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What to Do When Your Book Gets a Bad Review

 


Everyone likes to bask in the glow of compliments and kind words, and authors are no exception. It's hoped the book reviews will be favorable, but sometimes things turn out differently. A book publicist will tell you that a bad review doesn't need to be ruinous, but they're still challenging for an author to handle. If you happen to be on the receiving end of a bad review, there are dos and don'ts for handling the situation. First and most importantly, don't respond to the reviewer – not even indirectly on your social media. There's no need to defend yourself, and it's better to let favorable reviews do it for you.

Having thick skin is beneficial for an author, and if you're a first-time writer, it's time to begin toughening up. Also, responding to a bad review or complaining about it can make you come off as a sore loser, and it won't help you in the long run. It's also worth remembering that many works that have become famous (and influential) had a bad review or two in the beginning. Not everyone sees the genius in something initially, and it takes others to begin talking about the genius in your work. It's also easy for things to get out of control when you start responding to bad reviews; avoid the temptation.

Maintaining a healthy perspective about reviews is essential, and if you're receiving favorable ones, an unfavorable one may come along sooner or later. More often, it's the totality of reviews about a book or other creative project that have meaning ultimately. You never want to let reviews become overly influential in your future work, but they present learning experiences each time. If you can see some validity in critiques of your work, they may help you over time. When you write for a living, you're putting yourself out there creatively, and listening to people's opinions is a part of the process. 

On the flip side, it's undoubtedly allowable to bask in the positivity of flattering book reviews. Everyone enjoys being praised, and when it's thoughtful and intelligent, all the better. When dealing with all reviews, both good and bad, it's vital to keep in mind that you can't please everyone. There is much to appreciate as long as the favorable reviews are as intelligent as the negative ones. Think back also to your motivation for writing and who you intended to read your book. It's probably you didn't write it with the idea of earning universally favorable reviews; you wrote it for a different purpose.

 

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