So, legit one-star reviews…they really aren’t a dream,
per se, and to the best of my knowledge not a single author genuinely “loves”
them. But, are they all nightmare quality?
My personal opinion is that I’d rather not get any at all,
however, when I do, I find that if I detach myself from my initial knee-jerk
emotional response, they’re easier to dissect into meaningful, and even helpful
input. I can own them.
When I started my author journey, I took to heart some great
advice: Not everyone will love your books, and that’s okay! This helped
me be more objective when I finally received my first one-star review on Amazon.
Let’s take a look at it. This is from my first book, Prophecy:
“This was a very boring
book. The women were in charge and the men were just yes dears. The plot didn't
make sense either. Why did one alien from a race of aliens have the right to
destroy earth and another alien race? To call for deaths because he wanted to?
I was so bored that a skip some parts. Do not waste your time reading this book.”
And here is the second one for the same book, which was
posted five years later:
“I didn’t get past the first
few chapters, I didn’t finish reading this book.”
Ouch, right?
Or are they?
I appreciate that the first reader took the time to explain
why they didn’t like the story. Boring is their personal opinion, which
is at odds with 99% of the rest of the reviews. This is one of those readers
who doesn’t love my book, but it’s not a personal attack. They might very well
love another one of my stories, or not. If not, then they will never be one of
my readers anyway.
The women were in charge…. Hallelujah! This is the
coolest statement in support of my story! Why? First, because the women aren’t “in
charge.” In this alien culture, they are viewed as equals to the men.
They are respected, and hold positions of authority. Not everyone sees this as
a good thing, unfortunately. On the other hand, other potential readers might look
at this review and think, “Hot damn! Girl power!” and 1-click the snot outta this
puppy.
Second, if the men were all “yes, dears,” then the hero
would not be the senior captain of an entire fleet, would he? He would
have been a she instead, and that would’ve turned this into a completely
different story in a completely different genre.
The plot didn’t make sense. What a beautiful red flag
that this pantser (an author who doesn’t outline or plan a story) needs to keep
an eye on her plots/sub-plots. Even my developmental editor has pinged me on goal,
motivation, and conflict issues (GMC) for a couple of subsequent books. Just telling
a story is not enough. One of my weak points, I get it.
The right to destroy/call for deaths. Um, conflict? Without
it there isn’t much of a story? (Note to reviewer: This kind of thing happens
in real life all the time. It’s tragic.) I love this comment because it
confirms that the villain’s GMC did not resonate with the reviewer. The
underlying message here to me: Work on this, stupid!
Skipping over parts. Yikes. This might explain why
the reviewer didn’t understand the roles of men and women in this culture, and
found the plot confusing. Skipping parts in any book can be detrimental to the
reading experience in general, but more so with an emotional, action-packed 90K
word novel. If you skip, you’re gonna miss something important!
That being said, the onus is on me to be alert for other
such mentions. If this becomes a common thread in reviews for other books, I
need to take a closer look at why, and fix it.
Do not waste your time reading this book. Once again,
this is a personal opinion that doesn’t stack up to most of the rest of the
reviews. I’d be lying if I said this one didn’t hurt, but it isn’t my job is to
please everyone. I could do everything right, and there will always be someone
who doesn’t like it. And I’m okay with that.
What’s my take-away from this review, you ask? GMC is a
potential weakness, one that I’ve since owed and am working to improve. Now when
I start a new project, I loosely outline my chapters, and I write out the GMC
for each of my main characters, as well as for the overall story arcs. I’m not
a full-blown plotter, yet, but meeting myself in the middle is working for me
so that makes it a win.
Sadly, the second review is all personal opinion/preferences.
I do wish this reviewer had given me a little more to go on so I could
understand why they got through only a few chapters before giving up. But, they
didn’t, and to get my panties in a bunch trying to figure it out is bad for my
mental health. <Cue Let it Go! here.>
I have found that writing is a learning and growing process.
Authors are always trying to improve their writing, and reviews provide an excellent
tool to uncover potential weaknesses.
So, readers, has a one- or two-star review ever influenced
your book purchases? What are the triggers that get you to 1-click a book?
Authors, my way is not the only way. Do reviews of your
books help you, or do you avoid them? Why, or why not?
Until next month!
