How to Respond to Bad Reviews

It’s simple, really:

Moxie Pictures » Grindhouse – Don't Trailer

Tongue-in-cheek simplicity aside, authors responding poorly to reviews and reviewers is something that’s been going on far too long; tends to target independent reviewers who read and review on their own time and dime; is unnecessary; is unkind; and in all likelihood is worse for your book than any review will ever be.

When an author disparages a reviewer, I notice that reviewers tend to do the legwork of making the simple plea to be treated like human beings. They should not be the only ones speaking up or writing lengthy posts. I wanted to write in support of reviewers and to let my fellow authors know that being cruel to someone who didn’t shower your book with stars is unacceptable and a surefire way to get me to never read your stuff.

The latest instance that prompted this post is Lauren Hough’s mean and unnecessary tweets attacking a Goodreads reviewer for giving her book 4 stars instead of 5. Yes, a 4-star review. She also responded by calling Goodreads reviewers who round down a 4.5 review to 4 stars (since Goodreads doesn’t allow half-star ratings) as “assholes” and said, “No one likes you.” I purposefully use “attacking” without hyperbole because she is in a position of power and tried to use it to draw attention to a Goodreads reviewer who does not have her following nor her celebrity. It backfired spectacularly, but people put on blast by celebrity Twitter presences aren’t always so lucky.

But celebrities using their power to get their followers to bully someone is for another essay. Hough thought it was acceptable to say these things because of a book review. She thought a book reviewer doing their job warranted calling that reviewer an asshole. A lot of authors act like Hough.

These authors may not flame out as spectacularly as Hough did on Twitter, but they’re out there all the same. They search their name, find poor reviews of their books, then play victim on Twitter because someone didn’t like their book. They call reviewers arrogant, entitled, wrong, children, whiny, bad readers, a multitude of names. They say reviews and reviewers are a scourge ruining books and ruining reading. I think the bigger scourge is authors acting like dicks.

Further, these attacks are usually on reviewers who are: 1) women/women-identifying (especially women of color), 2) independent, and 3) doing the reviews for free as opposed to working for a paying publication. These authors aren’t writing screeds of their suffering against the book reviewer equivalent of Anton Ego in Ratatouille. They’re focusing on book bloggers, bookstagrammers, Goodreads influencers, and other grassroots reviewers that are, in their eyes, an easier target.

It’s always wrong to be cruel. Someone not liking your book, or not liking your book as much as you do, or not worshiping your book at the altar of the #shelfie, is not an open invite to be an asshole. Someone took the time to read your book and write their thoughts on it. Be grateful! As someone who writes for a (side) living, I can barely write more than two sentences about a book I read because reviewing books is hard! These reviewers are working their ass off for something they love. They don’t deserve to be treated like garbage because you can’t handle critique.

Look, no one likes a bad review or even a mediocre review of their work. I don’t look at low-star reviews of my work with a smile and hands clasped saying, “Thank you.” But you know what else I don’t do? Screenshot those reviews and act like a giant asshole on Twitter about it. I brush it off, move on, and keep writing. If it’s particularly harsh, I maybe talk about my hurt feelings with my husband or my editor. But then I move on! Because reviews aren’t personal–but attacking reviewers is, and it’s shitty and needs to stop.

So fellow authors: if you see a review of your work that displeases you, and you’re thinking about calling out the reviewer or even making passive complaints about reviewers in general, I have one piece of advice:

Grindhouse Trailer on Coub

“Seeing Things” is Now Available!

I’m proud to announce that my third novel, Seeing Things, is now available in ebook and paperback!

seeing things by sonora taylor
Cover Art by Doug Puller

The book follows Abby Gillman, who has discovered that with growing up, there comes a lot of blood. But nothing prepares her for the trail of blood she sees in the hallway after class – or the ghost she finds crammed inside an abandoned locker.

No one believes Abby, of course. She’s only seeing things. As much as Abby wants to be believed, what she wants more is to know why she can suddenly see the dead. Unfortunately, they won’t tell her. In fact, none of them will speak to her. At all.

