A note from S.J. Francis: This is a post I found interesting and thought you would, too. Personally, after getting my book edited and then published, I would certainly not want to go back and update my book in response to negative reviews. Every one is a critic. Should you begin making changes you could find yourself in a never ending circle. One can not please all the people all the time, and in my opinion, one shouldn't try. It's a good way for a writer to make oneself crazy in an effort to please those negative review writers. Write the best possible book you can. Get it edited. Put it out there. Leave it alone. That's my feelings anyway. What do you think?
"Recently, I joined a “local” science fiction book club—a 100-mile
round trip from my house—because I wanted to take the pulse of my
audience for my self-published novel, Mindclone. The first meeting I
attended, we discussed the novel, The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin.
I greatly enjoyed this book, which uses the concept of two worlds with
opposing political and economic systems: an idealized Communism and an
extreme form of Capitalism. I’ve always believed that one of the best
uses of science fiction is to parody or otherwise explore our own world
and human nature. That meeting revealed how far apart readers can be
when assessing a given novel. Several of the members disliked the book
as either too talky or too doctrinaire, with not enough “real” science
fiction to satisfy their tastes. One member in particular opened the
discussion by declaring, “This is not science fiction. It’s sociology
set on two planets.” The discussion was thoughtful, lively and
entertaining and, for me, the beginning of a real education on sci-fi
readership. At the end of the session, it was time to choose a book for
the next meeting, three weeks later. I proposed my own novel. There was
some hesitancy, as once before, an author had offered his book for their
discussion, and the results were not good. I suggested they go to the
Amazon site and read the first three chapters for free and decide if
they wanted to review it. We chose another book for the next session,
and were to discuss my book as a possible candidate for the following
one.
"Three weeks later, we discussed Seed, by Rob Ziegler, his first novel, a story set in a dystopian world ruled by a living bio-city that creates seeds needed to sustain the remaining humans. I thought this was an excellent read, with some flaws, but it had some wonderful concepts and writing. Once again, the club was less enthused. After another lively discussion, it was time to decide if my book would be the selection for the following meeting. At this point, the member who had criticized the LeGuin novel and had also disliked Seed, reached into his bag and pulled out the paperback copy of Mindclone and strongly recommended we choose it for our next meeting. Several other members had also looked at the opening chapters and agreed, some with real enthusiasm. So as I drove my fifty miles home, I was flying. However, when I took a look at my Amazon page that night, I discovered that someone had just posted a terrible review. Only two stars, with some comments that bruised me in places where I was particularly vulnerable! Quite a bringdown. Almost all my previous reviews were five stars, with only a handful of four stars. But what troubled me the most was this reviewer’s accusation that I had somehow cheated, gaming the system for those glowing reviews.
"I worried about this for several days. My only hope for gaining sales was those positive reviews, and this reader was undermining their legitimacy. I had to decide if I should post a comment to his review. Well, I pondered that question for an entire day. First I checked his other reviews to see if he was a troll or curmudgeon. If so, I knew it would extremely unwise to tangle with him. But his other reviews all looked quite fair and thoughtful. At this point, I knew I would have to post something that challenged his cheating claim. I worked on my response all the next day. I first thanked him for buying and reading my book, and for posting his comments. I assured him I take all criticism seriously, and if I did a revision, I would certainly take a look at the issues he raised. Then I made my case for refuting his charge. I divided my reviewers into three categories: close friends, unbiased acquaintances and complete strangers. The number of reviews my book has received remains small enough that I was easily able to do this. As it turned out, these glowing reviews divided almost exactly equally among the three groups. I then pointed out how hard it is to get ANY readership, let alone reviews when you’re a first-time author whose book is self-published. I crossed my fingers and posted my response. Within minutes, I received his reply. He actually apologized for the accusation and changed his review, removing that part but leaving the rest. And that’s fine. Negative criticism is a normal part of the writing process. That’s why I participate in a writing group. For me, at least, it’s very hard to see the flaws in my own writing, so getting the perspective of other writers is an enormous help, and quite indispensable.
