When you write a book and people hate it

[@angelawesneski5029]

Just PLEASE don't respond to negative reviews. Don't DM people, don't subtweet, don't reply or comment. Getting s negative review isn't the end of the world, and responding poorly is one of the fastest ways to get people to refuse to read your work, even people who might love what you do.

[@RoughOutline]

I don't know, as a historian and fan of historical fiction, I often see reviews saying, "This wouldn't have happened back then," but they are wrong. I always want to reply with some references and primary source material showing that, actually, it would and did happen back then, and would 100% still respect an author who chose to defend their expertise from critiques based in ignorance of actual historical evidence.

[@All4Tanuki]

B-but if I can just come up with the perfect Twitter dunk then I'll get a bajillion new readers!!

[@Space.Panda1805]

THISSS!!! If I know an author is this kind of person (someone who can't deal with a bad review). As a reader I refuse to read it, I personally think doing this (what Angela said) is the best way to show us that the author is: crazy, immature, or worse he's/she's a stupid person. What If I give her/his a bad Goodreads, I'm always respectful and act like that? No way, like Ariana Grande says "Thanks you, NEXT", I don't want to deal with a crazy person.

[@cam4636]

@@RoughOutline Responding with sources, sure, but anything less dry is making it personal--which means readers will respond not to the book but to how they perceive the author's personality.

[@i.b.640]

I once saw an Indie Author reply to negative reviews "Thank you for your Feedback." I didn't mind that.

[@josiemaromi6981]

Creatives, please also realize that today many "publicity" services exist online that flood a novel or game with 5-star reviews from robots for a $$$$$ fee! Other "successful" authors might not be as loved as you think. 🤔

[@jameswheeler5260]

(But if you're an aspiring author, whatever you do, don't take hearing these sorts of things as a reason to seek out those services yourself. They'll delete your sales account if you get caught. It's not worth it.)

[@JigglyPKMN]

Literally every book I have ever loved has about a 3.7-3.8 average on Goodreads. Maybe it says something about my tastes that things I find good are bland to offensive to whatever percentage of people it takes to get that average. But … a 3.7 is a selling point.

[@richardseltzer-o7w]

I've read many books that had 4- or 5-star reviews and literally sucked. Many I never even finish. Yet when I watch someone review them on the Web, they love them. Go figure.

[@ArcticBanshee]

Yeah I’m the same with that and also movies. The stuff I like seems to be “meh” for critics and I’m like, well, everyone is coming from totally different backgrounds, so I shouldn’t read TOO much reviews if it’s something that looks interesting to ME. (Unless it’s review after review mentioning the same problem).

[@f1shwhiskerz]

@@richardseltzer-o7w I haven't read a lot of highly-rated slop myself, but my friend has been sharing her notes with me on some books that get singing reviews but are so infuriating to read I don't know how she got through them without getting up to pace around the room. Combine that with angry rant reviews on books I thought were awesome, and I've given up on agreeing with GoodReads folks lol

[@lordtette]

​​@@richardseltzer-o7w this! I read Down the Drain by Julia Fox, it has 4 stars but the writing is juvenile. It reminded me off fanfiction I would read on wattpad when I was desperate. but somehow it still got really good reviews.

[@richardseltzer-o7w]

While my wife was alive I used to read her Cozy Mysteries every night. Talk about typos! It was like a crash course in bad grammar, but theses books sell like hotcakes. Boy talk about dating myself. Hat's off to you for your output. To even publish one book in so many genre's is an accomplishment in iitself. Had a cat that lived to nineteen, thought she'd out live me. Thankyou for all the advice.

[@keithedwinsmith9416]

Same. Read a cozy mystery recently from a best-selling author published by a big traditional publisher and it had multiple typos as well as what many critics would consider ‘bad’ writing choices (ie. cliches, head-hopping, etc). Still enjoyed the book.

[@bluecannibaleyes]

Just because it’s common doesn’t mean that we as readers should just accept typos as something we should have to put up with and not complain about. Talk about dating myself, but I remember when it was still pretty rare to find a typo in any published piece of writing. Now they’re everywhere. The standards have clearly gone downhill and I think it’s valid to complain about this industry wide decrease in professionalism over the years.

