# Negative Reviews Stink



## andrewwatts (Dec 28, 2014)

I'm a new author and have been following Kboards for the last year.  I have seen a lot written on getting negative reviews but, being new, haven't had to deal with them until recently.  So...that's what you guys were all talking about!  That sucks!  I got my 3rd 1 star on Amazon today and it was rough.  I have had some good reviews too, and my email list is growing nicely - but it's still no fun.  I hope no one minds my therapeutic post. 

Also - goodreads reviews are tough, too!  I've had several positive reviews in the write-up, but they only gave me 3 stars.  Whew!  Still, I'm trying to take it all in stride and learn.  I'm just glad I am getting more readers.  Up on #1 for Free Espionage today.  So that's nice...


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## Guest (Apr 28, 2015)

andrewwatts said:


> I'm a new author and have been following Kboards for the last year. I have seen a lot written on getting negative reviews but, being new, haven't had to deal with them until recently. So...that's what you guys were all talking about! That sucks! I got my 3rd 1 star on Amazon today and it was rough. I have had some good reviews too, and my email list is growing nicely - but it's still no fun. I hope no one minds my therapeutic post.
> 
> Also - goodreads reviews are tough, too! I've had several positive reviews in the write-up, but they only gave me 3 stars. Whew! Still, I'm trying to take it all in stride and learn. I'm just glad I am getting more readers. Up on #1 for Free Espionage today. So that's nice...


Hang tough. I also have this on my 'to read' list. I don't like Goodreads the site is clonky,clanky and hard to like.


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## sophia ann (Jul 9, 2014)

I got my first one star review yesterday to! It stung so hard. 
I went though all of my reviews and deleted all the bad ones I'd ever written. I'm never going to write a bad review again! 
Also Goodreads confuses me... I got the same review on Amazon and Goodreads, on Amazon it was a 5*, on goodreads a 4*. Both are great but why the difference? So strange.


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## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

.


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## Dale Hammond (Apr 3, 2015)

The Goodreads star system goes:
1 - did not like it
2 - it was ok
3 - liked it
4 - really liked it
5 - it was amazing

Amazon doesn't have any guidelines like that (that I've seen), but I think most folks start with 5 stars and count off for things they don't like.  So there's bit of an exchange rate, as a 2 is still (barely) positive on Goodreads.


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## archaeoroutes (Oct 12, 2014)

sophia ann said:



> I got the same review on Amazon and Goodreads, on Amazon it was a 5*, on goodreads a 4*. Both are great but why the difference? So strange.


Amazon defines 3* as 'Okay' and 4* as 'I Like It'. Goodreads defines 2* as 'it was OK' and 3* as 'liked it'. Many reviewers pay attention to the different definitions, others just give the same rating regardless.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Yeah, those burn. That's especially the case when you suspect they have a point about some thing or other. I won't say it ever gets easy, per se, but your ego does start to develop calluses, which helps.


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## andrewwatts (Dec 28, 2014)

sophia ann said:


> I got my first one star review yesterday to! It stung so hard.
> I went though all of my reviews and deleted all the bad ones I'd ever written. I'm never going to write a bad review again!
> Also Goodreads confuses me... I got the same review on Amazon and Goodreads, on Amazon it was a 5*, on goodreads a 4*. Both are great but why the difference? So strange.


Sophia Ann,

I think we got a one-star from the same reviewer. I looked at his other reviews and he was giving 1-stars to almost everything. So I wouldn't feel too bad. The Gringe! Also, I love your covers.

Andrew


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## Julian Bray (Feb 26, 2015)

sophia ann said:


> I got my first one star review yesterday to! It stung so hard.
> I went though all of my reviews and deleted all the bad ones I'd ever written. I'm never going to write a bad review again!
> Also Goodreads confuses me... I got the same review on Amazon and Goodreads, on Amazon it was a 5*, on goodreads a 4*. Both are great but why the difference? So strange.


Nice 

I only ever leave a review if i really liked a book so it will be a 4 or 5*

If you can't say something nice, and all that.


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## tknite (Feb 18, 2014)

Negative reviews always sting, but I've learned not to take them personally. I was (and still am) a reviewer, and I just remind myself that other reviewers have the right to NOT like my books and say so, the same way I have the right to not like other author's books and say so. You can't please everyone, and, as a reviewer, not every book pleases you. Two sides of the same coin, and it's all based on individual opinion.

So, yeah, those low-stars might hurt, but they're just a fact of writing life. You got to shrug it off and keep on writing.

Also, a funny coincidence you posted this: I actually featured your book this past Friday: http://tknitewrites.com/awesome-indie-book-roundup-42415/


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## sophia ann (Jul 9, 2014)

andrewwatts said:


> Sophia Ann,
> 
> I think we got a one-star from the same reviewer. I looked at his other reviews and he was giving 1-stars to almost everything. So I wouldn't feel too bad. The Gringe! Also, I love your covers.
> 
> Andrew


Oh my gosh! He did! That really shocks me. He said I must have paid for good reviews as well. What's with people trying to put others down? 
Thank you. Your covers great to!


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## sophia ann (Jul 9, 2014)

Julian Bray said:


> Nice
> 
> I only ever leave a review if i really liked a book so it will be a 4 or 5*
> 
> If you can't say something nice, and all that.


That's what I'm going to do. I don't see the point in writing something just for the sake of it.


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## ThePete (Oct 10, 2013)

Now that's funny. I thought your cover seemed familiar. Just started the book you sent me to review last weekend. Sorry for the delay, but I've been swamped. I'm only 1/3 the way through so far, but unless this takes a huge nose dive all of a sudden, this is definitely not a 1-star book.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

For readers/customers, low ratings/reviews can be very useful. Often people who don't like something will say exactly what -- If I dislike the same thing, I know not to get the book. If I, though, PREFER books that has just the features that reviewer doesn't like, well now: perhaps I should take a closer look.

