I was asked a really good question not long ago that I thought deserved a longer, perhaps more thoughtful answer.

“How do you handle negative reviews?”

Let’s face it. No matter how hard we try, we can’t please everyone with our stories. Some will love what we write and others won’t care for it. Some people seem to like to nit-pick every tiny thing they disliked, and others like to be more positive. Some readers just don’t care for certain genres that others love. So, what do I do when I get a negative review about one or more of my books?

[1.]

Remember that not everyone likes the same things.

It’s easy to think that everyone should enjoy my book, but in reality, there are genres and styles that I don’t like and things that bother or annoy me when I read. Perhaps the reviewer just doesn’t care for the genre or certain style of writing. That’s okay.

[2.]

Think about the review and see if there is something that you can improve to make your next story better.

Some reviews might mention something that I need to work on in my next story. Perhaps my character development is lacking, or maybe I didn’t develop the plot well. If it’s a remark about problems with commas I don’t usually think twice because I know there are several schools of thoughts about those and people tend to differ (sometimes very strongly!) about them.

[3.]

Give it to the Lord.

Negative reviews can hurt. They can make you feel like your story is worthless and you aren’t a good writer. If the review had nothing to do with things you can work on and improve, then give it to the Lord. Let Him have the review and don’t try to justify or defend your story.

[4.]

Take them with a grain (or a pinch) of salt.

Perhaps the reader was having a bad day and what doesn’t normally bother them just seemed magnified and obnoxious. I have to remember that readers a human too. 🙂 We all have our days when things just seem worse than usual or we’re upset about something and take it out on a poor book. Or maybe the reader just has some strange ideas.

[5.]

Learn to laugh.

This may sound strange, but really, learn to laugh. Laughter is so much easier on your emotions than crying. So if someone says a character is a brat when she’s really an extrovert expressing her excitement, don’t get all defensive for your character (believe me, your character doesn’t care!), instead, laugh.

[6.]

Talk to family or close friends.

If you just can’t laugh yet, talk about the review with some family member or a close friend. Don’t bash the reviewer, but sometimes just talking about what was said will help you see a.) what you need to work on b.) the humor of the review, or c.) how you can grow as a person.

So what about you? Are there ways you handle negative reviews of your stories? What about negative reviews of stories that you love or that were written by your friends? Do you have any other suggestions to add? Leave a comment and let me know.