[@josiemaromi6981]

Authors, please never respond to bad reviews! You are just one person, and the haters could end up targeting or "mobbing" you. Accept and keep on keeping on! 💪

[@debcarroll8192]

Even the very best books in the world aren't for everyone. If you love your work, chances are the readers who will also love it are out there.

[@kylawapshott460]

Having never published anything yet I think I will feel grateful for any review, even a bad one. Or I will cry. Could go either way

[@Cassandra_17]

Sameee

[@mercycunningham2813]

As a published author: First you'll cry - then you'll learn something from it. Just always keep in mind, it's just one oppinion. Not everyone will love your book but someone will.

[@richardseltzer-o7w]

Haven't published anything either. But I keep submitting. I agree, even a rejection with a comment can teach us a lot. We can use it as motivation to improve our manuscripts. Then you cry.

[@ArcticBanshee]

It’s ok to cry and feel vulnerable and lonely (writing is so lonely!) Just not ok to give up on yourself. :)

[@JerryPhresh]

I ended up sending my debut raw manuscript to Kirkus without any proofreads. When they came back with a favorable review I figured everything was good so I did a little more line edits and published. Let’s just say it didn’t go so well with the “Netgalley” crew, although even their negative reviews indicated there was potential. That was enough for me to revise. I’ll be releasing the new version in a few weeks!! Hoping it does better!!

[@ritawriteshorror]

I'm so glad you made this video! I just published my first book and on one hand I'm nervous about reviews, but on the other hand...I just published a book! Whatever happens will happen, but after watching this I won't cry if I get a bad review. Thanks again for the insight.

[@hagfish_]

9:42 "[...] and I'm sorry if you can hear my cat screaming outside, she's fine! She's was just in here, she just likes to do that." 😭😭😭 My heart!

[@RebeccaWade.Author]

I'm about to (self) publish my first book and the reviews are a big fear factor for me! Thanks for making this video. Your advice is amazing.

[@merlenevs]

If a book has terrible reviews, I'm often curious to check it out :) Also, my favourite book of all times - The Master and Margarita - has really bad reviews on the reading app I use 😅 I'll keep that in mind if I ever publish my work.

[@mittenista]

You had me at "Not to trope." I mean, I'm not anti-trope. But I love when people do their own take on it rather than hit all the points as if by rote

[@TheZetaKai]

The internet is for cats. Just hold up your cat, and you can talk about whatever you want.

[@awitchandherdog]

I've been self-publishing for a few years now and it feels that bad ratings/reviews cause more psychic damage to the author than anything else. I've gotten immediate one stars on books (on top of refunds on release day! Oof) before only for them to still sell and sell consistently. From my anecdotal experience there's no indication bad reviews = worse sales at all. My explanation for this is that reviews and ratings are so frequently manipulated, not just on Amazon but everywhere, Goodreads, Steam, any marketplace you can think of, that the average consumer largely ignores them.

[@StarlitSeafoam]

I also think that books, unlike, say, a dishwasher, are understood by the buyer to be subjective. Just because a reviewer hated it doesn't mean they will. Bad reviews will probably only keep away exremely casual readers, while those interested in your genre or intrigued by your concept will buy it regardless.

[@AfterHoursAuthors]

I love this video! Reviews are so tricky. And I love that you highlight how even traditionally published authors can go through rounds of reviews by various departments and still experience bad reviews. I definitely witnessed that working at a big publishing house. So for the indie authors it feels massive! A negative review feels so huge, but to me it's also a sign that someone other than your mum is reading your work which is brilliant!!!

[@bluecannibaleyes]

My mom actually hated my writing the one time I let her read it. 😭

[@HouseofVelaire]

3.8 is not so bad! Lol.

[@elskabee]

legit! some of my favourite books I've read have under a 3 star average lol

[@Space.Panda1805]

Rankings, I think the only people that cares about this is Beginners Readers and they try to read what everyone likes it, when you know your taste, you don't care about it.

[@HouseofVelaire]

@@elskabee lol same!

[@laughsoharditssilent]

3.8-4.1 is a really good average though!! I rarely see over 4 on GR, even for really loved books!

