We get them, so obviously they exist. So why would I say they don't? Because I choose not to acknowledge them. At least not as a bad review. Reviews are the make or break for sales for an author. We survive or die because of them, so they are extremely important to get, but the words included in them don't really matter.
I know. You are sitting there with your chin on the floor right now. I'm an author and you can't believe I just said that. Take a moment and hear me out though. What is written in them really doesn't matter in the scheme of things. How many stars there are overall and how many of them are negative make the difference in whether or not people will buy from you.
It's a numbers game. If we can just look at it that way, then there really is no such thing as a bad review. Yes, there are going to be nay sayers, complaints, and some nastiness blasted to the public about us and our writing. Sometimes it's constructive criticism, but sometimes, it's just outright nit picking. When you get your first one, and rest assured you will get one, it's going to hurt like a mofo. I don't care how long you have been writing or what you write. You get them.
There are people out there that have no desire to be nice or even the least bit helpful. There are also the ones that are trying to be helpful but they go about it all wrong. Someone who hasn't spent months or even years combing through the same words over and over and over again will catch the smallest thing and blast you publicly for it.
What can you do? Develop a really thick skin? Sure. It comes with time naturally, but when you are just starting out and haven't built up that tough writer's hide just yet, how do you deal?
Remember that it is a numbers game.
Factual statistics are hard to come by from the perspective of how many people actually write reviews. There are a few authors out there that have shared their own experiences, but there is a large margin for error. Positive reviews can be paid for, bad reviews get deleted, reviews can be written completely off topic, so the variables make it hard to nail down a solid figure.
From my experience so far, one or two people out of 100 will actually take the time to write an honest review of a product. So, ninety-eight people bought your book and did not say a word about it one way or the other. They might not have been overly impressed, but they weren't chomping at the bit to pick your work apart either. This is a good thing!
This is the reality of book reviews. What is said in them is not good or bad, as long as you are getting them. Remind yourself that it is a numbers game and you want to win by having the most reviews. When it comes to that one review, out of 100 purchases, that is negative, sit back and smile. It's one more review in your pocket and that is always a win for you!
Happy Writing!
Christy :)