When my first book was published back in 2019, I watched the reviews for it like a hawk. I was very needy and desperate for my book to be well received and gobbled up any kind of commentary for them. I mean, being honest, I still am. These days you won’t see me go near the comment section of my book on Amazon, GoodRead, or any other places to allow book reviews. And I have a valid reason for this.

As an author, I know better than anyone the importance of book reviews. They can make or break a book’s success. But as someone who has also been on the receiving end of a scathing review, I’ve learned that they’re not always meant for the author but the readers. 

This has always been a hard pill to swallow for new authors because we are still learning to toughen our skin and the urge to step in and correct misinterpretations. As an example, I still have a review from someone who didn’t read my book. They read the sample chapter and then made a gross assumption about how the book would go and wrote about that instead of what is there. But that’s their right to do.

Let’s explore why the reviews are for our reader. I hope you’ll stick around until the end to hear my thoughts on why we should embrace bad reviews (yes, you read that right) and use that feedback while working on your future works. 

What are Book reviews?

Before diving into the details of the pros and cons of book reviews, I want us to be on the same page of what book reviews are. Book reviews are basically critical appraisals of books. They can be positive, negative, or a mix of both. Good book reviews help readers decide whether they want to read a particular book or not. A book review is usually feedback on the writer’s writing style, the concept of the book, the characters in the book, and how well the book is written overall. 

Positive reviews are great, but…

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the positive reviews our books receive. And there’s nothing wrong with that – positive reviews are amazing! They help boost our confidence and make us feel good about our work. But we need to remember that not all reviews are going to be positive. In fact, some might be quite negative and pretending those reviews are ‘dumb’ or ‘don’t get it’ is not the stance to take for their commentary. While positive reviews give us a boost of excitement and confidence, negative reviews can be hard to take. They can make us question our abilities as authors and make us doubt our writing. Hell, I’ve read reviews that were personal attacks against me as a person because they didn’t like my story.

However, it’s important to remember that book reviews – both positive and negative – are not meant for the author. They’re meant for the readers. 

Here are some points for why reviews are meant for readers, not authors,

Reviews are not Conversation

One thing I have always (always, always, always, always) told authors is to not respond to review. Don’t let your friends or family do it, either. It’s a bad look if you try to engage with the reviews and 9 times out of 10 it makes you look immature, fragile, and defensive.

A review is not a conversation between the author and the reviewer. It’s a one-way street. The author writes the book, and the reviewer reads it. That’s it. There’s no going back and forth, no discussion, no debate. Once the review is written, it’s out there for everyone to see. 

This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. On the one hand, it’s great that anyone can read a review and get an idea of what the book is like without having to actually read it. On the other hand, it can be frustrating as an author because we can’t respond to the reviewer or explain our side of the story. 

Reviews are Subjective

Remember my comment before about the review of the person that didn’t even read the book? Well, a review is subjective like that. It’s one person’s opinion. Just because one person didn’t like our book doesn’t mean that everyone will feel the same way. In fact, there might be plenty of people who love our book – even if the reviewer hated it. No two people are alike, and so, there’s a very good chance for the reader to not understand where you’re coming from, what you’re trying to communicate in the book. 

Sometimes bad reviews will also help advertise your book to others as well. For example, when I was trying to find a new romance to read, someone had left a very brutal review for one book about how the book had “too much sex” and “just an overprotective beefcake” and some other commentary. You bet I spent my shiny penny on that book and the three that followed it despite that review.

It’s important to remember that not everyone is going to “get” our book. And that’s okay. In marketing we have target audience because it is impossible to make everyone happy (unless you are a taco). Just because one person doesn’t like it doesn’t mean that it’s a bad book. 

Commenting on Reviewers is Unprofessional.

When we receive a negative review, it’s easy to want to lash out at the reviewer. We might be tempted to leave a comment defending our book or trying to explain our side of the story. But as tempting as it might be, it’s important to remember that this is unprofessional and will only make us look bad. 