Note, I'm not talking about vindictive reviews or comments like "this is not good, don't buy it". That doesn't help.  But a paragraph that explains, for example, that after 25% there had already been a half dozen fights, some fistfights, some gun fights and that, in general, the protagonists were cookie cutter macho men types with no respect for anyone -- well that tells me to stay far away from that book. 

Also: give readers credit. I'm not the only one who can tell the difference between useful commentary, even if not completely positive, and uninformative pithiness.


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## sophia ann (Jul 9, 2014)

Ann in Arlington said:


> For readers/customers, low ratings/reviews can be very useful. Often people who don't like something will say exactly what -- If I dislike the same thing, I know not to get the book. If I, though, PREFER books that has just the features that reviewer doesn't like, well now: perhaps I should take a closer look.
> 
> Note, I'm not talking about vindictive reviews or comments like "this is not good, don't buy it". That doesn't help. But a paragraph that explains, for example, that after 25% there had already been a half dozen fights, some fistfights, some gun fights and that, in general, the protagonists were cookie cutter macho men types with no respect for anyone -- well that tells me to stay far away from that book.
> 
> ...


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## jd_ruthers_85 (Mar 25, 2015)

sophia ann said:


> Oh my gosh! He did! That really shocks me. He said I must have paid for good reviews as well. What's with people trying to put others down?
> Thank you. Your covers great to!


I call these guys Vigilante Reviewers. They go around looking for foul play among the reviews on Amazon, for they have been chosen by the Cosmic Powers to point out that a book has "too many" (in their estimation) 5-star reviews. For they--and only they--can restore order to the reviewing universe. Justice must be served!


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## C. Gockel (Jan 28, 2014)

> I call these guys Vigilante Reviewers. They go around looking for foul play among the reviews on Amazon, for they have been chosen by the Cosmic Powers to point out that a book has "too many" (in their estimation) 5-star reviews. For they--and only they--can restore order to the reviewing universe. Justice must be served!


Heh.


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## BBGriffith (Mar 13, 2012)

I took someone's advice here (Maybe Rick Gualtieri?) long ago and don't even look at the reviews. Good or bad. I don't scroll past the bestseller rank on my book pages. All I look at is the average star rating, and even then only if I'm gearing up for a promo and need to know for application purposes. Reviews aren't for authors, they are for the benefit of other readers. Even the good ones will get into your head as an author.


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## Guest (Apr 29, 2015)

All due respect, but you don't know what rough is, Andrew. Your book has a tonne of 5 star reviews and only a couple of negative reviews. You have nothing to vent about. I wonder how you would cope with my reviews lol


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## martyns (May 8, 2014)

I know what you mean on both counts. Amazon and Goodreads. 

If the criticism is constructive - learn from it. If it isn't, ignore it. 

That's seriously the only advice I can give. I'd avoid contacting bad reviewers or responding to negative reviewers. Goodreads is a great tool, but it can be a nest of vipers.


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## MarkdownFanatic (Jan 14, 2014)

Think you're special just because you've managed to get a one-star review?  
.
On one of my humble creations, the blurb says specifically that it will not look good except on tablets where you can lock the orientation in landscape (it was a graphic novel) - and it promptly got a one-star review from a reader complaining that it didn't look good in portrait mode    The world didn't end, and I'm still working under the delusion that I can eventually create something worth reading


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## sophia ann (Jul 9, 2014)

Hey,

Did the guy delete the bad review he wrote? I couldn't see it  he hadn't on mine but i couldn't see it on yours? if so yay!


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## andrewwatts (Dec 28, 2014)

sophia ann said:


> Hey,
> 
> Did the guy delete the bad review he wrote? I couldn't see it  he hadn't on mine but i couldn't see it on yours? if so yay!


Yeah it was deleted shortly after I posted on kboards. Strange, but I'm happy.

To all - thanks for the advice and feedback. Kboards authors have been such a valuable source of knowledge and inspiration for me.


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## Guest (Apr 30, 2015)

Argh, I have the impression this is someone who stalks  these boards to find books to one-star. Every time I check their Amazon profile, they have attacked a different book about fake reviews, most of the time stating they found the evidence on Kboards. Then the review disappears. So weird.


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## sophia ann (Jul 9, 2014)

I think you might be right. It's so strange


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## Trans-Human (Apr 22, 2015)

SummerNights said:


> Argh, I have the impression this is someone who stalks these boards to find books to one-star. Every time I check their Amazon profile, they have attacked a different book about fake reviews, most of the time stating they found the evidence on Kboards. Then the review disappears. So weird.


It disappears because Amazon are not stupid, they know a fake/spam review when they see it. Sometimes even if it says "verified". And I'm guessing this person's reviews are anything but verified. Plus, by the sound of it, they are not really offering any constructive criticism with their 1-star reviews, which is another red flag for Amazon staff I think.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Alex Volta said:


> It disappears because Amazon are not stupid, they know a fake/spam review when they see it. Sometimes even if it says "verified". And I'm guessing this person's reviews are anything but verified. Plus, by the sound of it, they are not really offering any constructive criticism with their 1-star reviews, which is another red flag for Amazon staff I think.


Amazon's 'staff', though, don't patrol the reviews and delete them on a whim. They'll take down reviews, however, reported by their CUSTOMERS as abusive.


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## Trans-Human (Apr 22, 2015)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Amazon's 'staff', though, don't patrol the reviews and delete them on a whim. They'll take down reviews, however, reported by their CUSTOMERS as abusive.


I honestly don't know the extent of the Amazon staff moderation over reviews and such, by default (without prior notice or report by other users), but I know they do one hell of a job, considering how big a place that website is.


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## CJAnderson (Oct 29, 2014)

I think a lot of readers may not give out 4 or 5 stars unless it's a book they absolutely love  so a 3-star can actually be considered pretty good. I know some have suggested a 10 star rating for better accuracy. I agree it would be interesting to see


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Man! I just got dinged by a one star review on the second book in the trilogy that's been getting great reviews up till now. What bothers me is that this is the second book and it's not remarkably different in tone from the first one at all. So either the reviewer made it through the first book and only just now decided that she hated them, or she hasn't read the first book which means the second one wouldn't make a lot of sense. Or she didn't read the book at all as she isn't a verified buyer.... She's only done 8 reviews on Amazon though .....

