What to do About a Bad Review

Recently, a fellow author was dismayed to see she had gotten a dismal review on Amazon. I’m talking a one star review. The kind of review that went beyond a simple dislike of the book and crossed the line into downright mean spirited.

Of course, the author was devastated by this review. Needing someone to vent to, she reached out to fellow authors. She wanted to know what she could and should do about this review. The truth is there is absolutely nothing you can do to change a bad review. You can cry and complain. You can question your talent and curse the reviewer.

You could get into an argument with the reviewer, but you shouldn’t. Reviewers are entitled to their opinions. Not all of them are going to like your book and some of them are going to make sure everyone knows how much they dislike it. Do they have to be so hurtful about it? No, and they shouldn’t. It serves no constructive purpose. As much as we don’t like what was said or the way it was said, it’s best to let it go. Don’t bother engaging in a pissing contest with the reviewer because you end up looking petty in the end.

Once we get over the initial shock of the bad review, we need to find a way to set the hurt aside. Try to ignore the barbs and pot shots and really look at what the reviewer was saying. Is it possible that underneath all of that bluster, the reviewer has given us something we can do to improve our work? Sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes though, when we distance ourselves emotionally the answer is yes. If we can accept that help, we can improve our craft and decrease the chances for bad reviews in the future.

We can also look closely at the rest of our reviews. If a majority of the reviews are positive then try not to get hung up on the one bad review. Even as I say this, I know this advice is difficult to follow. There can be one hundred good reviews and one bad one and I’ll get down about that bad one before I even realize how many good ones there are. That is not a good practice. All writers need to learn to let go. Maybe the reader didn’t connect with the book. Maybe they had a different expectation of it. Maybe, and this happens, the reader is just an ass who takes pleasure in tearing others down.

Reviews are one of those double edged swords for writers. We look forward to them and want them. We also dread the possibility the book will not be well received or that it will be poorly reviewed. Either way, I think we have a responsibility to take the bad with the good. Sure, we love those glowing reviews, but when we made our work available for public consumption, we opened ourselves up to the possibility that not all of the responses would be positive.

So, what can you do about a bad review? Whatever you want really, but at the end of the day there is one thing to keep in mind. No matter what you do, it isn’t going away!

Jumping on the Bandwagon

It’s official. I’m doing it. I’m jumping on the Amazon bandwagon.

I’ve been a professional writer for almost ten years now and things sure have changed. When I first started out, everything was still being printed and authors who self-published faced the stigma of being considered failures. Self-publishing presses were even called vanity publishers. Now, e-books are the norm and independent, or indie, authors can do just as well as their mainstream counterparts.

It’s no secret that I was one of those people that detested the thought of electronic books and readers. I just couldn’t fathom the idea of not having an actual book. Besides the fact that I enjoyed feeling and holding books, I argued that e-books weren’t something an author could sign. Funny since I didn’t have any signed author copies at the time I was arguing this.

I have since come to realize the value of the e-book. As an indie author, it’s more cost effective to release my books electronically. I can then pass this savings on to the readers with lower price points. That in turn can lead to more sales.

For the last year, my books have been exclusively offered in electronic format and sales have been steady. Not booming but nothing to be ashamed of. Still, I think I can do better and I think the problem has been my choice of venue. The publishing vehicle I’ve used partners with Amazon, but Amazon will only carry your book once you sell a certain amount of copies. Given that I currently have a small following, I don’t have the numbers to make these books available on Amazon. With the Kindle being the most popular e-reader that means I lose Kindle sales when readers can’t find it on Amazon.

In the last few weeks, I’ve been kicking around the idea of releasing my next book series through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program. It seems to work similarly to what I’m using now, but it comes with the added bonus of having my book listed on and backed by Amazon. Not to say Amazon will endorse my book, but the fact that it will be available there is an endorsement in and of itself.