[@StarlitSeafoam]

Thank you for this; I really appreciate your advice and experience in the industry, not to mention the way you express it all so calmly and relatably! Helps me, an as yet unpublished hopeful, to realize I don't need to freak out, haha. I've always thought I'll just ignore reviews because the bad ones will kill my creativity and ignite my self doubt, but I've also been recognizing that I do want feedback and to know my books are connecting with my readers. A bit of a conundrum. But I guess I'll figure it out when I get there.

[@Wordforge]

I think anyone who thinks they won't get a bad review is only fooling themselves. It's going to happen; fact of the creative industry. The base rules are: 1) Ignore reviews that don't explain or might be trolling. Examples: "This was boring." or "Sucks!!!!!!" or "Who thought this was good enough to publish" or "It belongs in the trash." 2) Remember that even when someone explains what they think is wrong in your book, take it with a grain of salt. Example: "Book has no characterization." With this example was it the authors choice not do characterization because they see their book(s) as more plot driven (example author R. L. Stine, Goosebumps). So was your (the author) intent to have or write it that way? If yes, take with a grain of salt, if not try to learn from it. 3) Don't respond to negative or positive criticism. After all you should be writing which in-of-itself will help you become a better writer. 4) 99.99% of authors 1st books are always bad in some way or form. Every creative art form requires practice. The more you do the better you'll get. 5) Don't let positive reviews go to your head or believe that they cancel out any negative ones. Writing is about writing, learning, rewriting, and more learning by doing and taking & using "worthy" advice, etc. 6) How to Books, videos, persons thoughts/advice/tips, etc. are guidelines and not set in stone rules.

[@richardseltzer-o7w]

Great advice especially number 6. I've been playing guitar for fifty years, still doesn't sound good!

[@deskhobbygirl]

I love this comment so, so much! You just helped me in an interesting.

[@RebeccaWade.Author]

I feel like people will always find issues with 'grammatical errors' because we all have such different ways of speaking and some people have very strong opinions on what's correct (usually those views are oppositional to each other).

[@richardseltzer-o7w]

Terrific advice to writers of all levels. We all started at the beginning and had to navigate the travails of authorship. Even if you havent been published yet, it's only the beginning of your journy

[@indigooowl7225]

Great video, my debut self-pubbed novel has been out for a month today! I have, unfortunately, just suffered my first 'batch' of bad reviews which really took the shine off the rest of the months positivity. It's comforting to know we're not alone out here! They talk about the query trenches, but what about the self-pubbing trenches!!!

[@elizabethkeith7283]

I appreciate these discussions. They're so honest.

[@nathenaeum]

Would like to argue that reviews don’t play a role for me - at least as a reader. I have seen star-studded bestsellers with bad copy editing and average writing craftsmanship - a reasonable reading sample is a superior tool to see if I want to read the whole thing. Saved me a lot of heartburn over poorly written stuff people raved about and also a lot of money for not buying books that were good in writing but not sth I enjoy reading.

[@maddychurchhouse4556]

I'm a reviewer more than a writer at present, and this feels like such wise and balanced advice!!

[@bleachedout805]

So you are a consumer who shares their opinions publicly? This isn't a flex.

[@cedarmccloud]

I'm so impressed by the gentle but direct way you talked about a person's work/skill maybe not being ready for publication yet! It's such a touchy topic but it's so important to acknowledge. My first published book was actually the eighth book I'd ever written and it has pretty good reviews 😅 Sometimes I read indie novels that remind me strongly of the first few books I wrote as a teen and realize oh, maybe this person just needs some more time to grow and some real critique. I cackled so loud at your comment about some people's friend groups having bad taste! 😂

[@ViridianForests]