Who knows. It really hurts the rating on a new book though since there's relatively few reviews to begin with. Particularly one that actually says something inaccurate in it.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

You may find some of the negative book reviews I've received therapeutic. Laughter is the best therapy, and it puts everything in perspective. 

*Storm Dancer (dark epic fantasy novel)*
"This book is too long. I had to spend many hours reading it. I'm busy and have other things to do."
"The character of Queen Matilda is not believable" _There's no Queen Matilda in the book._
"Animal lovers: Do not buy this book! They don't just sacrifice humans, but horses as well."
"The women in this story are not as obedient as the Bible says women were in those days."
"The book didn't end how I thought it would."

*Bites: Ten Tales of Vampires (short story anthology edited by me)*
"The vampires in this book aren't like Edward Cullen. Most of them totally creep me out."
"I could have written a vampire story as good as any in this book if the editor had asked me."

*Daughters of the Dragon (non-fiction)*
"How dare this author write about women in China? I checked her credentials: she does not have a degree in sinology."

*Living&Working in Britain (non-fiction)*
"I've spent three weeks in that country. Trust me, it's not at all like this." _The author lives in that country._
"If I had time, I'd dash off a book like this myself."

*Living&Working in Germany (non-fiction)*
"This is not how I imagine Germany to be."
"Clearly, the author has never met a real German" _The author is a real German._

*How To Be A Freelance Journalist (non-fiction)*
"I don't want to do all this work. I just want to be a journalist."

*Writing Fight Scenes (non-fiction)*
"I skipped the first twenty chapters because there was nothing of interest in them. I wanted to know how to structure a fight scene and the book doesn't show that." Chapter 3 is titled "Structure".

*Writing Scary Scenes (non-fiction)*
"I don't need a book to teach me how to write."
"I haven't read this book because I don't need to read it to know it's bad."

*Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts (short story anthology edited by me)*
"I had made reservation and on the date I was to go I had a very bad cold and fever and I called them to change my reservation and they refused."
"I haven't read it yet, but Amazon pressed me for a review."

*Six Scary Tales Vol. 1*
"What a rip-off! This book contains only six stories!"
"These tales are not scary. There's not one single chainsaw massacre, not even a disemboweling."
"I didnt even get through the first story cause when i was reading it to my mom therebwere some inapropreate words."

*Six Historical Tales Vol.1*
"I hate it when writers use British English. They should learn to write proper English before publishing a book."
"These stories are not 'historical.' Nobody gets married."

(Some of these reviews were years ago, and I've quoted them from memory. Others you can read on Amazon and elsewhere.


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## Guest (May 1, 2015)

Rayne, you did make me laugh! Thank you, I needed that


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Rayne Hall said:


> "The character of Queen Matilda is not believable" _There's no Queen Matilda in the book._
> 
> "I had made reservation and on the date I was to go I had a very bad cold and fever and I called them to change my reservation and they refused."
> 
> "I hate it when writers use British English. They should learn to write proper English before publishing a book."


I think I'm going to have these three made into prints and hung in my office


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## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

SummerNights said:


> Rayne, you did make me laugh! Thank you, I needed that


I'm glad I made you laugh. You're welcome!


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

E L James. 

Readers are smart.
Public forum here.  Watch your words.

Oh and Hi honey I'm home.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> I think I'm going to have these three made into prints and hung in my office


 If it makes you smile, I'm honoured!


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

cinisajoy said:


> E L James.
> 
> Readers are smart.
> Public forum here. Watch your words.
> ...


True!

Lily, the review implied that the MC killed a number of people in the course of the story - which isn't true - as well as drove them away emotionally - which is true. It may just have been the reviewer's wording that garbled the meaning.

As I said, I don't think it was a 1 star troll as they haven't written many reviews on Amazon and only one or two of them are 1 stars, but I'm a bit bothered by the fact that it's from an unverified buyer and implies something inaccurate. I'm not sure what scenario makes that possible if it's not someone who has received an ARC. Does anyone know?

Anyway, this one bothered me. I think it's because after a nice string of 5 and 4 stars on both books, the first book has received a couple of knock downs recently and now this one. But hey, it's just an opinion and you can't let the bad reviews make you more unhappy than the good reviews made you happy!


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> True!
> 
> Lily, the review implied that the MC killed a number of people in the course of the story - which isn't true - as well as drove them away emotionally - which is true. It may just have been the reviewer's wording that garbled the meaning.
> 
> ...


Your book is in KU. Which means anyone with a subscription can read it. There is no verified tag with borrowed books. That goes for KU and KOLL. Considering how many books are in KU, the verified tag really means nothing anymore. It also really has no bearing on how valid a review is. I review many books that I got from the library, or through KOLL. So they don't have a tag either.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

Atunah said:


> Your book is in KU. Which means anyone with a subscription can read it. There is no verified tag with borrowed books. That goes for KU and KOLL. Considering how many books are in KU, the verified tag really means nothing anymore. It also really has no bearing on how valid a review is. I review many books that I got from the library, or through KOLL. So they don't have a tag either.


Thank you! I didn't know that! I just assumed KU would also be stamped as verified . . . Though why I assumed that, I'm not sure.

See? You learn something every day here on kboards


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> Thank you! I didn't know that! I just assumed KU would also be stamped as verified . . . Though why I assumed that, I'm not sure.
> 
> See? You learn something every day here on kboards


Yep, any borrow, be it KU, or the regular lending for 14 days or the Kindle owners lending library monthly prime loan, none of them give a verified tag. Since one doesn't actually buy the books, just borrows it.

In your case and the book, there are 3 ways to borrow it. Subscription KU, KOLL (Prime) and also someone that owns the book can loan it out to a friend for 14 days, once. So there are a few options.


