Horror Aficionados discussion
Authors, What Do You Feel When You Read Negative Reviews of Your Books?
I embrace the negative feedback just as much as the positive. That is the key to successfully finding your audience. You don't want to appeal to everybody, and if you did your art would suffer. A small fraction of writers have been lucky enough to appeal to mass audiences, but this is a stroke of luck. The authors did not plan this. So, when I publish a book, I hope there are people out there who don't like it because that means there will be others out there who love it and those are the people I am trying to reach.
K Allen wrote: "All negative reviews are tough to take, but it's part of the game. The only time a negative review gets under my skin is when the reader/reviewer gets something entirely wrong. For instance, ther..."
Totally agree!
I won't lie, when I wrote my first book and I got my first negative review I didn't take it so well but then again I was new to the whole idea so I think I reacted as normal. I have since gotten one other bad review and have had a few encounters with those who tend to leave such bad feedback and I have learned from my mistakes. I have also learned of those who tend to leave bad feedback so now I am more aware and while I won't say I embrace negative feedback I've learned to accept it and take it and move on. Besides sometimes a book needs a few bad reviews to get it going.
If it's honest and at least reasonably constructive criticism then it's fine. If it's to the tune of "This sucked and you suck" then I get a bit choked. I fully understand than there are many people who won't like my style of writing, characters, etc. but I HATE being trolled.
Most of my reviews are 4-5 stars, but I got a 1 star review for my novel POE which was a finalist in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. Among other things, it said that my book was to literature what the iceberg was to the titanic. Ouch. POE then got a rave review from Publisher's Weekly and ended up winning the category for Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror (10,000 writers entered the contest mind you). It'll be published by 47North late October.So I think these days you have to have a thicker skin - especially if people can drop a review anonymously. But I do try to glean the general gist of what someone is saying, even if they're not being delicate about it. As a writer, sometimes you look at something so long it's hard to see the problem areas. But if you blend genres or use strong language, you're bound to upset someone.
You can still read my full ABNA excerpt http://bit.ly/18JSLT4 - but no 1 stars, please!
Also Anne Rice had some interesting things to say about the nature of online reviews: http://www.examiner.com/article/anne-...
Thanks for the link, J. Excellent interview with Rice. She's such an intelligent, interesting lady, even though I haven't liked all her books. Reading articles like this makes me be more cautious and responsible about how I write future reviews. Sometimes I forget that there's a person behind the author of the book, if that makes sense.
I edited, and contributed to, a series of horror anthologies. Got a five star review: These stories were weird. I liked it!Got a 1 star review: These stories were weird. I hated it.
Reviews are reviews. If there is useful stuff in there (the third chapter was unnecessary and derailed the pacing) then that's great feedback to have. To the 'mehs' I reply in kind. (in my head. I don't like commenting on my reviews.)
It's hard to tell on Goodreads whether or not a bad review is legit given the trolls that write them. It's hard to know if someone truly didn't like your book and wrote a bad review or it's someone who probably never read it or read it just to look for bad things to say about it or just said bad things regardless. It's about credibility and the fact that an author or future potential reader has to come across a review that may not be valid or legit is dissapointing.Amazon has a strict policy on this matter, heck as Ken what happened to him when he wrote the word idiot in a review. Given that Amazon purchased Goodreads you would think Amazon could ask GR to try and put some stricter guidelines for reviews, I don't mean the exact ones Amazon has in place but something along the lines of more reasonable fashion so reviews are as legitimate on here as they are on Amazon.
Reviews are legitimate on Amazon? I hate fake joke reviews for products. http://www.amazon.com/Mizuno-Womens-W...
Okay Tressa I clearly used the wrong word lol...A bit more stern toward them in certain cases then GR.
My issue is, what is a "troll"? And who decides? I know there are readers who have made a reputation for themselves by writing nasty, often times humorous, reviews. But I have also seen, mostly on Facebook, the thought that if you don't agree with the "majority" you must be a "troll". Not everyone who doesn't like a book is a troll. I have a problem with the Rice article above too. Not Rice herself but the person who wrote the article. The author points to two very different reviews and has the thought that one must be wrong. I look at them and think that both are right. This is why I prefer to read reviews on sites like this one. There are no one and only "right" way to review.
Justin wrote: "Okay Tressa I clearly used the wrong word lol...A bit more stern toward them in certain cases then GR.":-)
I just got a one star review on Amazon for To Disturb the Dead. She made herself look bad, though, by mispelling words and not punctuating her sentences, and made herself look more like a moron than her actual review. Some people are going to love it; some are going to hate it. Those are just the facts in the case, Mr. Valdemar.
Mod
A troll is a person who posts negative reviews which usually are only "The author wants your money" or attacks against the author's politics and/or religious beliefs. They downvote anything that doesn't agree with them, attack reviewers who refuse to submit, and other assorted cyber-bully activity.
