Getting bad book reviews and ratings – keeping a level head

A few days ago, a reader began to binge-read Diabolical Dreamscapes. They found my book through sponsored ads, which I was able to see through the dashboard, and they read the whole collection in two days flat. Hurray! Or maybe not. After that, the anonymous reader left a 2 star rating. Not a review; they didn’t explain why they didn’t like it. They simply left a rating. 

The thing about readers is that, just as they are strangers to me, I am also a stranger to them. They find one of my books through advertising, give it a go, and leave their thoughts via a rating or a review. Whether good or bad, I value their feedback as it’s objective – they don’t know me at all and are therefore expressing an opinion on my book, rather than making a personal point. Of course I’d love for everyone to like my work; but that isn’t realistic. Nothing is universally popular. 

Nevertheless, I’d be lying if I said that negative reviews have no effect on me. So much time and effort goes into writing and producing a book. Here are a few things that help me when a negative rating or review lands on one of my books:

Take it in your stride

I know so many people out there in the writing community who have expressed their despair at getting low ratings or reviews. My advice to them is that they should take it in their stride. If you put your work out there in the world, chances are at some point it will receive bad feedback. There is no point catastrophising every bad rating or review; and certainly a writer shouldn’t base their literary self-esteem on such things. Acknowledge it and move on. Don’t dwell on it.

Making an impression

A positive way to reflect upon a negative rating or review is to remind yourself that your book has clearly made an impression on the reader who left the bad rating/ review, if they felt compelled to give feedback. In the case of the recent 2 star rating left for Diabolical Dreamscapes, it made me wonder why someone would binge read a book they don’t like? As a reader myself, if I am not enjoying a book on KU, I return it. There are so many books out there and so few hours in the day; I would rather read books I enjoy. Therefore, if a reader chose to binge-read my book, and then leave a negative rating, it clearly gave them something to think (or maybe stew…) about. Better than being bored, I guess.

Finding value within

Let’s continue then with positive reflections. Writing can certainly be a rollercoaster at times. All writers will have peaks and troughs with any given project they are working on. The best advice that works for me, and therefore I would also like to share with you, is to enjoy your writing and find value in your own work. Remind yourself that your story, or poem, would enrich the literary world out there. After all, nobody is you. Nobody has all the ideas that you have in your head, that are unique to you. So, share them. Don’t ever burn out because of bad feedback – whether that is a negative rating/review of a published book, or bad feedback on your unpublished manuscript. Validation should be internal, not external. That way, you can stay balanced, and keep doing what you love – chipping away at your latest WIP – with the right mentality.

Happy writing!