Reviews are something authors and other artists have to live with.
With today's tech-savvy population, this gush of information (good and bad) is going to continue until we lose access to technology. It could happen - apocalyptic-type scenarios are some of the best sellers.
Hey, I think it's smart to give reviews - good or bad. I especially like the fact we educate/warn other consumers. One of the things Amazon offers is for people to click on a button that claims your review has helped them.
I do this a lot when I want to buy something and someone has warned me about the defects; whether mechanical or mental....like a book I considered reading has smut or the fact a particular company always seems to have a problem counting to ten and only sends eight of a product.
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| Trolls at work |
On the other hand, there is something called 'trolling.' This means a person/persons with nothing better to do with their time find something for sale that's doing well and gives a one-star review - usually ranting about the negative aspects of a book/product they've never read/used. The reward for their behavior is to get a rise out of people and the attention that comes with it. Here is a link to tell you more about it:
My advice about trolls: don't feed their frenzy. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but trolls need to find a different hobby.
My advice concerning reviews: Choose the higher road. Use respect. Always take the best of what you can learn in the reviews about your work and leave the trolls behind. Seek improvement, yes, but don't beat yourself up over the fact you put the apostrophe in the wrong place.
I write the best stories I can, but I don't expect every person on the planet to like them. That would be unrealistic. Some people will only read non-fiction. Others only Sci-Fi or only religious books, etc.
I'm not perfect and my books are not perfect. I write the stories I'd want to read and I do the best I can with the resources God has blessed me with.
Here's a fact you may not know: at current editing rates, to get one of my (currently) 18 books professionally edited will take $30-40 per hour and that's for basic copy editing and you only get 8-10 pages out of it! I often write 300+ page novels. You do the math and you'll see why I don't get a "pro" to do it. Besides, the public seems to like my books, so I'm not getting caught up in all the grammar and punctuation Nazis' advice - and their offer to do the job for $$$.
I seldom get reviews about my typo-s or broken grammar rules, but every now and then someone better educated than I am (and there are many), points out my flaws. With that said, at least once, I've had to question if the novel they left a review for even had a problem. Why? because that person later contacted me and tried to sell me on their editing business.
As an independent author, I've made many changes - covers, edits, etc. When someone finds a real problem with my work I make changes (usually my editors have combed through twice or more - by the way, I have had four editors - 2 of the four remain) but they are human as well and the more familiar you become with something, the more you realize your mind inserts what it wants to see or knows should be there.
A major point to make: while I'm willing to correct grammar/punctuation, I do not make changes to my plots. Not do I listen to those who say please don't kill so-and-so, they are my favorite character! I can honestly say I've killed more than one of my favorite characters in the interest of the story, usually as a catalyst to inspire another character to do something.
Question to my readers: Have you noticed that there is a trend out there in the 'real' world of fiction that there are more and more type-o's, not just in self-published works, but in traditionally published books, newspapers, and even at school by teachers?
Yeah, that's what I thought. So, I'm in good company.
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