~Lea
~*~*~
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USA Today Bestselling Author Demelza Carlton: Ghost
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USA Today Bestselling Author Lea Kirk: Above the
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Becca Brayden: Alien King Crashes the Wedding
Kate Rudolph: Synnr’s Saint
11 comments:
Having gotten low reviews based upon "I don't like heroes with blond hair" or "I'm not a fan of (whatever genre)" of even "I haven't read this book . . .", I learned to step back and see them for what they are: opinion, and every reader has one. I don't know how many bestsellers I put down before chapter three or absolutely loathed because of some character trait or the twist at the end. In a perfect world, "reviews" would be unbiased opinions on quality and readability. Snort. We know that isn't the case. Reader preference is the main reason for their stars and everyone is looking for something specific in their reads. We can't be all things to all people or our books wouldn't be unique. And thank goodness there are lots of different reads out there for us to choose from!
I try to remember "you can't please everyone." I don't engage. Ever. I've read horror stories of authors who got into "screaming" wars with reviewers on social media. What's the point? You won't change their minds and it puts the author in a bad light. Move on. (easy to say, right?)
Lea I love your attitude toward the 1-star reviews. I love that the trolls you dismiss, the "very little helpful feedback" also gets a sigh and an ignore, but that you take the time to look over the reviews that do give more detail and determine what you agree with, what you think comes from reader preference, and what you want to work on. It's a fantastic way to approach it. Also the attitude that not everyone is going to love your books, is something I find hugely helpful. Reading is so subjective. Incredibly so. So you aim at YOUR readers and don't worry about the rest. They'll find their books elsewhere. I would reiterate Diane's "don't engage". Never engage with bad reviews. Arguing with them won't change their mind and will only add to the author's angst. Just thank them for the boost leaving any review at all gave you on Amazon, and move on. :) Thanks for the post!!!
Yes, it's important to remember that not everyone will like everything you do. But, yes, some of the reviews are valuable learning tools for future books. And I have taken many of those into account over the years.
Congrats on your new release!
What a great post! Thank you for writing on this topic. I just received a 3-star review on one of my books and felt a little low about it. But it was a detailed review, and the reviewer had read at least one other book in the series and, at the end of the review, said they recommended the book. So... upon reflection, it is actually a good review even though they didn't mark it as five stars.
In the broad scheme of things, better to have a higher number of reviews so readers can get an idea whether they want to invest their time. Readers know to toss out those random mean-spirited reviews. All products, books or anything else, get them.
A great post, Lea! I have built my turtle shell thick, so that I'm able to view these 1-stars and then move on. Often, I shake my head. Did they even read the story? Yet after an awful 1-star review years ago, I had a feeling the reviewer was having a bad life and decided to take it out on my story. Did it bother me? Yes and no. And I always tell myself that a glowing 5-star review will always replace the 1-star.
Wishing you all the best with your new release!
I tend to try to ignore them, but sometimes can pull good feedback out of it. I won't usually leave someone a bad review, I tend to go by if you don't have anything nice to say...
Yes, Nancey, AND I suspect each reader places a different "value" on each star level. I totally do not get the ones that say "don't like blond heroes," etc. I mean...you *saw* the cover, right?? lol
Diane, great point about authors who engage. DON'T DO IT!!
Abbey, "subjective" is the perfect word! Wish I'd thought of it while I was writing this blog.
Thank you, Jess! So far, so good. :)
Maureen, exactly. Constructive criticism is helpful, but smack talking just makes a reviewer look bad, especially if they haven't read the book--which happened to me. Someone 1-starred a book saying she'd never read it just based on the subject matter in the blurb. Kinda sad that she denied herself the experience of reading it before forming an opinion. It's one of my sweetest and highest rated stories.
Julie and Mary, thank you! I'm glad the topic popped into my head--and I actually got this blog finished and posted early.
I like your attitude, Lea. I remember the first 1-star that plopped down on my doorstep. I cried, I spat venom, but you look at it in a much better way. Perhaps, I should have listened, too, because I've been dinged on GMC. I thoroughly enjoyed your post.
Excellent advice. I enjoyed your post and agree with you. I read a bad review once see if there’s anything constructive and never read it again. As you say doesn’t do anything for your self worth. Thanks for sharing.
Woo-Hoo! Got my copy. Thanks!!
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