How to Deal With Reviews

No one likes a bad review. Yeah, yeah, they say any publicity is good publicity, but it doesn't feel like that. Even a moderate review can hurt a writer. Even when you tell yourself that the review isn't meant for you, that it's meant for librarians or booksellers. Even when you tell yourself that it's completely wrong, that the reviewer probably never even read the book and also hates everything in your book category, so no matter how well you did it, you'd still have failed.

So, this is what you do:

1. Write a response to the review. Be as nasty as you want to be. Save it somewhere on your computer. Or my preference--delete it. Never EVER let anyone see this response. Not your best friend. Not your agent. Not your editor. Because the moment you start letting people see it, that is when you are going to get into trouble.

2. Wait for several days. Or weeks. Or months. However long it takes for you not to get that anxious feeling anymore. Wait until it feels like an editorial letter, just a professional response to a professional piece of writing. Then, look at it again. Is there anything in the review that makes sense? There may not be. But for me, a review hurts even more when it hits on my real fears about certain parts of the book. You are allowed to think about these ideas. Not obsess over them. Just think about them.

3. Consider whether or not the review in question has anything to do with what you are currently working on. There is nothing you can do about a novel already published. It is the best you could do at the time. And remember that the same is true of all the great writers. What they produced was simply their best at the time. They couldn't learn faster than was possible. And what their best was is valuable even if it isn't perfect. Sometimes imperfection is better than perfection, in a strange way.

4. Then remember what is the best part of your work. If necessary, get some feedback from those who know your work best. Think about this.

5. Write your best novel. It's not about getting revenge on the reviewer. It's not about making sure you never make that mistake again. It's just about letting yourself start fresh and do your best without reference to others. You are not responding to the reviewer by writing your new novel. You are writing to yourself as reader, as you always do. Don't stop that.

I don't google myself or my books, by the way. I don't go on goodreads. I certainly don't respond to reviewers there or anywhere else. I am not sure that this is virtuous of me. It is simply what I need to do. For one thing, I don't have time to worry about what reviewers say. I am busy writing.

But--I do read reviews that my editor sends to me or from people I know. I am not trying to live inside a bubble that protects me from all criticism, you understand? Criticism can be valuable. But you're net getting a critique from the professor of your class when you get a review. Nor are you responding to a bully at school. On the internet, you are not free to say whatever you want. It is a public forum, and your response will last forever. Be classy, if you must say anything at all. I think silence is very classy.