I’m hoping that by using KDP, I can attract more readers. If that happens, maybe just maybe I can finally reach my goal of becoming a best-selling author. I know I’m dreaming big, but believe me when I say it’s a hope and dream but not an expectation. The practical part of me is not letting me get caught up in the idea that using KDP is going to make me an instant best seller, but it sure can’t hurt.

Using KDP may also net me more reviews than I get now. More reviews are one of the careful what you wish for, double edged sword things. I’ve read some downright mean reviews on Amazon, but that’s a story for another time.

Right now, the important thing to know is that my next book, Taking a Gamble, will be available on Amazon. I find it a little ironic that my book is entitled Taking a Gamble when that’s exactly what I’ll be doing when I release exclusively through KDP. Let’s hope my instincts are right and jumping on the Amazon bandwagon is a gamble that pays off.

Run-on Sentences; The Story of my Addiction

Over lunch, while eating a sandwich she picked up from the deli up the street on her break, she pored over the work spread across her drafting table.

I am ashamed to say the above sentence was written in my most recent book. Now, in my defense, the book is currently in the editing stage. So, the good news is that I managed to catch this before it goes to print. The funny thing about this sentence is that the very day I realized it was filled with unnecessary words, I read a blog article on tips to keep an editor from cringing. I’m happy to say I read the article before I took issue with my wordy sentence, but it got me to thinking. How many more of my sentences are this cluttered?

Asking myself this question led me to seek the answer. Finding that answer in a one hundred thousand words plus novel was no easy feat. The results are both good and bad. Good news? They weren’t as many cluttered run-on sentences as I was afraid of. And since the novel hasn’t been published, I was able to address them before they saw the light of day. Bad news? There were more cluttered run-on sentences than I was hoping for. Since the novel hasn’t been published, that means I have to correct them which might lead to a delay in publication.

As I was going through my novel in search of these pesky critters, I realized something. I have a tendency to add a lot more detail than necessary to some of my sentences. Take that first sentence for example. Who cares where she got the salad from and when? Does leaving that information out of the sentence negatively impact the story? Does leaving it in help? The answer to both questions is no. The solution is to take it out.

I also discovered that I like to take what could be two, sometimes even three sentences, and make them one nice, long, flowing sentence. There were a few instances where I had one sentence paragraphs that were three lines long. I like writing which means I like words, but even I can see this is some serious overkill.

In the category of more good news, this isn’t the end of the world. It’s something I can fix which means making my stories flow better. Of course, the flip side of that coin is the realization that it took several published novels for me to catch on to this problem. Now I have to avoid rereading those novels, or I might end up crying.

A long time ago, an editor told me I was addicted to adverbs. I laughed her off until I counted how many there were. It was an eye-opener. Now, I do my best to use them sparingly. It seems I substituted one addiction for another; run-on sentences in place of adverbs.

Thankfully, I can and will do something about this. I am by no means convinced I am the best writer I can be. As long as I write, there will always be room to improve my craft. If I can overcome my adverb habit, I can beat this too! 

Self-Promotion Sucks! Help Me!

The other day when I was putting my lunch in the break room refrigerator of my day job, a coworker said to me, ‘I didn’t know you had your own website, Trish. That’s cool.’ My website is specifically devoted to my writing and I have a rather large sticker on the back windshield of my car that advertises my site.

The observation about my website was made by someone I’ve worked with for a little over two years now and it perfectly illustrates one of my biggest shortcomings as a writer; self-promotion. I’m not just bad at self-promotion, I’m terrible at it.

There’s a common misconception among aspiring writers and non-writers that the publisher is going to invest in marketing your book. The reality is much different. Large publishers do have marketing budgets, but those are typically reserved for already established authors. There will be little to no money invested in the first time author. Small publishers just don’t have the budget to promote the author. Whether large or small, most publishers expect authors to have a marketing plan by the time their novel is ready to go to print.

