As if menopause isn’t bad enough to mess with a girl’s psyche, the crazed rollercoaster of reviews has me flying high one minute, and the next sucking my thumb in the fetal position. Whimpering. I know, I know…what kind of egotistical shallow shell of a woman am I?
Apparently a very human one. Every author on earth, no matter how hard-shelled, still feels the highs and lows while visiting Reviewsville. What’s the secret to leveling out those feelings?
Don’t read reviews.
I know. This sounds too easy. But several authors I know, even big name ones, don’t read their reviews. Ever. I’m too curious to go that route, but I do see the value in not knowing the good, the bad, and the ugly that others may be publicly broadcasting. If your spirit is super tender, though, this might be the solution for you.
Glean one nugget of truth.
Good or bad, every review has some ounce of wisdom that can aid you in your writing. Take one, ONLY one, nugget from every review. If you wallow in all the cutting remarks from a negative post you’ll get depressed. On the flip side, if you suck in all the glowing admiration from a five-star, you’ll get a big head.
Look at the big picture.
Just like you must consider a Bible verse in light of the context of the entire chapter, so should you consider a review from a particular reviewer. It helps to read what the reviewer has said about other books. So maybe you earned a sucky two-star review from that person, but when you look at their other reviews, you find out all the rest of their posts are one-star. See what I mean? Context is everything.
Reviews for authors are like bronco riding for cowboys. It can be exhilarating and/or skull crushing. The trick is to hold on tight and remember you’re in this for the long haul.
The Thief of Blackfriars Lane
There’s Often a Fine Line Between a Criminal and a Saint
Constable Jackson Forge intends to make the world safer, or at least the streets of Victorian London. But that’s Kit Turner’s domain, a swindler who runs a crew that acquires money the old-fashioned way—conning the rich to give to the poor. When a local cab driver goes missing, Jackson is tasked with finding the man, and the only way to do that is by enlisting Kit’s help. If Jackson doesn’t find the cabby, he’ll be fired. If Kit doesn’t help Jackson, he’ll arrest her for thievery. Yet neither of them realize those are the least of their problems.