I don't do reviews, but the way I see it, the books I'd give 3 stars are okay. Like, I didn't _love_ them, but I finished them. That's really nowhere near as bad as a one star review! As a serial re-reader, I'll still come back to a book I mentally gave 3-stars. I did that recently with one I read 8 years ago. I usually reread books once per year/every four years, so that's a big gap. But my opinions changed as well over time! That book I reread, I considered it to be much better than I'd originally thought the first time. And one of my heat-of-the-moment five star books turned into a three star for me when I tried to re-read it and found I just couldn't because it was too long and I knew all of its flaws going in, but that I had blanked out when I finished the book. All of this to say, a 3 star review is not a death sentence! And also, frankly, most of my favourite books have slightly lower average ratings on Goodreads, because once you start stepping away from mainstream, questions of taste in writing will just make people have stronger opinions that aren't all similar. - I wrote all that before finishing the video, but now that I've finished it, I found it to be a really interesting discussion on the subject. I was a little worried going in, because the thumbnail made me wonder if it was going to be a "woe is me" kind of video, but I've listened to most of your videos and really loved them so I figured you wouldn't do that and I was happy from your first sentence hahah

[@RaniaFarislovesRoubi]

Most of my favorite books are either 3 stars below... most people avoid hard books 😂😂😂😂

[@JD-vj4go]

The Fairer Hex is a great title.

[@HouseofVelaire]

Betsy is so precious 💗

[@elizabethkeith7283]

I've been told by successful authors that a three-star review is considered to be a good review. It sure doesn't feel like it, though.

[@jasminv8653]

Why not? Three is usually what publishers consider good enough to keep. Anything under three doesnt even deserve their attention, because it has zero marketing value.

[@elizabethkeith7283]

@@jasminv8653 You're right. But when I see a three-star review on one of mine it hits with the feel of wet toast.

[@capitalisa]

You wrote and published a real book? You should consider yourself a 5 star author for life.

[@Man-ej6uv]

when i leave a 3 star it's usually a pretty good review

[@mantalksatfridge6811]

Also, keeping in mind reviews on the internet could come from anywhere, apparently people from some countries will use reviews correctly, meaning they will only give 5 stars if the book is actually the best thing they have ever read, and maybe not even then

[@BooksForever]

Happy birthday!

[@havvaalexander9520]

Out of 15+ people , only 2 opened my manuscript. Both had similar feedback. Several close to being ready to publish now but haven’t yet.

[@richardseltzer-o7w]

Keep plugging away. Even Harry Potter failed sixty times.

[@dirtfairy23]

Lidiya, I really want you and others' feedback here. I have been writing my current WIP for three years. It's technically been in the editing stage for two years now. I like it, but there's things about it that bug me and I don't know how to fix it without rewriting and trashing my current draft. And I DO want to keep a lot of things that are currently in it. My question is: should your debut book be as perfect as you can make it, or can it be flawed? Should I just publish the darn thing and get it out to the world if the moral of the story is good but the execution is lacking somewhat? Or should I work more on it? I am worried that if I spend any more time on it, I will lose interest or outgrow it altogether. Thanks so much.

[@kimuuiriamuzu]

You could publish under a pen name. It would give you the feedback experience to see what readers actually think. If you want to publish many more books, you'll have to break up with your first at some point anyway. But if your gut says otherwise to any advice you receive here, you'll know what you need to do.

[@dirtfairy23]

​@kimuuiriamuzu you are so right. Thanks for your feedback❤

[@capitalisa]

Are you using an editor or do you mean you've been editing on your own? A fresh set of eyes might see the fix you are looking for.

[@keltavuokko]

I'd say don't put anything out there that you can't be proud of. If you don't love your own book, it will show. I'd get an editor to spar with you about the developmental edits to get the manuscript to a point where you can say that you love it, or at least like it enough that you'd give yourself a rating you'd want from other people (or one that you'd be okay with). If you need a break from the manuscript, take it. It might actually help you see what you don't like about it and what you can do about them (see if they can find another route than a total re-write). But no matter what, keep at it until you can publish it with a good feeling. And from a reader's perspective: it doesn't have to be perfect, nothing is, but I wouldn't want an author to take my money if they themselves feel they don't deserve it (whatever amount you set your eyes on). So there's also that, if you plan on selling your work. Best of luck to you, I'm in the same boat, but I feel every re-write will get me closer to where I need it to be, and I'm sure you can do it too!

