[From the Archive] Reviews: The Good, The Bad, and The Necessary
I’m actually getting this done before heading down to ConJour. Hope to see some of you there.
_____
When it comes to writing and publishing no one can get by without reviews. Reviews are one of the “necessary†evils that effects everything to do with the industry. They’re one of the most effective indicators of a publication, and can directly influence sales numbers – for good or for ill. Reviews are a serious business. So, for good, for bad, or indifferent – reviews matter. They’re important. They’re necessary. This is why authors receive ARCs (Author Review Copies) before publication – to send out for pre-publication reviews. To start generating buzz, and hopefully to kick start sales.
Not all reviews are created equal. Some reviews carry more weight than others – at least in some eyes. First, most authors will look for publication reviews – magazines, newspapers, professional websites – places known for their reviews and sought after as the “those in the knowâ€. Authors may also work to get media attention with reviews from television and radio, which is more difficult but reaches more people. The next tier of reviews is from other professionals whose opinion is sought and respected – generally on the internet. The final set of reviews are peer/buyer/reader reviews generally on personal and bookseller websites. These can have a profound impact (for good or bad) on your sales because those reviews determine site ranking (on the sellers’ sites) and are generally the last reviews the reader sees before hitting the “buy†button. What they have to say matters.
That said, every writer will get a bad review. It comes with the job – like rejection slips. What should a writer do about bad reviews? NOTHING. At least not directly – to the reviewer – the writer should see if there’s any grain of truth to the bad review and work to not make the same mistakes in subsequent books, but for the most part – LET IT GO. Reviews are subjective by definition. They’re OPINONS – you don’t like everything YOU read, do you? If someone doesn’t like your work, that’s them. It’s not you. Knowing that, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES are you to ARGUE WITH THE REVIEWER. Do not engage. This is only reflects badly on you, not the reviewer. Good (or great) reviews may – sometimes – be returned with a sincere and BRIEF ‘thank you’, but don’t get into a dialog with your reviewer. It’s just not done. Take the review and move on – if it’s a good review, move on by talking about it. If it’s a bad review – vent PRIVATELY – THEN MOVE ON. It’s the professional thing to do.