And it also looks bad with your friends and family come to combat the review on your behalf. It’s very easy to tell who those people are in relation to you and it will made you and your book look worse in the eyes of potential readers if they feel they will be attacked by your group for not liking your work. No reviews and no buys are worse than buys with honest reviews.

The best thing we can do is just ignore the urge to respond to negative reviews. Easier said than done, I know. But trust me, it’s the best thing we can do.

Consider the Negative Review

I could probably write an entire blog post on this (and maybe I will) about what to do with negative reviews. Before, I mentioned to ignore the urge to respond to the negative review but not the review itself. No one is telling you to mentally flog yourself by reviewing negative feedback non-stop, but they can be helpful.

When I review my negative reviews, I am looking for similarities in the commentary. Pick any book out there and see if you can find what the general disgruntlement for a book is. Maybe it is shallow characters, see through plot, lacking descriptions, whatever. If a book really is a dumpster fire, there is going to be things said about what doesn’t make it work.

Negative reviews, while very hard to digest, are probably the most brutal feedback you can get for your writing. These reviewers don’t know you, don’t care about their feelings, and spent their money on a product that they aren’t satisfied with. Wouldn’t you want to know why?

The author of The Host had a brother who went through all mail she received and never let her see the negative commentary for her works. Some of it was constructive criticism for her books and some of it was pretty petty commentary, but she never got to see it. Instead, she was only fed the positive and continued on with the tropes and writing style more and more people were having a complaint about. 

You could live like that or you could grow as a writer.

Reviews are not a good source of validation of your writing skills.

Book reviews should not be used as a source of validation for our writing skills. Why? Because, like I said before, reviews are subjective. One person might love our book, and another might hate it. And so using reviews to validate our writing skills is not a good idea because we’re never going to please everyone. Book reviews are solely for the reader, not for the author.

Conclusion

Don’t worry when someone leaves a bad review for your book. It’s as natural as rain. It’s not about you; it’s about the reader and their experience. And remember, reviews are subjective- what one person loves, another may hate. Take the valid feedback where you can and ignore the nonsense elsewhere. Keep writing because you love it, and let the validation come from within.

Speaking of reviews!

If you happen to read something I wrote, I would appreciate your honest feedback on it either on Amazon or GoodReads. Thanks!

If you’re writing non-fiction, research will probably make or break your book. If you are writing fiction, it can still make or break your book depending on what you are writing and how. It can deliver ideas on which to shape your characters and storyline for fiction.

Got a town you are writing about but never been there? May want to look it up.

Writing about a demographic you know nothing about—homeless or such—and want to represent it accurately rather than going off assumptions? Plenty of articles and videos out there for you to comb through if you don’t want to reach out and talk to those groups.

Have your story set in a historical period of time you romantize about? A little reserach will keep the history buffs off your back when it comes to customs, fashion, and important events taking place durning your story.

I could go on…but let’s stick to the topic of doing research as an author.

You can go into the research period with no solid agenda and materialize with a perfect idea of how your story will develop. Or, if you have previous ideas, research permits you to develop them additionally. Concerning reader expectation, research is vital in genres like chronological fiction, as it will help you make a precise world and position the story in realism.

When people read a story, they want to immerse themselves into your world. The’ fictional world’ is busted if you present something that’s jarring for the reader because they know it is wrong. How many of us have that friend who can’t watch sci-fi movies because the science is wrong? For many genres, research can help you circumvent this. The answer is ordinarily affirmative if you’re writing a novel and speculating whether you need to research it. The identical rules that relate to non-fiction writers don’t automatically apply to novelists, but research is still a significant step in preparing to write a novel. Here are some tips on how to research:

Read, read, and read some more!

The initial research stage is usually investigative and involves reading whatever benefits you. As you go deeper, you’ll see your research becoming more concentrated. You’ll begin inquiring questions about specific locations, antiquities, or situations that include your subject matter. At this instant, your interests will not only direct your selection of materials, but they will also correspondingly help you begin organizing your novel. Take summaries, utilize bookmarks, add page numbers, and mention your sources as you study. Papers, magazines, Wikipedia, a website, and your local library are fantastic resources in this attempt. Street View, available on Google Maps, can be a practical tool for topographical research.

