Let's say you just got your first bad review. Man, it was a doozy. As a matter of fact, it was horrid. What can you do about it? You'd like to defend your title against the person ripping it, right? Well, hope isn't all lost. I'll tell you how to turn a bad review into your favor. I know that some reviewers can be harsh with reviews. They have the right to do so as honest reviewers. First you'll have to accept that. If you didn't want a bad review, you shouldn't have put your title to the public. Reviews are supposed to be for the readers, but they can affect an author. Having said that, the article shall continue. I've read quite a few bad reviews in my time. I've seen some that appeared to be doomed and there's no saving it; but there is! Almost all of the bad reviews will say something postive about the book in aroundabout way. An example would be, "This book is the worst piece of junk ever! The story had a good premise, and it looked promising. It lacked a good plot, and it was just terrible! I'm extemely disappointed." Okay, some of you see the good part already. I'm glad that you're seeing it. Let's take the part about it having a good premise and it looked promising. Now, let's take and do what the movie studios do. They only take the good parts to advertise their product. You could take the "good premise" and "looked promising" and post it on your website. The reviewer won't like it, because it would defeat their whole purpose. If a reviewer posts something terrible, turn it into your favor. If by chance there is nothing good they've said about the book, just leave it alone. You'll eventually get a good one to balance it out. Don't try to add to reviews, but you can shorten them to get the blurb you need. The bad review will still be on B&N or Amazon or wherever it may be. The reviewer still has that to speak out against the book they didn't like. On the other side of the token, you have just turned the bad review into something that you could use. It's a wise idea to never bring attention to a bad review. You'll always want to praise and promote the good ones. It's wise for an author to never study the reviews they receive. The good ones will make you feel good, but if you get a couple of bad ones you'll start doubting yourself. I've had so many reviews now, the bad ones don't bother me anymore. I wanted to share this insight for those who may be having a hard time getting over their first bomber. Just relax and stay postive! |
