Last year I’d asked what makes a professional writer, and while there were a lot of different great responses, the consensus seemed to hinge on whether or not that particular writer acted in a professional manner. So now I want to ask what should a writer who acts in a professional manner do regarding negative reviews.
You could always use Twitter as a way to blast the critic who doesn’t like your work. Or there is always the classier option of simply spitting on the person who gave you the bad review. Or … well, there are many other options to take into account, but deciding which is the best option is key.
Recently online I saw a midlist novelist whose new book just recently come out respond to a not-so-flattering Amazon review. The reviewer made a big stink about how certain parts of the book were politically motivated, and the author took it upon himself to pretty much prove that the reviewer was wrong and an idiot. Not quite the best way to win back that reader, though maybe that reader was already through with the author’s work. But, because it was in public, others could see the interaction and maybe were also turned off from reading not only that author’s book but all the rest.
The Internet can be a really great thing, but it can also be a scary thing. With enough digging, nothing remains hidden. If you do or say something on it, be prepared that it might get out to others. So if you act like a jackass to one person, be aware that other people will also probably witness your jackassery.
While the Hint Fiction anthology did just get this great and glowing blurb, I’m sure somewhere down the line people will have negative things to say about it. And when that happens, how should I deal with it? Keep in mind that I’m not really asking how I should deal with it — I know bad reviews are just a way of life, that you have to take it on the chin and move on — but just throwing it out there for everyone else to think about it.
Because obviously we don’t want to be the kind of writer who makes a stink on Twitter, or spits at another person, or debases ourselves by actually defending our work to Amazon reviewers. While all those writers are published by big houses and make a good chunk of money and are considered professional, they’re not really professional, are they?
this is of course just my opinion, and i’m sure others will disagree strongly, but i think writers have a certain level of responsibility to their audience, meaning if they should point potential readers to both positive and negative reviews…that is, if they pay attention at all…a number of established writers i’ve interviewed for newspaper articles at least say they don’t read press for their novels, though i’m sure they make exceptions for papers like the New York Times…if a writer feels the need to do something, sending a nice note to a reviewer regardless of their opinion seems the decent thing to do, as they took the time to read your work and write 500 words or whatever about it…that’s a big deal…but really, does a writer need to DO anything? i’m not convinced they do or should…a writer’s job is to write, and anything beyond that just distracts the writer from the task…plus, i think the most successful writers are those who write the books they themselves would like to read, so it doesn’t really matter what others think anyway…
of course, there are different types of reviews: well-thought out reviews and shitty, half-assed reviews…the former are complimentary by their very nature, positive or negative, while the latter are trash regardless of the conclusion…
Yes, and while I don’t want to knock all Amazon reviewers, a decent amount give the shitty, half-assed reviews just because, and I think it’s dangerous for authors to start a dialogue with those types of reviewers, as by doing so the authors are giving those reviewers exactly what they want.
I also think you’re right about pointing potential readers to good AND bad reviews. I plan to point out all the major reviews for the anthology on this blog and on Hint Fiction’s Twitter page (from places like Publishers Weekly and Booklist), but the reviews left on Amazon or other websites like that? I’m not so sure if it’s worth the time and hassle.
i agree…reviews aren’t really meant to be a give-and-take with the author anyway; they’re supposed to be objective, written without the author’s feelings or whatever in mind…that’s actually the subject i have more issues with: writing a bad review…many times if i don’t like a book it’s not because it’s poorly written — it’s just not my cup of tea so to speak — but at other times the writing is just poor (see James Franco’s Esquire short at http://www.esquire.com/fiction/james-franco-fiction-0410)…again, just my opinion though…
The writing in Franco’s story is very poor. I read it when it was first published and simply said “Good for him.” If that’s any indication the type of writing that will be in his collection, I’m curious to see how truthful the reviews turn out to be.