[@richardseltzer-o7w]

Ditto the other comments below. Every published author I've talked with said your first submission should be as perfect as you can make it. I removed 50,000 words from my current project, and it not only reads better it feels better. Editing and removing makes you a better editor as well as a better writer. Try removing a sentence from a paragraph. Is the paragraph better off or is it suddenly lacking something? The same with sentences. If a sentence bugs you try moving the words around. It's amazing how easy it is to punch up a sentence. I agree with keltavuokko, you want to be proud of your submission. After all, you've sweated over this forever, you don't want it to all for naught. Best of luck, hope this helped.

[@nearislespringdike3084]

Great advice, thanks!!

[@throwbackgaming3867]

Thanks for the advice in this video. I am a new indie author (3 and a half months) with one novel out. It currently has 4 reviews posted on Amazon (5, 4, 3, 3), and only 1 review has any feedback posted. So my rating on there is a 3.8. I know this is okay since none of the reviews posted are below a 3-star rating, but I wish the others had written about what they liked and disliked about the book so I could know for the future. But I have a few ideas based on what friends and family have said. Plus, I think the ending could be polarizing for some people. Can I suggest you do a future video about the polarizing endings of books and whether or not you should write them as an indie author?

[@richardseltzer-o7w]

Agree! If there's something you don't like, let me know so I can consider it. As a member of a writing group, I cherish feedback, especially the negative. You learn more from criticism than from praise. I ask them to sharpen their knives before reading it. Excellent comment.

[@colorblockpoprocks6973]

i'm the type of person to always be trying to do something new, so i always worry about people being like "this genre isnt handled this way, this character dynamic is confusing, this setting is too outlandish, etc." if i were to kinda borrow an analogy from the video: "people are looking for an X but I'm giving them a chi symbol (χ)" xD

[@elizabethkeith7283]

I'm not so sure about the practice of offering a book in exchange for a review. I know writers in an Amazon group who now understand that offering a book in order to foster a review is now regarded as compensation for a review. It isn't allowed.

[@ValeVin]

Yeah, you can offer free review copies to reviewers in general, but a lot of self-published authors offer a free copy *in exchange for* an honest review, which is considered incentivizing and can get you into trouble with Amazon. Review copies are fine, expecting anything (even a review) in exchange is where they can crack down.

[@booksandthings8297]

Some of my favorite indie writers have like 3.6/3.8 ratings. And I have read traditional published books that had a 4.8 rating and I HATED 😅. Personal taste will always be a factor some books just have a very special niche. And just having less people polishing a work does not help

[@lordtette]

the rating system depends on the site too. I think a 3 star is an average on goodreads and it's okay. I remember an author who got worked up over 3star reviews on goodreads and it caused some drama as she responded to the reviewers. now a 3star on storygraph will give me pause but doesn't stop me from teading and enjoying.

[@lidiyafoxgloveauthor]

Oh yeah I should have mentioned to never respond to your reviews, no matter how bad (or how good, for that matter)...!! Much better for authors to stay removed from all that! I know Goodreads does kind of encourage three stars more than the other sites. But it still looks bad if you're lower than a lot of other books in your genre.

[@kat_in_wonderland]

One of my favourite books has a 3.7 goodreads rating (After Dark, Haruki Murakami). Sometimes a book is just pretty niche and those who do love it, love it A LOT! 😊

[@tomaria100]

Teenage Girl, I love this video! Truly helpful and entertaining.

[@rad4924]

Goodreads really is a dumpster fire though. I'm on the verge of deleting it because, even as a reader, I can see that most of the people on there are absolutely cooked.

[@mittag983]

I needed this video ❤

[@designyourcards]

I have an 18 year old cat named Smokey.

[@Ethan-qs7fo]

gib em a kiss from me

[@xChikyx]

tell.him meow meow for me

[@jinchoung]

bad reviews could be the "rough critique" process tho right? i mean, it's being done in the full light of the public so that can amp up the pain... but as someone who hasn't tried indie publishing yet, it seems like just going through the process of writing it all up and getting it ready and putting it out there is a pretty big hurtle in the first place. the entire publish to kdp process seems daunting to me from the outside! but once you're past that, you could kind of keep going and use the reviews AS your writing group and get better as you go. your name might be mud by the end of it but hey, that's what pen names are for!

