Dealing with a bad review

So you've spent hours/days/weeks/months/years (delete as appropriate) developing, writing, rewriting, editing, proof-reading your manuscript and you finally believe it is ready for the public to devour, enjoy and celebrate your artistry. You may publish it through traditional means (agent, publisher, long wait etc) or you may choose to jump on the "self-published" bandwagon and dream of reaching best selling status like Amanda Hocking and others. Either way, you have a published manuscript that is available for purchase /or download. You know your work is spectacular, after all, it took long enough to complete! You start to promote your work like a hooker on a street corner, desperate to sell what you're offering to anybody. Remember, you are doing them a favour because they are going to love your work!
A few days/weeks/months (delete as appropriate) pass and you start to receive reviews from readers. Some may be good, some may be kind, some may make you cry with joy, but eventually you're going to receive a bad review. I guarantee there will be at least 1 person out there who doesn't like it or just doesn't get it. No matter how much time and effort you've spent on your. Ow published work, somebody is going to hate it. Accepting this fact is step-1 in getting over a bad review.
What is step-2? Easy: don't let the bad review affect you. Okay, so it's easier said than done. What will help you get over it is remembering why you started writing the manuscript in the 1st place. Unless you are incredibly naive you didn't start writing because you wanted critical acclaim or because you expected Hollywood to come knocking at your door. The truth is, most authors choose to write because they feel compelled to do it; a burning desire that won't go away until that final full stop has been typed. So what if Joe Bloggs said he didn't like it? He is just 1 person, who probably has no idea that you put your heart and soul into the story he didn't like. Believe it or not, despite selling millions of copies globally, I know at least half a dozen people who didn't enjoy Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code'. Do you think he cares? I doubt it very much.
Step-3 is starting to write again and vowing to put double the effort in this time. Let's face it, you were always going to write again because it is in your bones to be a writer. Plus, despite the negative review, hearing from fans of your work outweighs the bad review!
If you're a writer, keep writing. If you're a reader, remember how much work goes into publishing a novel and remember the author is human and has feelings too.

Much love,
Stephen