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## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

I wonder if regular readers even are that aware of the verified stamp anyway. I'm not sure I was before I published.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Oh and even if someone buys your book from Amazon, they can turn off the verified purchase tag.
The only people that care about that tag are authors.    
Readers know there are numerous ways to get books.

Other words of wisdom: anytime someone says "readers don't know something", it one insults the readers intelligence and two if one assumes readers are stupid, then does the author write stupid?
As a reader I would assume that an author that implies readers are stupid,  writes stupid.
Also why should one give money to someone that insults your intelligence?
So watch words especially when talking about reviews. 

Though silly words can make a long boring stretch of road seem shorter.


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## Nic (Nov 17, 2013)

Rayne Hall said:


> "The vampires in this book aren't like Edward Cullen. Most of them totally creep me out."
> 
> "These tales are not scary. There's not one single chainsaw massacre, not even a disemboweling."
> 
> "I hate it when writers use British English. They should learn to write proper English before publishing a book."


Snorted coffee on these! Thanks for a great start into the day.


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

cinisajoy said:


> Oh and even if someone buys your book from Amazon, they can turn off the verified purchase tag.
> The only people that care about that tag are authors.
> Readers know there are numerous ways to get books.
> 
> ...


That's really interesting. I had no idea you could turn off the verified tag either!

I'm not sure if you were directing your other comments towards me, but I certainly wasn't saying that readers don't know anything. What I wondered was if the average reader was aware of the verified tag as I certainly wasn't until I published. As you say, I think it has more meaning to writers than it does to readers and I think I've been assigning far more importance to it than it warrants. I may have noticed it before, but I certainly didn't assign too much relevance to it or care one way or the other if another fellow reader was verified or not....


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

cinisajoy said:


> Other words of wisdom: anytime someone says "readers don't know something", it one insults the readers intelligence and two if one assumes readers are stupid, then does the author write stupid?
> As a reader I would assume that an author that implies readers are stupid, writes stupid.
> Also why should one give money to someone that insults your intelligence?
> So watch words especially when talking about reviews.


Why do you think not knowing something = being stupid? Aren't those two totally different things?

Every class I have starts out with 21 people in the room. The students don't know some stuff that I do know, and I'm paid to teach them those things. Each of them knows some stuff I don't know. Sometimes I get to learn things from them, and sometimes I don't. No one in the room is stupid at any point, despite our all having knowledge gaps. Intelligence and knowledge are completely different things.

Really, I don't know which I find more offensive -- the assumption that not knowing something = being stupid, which of course means _we are all stupid_, since none of us knows everything, or the idea that anyone else on the forum shares this assumption and is therefore going around calling readers stupid.

Before I started publishing books, I did not realize how much information was contained on an Amazon book page. Like Heather, I'd never noticed the "verified purchase" tag on reviews; I didn't realize books were ranked in the store; I'd never caught on that books were placed in genre categories; I'd never thought about how books had different sections showing on their pages, such as "From the Author." This was not because I was stupid at the time. It was because I had better things to do than spend my time staring at portions of web pages that seemed completely unimportant. Now those portions seem important to me, so I notice them.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> I wonder if regular readers even are that aware of the verified stamp anyway. I'm not sure I was before I published.


Personally, I don't pay too much attention to it. I pay attention to whether the person reviewing is really reviewing, or just throwing words up because feel like they have to. I figure, in most cases, people will have read the book if they're doing even a slightly in-depth review. Those who haven't read it usually go with something quick like, "Great book, you should buy it" or "This was horrible, not worth your time." Of course actual readers can say those things too, but it's not helpful either way. And I don't care whether they purchased from Amazon, borrowed it, or what if they give a thorough review.



cinisajoy said:


> Other words of wisdom: anytime someone says "readers don't know something", it one insults the readers intelligence and two if one assumes readers are stupid, then does the author write stupid?
> As a reader I would assume that an author that implies readers are stupid, writes stupid.
> Also why should one give money to someone that insults your intelligence?
> So watch words especially when talking about reviews.
> ...


While it's smart to be careful when talking about a review, pro OR con, this being a public board and all. . . . I haven't seen ANYONE, except maybe you just now, Cin, saying, or even IMPLYING readers are 'stupid'. Surely that's not what you meant but, if so, take a chill pill, eh? 

It _is_ possible to talk about reviews and how poor ones hurt without insulting readers and I think this thread is a good example of that. It's also possible for us readers to explain when poor reviews help US without insulting authors, so let's do that, eh? 

That said . . . let's NOT let the discussion go off track, eh?


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## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Let me rephrase one post since I was tired when I posted last night.
I was just saying that when I see a general assumption about readers,  it makes me wonder about the person that said it.  Not necessarily in this thread but in many others.  
My big problem with generalized statements about readers especially on reviews and grammar is someone might take that statement as fact. 
I have heard from more than one author that "I read it here so it must be true of all readers".

Sorry if I implied more than I meant.

One negative review won't kill your career.    Now 20 all saying impossible to read might.  



So I am sorry if my words were misconstrued and Ann I needed sleep not a chill pill.

At Becca,
I would certainly hope that you do teach your students some of what you know because they are there to learn.


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

cinisajoy said:


> Let me rephrase one post since I was tired when I posted last night.
> I was just saying that when I see a general assumption about readers, it makes me wonder about the person that said it. Not necessarily in this thread but in many others.
> My big problem with generalized statements about readers especially on reviews and grammar is someone might take that statement as fact.
> I have heard from more than one author that "I read it here so it must be true of all readers".
> ...


At this time of year, I think they'd say they're there to be tortured. 

I think you're absolutely right that generalities are risky and often misleading. I'm pretty careful not to make untempered generalities about readers. I think most of us are. When I say things like, "Many readers seem not to care a lot about grammar" (I know I've said that a number of times), I am absolutely not saying that NO readers care about grammar. I know that's not true. You care about it, and *I* care about it. A lot. I won't read a book with significant mechanical errors. In fact, that stuff bugs me so much that I have to guard against the temptation to generalize based on my own attitudes: _I care about grammar, and I'm a reader, and therefore all readers care about it._ That generality is no more true than the reverse. Assumptions are bad news, too. Instead, we need to make careful assertions based on evidence, and then cite the evidence.