Abby leaves for her annual summer visit to her uncle’s house with tons of questions. The visit will give her answers the ghosts won’t – but she may not like what she finds out.

The book is already generating buzz: see what authors and reviewers have to say about the book so far!

You can purchase Seeing Things in ebook and paperback on Amazon, with more markets to follow soon.

Thanks for reading!

Summer Reading: Pride Edition

Happy Pride! The entire month of June is a recognition, celebration, and honoring of LGBTQIA individuals. While there are many ways to celebrate, I plan to spend part of June reading books by LGBTQIA authors.

One of my 2019 resolutions was to read at least one book per month that someone recommended to me. I put out a request on Twitter for recommended reads by queer authors. One user recommended White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi, which is on its way to my front door as we speak. I look forward to reading that one!

As far as my own recommendations, here are some books I’ve enjoyed that were written by LGBTQIA authors. I recommend them for Pride month and, of course, for any month.

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado — a fascinating collection of feminist horror. My favorite story was “Inventories.”

Difficult Women by Roxane Gay — another great collection of short fiction. My favorite story was “Water, All Its Weight.”

Dry by Augusten Burroughs — Burroughs is one of my favorite authors, and you really can’t go wrong with any of his books.

Letters for Lucardo, Vol. 1 by Otava Heikkilä — a tender, erotic comic about a May-December romance between a human and a vampire.

F4 by Larissa Glaser — a wild, crazy, sexy creature tale that’s perfect for summer.

The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag — a graphic novel about a young boy who yearns to be a witch.

I Can’t Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I’ve Put My Faith in Beyoncé by Michael Arcenaux — a wonderful, funny collection of essays.

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby — I laughed now just remembering this book. The essays within are a scream.

The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Allison Bechdel — a “best of” treasury of Bechdel’s amazing comic.

Do you have any recommended reads for Pride? Leave them in the comments below!

New Flash Piece, “Stick Figure Family,” featured in Mercurial Stories.

I’m proud to have a flash piece featured in Mercurial Stories’ special horror-themed issue. Check out my story, “Stick Figure Family,” along with fourteen other chilling tales.

Mercurial Stories

I have never liked horror stories. As an overly empathetic person, it is impossible for me to watch slasher films or read about the brusque removal of entrails. I have never understood the point of gratuitous violence, of being purposefully revolting, nor have I ever sought to understand.

With Issue 36’s prompt though, I have begun to consider the appeal. With horror stories, death and gore are expected. The only happy ending is escape. Horror stories address, very boldly in most cases, the senselessness, the obscene viciousness of this life. In dramatic stories, death usually occurs to emphasise life while in horror stories, it is the opposite: life emphasises death. Horror stories give us a safe (albeit offensive) space to examine our human condition along with all its heinous possibilities while (not-so-gently) reminding us that death is part of life (and vice versa).

My dearly departed friend Alan, the one…

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Getting Spooky with Quoth the Raven Contributor Sonora Taylor

I was interviewed by fellow author Tiffany Michelle Brown. Both of us have stories in “Quoth the Raven” – which you can pick up a copy of at http://www.books2read.com/quoththeraven. Check out our conversation, and be on the lookout for my interview with Tiffany in a couple weeks!

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To celebrate the release of Quoth the Raven, edited by Lyn Worthen and published by Camden Park Press, I’m getting cozy with my fellow anthology contributors to learn more about their stories and what inspires their dark little writers’ hearts.

Next, I’m interviewing Sonora Taylor, author of “Hearts are Just ‘Likes'” in Quoth the Raven.

Quoth the Raven celebrates the eerie and influential legacy of Edgar Allan Poe. What is it about Edgar Allan Poe’s work that speaks to you (perhaps from the grave)?

I love that his work focuses on a slow building of unease that culminates in terror, as opposed to jump scares, “Gotcha” endings, or supernatural creatures. I’ve read some great horror that incorporates those things, but the horror that sticks with me the most is atmospheric, slow-burn horror that’s rooted in reality – and if something otherworldly is present, it’s not the scariest…

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