I have a marketing plan. It’s a really nice one. I worked hard on it and it’s a good looking document if I do say so myself. Not only do I have it, but I’ve actually implemented some of the strategies on the plan. I created an author website. I have social media accounts which I update regularly. I’ve solicited reviews for each book I’ve published.

I’ve even done some things on my marketing plan that weren’t there. I’ve had created and posted social media ads. I’ve done a virtual book tour. I’ve joined online reading communities to try and expand my audience. I even started a small street team to get my most faithful readers to help me generate an online buzz about my work.

Yet no matter what I do, that best-selling author status continues to elude me. I am apparently either a terrible writer or not doing the right things to get the word out about my books.  For the sake of my ego, I’m going to say it’s the latter and not the former. It’s not that I’m a terrible writer. I’m just not good at promoting my work. Only time will tell if I improve on that. In the meantime, I’m throwing myself on your mercy. 

Please read my work. If you read it, post a review online. It doesn’t have to be a big one. It could even be a one liner; something like ‘Best book I’ve ever read!’ If you have a Twitter account, follow me and favorite and retweet my tweets. If you have a Facebook account, like my author page and like and share my updates. And finally, spread the word. Tell your friends and family how great I am, or rather how great my work is.

Okay, yes, I hear the desperation in my voice and I’m sure you do too. Self-promotion sucks. It doesn’t come naturally to me. Take pity on me. Please.

Resisting Temptation

A few years ago, I was on this writing contest kick. I think I've told you this before. Besides looking for some validation that my writing didn't suck, I needed some writing credits I could include in my query letters to agents. Trying to get an agent is like trying to get a credit card. You can't get credit without an established credit history. You can't get an agent if you don't have some writing credits to your name. How's an aspiring author supposed to get a writing credit? Well, a writing contest seemed like a good place to start.

One of the contests I entered was sponsored by publisher Hardie-Grant-Edgemont and it was called the Ampersand Young Adult Novel contest. It gave emerging authors the chance to have their young adult novel considered for publication. The thing I liked best about this contest, besides the lack of an entry fee, was the fact that it welcomed edgy novels.

I polished up my favorite unpublished YA novel entitled Totally Sick Freak. With the first line of the novel being 'I'm probably the most fucked up person I know', I figured that certainly qualified as edgy.

Obviously, I didn't win the contest. You've never heard of Totally Sick Freak. It's not published and you have no idea what it's about. I did get something I didn't expect though. As part of the judging process, all of the novels were critiqued and authors were sent those critiques. Even though it can be a little sad to see your beautiful creation ripped to shreds, it actually makes you a better writer once you get past the crushing realization that your writing isn't perfect.

A few days ago, I got an email that the contest is open for submissions in two weeks and I gave serious consideration to it. I do have a couple of YA novels that I'd really like to see the light of day. The problem is they're not ready. If I want to submit them, I not only need to clean them up, I need to format them to the contest standards. That's a pretty tall order for such a tight timeline. With enough effort, I'm sure it could be done, but I'm going to stand strong and stick my skipping contests plan I set this year.

I'm all for writing contests, but I made a writing plan this year and contests wasn't in that plan. That's not to say I'll never enter another one again, but I promised myself and my readers I'd try to publish more novels this year. I can't do that if I'm slaving away on prepping for a writing contest that I have slim odds of winning.

So, if you're entering, good luck. I'm pulling for you. As to me, I'm going to resist that temptation; for now!

It's Indie Author Pride Day!

Earlier today, I was scrolling through Facebook, while on a company approved break at my day job of course. I would never peruse social media on company time. So, there I was scrolling through Facebook on my break when I saw a smiling writer posing beside two copies of her book proclaiming today is indie author day.

I have to admit, I’d never heard of indie author day. Intrigued and determined to find out more, I took to the internet to see what I could find. Sure enough, I found it. You can find most anything on the internet you know.

July 1^st has been designated as Indie Author Pride Day. Its purpose is for independent authors to flood social media with pictures and announcements that show their pride in their work. There wasn’t any real explanation of why it exists or who started it, but I assume it was born of the need to remove the stigma from self-publishing.