So, I think we're on the same page re generalities and assumptions.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Becca Mills said:


> At this time of year, I think they'd say they're there to be tortured.
> 
> I think you're absolutely right that generalities are risky and often misleading. I'm pretty careful not to make untempered generalities about readers. I think most of us are. When I say things like, "Many readers seem not to care a lot about grammar" (I know I've said that a number of times), I am absolutely not saying that NO readers care about grammar. I know that's not true. You care about it, and *I* care about it. A lot. I won't read a book with significant mechanical errors. In fact, that stuff bugs me so much that I have to guard against the temptation to generalize based on my own attitudes: _I care about grammar, and I'm a reader, and therefore all readers care about it._ That generality is no more true than the reverse. Assumptions are bad news, too. Instead, we need to make careful assertions based on evidence, and then cite the evidence.
> 
> So, I think we're on the same page re generalities and assumptions.


Oh it is finals season.

Please keep caring about grammar. Makes books much easier to read.


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## JV (Nov 12, 2013)

Out of curiosity, I looked at the one star reviews. They all seemed to be upset about the same thing, claiming the book stopped abruptly with no real conclusion, even one of your 3 stars said the same thing. I looked at your list and it seems you have these books coming out in 5 episodes, with the "complete novel" available alongside the release of the 5th episode.

Which leads me to a questions: Was this always planned as a serial? Or is this a complete novel that you decided you wanted to make a little more money on so you cut it up into pieces? 

Most true serials have some sort of concrete conclusion upon the completion of an episode and leave the reader feeling fulfilled and excited for the next entry. If the reader feels like they're being strung along by their wallets, they do tend to get angry. 

Not accusing you of that, simply asking.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Rayne Hall said:


> You may find some of the negative book reviews I've received therapeutic. Laughter is the best therapy, and it puts everything in perspective.
> 
> *Storm Dancer (dark epic fantasy novel)*
> "This book is too long. I had to spend many hours reading it. I'm busy and have other things to do."
> ...


*"Animal lovers: Do not buy this book! They don't just sacrifice humans, but horses as well."*
This review I would find useful. As an animal lover I do not read books with animals in them in case something bad happens to the animals. (I used to cry over Lassie  )


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## E.R.Baine (Mar 17, 2013)

Hi, I think this was posted here in another topic. But I hope this helps you deal with it: http://fallintothestory.com/bite-me/

I wrote something on my blog, but I don't think I can post a link here I already posted it twice too many concerning relatively the same thing. I think once you get past your first book, negative reviews roll off of you like water on oil.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> *"Animal lovers: Do not buy this book! They don't just sacrifice humans, but horses as well."*
> This review I would find useful. As an animal lover I do not read books with animals in them in case something bad happens to the animals. (I used to cry over Lassie  )


Yes, that would be useful. It's just funny that this reviewer didn't mind the human sacrifices at all.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Nic said:


> Snorted coffee on these! Thanks for a great start into the day.


Glad you enjoyed them. I re-read them from time to time to have a good laugh. Actually, whenever I get a particularly stupid review, instead of fuming over it, I rejoice because I can add it to my collection.


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## TElleryHodges (Jan 9, 2015)

I got my first 1 star review the other day. It honestly made me angry. Not because it was negative. "If" the review was honest, I can see that I have a different world view than the reviewer, and this is fine. But... Perhaps its my delicate writer's ego trying to protect itself (I admit this freely) the review just seemed aimed at ruining other reader's experiences. I got this feeling I was being trolled. The reviewer only wrote 3 sentences, and in those three sentences seemed to make a point of revealing spoilers about the books ending. If I had a bunch of other 1 star reviews it wouldn't bother me, but as its now the only glaringly bad review, I know that almost every potential reader is going to read it and have the ending ruined for them. 

Not being able to help myself, I looked up the guy's other reviews...  all negative... all filled with spoilers. Some of them even had other customer's angrily commenting that he gave away character deaths and ending.  I've heard that sometimes other authors do this on purpose, basically leaving bad spoiler ridden reviews for books that are competing in their genres.  I do wish amazon would just have an option to hide spoilers in a review. I don't mind if the reader WANTS to know the ending before they purchase but they should at least get a warning about a spoiler in a review.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

TElleryHodges said:


> I got my first 1 star review the other day. It honestly made me angry. Not because it was negative. "If" the review was honest, I can see that I have a different world view than the reviewer, and this is fine. But... Perhaps its my delicate writer's ego trying to protect itself (I admit this freely) the review just seemed aimed at ruining other reader's experiences. I got this feeling I was being trolled. The reviewer only wrote 3 sentences, and in those three sentences seemed to make a point of revealing spoilers about the books ending. If I had a bunch of other 1 star reviews it wouldn't bother me, but as its now the only glaringly bad review, I know that almost every potential reader is going to read it and have the ending ruined for them.
> 
> Not being able to help myself, I looked up the guy's other reviews... all negative... all filled with spoilers. Some of them even had other customer's angrily commenting that he gave away character deaths and ending. I've heard that sometimes other authors do this on purpose, basically leaving bad spoiler ridden reviews for books that are competing in their genres. I do wish amazon would just have an option to hide spoilers in a review. I don't mind if the reader WANTS to know the ending before they purchase but they should at least get a warning about a spoiler in a review.


Hi. Since that review really did have spoilers, I used the report button.


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## TElleryHodges (Jan 9, 2015)

cinisajoy said:


> Hi. Since that review really did have spoilers, I used the report button.


Ahhh Thanks Cinisajoy 

I'm slightly embarrassed to note that I never noticed the report button. Probably wouldn't of meant much coming from the author though, so I appreciate you doing that.


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## lilywhite (Sep 25, 2010)

.


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## Salvador Mercer (Jan 1, 2015)

If I may...