"I was very glad I responded to my critic the way I had. And as it turned out, when the three weeks elapsed and it was time to face the members of the science fiction club to get their responses, my critic showed up! Turns out he’s a nice guy, who actually spoke up in defense of my book against some of the other negative comments some members made. Though his opinion of its flaws remained unchanged. The verdict from the other members? I would say about two-thirds were enthusiastically positive, and one third of the members found fault with various aspects of the book. What did I do? Did I argue with them? I did not. Instead, I took my notes, went home and revised the book to correct the flaws I felt needed correcting. The new, improved edition is now live in both ebook and paperback."
Would you update your book because of bad reviews? Why or why not? Leave a comment below!
About the Author:David T Wolfe
Mindclone is my first published novel. It draws on my lifelong interests in cognitive science, cyber technology, and especially those things that both separate and unite human beings and the animal kingdom. One way or another, that has been the overall subject of much of my writing and thinking. I’ve been a writer my whole life. Besides novels and short stories, I have committed that special class of fiction called advertising. I’ve written and produced hundreds of TV and radio commercials and print ads. To atone for those sins, I’ve dedicated myself to writing the kind of fiction that enlightens and entertains without trying to sell stuff.
Advocate for the underdog, and cat, and supporting writers, et al.
Should You Update Your Book In Response To Negative Reviews? | From BookDaily #AuthorTips
"Recently, I joined a “local” science fiction book club—a 100-mile
round trip from my house—because I wanted to take the pulse of my
audience for my self-published novel, Mindclone. The first meeting I
attended, we discussed the novel, The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin.
I greatly enjoyed this book, which uses the concept of two worlds with
opposing political and economic systems: an idealized Communism and an
extreme form of Capitalism. I’ve always believed that one of the best
uses of science fiction is to parody or otherwise explore our own world
and human nature. That meeting revealed how far apart readers can be
when assessing a given novel. Several of the members disliked the book
as either too talky or too doctrinaire, with not enough “real” science
fiction to satisfy their tastes. One member in particular opened the
discussion by declaring, “This is not science fiction. It’s sociology
set on two planets.” The discussion was thoughtful, lively and
entertaining and, for me, the beginning of a real education on sci-fi
readership. At the end of the session, it was time to choose a book for
the next meeting, three weeks later. I proposed my own novel. There was
some hesitancy, as once before, an author had offered his book for their
discussion, and the results were not good. I suggested they go to the
Amazon site and read the first three chapters for free and decide if
they wanted to review it. We chose another book for the next session,
and were to discuss my book as a possible candidate for the following
one."Three weeks later, we discussed Seed, by Rob Ziegler, his first novel, a story set in a dystopian world ruled by a living bio-city that creates seeds needed to sustain the remaining humans. I thought this was an excellent read, with some flaws, but it had some wonderful concepts and writing. Once again, the club was less enthused. After another lively discussion, it was time to decide if my book would be the selection for the following meeting. At this point, the member who had criticized the LeGuin novel and had also disliked Seed, reached into his bag and pulled out the paperback copy of Mindclone and strongly recommended we choose it for our next meeting. Several other members had also looked at the opening chapters and agreed, some with real enthusiasm. So as I drove my fifty miles home, I was flying. However, when I took a look at my Amazon page that night, I discovered that someone had just posted a terrible review. Only two stars, with some comments that bruised me in places where I was particularly vulnerable! Quite a bringdown. Almost all my previous reviews were five stars, with only a handful of four stars. But what troubled me the most was this reviewer’s accusation that I had somehow cheated, gaming the system for those glowing reviews.