[@richardseltzer-o7w]

LOL So right. Make it the best it can be then send it out. And don't forget Agents and Traditional publishing. Agree about reviews as "rough critique", but do you want five hundred bad reviews? Plus, too many bad reviews can sink your project before others have had a chance to give it 5 Stars. I've tried to find Beta readers without success perhaps, you'll have better luck. Remember just make good art, the rest will take care of itself. At least we hope so. Best of luck.

[@SpiritHeartsSong]

love this!

[@AlienLabrador]

Lately on Goodreads I've been looking at the number of editions a book has. If the book has multiple reprints each year and is translated in a few languages, then I know that it is popular, is selling well, and might be worth reading. You can manipulate the number of reviews and the rating scores, but you can't manipulate the number of editions. Also if the one-star reviews are ultra specific, mentioning character names and character traits and how the character makes them feel, I would consider that a strong indicator that the book may be good. It means that the book has characters that leave a strong impression in the reader's mind, and that is all I want in a reading experience.

[@faithfaraday]

I saw a nonfiction author who's written many books say that if you get an early 1-star review, just delete the listing and realist it because, according to him, you'll never recover from that low number dragging your average down.

[@lidiyafoxgloveauthor]

Oof, that seems a little extreme but I haven't written any nonfiction...

[@capitalisa]

I am a reader and a writer. I do read reviews. Any review that cites typos in a less than 5 star review cannot be taken seriously, in my opinion. Bad reviews should really not be taken to heart. I know of a woman who wrote a scathing review of a decent book just because she was going through a nasty break up.

[@elizabethkeith7283]

Agreed. I once received a one-star review on a book because the reader couldn't figure out how to download it to her device.

[@bluecannibaleyes]

I disagree. Typos are a legitimate criticism. There shouldn’t still be typos in a published book. Typos should not just be normalized as an industry standard that readers should have to put up with. It’s unprofessional. Authors and editors should be competent enough to catch and fix something as basic as a typo before a book goes out into the world.

[@ArcticBanshee]

Yeah I agree with the maybe ‘stay in your lane’ thing, because once you grow your audience that love your work, it’s like you become their favorite flavor of cozy, or banter, or steam, or world building, or flow, or any combination of things… and so if you change things up TOO much, you dilute your ‘flavor’ as an author to your core fans. I think it’s still good to make adjustments as you go, but maybe give it some time, a few books, in between MAJOR changes. :) I read almost 200 romance genre books last year, and it’s kind of where I am on that subject as a reader.

[@emergencycreative]

My coping mechanism seems to be reviewing the review. Maybe not the best strategy, but it helps me sleep at night.

[@richardseltzer-o7w]

As long as you don't send them feedback. Some people are just looking for an excuse to go balistic.

[@emergencycreative]

@ heard. And I appreciate the reminder. I usually don’t engage, but this one review was just too absurd … plus, it made for splendid KZbin fodder!

[@Cinephilegirl_]

I'm a teenage girl on my mind too 😂 I love the ending of the video

[@annemorph]

I'm way too conflict avoidant to ever leave anyone a negative review. I did recently read some very lightweight cozy books on my kindle and really enjoyed them and then went on Goodreads to see what other people thought (after leaving them 5 stars)....paragraphs of hate by people who had higher expectations or weren't willing to suspend disbelief or whatever....One big complaint was that all the books followed the same pattern/took place in the same universe....um, duh? that's why I read all 3 in a day. So...I'm not even sure I'm going to bother reading reviews at all at this point. I haven't even watched your video yet, just wanted to give an algorithm boost (along with my unsocilicated opinion on Goodreads reviews apparently haha)

[@FrankD90210]

Sometimes people just dont get it on the first time around for whatever reason. History tends to be kind to genre work. Who knows, in 10 years maybe people will think its genius.

[@npcunniffe]

I thought a 3.8 on Goodreads is high 😅 I've seen good books have a 3.2. Im currently sitting on a 3.59 and ive got many great five star reviews.

[@martinacalcagno2126]

It is, it means a book is a little better than average, but not a masterpiece. I think that anything over 3.5 is actually a really good rating. Anything over 4.5 tho... kinda sus🙈.

