Reviews that Sink Authors
Reviews that Sink Authors by Debra H. Goldstein
Traditionally, authors are told to ignore their reviews. Maybe some can, but most can’t. In fact, many writers can’t help focusing on anything except the bad ones.
I read reviews. Sometimes I totally agree and learn from the point being made, but more often, I’d love to respond (authors are also told not to respond). For example, when Maze in Blue was published, the reviews and ratings were all favorable – mostly 5’s and an occasional 4. And then, someone posted a one star on Amazon. The rationale was that I had gotten a main road in Ann Arbor wrong. The reviewer went on and on about how the road didn’t go straight and that if the character had really driven the route, they’d have run into a building.
The reviewer was right for the way the road presently runs, but the book was set in the 1970’s. The road and building mentioned were neither moved nor built until a year after the story occurred. I desperately wanted to respond with a choice comment, but happily, the next review, which was a five-star, pointed out that fact and noted what great and exact memories Maze brought back because the reviewer was a professor’s daughter who had lived on campus at that time. I was thrilled.
Talking to other authors, I’ve discovered they also have received one-star reviews that were a little out-to-lunch. One reviewer didn’t like the cover, another stated she didn’t read the book upon learning the name on the book was a pseudonym for an author whose last novel she didn’t like, and a third said the book, while enjoyable, wasn’t anything to write home about.
If you are an author, tell me about your “worst” review. A reader, have you ever left one you realized was an oops?
By the way, when it comes to being a writer or any profession, I think a sign I recently saw, says it all:
My worst review? A reviewer calling herself “Reacher Creature” gave me one star because my book was nothing like Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books! Why on earth would she think it would be? I write humorous amateur sleuth mysteries. Lee writes thrillers. You’d think one look at my covers or reading the back cover copy should have clued her into that fact. Aargh!
Hilarious… and sort of obvious.
What I hate most are reviews that are spoilers. When you write mysteries, those can be deadly!
Saralyn,
You are not kidding. That’s why I hate writing blurbs / reviews for fear of giving away too much or not saying enough.
Debra, your post sent me looking at the reviews for my first book. No one-stars, but here’s what the single two-star reviewer wrote: “It wasn’t what I was expecting ! Also didn’t realise, it was part of a series, which I would have to buy!”
Well, I remember when I rec’d my first one-star review, a fellow Sister in Crime Guppy told me I’d finally “made it.” The reviewer, a “Verified Purchase” on Amazon wrote, “I actually didn’t mind this book but I thought there were too many 5-star reviews and I didn’t think it should be 5 stars, so a 1 star would lower that average rating.” Gee, thanks! What made me laugh is the reviewer, “Phil,” ended up buying all my books, and reviewing each one. When I was bumped from a 1 to a 2 and later a 3, I was quite chuffed.
One that completely baffled me was a review that said, “If you’re worried about incest in this book, you needn’t be as there is no incest.” Well, duh, they are cozy mysteries — but not THAT cozy that I’d have incestuous relationships. No idea where that idea spun from.
I read all my reviews, the good and the bad. I try to find humour the bad ones and take pride and comfort in the good ones. Fortunately my average ratings are all 4.2 and up.
In the case of a bad review, I remind myself, “They weren’t my target audience.” But it doesn’t keep me from reading them and the sting doesn’t last long.
Debra, I loved your post! We all have that occasional person who is probably angry and bitter in their own life who cannot rise above their own unhappiness.
I had a one-star review from an anonymous source who only provided the one-star but did not write why he or she rated it that way. Unfortunately, those reviews do bring down our ratings!
Hi Debra, Noah’s Wife got a one-star because the reviewer didn’t think it was an appropriate book for children. I agree, not young children, anyway. Written for adults or maybe mature YA. It was hard to bite my tongue and not respond!