Many think they can do what they want simply because they claim somebody else did it first.
They have the emotional maturity of toddlers. And the IQs of house plants.
When Amazon made a forum just for indie authors to cut down on spamming, these trolls made a point of following them into this forum to continue attacking anyone that stood up to them.
There are also authors who act like this.
It's scary how the Internet brings out the beast in people. I made an innocuous comment on the Survivor FB page about the how the last winner (who is a huge fan of Survivor and who played the worst game ever his first time around) had redeemed himself in my eyes and I congratulated his win. Then I see this response to my post: Jason Kshr so cochran's goal in life is to make you happy 'tressa' like your opinion of cochran matters to him ? You stupid loser
Jesus Christ. Who's the loser here? Social media can really make you hate the human race more than you did before!
I hate when a person gives a negative review/rating solely on the content. E.g., "I hated The Color Purple because it deals with rape and domestic violence and I have a hard time reading about these things."
220+ posts is a lot to read through, so lets just say I haven't read them all, but plan to go back and read through some.I run a horror movie/book review blog, its not by any means popular (wish it was!) but I have had many authors ask me to review their work, and I knew they'd come back and read what I was writing. I also often get free movies to review as well.
Anyhow, when I KNOW they are coming back to read my review specifically, it really makes me nervous on how to say how I truly feel about their work. Especially if I didn't like it.
I've had a couple authors think that my reviews were bad only because I didn't like their work, and make comments about my review. I know its probably very hard for them to hear someone doesn't like their work, but I'm just trying to be honest. In one case, I didn't like the accent that was given to everyone in one book, and it made it difficult for me to read and follow. It wasn't as enjoyable, and I knocked a few points off for that. But in the end, the story wasn't something I liked anyhow.
I'm not a professional reviewer, and I don't intend to be, or try to be. I'm just your average gal who likes horror flicks and books and wants to share my opinion sometimes.
That being said, I guess I try very hard to be less brutal on books I hated/heavily disliked if the author requested them specifically to be reviewed then for books that I picked out myself. I know it doesn't make too much sense, because even those authors (or actors/directors) COULD happen upon my reviews as well.
I've often noticed I review a book on Amazon and right away I have votes down, and you just know its the author. Which really annoys me because I've been trying to review a lot and get helpful votes to be considered for their VINE program. And to spread the word of my blog. (which I've been talked down to about posting information about my blog on my amazon reviews as well)
I've also had people say that I'm not "allowed" or "Justified" in giving a book a bad review, because I didn't finish it. These people stalked me on Amazon and on my blog. To me, if I get through 1/3 of a book, and I put it down because I hate the writing style, and I explain exactly WHY, I think I'm completely justified in my opinion and expressing that opinion.
I know there are bloggers out there that intentionally rudely review things, because thats their gimmick. Sometimes you forget that there are real people on the receiving end of your review....
If a reader thinks a book sucks 1/4 to 1/2 of the way through, then it's a stinker and doesn't have to be finished. The bottom line is that professional writers will shrug off a bad review and an unprofessional one will stalk and berate a bad reviewer. Grow up, authors.
Mod
Tressa wrote: "The bottom line is that professional writers will shrug off a bad review and an unprofessional one will stalk and berate a bad reviewer. Grow up, authors. "
That really does sum it up.
That really does sum it up.
I don't care for Amazon's review system at all and I generally ignore them. B&N's are pretty bad too. There's tons of reviews that are like text messages. Awful. And I saw one for a m/m romance where the reviewer pretty much said, you're going to hell for reading this. And that was the review. Goodreads is the only place I consistently trust for honest reviews.
Thanks, Mary. :-DThe only Amazon reviews I look at are for products, not books. (Unless it's those snarky, trying-desperately-hard-to-be-funny-and-relevent reviews I see for certain products.)
Tressa wrote: If a reader thinks a book sucks 1/4 to 1/2 of the way through, then it's a stinker and doesn't have to be finished.Well said. And I think writing a review that says this is quite legitimate. I recently read one book that didn't begin particularly well, but improved significantly later on. I ended up in an email exchange with the author, who was polite, even though I felt she disagreed with me. But that's legitimate. I could have been wrong, or it could be the author just needs more time to process my feedback.
It's one thing to be critiqued by a functional illiterate, but if someone who's obviously intelligent has a huge problem with the first part of a novel, then that should be a red flag to the writer. The work is the most important thing, so I'd say 'suck it up' and do your level best to figure out where the problem is. And if afterwards you still can't figure it out, then either it's a subjective thing or you're not ready for a mass audience yet.
The bottom line is that professional writers will shrug off a bad review and an unprofessional one will stalk and berate a bad reviewer. Grow up, authors.