1 out of 62 with a 4.6 avg is pretty good in my opinion.  Add to this fact that the reviewer just starting REVIEWING last November and I think most readers will ignore it.  Your ratio is pretty good so while I'm not going to minimize your pain I think your a big boy and knew it's part of the process.  I think getting that first 1 star sort of cements you as a writer on Amazon LOL.  I do agree however that more 1 stars than 5 stars would NOT be good!

Regards,
SM


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## Heather Hamilton-Senter (May 25, 2013)

I love Rayne's list of strange reviews NOT because it makes fun of readers, but because it kind of takes the mickey out of us as writers. We're all probably far too intense and worried about these things. 

It's not the first 1 star review on my books, but this one did bother me because the criticism was slightly inaccurate - but so what! It hasn't affected sales - in fact, sales are up since it was posted!

Of course, I would rather have all 5 stars across the board, but all my critical reviews are either from younger seeming readers who found the book too dark, or readers who were expecting straight fantasy and didn't like the Young Adult elements. I was already aware that my books ride a line that is slightly uncomfortable - this is the exact reason the big time agent and I parted ways. So I shouldn't be surprised when it sometimes pops up as an issue.

Bad reviews hurt because we're humans with feelings. But maybe remembering that sometimes a reader is tired, or your book just wasn't up their alley, or the way you think completely mystified them, or they REALLY meant to review the toaster they bought on Amazon and clicked your book instead can maybe help us not take it quite so seriously....

Deliberate spoilers though, that's something else and definitely should be reported.


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## Philip Gibson (Nov 18, 2013)

If a one star review can be shown to be in violation of Amazon's rules, it is possible to to get it removed. I've done this twice. However, it can take some perseverance. The last time took me six attempts and it was only in the final attempt when I quoted exactly which part of the Amazon rules had been violated (the reviewer stated simply "Have not read it yet" and so was "not a review of the product in question") that they finally removed it.

In the OP's case, the review violates Amazon's rule about not including spoilers.

Philip


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## TElleryHodges (Jan 9, 2015)

Salvador Mercer said:


> If I may...
> 
> 1 out of 62 with a 4.6 avg is pretty good in my opinion. Add to this fact that the reviewer just starting trolling last November and I think most readers will ignore it. Your ratio is pretty good so while I'm not going to minimize your pain I think your a big boy and knew it's part of the process. I think getting that first 1 star sort of cements you as a writer on Amazon LOL. I do agree however that more 1 stars than 5 stars would NOT be good!
> 
> ...


Sorry if I came off whiny. It wasn't my intention. Like I said, its not really that the review was negative, it was that the spoiler now has a flashing neon arrow pointed at it.


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## TElleryHodges (Jan 9, 2015)

lilywhite said:


> Same. I wouldn't have done it otherwise - you've got so many awesome reviews that you can obviously take a 1-star -- but that's going to ruin the book for potential customers, and Amazon doesn't want that. Ugh, I hate spoilers!


Thanks lilywhite! Appreciate it.

Now that its been pointed out to me I'll be on the look out to pay it forward


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## Salvador Mercer (Jan 1, 2015)

TElleryHodges said:


> Sorry if I came off whiny. It wasn't my intention. Like I said, its not really that the review was negative, it was that the spoiler now has a flashing neon arrow pointed at it.


No worries, I was paying you a compliment. Your reviews are great, but yes I completely understand the issue with the spoiler. I had 2 of my 4 reviewers refer to my 'twist' but were kind enough to not 'spoil' it because I have a very twisted ending to my book. One reviewer actually said he didn't like the ending then gave me 5 stars anyway, go figure


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

A reminder to folks that "troll" is considered a four letter word here.    And let's not call reviewers names.  Have an issue with a fact or comment in a review, fine, but don't characterize the reviewer, thanks.  Civility.

Betsy


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## Salvador Mercer (Jan 1, 2015)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> A reminder to folks that "troll" is considered a four letter word here.  And let's not call reviewers names. Have an issue with a fact or comment in a review, fine, but don't characterize the reviewer, thanks. Civility.
> 
> Betsy


Not sure if this was directed at me but just in case I changed my "four letter word" which was actually a verb to something else, hope that fits. Didn't mean to be not civil


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Rayne Hall said:


> Yes, that would be useful. It's just funny that this reviewer didn't mind the human sacrifices at all.


Nor would I


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Nor would I


Hmm... maybe you were that book reviewer! :-D


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> I love Rayne's list of strange reviews NOT because it makes fun of readers, but because it kind of takes the mickey out of us as writers. We're all probably far too intense and worried about these things.


I think we are. 



Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> It's not the first 1 star review on my books, but this one did bother me because the criticism was slightly inaccurate - but so what!


When negative reviews are inaccurate, that's annoying - but normal. Many (perhaps most) of the people who post negative reviews don't "get" the book. So of course their reviews are off the mark. It's not worth getting uptight about it. Some readers simply don't have the intelligence or insight to understand our books... but they still have the right to express their opinion. And in fact a few of those reviews are helpful because they show that the book is being read and reviewed by real people.

Psst, I'll let you into a secret - don't tell anyone outside this forum... negative reviews written by obvious morons are the best, because they encourage intelligent readers to buy the book. :-D



Heather Hamilton-Senter said:


> >Of course, I would rather have all 5 stars across the board,<


Actually, that wouldn't be at all desirable. Any book with all 5 stars across the board looks like the author purchased fake reviews.


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## Rayne Hall (Apr 30, 2015)

carinasanfey said:


> I must say I love a good human sacrifice.


You're talking about fiction, right? <steps well away, just in case> :-D


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## BeachWriter (May 3, 2015)

Hang in there!
I've seen some really harsh reviews on random authors on amazon, and think, woah! why so mean? 
People. What can ya do?

I'm not looking forward to bad reviews, but it seems inevitable.



Julian Bray said:


> I only ever leave a review if i really liked a book so it will be a 4 or 5*
> 
> If you can't say something nice, and all that.


Me too! 
Some people just like to cut people down, but i'm not one of them.
My mama taught me better than that, lol.