[@LisaOliverauthor]

I feel like I'm in a minority, but as an author I never rework my stories once I've put them out. My first three books (indie published) weren't edited, I did my own covers, I made all the mistakes I tell new authors not to do now. And I was bombarded with bad reviews - but there were some positive ones there too. So I took the constructive critique I got and worked those into future stories. For example, if you read my first book, it is riddled with Britishisms (the joy of living in NZ, having been born in the UK, and writing books set in the USA, lol) and I learned from reviews what the correct terms for daily items were. By my third book, I hired an American editor and I have done ever since. But there are still a lot of my readers who love the fact they have to Google a turn of phrase of mine used in conversation - my readers enjoy my quirks and a small group of my wonderful readers have bought every single one of my hundred plus books. So please don't take negative reviews badly. If you can learn from them, then great, otherwise ignore them and keep writing. As Lydia says stay in your own lane. I promise your readers will love you for it over time.

[@kurticusmaximus]

This is why releasing art to the public requires courage. There WILL be detractors, not constructive critics, but people who seek to crush you, not support you. You can tell who they are by how many ad homonyms and bad faith accusations they make of the artist.

[@Cassandra_17]

3 stars are like oops...you almost had me. You almost got me to like you. But you failed! XD j/k

[@cookiejar.mp3]

i trust a 3.8 review average way more than a 4.8 to be fair!

[@chrissiesbuchcocktail]

From a readers point of view (my personal one): I hardly ever rate five stars. Four stars for me is a very good book. Three stars are books I liked and still had fun with and only below that I rate books I really did not like. But hearing you - maybe I should adjust my reviews a little. Because hearing that three stars hurt your feelings is making me feel really bad because at least my three star reviews are not meant to do that.

[@Mornings]

If my book gets published I wouldn't ever look at reviews even positive ones. I write how I write and will never change for anyone or anything.

[@Amelia_PC]

Write comics! The quality expectations are much lower than for novels XD Haha, just joking (kind of)... as a comic book artist. I really like your channel. I've been listening to your insights, but I'm not a novelist or a writer. I'm just a visual storyteller who uses some writing techniques.

[@emergencycreative]

Hey, we posted the same video today 😂 great minds and all that jazz ❤

[@joegergen]

My favorite review of my last book was 3 words long: "This is garbage." My favorite review.

[@sunshinegirlonbeach1993]

3.8-4 is bad???

[@AuthorpreneurPodcast]

It's like you're describing my writing life. My books get a 3.8 average, and I'll get a couple of reviews that say "tough read" or trash me in a clever way, and that'll be the review that Amazon gives the most weight despite the fact the others liked it. 🙄

[@lidiyafoxgloveauthor]

Oh gosh yeah that is also so true. The algorithms with boosting certain reviews often don't help!

[@richardseltzer-o7w]

Sorry the guardio button blocked my view and acidently sent my reply. Again great advice.

[@Fig_Faerie]

Algorithm Bump 🧚✨

[@Artemis-athena]

My novel is probably so bad that nobody wants to review it.

[@somebody9]

Why do you say that?

[@Artemis-athena]

@ No sales or KU reads 😅

[@somebody9]

@@Artemis-athena have you had anyone beta read it?

[@Artemis-athena]

@@somebody9 I asked two ppl but they didnt do it. My only request is to read it through kindle unlimited so that they can read for free without paying for anything because I don’t want to give my whole manuscript to ppl I don’t know very well.

[@Artemis-athena]

@ Erm.. do you want to read it on kindle unlimited for feed back?

[@DJH47]

I feel like there's a "service/algorithm" star system, and a "film festival" star system, and it kinda annoys me to mix the two; I just want to "thumbs up" most people. This also reminds me of the reception to one of Greg Egan's books, "Zendegi". He is well-known for writing books with characters passionate about science, with a bit of poetic license as to how much even. He this got/gets a lot of people saying that his characters are the weakest part of his books. Zendegi comes along, and is a near-future (written in 2009 about less than a decade from now) character drama about parenthood and the ethics of AI training data, which he declares "probably the best book I'll ever write" (and is so far IMO probably right). Audiences are annoyed by it because it calls them out, and want him to go back to esoteric high-concept plots... Meanwhile it remains his most accessible work and the one I would recommend to most people. It all makes sense if you internalize the motives of Egan as a *human being*.

