Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop!
Today’s topic is: How do you deal with negative feedback? Do you have tips for critiquing other writers’ work?
And remember to visit my fellow writers to see what they have come up with. You can find their works here!
In some regards, I’ve been lucky not to have received any massively negative reviews for Chasing Shadows as yet. I should preface this with the fact that I’ve not actually had all that many reviews. They seem to be rarer than hens’ teeth, but that’s something for another post. I always thought I’d probably be okay with any negative reviews when they come through. I’ve spent many years as a book reviewer so I’ve got used to giving my views – good and bad.
When it comes to giving my own critiques, I try to keep things as subjective as possible. That said, reviews are very much personal to the writer. So I do make it clear that if I love/hate a book, it’s down to my opinion for one reason or another. I attempt to make it clear what I don’t like and why without giving anything away. The biggest thing for me, though, is to not be needlessly nasty or personal. There is absolutely no need for it. More than ever, having written my own book, I know the time, energy and commitment an author puts into writing a book, so being nasty for the sake of it is unnecessary.
One thing that I do struggle with, however, is the middling or low rating with no context. A 3, 2 or 1-star rating on Amazon or GoodReads in and of itself isn’t an issue. But without even just a single line of text to say why it’s rated what it is can be somewhat infuriating. A review need not be War and Peace, but a line or two does wonders to tell the author what it was that you didn’t like, or if it’s just personal taste. A low rating with no comment sticks in my mind though.
Steven Smith 
Sometimes that low rating without text can be done with malice just for the sake of it, and then we are stuck with it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Luckily it wasn’t massively low, a 3. But I am just frustrated to not know why it’s not higher or lower. Why down the middle?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s just their opinion.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh very true. But a line or two would have been nice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed. Some people seem to have nothing better to do with their lives.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agreed.
LikeLike
A rating with no reason given is frustrating for sure. @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mine was 3 star. Not the worst. But infuriating as I don’t know what led to a 3 star rating and not a higher score.
LikeLike
A low rating with no comment doesn’t even count, in my opinion.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had one, not the lowest at 3 stars, but no feedback. Really frustrating.
LikeLike
I hate ratings with no context. Tell me what you thought, even if it’s only a couple of words, please. You might just make my next book so much better.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree. You gain nothing from a one-star without a comment. Did the person hate the book or just doesn’t like your author photo? Did they pass out while doing the review and accidentally hit the one-star? Do they just hate mankind and give all books they read a low rating? Who knows? While I don’t enjoy the “I hate this book” reviews, they at least don’t leave questions in my mind.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mine luckily was a 3 star, but still annoying. I agree those are not nice reviews, but maybe some people could soften the blow and say “it’s not for me”.
LikeLike
Pingback: Open Book Blog Hop – Pros and Cons | aurorawatcherak
I’ve gotten ratings both high and low with no reason given. With the high rating my thought is “well, okay, I’ll take it.” The low rating ends up having a similar effect to a rock in my shoe. It aggravates me.
LikeLiked by 1 person