WRITERS ARE FOR WRITING NOT WHINING

WRITERS ARE FOR WRITING NOT WHINING

Every author and writer gets down in the dumps, just like anyone else does. Only we, as writers, are damn good at putting it into words and often for sharing. I don’t refute a person the right to just dump every once in a while. I have. But I don’t confuse depression with whining. And I have to say I have been seeing a lot of whining lately. I usually shut it out. I just don’t need it. Any struggling author can probably get where I am coming from when I say: “It’s hard enough facing the truth of the struggle, that we don’t need to expose ourselves to more duress by listening or reading someone whining over frivolous things, or stuff they know comes with the industry and need to grow some thick skin on. Who needs that added to the day to day grind of just being a writer?”

But there is one author who is a frequent poster in my Facebook news feed. And this author often whines about Goodreads. Now, a lot of authors say they stay away from Goodreads. And usually when they say that, they do just that. They DON’T GO ON GOODREADS AND READ REVIEWS ON THEIR BOOKS.

But this (unnamed) author says they won’t go there but then they go there. And every so often they come back to Facebook to rant/vent about how ugly and mean readers/reviewers are on Goodreads. The author gets other authors to chime in with them and next thing you know there’s this mini protest of authors claiming they don’t go on Goodreads anymore because it’s so evil and vile over there. But this has become an almost regular daily dance. So apparently they lied and they DO go on Goodreads. But no worries, I understand being a gluten for punishment.

I finally decided to go look myself, to see how bad was bad. You wanna know the first thing I noticed on the author’s list of books? —Book 1, the first book they ever published had 282 reviews on it. — Really? I mean really? You are over there whining about shit and you have TWO HUNDRED, EIGTHY TWO REVIEWS on a book that has only been out for a two years.

At this point I don’t give two shits if there is a one-star review on it. I don’t care that it might even be scathing. The fact is There isn’t an author out there who gets a perfect score. If they have 500 five-star reviews on their first book and nothing else— they BOUGHT THEM! So get real and grow some skin because with 282 reviews, some of them are going to be one-stars. But look!! There are also 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s. There are more 5s then there are 1s. So shut up and go back to writing. If you want to know why you have so many 1s then listen to what they say about your book, then ponder it about the same way you would ponder grass growing. THEN! Go back to writing and stop whining that there are 282 people who read and took time to review your first book out.

I’d seen something similar to this on an even greater scale taking place at Amazon. A Facebook group for post apocalypse fiction I am in had a first time published author and they posted inside the group one day asking people to help report out a scathing one-star review. I went to look. What was the first thing I saw? Over 800 reviews (on Amazon, no less) and the book had been released only eight months ago. Once again, I failed to give a shit about the lowly review and NO! I did not vote it down. The author should feel so luck they had 800 reviews on their first book out ever.

Mine and Talon’s first book published was released in 2011, granted it doesn’t have sex or rotting zombies in it, but still five years trumps two years and it trumps eight months. Yet, our five-year-old book only has 71 ratings on GR and 20 on Amazon. That’s the highest on any book with my name on it. My brother’s rank higher, my own don’t even come close. Am I complaining? Not one iota! Do I wish I could get more reviews for my books? Hell yes!! Because while I also saw this author’s other books had ratings in the 176, 148, 198 and the lowest I think was seventy something. I don’t have a single (solo) title with more than 34.

Why, the most recent review left for one of mine was quite scathing. I disagree with the reviewer’s story ripping, but someone bought my book and left a review. His opinion is his prerogative, mine is mine, and that is that. Bottom line? I sold a book.

Authors publish books for the hopes of sales and delivering a moment of entertainment. While reviews are helpful and most authors want as many as come. What those reviews say is none of our (author’s) business. If an author can’t handle them, then they need to stick to their rule and don’t go read them.

WRITERS ARE FOR WRITING, NOT WHINING – get on with your writing.