bad reviews

I’ve been reviewing books for more than ten years, mainly for my own book review site, aussiereviews. I love sharing the word about books with readers and, along the way, promoting the work of wonderful Australian creators and publishers. But it wasn’t until my own books were published and, subsequently, reviewed that I understood the impact of a review.

Reviews are important, in my opinion, for several reasons:

They help sell books. By reading reviews, people hear about the book and might go out and buy it (or, online, click through a link and order it).
They are free advertising for a book. (If they are positive reviews)
For potential readers/teachers/librarians and booksellers they inform them about new books, highlighting their appeal, strengths and weaknesses, so they can make informed purchasing decisions
For authors, they can make you feel good (if the review is positive) and (whether positive or negative) they provide feedback.

Note that I’ve put the benefits to the author last because, in the end, reviews are not written for authors – or, at least, they shouldn’t be. They should be written for potential buyers and readers.Along the way that means they help authors to sell books and to learn, but that’s really incidental.

So I knew all this, of course I did. But then, having written a couple of thousand reviews of other people’s books, I started to get reviewed. My earliest trade titles, Doggy Duo, Floatingest Frog and Pemberthy Bear garnered a few reviews. But when my first verse novel, Pearl Verses the World, was published, suddenly lots of reviews started coming in. My little book was reviewed in newspapers, magazines, on websites and on blogs. It is still being reviewed, almost three years after it was first published.

Before Pearl was released, I’d had lots of people tell me how good it was – my mum, my kids, my editor, my friends. But then it was released intot he big wide world and I had to face what people who DIDN’T know me would say. Waiting for those first reviews was scary.

But then they started coming. And reviewers seemed to like it. They said things like:
This slender little book is, like its heroine, a treasure.
(Magpies, May 2009) and
Expertly written.
(Coast Kids, June 2009) and
A poignancy that is truly touching.
(Reading Time, August 2009)

Reading these reviews made me feel pretty good. They stroked my ego and made me feel like a real author. I printed them out. I showed them to anyone who’d read them. I cried tears of joy when I read them.

But then…

I got a bad review.

And it wasn’t just a little bit bad. The reviewer (in a big name newspaper) hated my book. She said the verse was clunky and that she just didn’t feel moved to care about Pearl. Added to this, the title of the book was misspelled and I wasn’t attributed as the author. Instead, the poor illustrator copped the criticism for her writing skills. (Note, I’ve not named the paper or the reviewer because I do not wish either of them ill-will.)

It was not a good review. There was nothing nice said about the book. Interestingly, the first thing that happened after this review, was that no one wanted to tell me about it. I knew my book was being reviewed on that date, but being interstate couldn’t buy the paper. But friends saw it, and didn’t know whether they should show me it. Once I did see it, I had an email from my publicist trying to reassure me. And my Mum and Dad were very cross on my behalf!

But me? To be really honest, I was a little cross at the misspelling and the mix up over the author, but as for the comments, I was able to get over them pretty quickly. I guess I was lucky because there had been lots of nice reviews previously, so I was able to focus on those instead.

But did I learn anything from this bad review? Yep.

Not everyone will like every one of my books – just as they may not like my new haircut, my new dress, or (shock horror) me.
Clever titles get misspelled (and the verses/versus thing has been a recurrent problem for this book)
Reviews matter to the person being reviewed – but they aren’t FOR that person.
Stuff happens – and then you move on. I couldn’t change the review. I had no right of reply, so worrying about it wasn’t going to do a thing.

In the three years since then, I’ve had lots more reviews – for Pearl, for Snowy’s Christmas and for Toppling. There’s been lots more good ones and, I’ll admit, others that were not so good. I read them, I smile (if they’re good) or feel a bit sad (if they’re bad) and then I try to move on. With a new book coming out next month, I know I’ll be waiting eagerly for those first few reviews especially which tell me how my book is being received, but then I’ll get busy with my next project.

Reviews do matter – but they can’t rule a writer’s life.

Want to see what two other Aussie authors think about getting reviewed? Head over to Meg McKinlay’s blog As In Egg and then to Anna Branford’s blog. As you can see, we’ve all got together and blogged about the same topic on the same day, so we’d love to hear what you think about our varying perspectives.
And, if you haven’t yet visited my review site, Aussiereviews, please do. It’s just been relaunched with a brand new look.

