Should you read the reviews of your books? Yes!

You can learn a lot from your reviews and make valuable connections. But is important to learn to read a review, too. A lot of writers get really upset at negative reviews (I do, too, at first) but a bad review can be valuable. You need to determine whether the review is accurate, personal, or just stupid.

If you get a bunch of reviews that all say the same bad things about your book in a constructive way, you need to pay attention. If there are repeated comments about bad grammar, misspellings, and the same plot hole, then you need to fix the problems. Good feedback is hard to get so take it, act upon it, and (sincerely) thank the people who took the time leave a review. Maybe even offer to get them a free copy of your next book and ask them to be a beta reader. People who bothered to read your book and leave a genuine review (especially a critical one) are valuable! I don’t want my wife’s feedback on my zombie novel, she hates those kinds of books. But if I find someone who loves zombie novels, has read hundreds of them, and writes thorough reviews on them – I want that person tearing my book apart like ahh… a zombie tearing a human apart!

If there is one review that just rips you a new orifice with all destructive and no constructive feedback, then DO NOT respond in any way. You will never get anything but more upset. Report it if you want, but move on with your life. The best antidote to a negative review is more positive ones, so work on the things that will get you those positive reviews. And trust that most readers are pretty good at reading the reviews, poking around, and determining the validity of the review.

And some reviews are just ridiculous, like one-star reviews because the Internet is slow, or there is too much violence in a book entitled The Most Violent Book in the World, UPS not leaving the package at the right house, or things along that line. Maybe you could ask the person ONCE to edit the review because you have no control over UPS and sometimes they will. But again, don’t expect anything, don’t get threatening, be as nice as you can, and then let it go. Don’t wait for anything to happen and don’t follow up. Again, readers see one-star reviews and read them. If the review starts with my favorite one-star line “I didn't read this book, but…” then they will instantly know to ignore the review. The Amazon review system really works. People will vote and the most useful reviews will rise to the top (positive and negative); a good book will sell, and a bad one won’t.

Readers aren't stupid, so you should not only seek legitimate reviews, but encourage your family and friends to NOT leave glowing five-star reviews. In fact, ask them to find a flaw or two about the book and even mention upfront that they are a friend or family member. Readers appreciate that more than the extra star. I recommend a book by Richard Peters, Quit Wasting Time and Sell More Ebooks, because he lays out a realistic approach based in honesty and not trickery. It is a slower, harder start, but you will build a solid readership.

Anyone can buy reviews and fake likes, etc. but they don’t help you and, in fact, usually end up hurting you in the long run.