.

But ONE person gives a negative review, and it feels like a confirmation. All the others are just nice surprises - the negative is confirming the thought that is already in my brain, thus my brain takes it to be the real truth.

How horrible we are, as human beings, that most of us are hard-wired to think this way, feel this way. We're never quite good enough, skinny enough, pretty enough, talented enough. We're always thinking we fall just a little short, so every agreement with that sentiment, is like someone speaking the truth.

It's all a very STUPID way to think.

I'm glad I had that moment, it made me feel better about some things. Sure, negative comments are always gonna make a person feel a little down, but realizing that really it's me feeling that way, and not the person saying those things, makes it easier to deal with and move on.


IN OTHER NEWS:

Separation went LIVE today! As of a few moments ago, it was #671 in Kindle Paid! Dayuuuuuum - that's 671 out of 1.3 MILLION Kindle books! I'll take that! I am also ranked at #217 for Contemporary Romance in ALL books, and #1,171 for ALL books, PERIOD.

Feel very ..., elated. Amazed. Wonderfied. Is that a word? It is now.

Thanks everyone.

I don't even have the energy to do this, because I'm so over the craziness of the day.

I just ..., I don't get it. Why do people always constantly feel the need to be telling other people what to do? I'm a bossy bitch, but goddamn, I ain't got time to be telling people on the internet that I haven't ever met how they should or shouldn't be behaving.

So if some blogs want to do a blackout to remind us all of the power they hold, then FINE. It's just a few days! As big of a bummer as that is, seeing bloggers shun authors because of one crazy lady's actions, it's been an even bigger bummer watching other blogs and authors get down right nasty.

All the blogs that I have seen saying they're going to be doing the blackout have been polite, nice, apologetic - explaining that this is something they feel they need to do reestablish the boundaries between author and blog. Which is THEIR choice.

But the blogs and authors I've seen speak against it, a lot of them have gotten kind of mean - "I'll make note of who is participating," "I think all of this is stupid and those blogs are being stupid!", "I'm glad at least some certain blogs still have my back and won't participate!"

Jesus, when did every fucking thing in the book-world become specifically about the person who is reading about it!? I think it's fascinating to watch how many authors have taken it personally, like these blogs called them at home and said "sorry, we're not gonna post about YOU, but we're still helping everyone else."

Do I think the blogger blackout is fair? No. Do I think they have a right to do it? Yes. If some crazy fucking bitch stalked me and showed up at my house, would I probably want to do my own form of a blackout? You bet your ass.

I really do think the boundaries between blogger and author gets blurry. We all cross lines. My street team is mainly comprised of bloggers, and there are bloggers I have met along the way that I genuinely consider friends - not just people I talk to online, but people I would invite into my home or my life, EVEN if they showed up unannounced and uninvited.

For example - Taylor is a friend of mine, my brain twinsie, a woman I know I could probably message at 2am with a question about what the fat content is in an avocado (sometimes you need to know!), and she'd probably answer. I can ask her anything, talk to her about anything.

HOWEVER, Trina and Taylor's Bedtime Stories book blog is a completely separate entity and I never message or harass or cajole them. I respect them as a blog, I follow their posts, and interact with their page as an author interested in what they're posting.

See the difference?

I never EVER forget that bloggers have their own job to do - I never ask those in my ST to post especially for me, I never instruct them how to review or what kind of reviews to leave, I never send repeat messages, and I never EVER make demands. Why would I want to piss off the people that promote me for free!? If they have time, they'll get to it. If they don't, then I have to accept that - pissing someone off never got anyone a friend!

For us smaller-time indie authors, blogs really can make or break us. There are lots of authors who were once something, and then pissed off a big blog, and now ... crickets. Eeesh.

Anyone can write a book. ANYONE. Doesn't mean it will be good, but anyone can do it - if you can speak a language, you can write a book. So I am no more special than any other person out there - I just happened to hit publish. THAT'S IT. I think a lot of authors forget that, and start to think that blogs owe US something.

Well, I never forget that I wouldn't be here - I wouldn't exist as an author - if it weren't for blogs. Not even a little bit. Not at all.

So if y'all wanna blackout for a couple days and remind of all of us that maybe, just maybe, you're as important to this industry as we are (duh), I say do what you need to do. Go for it.

And I will be here when you get back, with the exact same feelings as I had before you left.

Respect for fellow book lovers.

Cause in the end, that's all any of us are.