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## Trans-Human (Apr 22, 2015)

Lets give some love and shoutout to our 3 star reviews lol


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## WDR (Jan 8, 2014)

Nicknacks said:


> It was a negative email from a blogger/author so it isn't public (yet. She emailed me with a heads up it's coming).


Ouch! At least the reviewer had the consideration to let you know it was coming. I hope at least what she has to say is something you can use constructively in the future.

On the bright side of things, a study released last year looking at the effect of negative reviews on book sales found that negative reviews had almost no effect on sales. The key being, most people ignore the negative comments. The only time negative reviews had an effect was when the negative reviews clearly outnumbered the positive ones. There's a common saying: "There's no such thing as bad press." It keeps you visible. What's the worst thing that can happen along the line of reviews? To have no reviews at all. That means that your work is not visible to the public.

The best thing you can do to squelch a bad book is to say nothing at all. The moment you start pointing at it, everyone looks. Say nothing, and it dies on the vine.


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## GregGregPippin (Apr 19, 2015)

I really appreciate this post. As a rookie, I think that negativity is one of the realities I must prepare myself for. Thanks for sharing.


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## AmpersandBookInteriors (Feb 10, 2012)

WDR said:


> Ouch! At least the reviewer had the consideration to let you know it was coming. I hope at least what she has to say is something you can use constructively in the future.
> 
> On the bright side of things, a study released last year looking at the effect of negative reviews on book sales found that negative reviews had almost no effect on sales. The key being, most people ignore the negative comments. The only time negative reviews had an effect was when the negative reviews clearly outnumbered the positive ones. There's a common saying: "There's no such thing as bad press." It keeps you visible. What's the worst thing that can happen along the line of reviews? To have no reviews at all. That means that your work is not visible to the public.
> 
> The best thing you can do to squelch a bad book is to say nothing at all. The moment you start pointing at it, everyone looks. Say nothing, and it dies on the vine.


This is very comforting. Now, just to get one of our books to have way more good reviews than bad, since it's about even :[ With only 7 reviews and touchy content in it, I think it's just a matter of needing more reviews.


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## archaeoroutes (Oct 12, 2014)

Got my first 1* - on Goodreads. No review attached so no idea what they didn't like. All the rest have been 4* or 5*, with reviews giving a balanced weighting of the good and bad bits.


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## Salvador Mercer (Jan 1, 2015)

archaeoroutes said:


> Got my first 1* - on Goodreads. No review attached so no idea what they didn't like. All the rest have been 4* or 5*, with reviews giving a balanced weighting of the good and bad bits.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Folks need to stop equating "ratings" on GoodReads with worded reviews on GoodReads. The two are not synonymous! Most GoodReads users got there because it is a site to catalogue their libraries. There are _lots of readers_ (not trolls as someone is calling them in another thread) who use star ratings as part of their personal library catalogue.

They may put a one-star rating on every book they intend to read at some point and then will rate and review the book when they get to it. They may one-star every book that comes up on their feed in a genre they don't care for so their recommendations will become more personalized. They may put a 5-star rating (with no review) on a book not yet published but they are dying to read and will put at the top of their TBR pile when it is released.

Or they may always rate a book without reviewing because they are tired of the backlash when they give a written negative review. All reviews are subjective and about one person's opinion. Ratings without reviews are even more subjective and may not speak to anything other than how one reader wants to clarify their library for themselves.


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## archaeoroutes (Oct 12, 2014)

crebel said:


> There are _lots of readers_ (not trolls as someone is calling them in another thread) who use star ratings as part of their personal library catalogue.


Very interesting. I hadn't thought of that. I'd assumed people would use customisable the bookshelf and 'to-read' system for that.



crebel said:


> They may one-star every book that comes up on their feed in a genre they don't care for so their recommendations will become more personalized.


Now that makes a lot of sense!


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## Greg Dragon (Jun 10, 2014)

crebel said:


> Folks need to stop equating "ratings" on GoodReads with worded reviews on GoodReads. The two are not synonymous! Most GoodReads users got there because it is a site to catalogue their libraries. There are _lots of readers_ (not trolls as someone is calling them in another thread) who use star ratings as part of their personal library catalogue.
> 
> They may put a one-star rating on every book they intend to read at some point and then will rate and review the book when they get to it. They may one-star every book that comes up on their feed in a genre they don't care for so their recommendations will become more personalized. They may put a 5-star rating (with no review) on a book not yet published but they are dying to read and will put at the top of their TBR pile when it is released.
> 
> Or they may always rate a book without reviewing because they are tired of the backlash when they give a written negative review. All reviews are subjective and about one person's opinion. Ratings without reviews are even more subjective and may not speak to anything other than how one reader wants to clarify their library for themselves.


Bingo!


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## Guest (May 13, 2015)

Rayne Hall said:


> Yes, that would be useful. It's just funny that this reviewer didn't mind the human sacrifices at all.


Well, I assume she thinks like my mother. She will swerve for a squirrel but almost hit a guy on a bike that cut her off. Her response was "animals don't know any better. Humans should."


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## TElleryHodges (Jan 9, 2015)

archaeoroutes said:


> Got my first 1* - on Goodreads. No review attached so no idea what they didn't like. All the rest have been 4* or 5*, with reviews giving a balanced weighting of the good and bad bits.


That just sucks.

I had the same experience a few months ago. It is so frustrating, because it leaves you wondering what made them dislike it so much, with no way to know. Wondering if there was one thing in your novel that offended them for some reason. I wish people casting their vote understood what its like to be on the receiving end. A long time ago I might have rated a book with 1 star, before I had ever written one myself, before I knew how important those numbers were for reasons well outside our pride as author's. Mostly it was before I realized that these writer's had spent so much time trying to capture their reader's imagination, only to get a 1 star with no explanation as a thanks. Nowadays if a book is so bad in my estimation that it deserves a one or a two, I just take it off my list of reading. Its not worth hurting the author's reputation. Anyhow, I think "that just sucks" summed all this up, but I went on this diatribe anyhow.