Amidst the whirl of celebrations for the release of Pearl Verses the World, and some wonderful feedback in the form of reviews and emails and nice comments from lots of sources, I have to confess that the book got a bad review.

I’m not naming the publication or reviewer (though will say the review is not, to my knowledge, online), because obviously I don’t want to send you off to read something which basically says my book is not worth reading and also because I recognise, as a reviewer myself, that a reviewer must write honestly about their response to a book. The review is not intended to stroke the author’s ego, or the reviewer’s, but to inform potential readers and purchasers.

Anyway, in this instance I was able to get over the negative review fairly quickly because:
a) I’ve been fortunate to get lots of positive reviews for the book.
b) I’m a reviewer myself so do understand that sometimes a negative review is needed.

But I wanted to reflect a little on what an author can or should do when they receive a negative review. Let’s assume that the reviewer has said your characters are one-dimensional, or your plot is thin, or that your rhyme is forced (I had a review like that once and it hurt till I remembered I had used that phrase myself for someone else’s work). Anyway, the reviewer is not a huge fan of your book, and now s/he’s shared that message with the world.

The first thing to do, if it will make you feel better, is to tear the review into tiny little pieces and burn them, or (if it is an online review) throw things at the monitor. Whinge to your mother, your husband or your best friend. Drink a glass of wine and eat a block of chocolate.

Then get over it.

The truth is, every writer gets a bad review sometime. And a heap of bad reviews could affect your sales. However, the truth is the success of your book does not depend on glowing reviews. Not every purchase decision is made based on reviews there are many consumers, librarians and booksellers who do not have the time to inclination to read reviews. There are also many people who will seek out a book and read it because of, rather than in spite of, bad reviews. They want to see if the reviewer is right.

There are two more things you should do. Do consider, once you’ve calmed down, whether the negative comments the reviewer made have any relevance. Can you learn from the comments they’ve made to avoid making the same mistakes next time? Also, have you read the review thoroughly? The negative review may, in fact, just be a negative sentence or phrase. The reviewer who said my rhyme was forced, also, if I remember rightly, said she liked the storyline. She didn’t hate the book – she was just telling it as she saw it.

Can you get the reviewer to change their mind? No. It is considered bad etiquette to contact the reviewer about a review . Remember a book review is one person’s opinion, not a personal favour to you, the author – and it is also not a debate. Unfortunately, you are going to have to accept that this particular reviewer doesn’t like your book. Sending hate mail or even a perfectly reasonable note explaining why they are wrong won’t change their review once it has been published, and may further alienate the reviewer so that they feel negatively towards you, rather than your book. I will mention one exception to this – and that is, in the very rare instance where a reviewer may contact you about a review they have written. Again, it is generally considered a breach of reviewing etiquette for a reviewer to contact the reviewee directly, but it does happen, and if a reviewer has contacted you and asked you about your response, then a carefully considered reply, pointing out why you disagree with their comments, may be appropriate.

Lastly, the best thing you can do about a bad review is to seek out, and reread, some positive feedback on your book – another review, the acceptance letter from the publisher, whatever you have. Remember, a publisher has invested time and money on your book, so it must be good. Pick it up. Look at the beautiful cover with YOUR name on it, and feel good.

And, back to Pearl Verses the World, because it is May and I am spending May celebrating its release, here are just some of the positive reviews Pearl has received:

Susan Whelan wrote As much as this story is about loss, loneliness and the need to connect with others, it is also a celebration of the beauty and power of poetry and the ability for emotion to be expressed with honesty and passion through this form of writing. You can read all of Susan’s review here.

Dee White wrote: This effortlessly crafted story will appeal to anybody who knows what it’s like to feel as if everyone else belongs, but you are just ‘a group of one’. The author uses simplicity to convey great depth, and it’s clear that each word has had to earn its place in this story. You can read the rest of Dee’s review here.

and The Book Chook wrote: it’s important to offer books to children that allow them to consider the big issues in life. Death and dying, feelings of abandonment and lack of power are all issues kids must eventually face. Books like this are empowering, they help a child know she is not alone, and that there are ways of coping, and being strong. Pearl Verses the World would make a great acquisition for libraries, and be an excellent choice for study in the primary school. It is a novel that offers a voice to every child who needs one. You can read the full review here.

My heart sings every time I read these reviews and others like them. Life is good.

sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

When the Reviewer Gets Reviewed

What to Do If You Get a Bad Review