I’m not going to lie. There are plenty of self-published novels that would probably make better coasters or door stops, but there are just as many that are well written, entertaining, engaging and making national bestseller lists. And regardless of what some people think, it’s not rejection from agents or publishers that motivates some authors to self-publish. There are a number of other reasons that don’t really matter today.

Today is about indie authors taking pride in their work and I have to say I like this idea. I like that someone recognized that all authors deserve to be recognized in some way, even if that means getting out there and sharing their pride on their own. If you ask me, this is actually an interesting marketing opportunity as well.

If you’re an indie author, let’s hear it. If you love the work of an indie author, help them celebrate Indie Author Pride Day by sharing your favorite pictures, stories, books, etc. After all, it’s all well and good for me to get on my own bandwagon. I am proud of the work I do, but I don’t do that work for me. I do it for the readers so thank you. Thank you for making Indie Author Pride Day possible by showing publishers that you’re willing to buy self-published books. 

Don't Leave Me Hanging!

We’ve all been there. We buy a book that looks good. We read it and it is good. In fact, it’s so good, it’s a page turner. We turn in to wolves reading voraciously until we reach the end only to get a sharp slap in the face. Rather than get the closure that’s kept us reading, we’re left open mouthed with a cliffhanger ending and no more pages left to turn.

Cliffhangers aren’t new. They’ve been around for ages and it’s not just novelists that use cliffhangers; scriptwriters have done it too. If you’re as old as I am, you remember the most famous television cliffhanger of the eighties being “who shot J.R.” on the prime time soap opera, Dallas. Man, I just dated myself!

The idea of the cliffhanger is to get readers so invested that they come back for more. They buy the second and possibly third and fourth books in the series. Writers net more sales and make more money and readers get more of the characters they love. It’s a win-win situation. Or is it?

I’ve noticed lately that more and more readers are fed up with cliffhanger endings. This is particularly true when the author offers the first book for free and leaves it on a cliffhanger. If you want to find out what happened to the characters, you’re forced to buy the subsequent books. Some readers flat out refuse to do it, but some are so compelled to find out how it ends that they invest the money.

Some readers are not only putting their foot down and refusing to buy the books, but they’re leaving online reviews warning potential readers that the book is a cliffhanger. And of course, you know these readers are also giving one star reviews and talking about how unfulfilled they are. This dissatisfaction leads to them finding other things to pick apart with the book and post in their reviews.

I’ll be honest. I’m on the fence about the cliffhanger ending. If it’s a good book, I’m a little more tolerant, but there is one sure fire way authors get my dander up with cliffhanger endings. I absolutely cannot stand when an author takes what should easily be one, maybe two books at the most, and stretches it into five or six books. The first book is typically free and ends on a cliffhanger and more often than not, it’s less than one hundred pages long. Subsequent books in the series are released that are of equal length but priced higher. And even though there are times when I really like the characters and I’d love to know how their story turns out, I take a stand and join the ranks of other readers and say enough is enough. I’m not buying any more of these books.

I’m here to tell you it is possible to write a series of novels, featuring the same characters, and make them standalone novels. It not only can be done, it has been done by authors in every genre. When that happens, readers don’t necessarily have to buy the other books to understand what happens in each subsequent book, but they often will because they’ve become emotionally invested in the characters.

When I wrote the Time for Love series, it followed the love story of one couple over a series of four books. Each book took place at a different time in their lives. Rather than use cliffhangers, I took the approach of what many call “happy for now”. Each book had a resolution to its conflict, but readers knew there was more conflict on the horizon. Thus far, I haven’t had any complaints about that.

No matter how much you want it to, the cliffhanger ending will never go away. There will always be some writers who have convinced themselves it’s the way to go.  I would never tell another writer how to write their story, but I will warn you that more and more readers are rising up with cries of ‘don’t leave me hanging’ so proceed at your own risk.