Says it all.
My co-author and I have a strict policy of not making any comments on our Amazon review page, under any circumstances. Although bad reviews can bruise the ego, they can be helpful in determining how specific styles or ideas in our material are being received. The frustrating part lies, as others have pointed out, in not being able to correct inaccuracies. For instance, we had an over zealous fan chastise someone who had left a negative review. We did not approve of what the fan said, but we weren't allowed to remove the remarks. Another reviewer saw the remarks and, for some reason, attributed them to us, and let us know their opinion of the book had changed because of "our" remarks. I wanted to set the record straight, but my co-author talked me out of it, saying that we would lose credibility if we made a comment on a review saying that we don't comment on reviews. I hate when she's right. Another time, a reviewer was upset because our book didn't have the word "zombie" in the description. The description did say "the dead begin to walk," and "the dead fight to get inside," but she gave us a 1 because we weren't specific enough. (Oh, and she admitted she stopped reading the book once she realized there were zombies involved.) Returning to the point of the post, I think negative reviews, if they are specific, can be helpful, and the less "thoughtful" ones can be amusing.
Mod
I just follow a better class of authors, I guess. ;)
One more thing, this regarding star ratings.The star rating can be frustrating for all concerned, but at the moment it's all readers have in order to get an overall impression of a given work. Particularly since the more reviews a book collects, the greater the number of disparate evaluations from otherwise smart and perceptive folks who simply disagree on a work's relative merits.
In the end, what a writer should be most interested in is whether or not the reviewer is recommending that the book be read, not how many stars he or she is giving, since reviewers vary in how generously (or how stingily) they award such things. On the reviewer's end, he or she could (at least in part) bypass the star rating conundrum by summing up their valuations with comments like, "Everyone should read this book!" or "A solid read for fans of the genre" or "Preferable to sticking a needle in your eye (but not by much)."
Mod
The star rating can be frustrating for all concerned, but at the moment it's all readers have in order to get an overall impression of a given work. Pa..."
"I found the book appealing in it's length, yet flaccid in plot. It was also unpleasantly damp."
Jon Recluse wrote: "Walter wrote: "One more thing, this regarding star ratings.
The star rating can be frustrating for all concerned, but at the moment it's all readers have in order to get an overall impression of a..."
Brain bleach, anyone?
The star rating can be frustrating for all concerned, but at the moment it's all readers have in order to get an overall impression of a..."
Brain bleach, anyone?
Jon Recluse wrote: "I found the book appealing in it's length, yet flaccid in plot. It was also unpleasantly damp."Jon, every time I pop in here, you're saying something that makes me spew my drink on my screen...
Mod
Jon, every time I pop in here, you're saying something that makes me spew my dri..."
You're welcome!
Matthew wrote: "My co-author and I have a strict policy of not making any comments on our Amazon review page, under any circumstances. Although bad reviews can bruise the ego, they can be helpful in determining ho..."Matthew, you have a healthy attitude toward the whole thing. I am not a writer but I can only imagine how hard it is to nurture a story and then send it out into the world to be praised or picked apart. But it profits no author to wrestle with a bad reviewer. I am so tired of the nastiness in social media and in forums that I am too weary to stoop to the level of fighting and feel good when I take the high road.
I had a woman give my collection one star, then turned around and read another of my stories and gave it one star. And I thought, if you don't like them, why do you keep reading my work? Amusing, to say the least.
The reader has every right not to like a book, and does not have to justify their reasons. I feel priveleged they spent their time and money, and if there are negatives, I look for themes and patterns. Reviewers are just writing down their thoughts, not paid critics or beta readers. Sometimes a well worded negative review is more interesting than a luke-warm positive review. For example, one person wrote of my novel STRAY; "there was a disturbing scene very near the end of the book. I'm sorry I spent the day reading it."
Here's another review of 'The Jade Rabbit'~ "As an avid runner, it's easy to see the author knows nothing about running or training for a marathon". I've done 13 of them, and qualified for Boston. Most non-positive reviews are much more informed than this one.
As for reading a review, I read every darn single one and love them. I write to be read and I write to create a reaction, so to not hear about that reaction doesn't complete the circle. Writing requires an audience or it's the tree falling in the forest that doesn't make a sound.
There's an expression that you can let a bad review wreck your breakfast, but never your lunch. So Tressa, as long as you're not being spiteful (you're not), I think you should continue to write down what you feel and let it ride.
Tressa wrote: "Matthew wrote: "My co-author and I have a strict policy of not making any comments on our Amazon review page, under any circumstances. Although bad reviews can bruise the ego, they can be helpful i..."Thanks Tressa. Writers do have a passive aggressive weapon in our arsenal. We can have the reviewer eaten by zombies in a sequel, not that I would lower myself to such treachery!
