I have been noticing a trend lately with authors when they
get bad reviews and is disconcerting. As a person who loves books and to chat
about them I take offense to the fact that if you offer an opposing view than
the majority you are a hater and that’s when the bullying begins. I left a very
tasteful review once explaining why I didn’t really enjoy a certain story I
even mention as I do in all my reviews judge the book for yourself. So tell me
why this particular author goes on a rant on her page trashing my review and
then proceeds to allow her “fans” to follow suit.
I wasn’t upset I actually found it quite comical. My thing is that if you open yourself up on any public forum then you open yourself up for public opinion. Like anything that’s open to the public there will be criticism. Even with my reviews I receive the, “you don’t know what you are talking about or you are not a writer.” And they are correct I am not a writer no do I proclaim to be. But this is my opinion just like they are entitled to theirs. But what I don’t understand why are these authors in their feelings about an opposing opinion? I get it’s your craft. BUT, Stephen King has criticism that doesn’t stop him from writing or doing what he does. He doesn’t take to his twitter and focus on the negative reviews. What’s sad is that I have noticed a lot of Indie authors whom I fully support doing this on their website. Why are you focusing on the few bad reviews and not on the positive? Just like with anything take it with a grain of salt.
I am starting to feel with the time these authors focus on the bad reviews and posting it to every social media account they have there may be some truth to it. It annoys me because it seems like they are seeking validation and sympathy from their readers. Let naysayers and people do what they do. Focus on fine tuning your craft. Even with my blogging I am new to this and have a long way to go. I appreciate the help with how I can do better. Criticism is fine as long as it is coming from a loving place. With the way you can just easily publish a book on Amazon and how the IR genre is being flooded with work. You should want to put out your best work. i.e. edit, review, and get beta readers. This is a business get a thick skin! Ok that’s the end of my rant. So what do you think?
To think that everyone will love your work is a disservice. People will either love or loathe it. There's no grey area. I treated my first two-star review the same as my first five-star. Someone took the time out of their day to tell me what worked and what didn't work for them. When you publish, your work is out there for the general public to critique. In this business, you definitely have to have tough skin. It's not all sunshine and rainbows but I take the good critique and the bad and stick them in my "improvement aresenal."
ReplyDeletelol arsenal* damn thumbs
ReplyDeleteAuthor Harper Miller, I appreciate your response it means a lot coming from an author. I can't imagine my reaction if someone attacked my work personally but I love that you mention you have an " improvement aresenal " We all can get better in some areas. Even in my reviews I notice errors. But you take the good with the bad and keep on moving. Sometimes I think when you focus so much on the negative you give it light.
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