"I worried about this for several days. My only hope for gaining sales was those positive reviews, and this reader was undermining their legitimacy. I had to decide if I should post a comment to his review. Well, I pondered that question for an entire day. First I checked his other reviews to see if he was a troll or curmudgeon. If so, I knew it would extremely unwise to tangle with him. But his other reviews all looked quite fair and thoughtful. At this point, I knew I would have to post something that challenged his cheating claim. I worked on my response all the next day. I first thanked him for buying and reading my book, and for posting his comments. I assured him I take all criticism seriously, and if I did a revision, I would certainly take a look at the issues he raised. Then I made my case for refuting his charge. I divided my reviewers into three categories: close friends, unbiased acquaintances and complete strangers. The number of reviews my book has received remains small enough that I was easily able to do this. As it turned out, these glowing reviews divided almost exactly equally among the three groups. I then pointed out how hard it is to get ANY readership, let alone reviews when you’re a first-time author whose book is self-published. I crossed my fingers and posted my response. Within minutes, I received his reply. He actually apologized for the accusation and changed his review, removing that part but leaving the rest. And that’s fine. Negative criticism is a normal part of the writing process. That’s why I participate in a writing group. For me, at least, it’s very hard to see the flaws in my own writing, so getting the perspective of other writers is an enormous help, and quite indispensable.
"I was very glad I responded to my critic the way I had. And as it turned out, when the three weeks elapsed and it was time to face the members of the science fiction club to get their responses, my critic showed up! Turns out he’s a nice guy, who actually spoke up in defense of my book against some of the other negative comments some members made. Though his opinion of its flaws remained unchanged. The verdict from the other members? I would say about two-thirds were enthusiastically positive, and one third of the members found fault with various aspects of the book. What did I do? Did I argue with them? I did not. Instead, I took my notes, went home and revised the book to correct the flaws I felt needed correcting. The new, improved edition is now live in both ebook and paperback."
Would you update your book because of bad reviews? Why or why not? Leave a comment below!
About the Author:David T Wolfe
Mindclone is my first published novel. It draws on my lifelong interests in cognitive science, cyber technology, and especially those things that both separate and unite human beings and the animal kingdom. One way or another, that has been the overall subject of much of my writing and thinking. I’ve been a writer my whole life. Besides novels and short stories, I have committed that special class of fiction called advertising. I’ve written and produced hundreds of TV and radio commercials and print ads. To atone for those sins, I’ve dedicated myself to writing the kind of fiction that enlightens and entertains without trying to sell stuff.
Thank you all for
visiting with us. It’s always a pleasure to meet readers and authors. Until
next month, every one please stay safe. Smile. Be happy. Show compassion. Be
nice to others. Put a little love into your heart. Please speak up for those
without a voice, whether it be a dog, cat, elephant or monkey. One person, one
voice can make a difference. Read a book and pass it on. Leave a review.
Reviews are important for authors. Believe me. I know. Thank you!
Regards,
S. J. Francis, Writing
is my passion, but animals are my world. Advocate for the underdog, and cat, and supporting writers, et al.
In Shattered Lies:
"It's All About Family." Available now from Black Opal Books and for
sale at all on-line retailers and independent booksellers.
Shattered Lies is a Finalist in the 2016 Writer's Shelf Book Awards.
Shattered Lies is a winner in the Fall 2016 NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards for Women's Fiction.
Shattered Lies is a runner-up in the 2016 Shelf Unbound Indie Best Book Award Competition.
Shattered Lies is a Finalist in the 2016 Writer's Shelf Book Awards.
Shattered Lies is a winner in the Fall 2016 NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards for Women's Fiction.
Shattered Lies is a runner-up in the 2016 Shelf Unbound Indie Best Book Award Competition.
Shattered Lies is a 2016 Reader's Favorite Honorable Mention in the
Fiction - Women’s category.
Shattered Lies was a Finalist in the 10th Annual National Indie
Excellence Awards.
Shattered Lies was chosen as
General Fiction Official Selection in the 2015 New Apple Book Awards.
The first, original book cover design for Shattered
Lies was a semi-finalist in the 2015 Authors dB Best Cover Contest.
The 2nd new book cover design for Shattered Lies was a Finalist in the 2016 Authors dB Best Cover Contest.
The 2nd new book cover design for Shattered Lies was a Finalist in the 2016 Authors dB Best Cover Contest.
My Black Opal Books Author
Page:
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sjfrancis419
My Writing Blog: http://www.sjfranciswriter.blogspot.com
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legal stuff: Copyright 2017 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed here are solely
those of the author, S. J. Francis and the guest author and are meant to entertain,
inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.
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