How I deal with bad reviews
If you’re having a novel traditionally published then there’s one thing that’s certain to happen: you are going to get a bad review.
Hopefully only one (wouldn’t that be nice!?) but AT LEAST one.
Sorry.
It’s a rite of passage. Someone out there is going to HATE your book, and they’re going to take great delight in telling everyone all over the internet.
And it’s horrible. It really is. It’s really, really, really horrible.
In no other job (other than showbiz) do you get so publicly criticised. In no other job do you get people passing judgment on your blood, sweat and tears in front of literally the whole world.
I think it’s definitely harder when it’s your debut, so if you are a debut dealing with your first bad review, then please know that it will get easier.
(Sadly) you will become hardened to it, and you’ll be able to deal with it better.
But it’s still not nice.
I always find myself getting really tense in the days leading up to the first few reviews (especially if my book is available on Netgalley).
Goodreads and Netgalley are the devil’s work →
Then if the first few reviews are OK, or good, I feel I can relax a little. At least some people enjoyed it.
But if the first few reviews are bad, I find it so tough.
I have to keep telling myself that not every book is for every reader. And that the right readers will find my book in time.
Here’s how I cope with getting bad reviews:
1) Remind myself that no rubbish books get publishing deals
I’ve had people argue with me on this when I’ve said it before but I really do believe that in order to get a publishing deal a book has to be good. On some level at least.
It might not be ‘good’ in the sense of being a great work of literary merit, but in order to get published the publisher is going to have to believe that it’s commercially viable, which makes it ‘good’ by another metric - the measure of whether or not a book is likely to appeal to readers.
So the fact that one, or two, or a handful of people, didn’t agree that the book was ‘good’ does not mean that it isn’t.
2) Remind myself that a bad review is often because it wasn’t what the reader was expecting
This was a huge realisation.
MUCH of the time a reader leaves a mean review it’s because the book wasn’t what they were expecting when they first sat down and opened the cover.
Book covers have to do a lot of heavy lifting. They have to let the reader know what to expect inside the pages, with nothing but an image and a few chosen words to go on.
And sadly, this often doesn’t work.
I’ve had experience of this recently with The One That Got Away. The initial covers for the book were VERY romantic, and the tagline was also incredibly romantic.
Hence when readers opened it and started to read, they expected something that would give them all the romance feels they were looking for.
However, my book is definitely not a romance! If it had to go into a genre, I’d call it bookclub.
It’s a story about first love, but it’s not a love story.
Also, when my publisher first put it on Netgalley, they listed it under Romance rather than Women’s Fiction by mistake.
Cue many very distressed readers getting quite angry that my book had a lot of triggering topics in it.
And they delighted in telling me so!
Anyway, lesson learned. A lot of the time you get a bad review, it’s because the reader didn’t get what they were looking for from the story, and that’s not always your fault.
3) Remind myself that it’s all about them, and not about me
It’s obvious now I write it down but I often forget.
The way a reader reacts to a novel is entirely subjective. It’s 100% about their life experiences, and how they relate to the story.
Whether or not something resonates with them.
Whether or not something triggers them.
A bad review is often them vocalising THEIR reaction to the book. It’s not a critique of the book, in an academic sense.
It’s ALL about them, and nothing about me.
4) Don’t read them when I’m feeling vulnerable
I know some authors who don’t read their reviews at all, but sadly I am not tough enough for that.
I also genuinely WANT to know what readers are saying about my books. I’m a commercial fiction author and their reactions are important.
So, now I only look at my reviews if I’m feeling tough.
If I’m feeling vulnerable or insecure about my writing, or just having a bad day/week, then I remind myself that looking at my reviews is really unlikely to help!
I’ve got better at this over the years. I genuinely check myself and my mindset before I click onto my Amazon page or Goodreads.
I make sure that I’m feeling resilient enough to take whatever is out there waiting for me.
But if you aren’t sure that you can do this, then it’s maybe simpler to make a blanket ban for yourself and tell yourself not to look at all.
You can use the Freedom app to block yourself from looking at certain websites, and I have friends that use this regularly: https://freedom.to/
(It also comes in handy for social media addictions!)
Alternatively, you can ask your partner, a trusted friend or maybe your editor or agent to look at your reviews for you, and collate the nice ones and send them over to you in an email every now and then 🙂
5) Read other people’s reviews to remind myself that all books get bad reviews
A classic tactic that I’ve mentioned before, but I promise you it DOES work.
Every time you get a bad review, take a few minutes to look up one of your favourite novels and read the one- and two-star reviews for it.
You’re not alone.
There is no such thing as a book with no bad reviews.
And if you DO find one, then it means no one outside of the author’s friends and family has actually read it.
6) Craft snarky imaginary responses to the reviews
CAN I JUST ADD A CAVEAT HERE TO SAY THAT EVEN THOUGH I MIGHT DO THIS, I NEVER POST THEM!!
Most often this a tactic I turn to when I’m feeling pissed off with everything to do with the publishing world.
Sadly this does happen from time to time. To me, and to all authors.
On those days, when I’m just feeling really irritable, I have been known to write snarky responses to the people who’ve left bad reviews on my books.
Mostly I write these reviews in my head. But sometimes I type them out too.
And then I delete them.
Because under no circumstances must you EVER EVER let them know they’ve got to you!
So do not respond to your bad reviews. No matter how tempting.
No good will EVER come to responding publicly.
Moan about them with your author mates. Share them on Whatsapp and have a proper whinge.
But do not share your feelings publicly - it’s surest and quickest way to being cancelled. Or blacklisted.
No good has ever come from an author complaining about their bad reviews.
You have been warned!
Pssst, want to get your author website sorted?! I can help! Find out more about my exclusive Squarespace services for authors…
