By Author Rainy Kaye
We all strive for excellence in our work. Sometimes, though,
others don't think we measure up. It can be annoying, heartbreaking, or
downright infuriating. Others will remind us that not everything is everyone's
cup of steeped leaf water, and we'll eventually put down the chocolate, or
wine, and get on with our existence.
But could it be we
actually need negative reviews? Yes!
Here are five reasons why:
1. Congratulations! You're real. In the throes of self-
publishing and sock puppet reviews, it's important to establish a piece of
work—and the creator behind it—is honest. One of the surest ways to do this is
by receiving negative reviews. Since nothing is universally loved, not even
Harry Potter, then a book with only five-star reviews is bound to raise a few
eyebrows.
2. Marketing: You're doing it right. When a book is first
born, it usually finds itself passed around from one loving supporter to
another. And that's okay. Eventually, though, your baby will have to find its
legs and start exploring the world. That means it will be outside the safety of
the village, and into the wild. And some things out there will want to have it
for breakfast. In short, if your book hasn't garnered a few negative reviews, you
haven't sent it out far enough.
3. Welcome to the classroom. Before publication, a book
should have been revised, beta read, and edited. Even with all that, your
manuscript likely only saw less than a dozen people. Once out in the world,
it—hopefully—will reach hundreds, or even thousands of readers. Among all the
voices, some might ring true with thoughts and opinions no one had considered
before. Don't dismiss constructive criticism just because it was accompanied by
a one-star.
4. Anyone with even the slightest bit of knowledge about marketing
will tell you that word of mouth is the best way to promote anything. This
means you need people to talk about the book. Negative reviews often generate
conversation among readers. No need to get involved. Just let it run its
course. Engaged readers pique curiosity along the way.
5. It's good for the soul. Praise is nice. If you managed to
see a book through from start to finish, you've earned all the bubbly feedback.
But even Shakespeare had critics (and now entire classrooms pick his work
apart). Sometimes it takes a negative review or two to keep us grounded and,
therefore, real to our fans.
No one likes negative reviews. It's okay to be privately
hurt or even angry about them. Rant to a friend, take it out on the punching
bag, or indulge in a whole gallon of ice cream (not the fat free kind, either).
Just keep in mind that in the end, you need negative reviews. They're part of
being a real writer.
********************
Thank you, Rainy for that wonderful advice. No author wants to see their work torn apart….but
as the old adage says, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity, as long as they
spell your name right.”
Remember...every field of arts and entertainment is subjective to the viewer, listener or reader. Some people will love your work. Others will despise it. You job is just to keep them talking about it. ~
Completely agree with this post, and I'll even add another reason: A good 1-star review will point out what the reader doesn't like about the book. This is helpful for readers with similar views - and also helpful to me. If my book contains content that doesn't appeal to some readers, it's better for them to know that before buying rather than after.
ReplyDeleteI often look at the negative reviews first because some of the things the reviewers don't like are the very thing I want.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm
Not all books with only 5-star reviews are to be looked upon with suspicion. I only say that because I don't have any 3-or-lower-star reviews, and only one 4-star. Not trying to toot my own horn or say my books are better than yours--I'm not, and they aren't. But they are good, and I don't want people looking at them with suspicion just because someone who may not have liked them didn't review them. Just sayin'.
ReplyDelete