The Psychological Impact of a Review

[Richard]

You've done the work, you've put in the time and resources, and now it is out there just waiting to attract attention.

The first review comes in. It's great The next review comes in. Not so good so on and so on.

How much do you let reviews affect what you do? Do good reviews give you validation? Does where the review originates from give you validation? Do you let negative reviews get you down?

I'll share my first review for my latest book for a little perspective.

www.amazon.com/MuTerra-ebook/product-reviews/B008Z0O4C2/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Unfortunately, the reviewer got it wrong in the first sentence. In my book, the earth is not hit by a comet. I go to great lengths to explain what happened.

Barring that, it was a very fair review even though I only received 3 stars. Before I get to the "star" rating, let me provide information to say why I support a review that some may consider less than stellar.

The main complaint in the review was about it being more "story" based highlighting the fact that there was so much "background" detail or explanation.

This was by design. The story centers on a new earth, a new society, and new elements within that society, and on that earth. Nothing is the same. That involves a platform, or stage, that has to be set in the readers mind. It is the beginning of a series.

The sequel will be character centered as the need for background information is no longer necessary.

That being said, I agree with the reviewer. I am looking at the project as a whole, not as a single story as a reviewer would.

Now, about those stars.

Everyone wants a 5 star rating. How many classic stories, or even famous authors get all 5 star ratings? Is your work on the same level?

Ratings sell, but honestly, are there really that many 5 star rated books out there? And, what is it that rated them so high?

Don't let ratings get you down. I've read independent authored books where they had hundreds of high ratings, only to come away thinking they had an awful lot of friends writing reviews for them

Nelson Demille is one of my favorite contemporary authors. When I see he has an average of 3-4 stars on most of his books, after hundreds of ratings, that puts things in perspective.

Check out your favorite authors, see how they average, and then read their bad reviews on why others don't like them.

Don't let reviews get you down. If you get a 3, like me, that is actually pretty damn good!

Also, it is only 1 review. I have received 4 and 5 stars from another book of mine, so I don't get too excited either way. It is always nice to be appreciated though.

Keep writing.

[Richard]

Some 'select' comments from the second confirmed purchase review:

"This part of the plot was fascinating to me!"

"The end of the book is a cracker and it was great to read."

"Although some parts seemed a bit cliche and predictable..... it was all so interesting and such a good read i didnt mind "

"If you like these types of novels, then i highly recommend this one"

"I enjoyed this book"

And I still got another 3 star rating. Why would I think this is still good?

Compare this.

The Belgariad by David Eddings www.amazon.com/Pawn-Prophecy-The-Belgariad-Book/dp/B000VZPW5W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347989959&sr=1-1&keywords=the+belgariad

I've read this ten book series, of which this is the first book, several times, and Mr. Eddings is a masterful story teller.

If you look at his reviews, he has a total of 79 reviews at 3 stars or less. To me that is unbelievable. If anyone likes this particular genre, I don't know how they could rate it so low. Mr. Eddings' writing talent is second to none.

In other words, look at the positive from reviews, learn from them, but don't let them get you down if they are not what you were hoping for.

[Lily]

In a nutshell, it's impossible to please everyone, so don't even try.

[Richard]

Sept 18, 2012 13:30:15 GMT -5 Lily said:

In a nutshell, it's impossible to please everyone, so don't even try.

I agree. But, writers should still get other opinions about their work before they even put it out. Sometimes it just isn't "print" quality.

[Richard]

One other frustrating thing about a review is that the writer has no ability to challenge the review. Sometimes reviewers just get things wrong.

Both of my first two reviewers made erroneous statements about the story line. It makes you wonder how closely they are reading it.

Anyone else get frustrated when a review is in error about your work?

[Lily]

I deal with bad reviews by never adding them to my website. Only the favourable ones go there. And remember, irritating though they may be, every author gets them.