[@richardseltzer-o7w]

Just goes to show the better you get the more the haters hate,

[@kathryn653]

As a reader, I don't really care what other people on Goodreads rate books. A lot of reviews are bad.... as in bad opinions from readers with nothing in common with me. I've rated plenty of books as 5 stars when the average is 3. Some of my favorite books have top reviews with 2 stars. A lot of bad reviews on goodreads are rage bait designed to get other readers to interact with the reviewers' accounts. Never respond. It's not worth it.

[@labcat647]

Glad you’re not going defensive with negative reviews, which is what most people do, but looking for feedback patterns to find ways to improve your craft. Negative reviews can help you grow as a writer. It may be helpful to slow down releases and work with a beta reader and/or editor who are not hesitant to point out problems, or give yourself time away from the manuscript so you can reread it with fresh eyes. Typos are an indication you are releasing books before they’re ready.

[@bleachedout805]

I don't read reviews. I feel like this is some old person way of deciding if something is worth their time or not. I like it better when people react to the books in videos but if they go to hard on a book I dismiss them.

[@lidiyafoxgloveauthor]

Funny enough, I actually never read reviews (at least not until after I finish or DNF a book just to see the discussion on it), I just go to the bookstore and grab whatever looks interesting whether I've heard of it or not, but I do think VERY bad review averages can hurt sales. Old people read a lot of books 😂

[@ashleyr7764]

🩷

[@Hitogata]

I don't understand how it's even possible that someone publishes something with typos. Don't you have auto-correct? Don’t you see the typos highlighted on your text processor, whichever one you're using? If you're that lazy, you can even copy/paste, scene by scene, to the free version of chatGTP, and it'll spit it back with perfect grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Why would you spend countless hours writing a book and then not make sure readers get the absolute best version of it? 🤯

[@mirimariana]

I never understand that, especially multiple errors? I've seen wattpad books with less errors than self published ones ( even published ones 👀)

[@lidiyafoxgloveauthor]

The typos that slip through on mine are usually misspelled as different words, so autocorrect doesn't catch them.

[@kaychannon]

So I may be in the minority here...But I give 3 stars reviews to books I really like. For example, if it's a 3 star or 3.5 book that I really like, I will go into why on Goodreads in the description box. So, there may be just be one element that 'pulled' me out of the story. Emphasis on the word 'me' here. Reading is very subjective experience. Therefore, my 3 or 3.5 star book may be a 4 to 4.5 star book for others that don't find my 'said' element that significant. Also a 5 star book doesn't always have to perfect in every way for me either. My 5 star books tend to stick in my head for a number of reasons. Another aspect to consider is that sometimes my star ratings can change over time based on other books that I read after the 3 star book in question, particularly because I read more than one genre. But, I don't go back and change my original rating (there just wouldn't be time). So other than tracking my books throughout the year (I am quite bad with remembering titles etc) I don't actually take my own Goodreads page that seriously. I have also started recording my thoughts in hand written journal (these are not stared) and I am finding these entries more valuable because I have longer to 'sit' with a book and reflect. Also, perhaps more importantly, this written journal does NOT contain reviews. Therefore, ultimately, please remember that Goodreads is not the be all and end all of any book. I love to read and write; even I don't find Goodreads 'enough' to completely log my reading experience. I truly hope that this comment helps others realise that there is more to reading than any app/website reviewing platform can provide. Have a great day!

[@Br1cht]

The best advice is to leave virtue signaling and Current Day™️ bs out since that’s the worst thing when reading an otherwise good book. If you feel brave and even stunning in your moment of ‘courage’, you’re just embarrassing and turn at least 50% of your customers away no matter if you feel very validated and seen, don’t

[@ClaireGreen-wd2gm]

4th Wing has a lot of great reviews. I tried to read it. Its was just filthy language and lots lf talk of s3x. People like that mess. I dont trust lots of good reviews anymore.

[@mittag983]

Same with Lightlark.

[@mirimariana]

Yeah, with books like that you're better off reading the reviews of someone who hated it.

[@bluecannibaleyes]

Yeah, I read it and hated it. It makes me really nervous that people won’t like anything I write, since THAT’s the type of crap that sells. Most people are dumb and like bad things.