Brandon wrote: "I had a woman give my collection one star, then turned around and read another of my stories and gave it one star. And I thought, if you don't like them, why do you keep reading my work? Amusing,..."Geez Brandon, that would be difficult not to take personally! Almost sounds like maybe she's another writer trying to smear the competition?
Mark wrote: "The reader has every right not to like a book, and does not have to justify their reasons. I feel priveleged they spent their time and money, and if there are negatives, I look for themes and patte...""There's an expression that you can let a bad review wreck your breakfast, but never your lunch." Mark, I'm going to write that one down and pin it to my forehead.
Matthew wrote: "Mark wrote: "The reader has every right not to like a book, and does not have to justify their reasons. I feel priveleged they spent their time and money, and if there are negatives, I look for the..."Thanks! But like so many great thoughts, it is plagiarized from some unknown source. I notice you are from Michigan. Rock on!
As an author, I don't read many reviews, although friends/family sometimes tell me what they say. Reviews are for readers, not authors. And the reality is, the book is done, I'm not going to change it, and if people don't like my style, then they're not my target reader. That's fine. I write humor and humor is VERY subjective. It's not personal.As a reader who is also an author, I don't give reviews unless the book rates high because I feel it's tacky for authors to slam each other. Others have different views and that's fine, but this is my personal opinion.
As a reader, period, I hate when people give low ratings and no description. Yes, they have every right to do whatever they want, but I'd like to know what they found wrong with the book before I purchase it. I always read a mix of good and bad reviews before purchasing something that wasn't recommended by a friend.
Jana wrote: "As an author, I don't read many reviews, although friends/family sometimes tell me what they say. Reviews are for readers, not authors. And the reality is, the book is done, I'm not going to change..."Well said.
I have heard many people say that a review is not for the author but rather for any potential reader. I don't entirely agree with that statement because afterall it is an authors book that's being evaluated and rated so of course an author is going to want to see and know the feedback they are receiving. I think when an author reacts badly to a review is when the whole its not for you surfaces more. Not everyone is going to like your book as an author and not every review is going to glow sunshines and rainbows but it is about how its presented not how the author takes it. A review should make points about both the good and the bad. If its one sided and all bad okay fine but be reasonable and realize that not only are these your words the author has to see but also any other person who reads it. One sided nasty negative reviews can hurt future readers if their not legit. Yes some people see a bad review and think ooh this sounds juicy I'm reading this, but not everyone is like that. Authors may miss out on potential readers because those who do read books based on reviews end up torn or turned off because of a really negative review. Basically, be considerate. It's one thing to ramble on about how much you didn't like the book for whatever reason but to condemn it to the deepest regions of hell may be bit harsh. Last thing I'll say is in the event you don't like a book and you rate it bad and write a bad review yet the others who have read it loved it and gave raving reviews, this helps. It means the book, author and potential readers wont be hurt by the negative review because there are so many of other positive reviews.
I don't mind negative reviews if the reviewer is respectful and clearly explains what they didn't enjoy. It allows me to improve my next work accordingly.On the other hand, I hate getting 1 star reviews that complain that a short story was too short (despite the word and page count being listed in the blurb) or once complaining that, even though they'd enjoyed the story, they'd have preferred to get it free. Is that really worth a 1 star?
One star for not getting a story for free? No, that's stupid.
Tressa wrote: "I love to praise and promote books I love, and if I love them a lot, I don't shut up about them. But I will also be honest and post when I don't like a book. But when I write my review I never stop..."As an author, I find negative reviews slightly painful, but then I go on Amazon and look a great books like 1984, or The Road, and read one star reviews on there. That makes me feel better because not everyone will like your work. I also write controversial stuff, which will upset people. I've only had one really scathing review so far. In it the reviewer said that they could only assume that I suffered with depression and how bleak the book was. I'm thinking I might use it for a cover quote on my next book :). If there's something helpful in the review other than the reviewers personal taste, I will listen to it and decide if it's worth taking on board or not. Other than that, I tend to ignore them and definitely don't reply to them. Who am I to tell someone that their opinion is wrong? Even if it is - hahaha.
Tressa - even better, I once gave away the first two stories in a series on Amazon. A reader obviously missed getting the first story free but downloaded the second, then gave it a bad review because she thought, wait for it... that the first THREE stories should have been packaged together as a free giveaway, instead of being given away individually.
Christopher wrote: "Tressa - even better, I once gave away the first two stories in a series on Amazon. A reader obviously missed getting the first story free but downloaded the second, then gave it a bad review becau..."Well you know, people have lives to lead. Three clicks, that takes like, a whole 30 seconds. Way more time than you spent writing the stories...right?
lol
Horror Aficionados
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Then again, I'm a New Yorker.
I can spot a schmuck from 6 city blocks away. ;)