Watch documentaries and look for relevant podcasts. These media can cover as much research as an ordinary book or a magazine.

Chat with people around you

Even though reading is a priceless research tool, it is rarely sufficient. One of these days, it will be essential to talk to others. Talking to people about their desires can offer viewpoints that you won’t locate in books, and it can convey an eagerness and genuineness that will prevail in your writing. Meeting people personally might also encourage ideas for your characters.

Visit different places

Stopover a location you’ve never been to before— either a real place from a setting you’ve selected or just a place near you that you find fascinating. When you first land at the site, don’t jot down or photograph anything. Instead, spend some time engrossing it through your wits. Take note of the things that affect you most. Keep in mind to include the sensory particulars—what it sensed and smelled and appeared like.

Go for what you love.

Your selection should always be cognizant of your interests, so submerge yourself in books, TV, movies, and others that encourage you. You’ll be amassing the basics for your novel. Have faith in your discrimination. You’re going to be working with these topics for a long time, so select things that appeal to you enough to endure you over the development of a novel.

The Research Process

Countless writers fail to publish or even begin outlining their books since they’re trapped in the research procedure. Here we’ll show you some essential steps to do your research as detailed as conceivable and evade the trap that countless writers fall prey to–researching their books incessantly.

#1 – Plan everything from the very start

I tell everyone they have one month to research and they are done. You can’t start writing if you are always stuck in a research loop. Will you have to come back later to do more research? Probably. But you’ll have something to edit and not write. Big difference there.

Research is an essential part of writing, and with some genera (like historical fiction), it’s unmanageable to begin without research. Nevertheless, before you select a single book or open a fresh tab in the call of research, there is something you must do: Plan, plan and plan.

There’s a whole subject named research design in the academic world, which shows researchers how to select their research methods, span out their timeline, and sketch their research process. Specialized researchers have to orchestrate their research before they perform any research. This proves very beneficial when it comes to funding, but it correspondingly helps them stay focused and guarantees that their research project is binding.

However, it would be best to be mindful of what not to do. A researcher doesn’t just sightlessly pick up a book and go where their instinct tells them (although this does make up a share of the process) or start investigating and follow what’s stimulating. Initially, they plan, set a precise end date, and then implement.

This means you should have a well-defined end date for your research process, where you vow you’ll start writing no matter how tiny, copious, or what sort of data you’ve collected. It likewise means that you keep thinking about where you’ll collect your research and the amount you’re aiming to collect before beginning.

As fascinating as auxiliary data can be, you don’t want to get too sidetracked. Keep your research absorbed in the subject matter. If something seems thought-provoking, jot it down for the yet to come. Perhaps it could be added to your subsequent book.

#2 – Talk to someone who’s been through the trouble

Frequently, writing feels like a lonely struggle. Despite everything, it is just you and yourself looking at a screen, drumming away at a keyboard for hours consecutively. But even though it feels like a deserted mission, it doesn’t mean you have to brood, particularly in research.

Regardless of your subject, there’s a nearly positive chance that somebody else has done the dirty work for you.

Somebody who has absorbed themselves in the field, located all the right information, evaded all the wrong turns and had found the holy grail. So why not ask them for their knowledge?

#3 – Don’t be a Quibbler

There’s a possibility that if you’re at all times wanted to write a book, you’ve got a quibbler touch. But talking about book research, you’ll want to keep it to yourself only. As tempting as it may be to share everything you learned with your reader, they need enough to make the world work, not an informative essay from you to them.

You want to be a toughie in your research. Don’t settle for a

nything less than best when it comes to what you want to put in your book. Concentrate on the finest books for the keywords you’ve recognized, and don’t get distracted. Practical research is important–find pieces of evidence and information that will make your book more attention-grabbing, not investigations that you find appealing.

That’s It

That’s it for this week. Research is important to me and should be to you as a writer. Never skip the process but don’t lose yourself in it, either. How much research is too much for you?