Reviews. Love 'em, hate 'em, never read 'em. No matter your policy, they've been causing quite a stir lately. From the
YA Mafia conspiracy theory to the crazed
comment thread at Big Al's, reviews are a hot topic.
Why are reviews fodder for so much tension? Because they are critical responses (whether good or bad) to something very emotional. If the act of creation is painful, then sending the created work out into the world is pure torture. It's like offering up your bare flesh, handing strangers a whip, and inviting them to do their worst. It hurts, even if it's necessary.
As an author, you have to learn to deal with it. (Hint: Yelling at a reviewer, telling them to eff off, or trying to get their review removed is
not how to deal.) Leo Babauta at Zen Habits has some
great advice. Whether you cry on your best friend's shoulder, take it out on the punching bag at them gym, or consume vast quantities of wine, chocolate, or both, you process the pain and then move on. The moving on part is the most important.
Here are some sorry truths that authors need to know.
- Reading tastes are subjective. They're personal, as in no two people have the same. One might hate the name Phoebe, another is deathly afraid of motorcycles, a third can't stand Florida. There are New York Times bestselling books I think are awful, and books I adore that others hate. You can't please everybody, and if you try you'll end up pleasing nobody.
- Reviewers are human. They have bad days and bad breakups and bad jobs and maybe the reason they didn't like your book had absolutely nothing to do with your book. Maybe their dog ate their favorite slippers or their favorite pizza place closed or they stubbed their toe and it's throbbing and they would hate whatever they read at the moment.
- People are entitled to their opinions. And they're entitled to share them. As long a they're not accusing you of killing babies, conspiring with terrorists, or otherwise slandering your name, they can write pretty much whatever they want. It's called the First Amendment and it's first for a reason.
Interviewers and aspiring authors often ask me how I handle bad reviews. I still have Google alerts set, so sometimes they get delivered to my email, and I still succumb to the temptation of reading Goodreads reviews every so often--about once every six months is enough. When I do, I try to keep all of the above in mind. I tell myself that that reviewer isn't one of my readers, and I care more about what my readers--those fans who will buy and love every books--think than what someone else's reader thinks.
Besides, in the end I think Helen at Regretsy has it right. In responding to the Jacqueline Howett mess, she
says:
criticism is the price you pay for having an audience
So. True. The only way to avoid critical reviews is for your writing to never see the light of day. I for one am more than willing to suffer bad reviews if that means my books will get to my readers.
Hugs,
TLC
PS. You're welcome for sending you into the time suck that is Regretsy. You'll never get those hours back.