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## rjspears (Sep 25, 2011)

Bad reviews do stink.  I don't have any one-star reviews, but I remember one review that stung.

I released a collection of Flash crime stories and the reader bought it, then wrote a review stating they didn't like Flash fiction and they didn't even know why they bought it.  They did give it 3 stars, though.

Go figure.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

rjspears said:


> Bad reviews do stink. I don't have any one-star reviews, but I remember one review that stung.
> 
> I released a collection of Flash crime stories and the reader bought it, then wrote a review stating they didn't like Flash fiction and they didn't even know why they bought it. They did give it 3 stars, though.
> 
> Go figure.


That review would make me want the book.


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## archaeoroutes (Oct 12, 2014)

Got my first 1* on Amazon today. Nothing nasty, just not that reviewer's cup of tea.
I'm feeling quite happy about it actually - it makes everything else about publishing that story seem real now. The 4* and 5* reviews appear more believable too. Plus, it takes me up to 12 reviews, which was my optimistic target for this coming Christmas!


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## WDR (Jan 8, 2014)

archaeoroutes said:


> Got my first 1* today. Nothing nasty, just not that reviewer's cup of tea&#8230;


I confess, this is the kind of ranking that gets my goat. If I read a book that just wasn't my cup of tea, then I'm not going to write a review on it and rank it. The reason being, a one-star ranking on a book that other people are clearly enjoying knocks down its rating for no good purpose.

An excellent example of this is Stephan R. Donaldson's series, _The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever_. I greatly disliked the series because I absolutely detested the main character, Thomas Covenant. Now, consider that last sentence: I disliked the series. The _series_. The whole collection of books. If you think just a little bit longer, that makes it clear that I read the entire series through.

Donaldson's story telling was so compelling and well-written, I had to read through to see how it all finally ended. Every painful, agonizing page. As much as I hated the story, if I was to rank it on a scale of 1-5, I would have to rate it a *6*. _That_ is good writing!

Donaldson's story may not have been to my taste, but it was still an excellent work and deserves nothing less than a high score. The only time I would 1-star someone's book is if the writer clearly didn't put any care and effort into producing it. Mistakes, poor writing, bad grammar and punctuation, a clear lack of editing, all will result in a bad ranking from me. These are things that truly deserve a 1-star ranking.

The caveat to giving a 1-star ranking to an otherwise excellent book is it makes the one doing the ranking look like an idiot. Like a fundamentalist Christian who decides he is going to 1-star every book that mentions the name "Satan" without stopping to think that puts the Bible at the top of his list.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

WDR said:


> I confess, this is the kind of ranking that gets my goat. If I read a book that just wasn't my cup of tea, then I'm not going to write a review on it and rank it. The reason being, a one-star ranking on a book that other people are clearly enjoying knocks down its rating for no good purpose.
> 
> An excellent example of this is Stephan R. Donaldson's series, _The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever_. I greatly disliked the series because I absolutely detested the main character, Thomas Covenant. Now, consider that last sentence: I disliked the series. The _series_. The whole collection of books. If you think just a little bit longer, that makes it clear that I read the entire series through.
> 
> ...


Hi. If a book isn't my cup of tea, I generally don't finish it or review it. I don't figure that is fair to the author. 
Caveat to this: if the author has asked me for a review, they will either get a review if I finish the book or a private opinion if I don't.

Now reviewing non-fiction is a whole other pot of coffee. If I find inaccuracies, I have no issue with reviewing them.


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## Guest (May 27, 2015)

It is always interesting how one person can absolutely love your book and another hate it. I've been writing for a year and I just look at the overall ratings at this point.

The perma-free first book in a series gets the most blows--the price a writer pays to get more eyes on their work. Good news is that if the reader goes beyond that one, most of the reviews for the subsequent books are pretty stellar.


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## vrabinec (May 19, 2011)

Negative reviews really do stink. They kinda smell like butt...unless you're into that sort of thing, I which case....I'm at a loss here.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

WDR said:


> I confess, this is the kind of ranking that gets my goat. If I read a book that just wasn't my cup of tea, then I'm not going to write a review on it and rank it. The reason being, a one-star ranking on a book that other people are clearly enjoying knocks down its rating for no good purpose.


This confuses me to be honest. Maybe its because I am a reader, not a writer, but what else am I suppose to base my ratings and reviews on, but the taste of the tea? Its my personal own opinion about a book. So every review I ever did was based on if it was my cup of tea or not. I either like a book, or I don't. In 5 levels for the 5 stars. And the likes and dislikes can be characters, what its going on in the story, how it ends, was I entertained, did the writer make me feel. Really, its all about feelings, emotions.

So of course if a book is not my cup of tea and I feel it tasted like a 1 or 2 star to me and I happen to feel like writing a review that day, I put it down. Why not.

I don't really care about rankings or anything else. I don't have to. I acquired the book, I read it, or some of it, I have an opinion on it. That's about it. I am all equality there. 1,2,3,4,5. Whatever applies. Luckily though for me I do a lot of vetting before I read so its more rare for me to give 1-2 stars. I give many 3 stars as its a positive rating as a liked it for me. Even a 2 star is still an ok, so I have some of those too.

You guys have to stop thinking like writers when you think about reviews. Because most of us readers don't over analyze these things so much. It is what it is. And tomorrow there is always another book waiting for me to read. That is if I am still above the ground then.


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## ChessDesalls (May 15, 2015)

lilywhite said:


> Those are SERIOUS readers over there, and 3 stars is totally respectable.


Agreed.


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## ChessDesalls (May 15, 2015)

R.Marquez said:


> It's always interesting how one person can absolutely love your book and another hate it.


It's also interesting how readers will reach opposite conclusions about what is happening or the writing of the book in general. My list would look something like this:

Since this was a plot-driven novel, there was little character development. VS The characters were well-developed, but the plot not so much.

I loved the main character. VS I couldn't stand the main character.

The author made the time travel believable; it made total sense to me. VS The more I think about it, the less sense it makes.

The characters were realistic and easy to empathize with.  VS I found the characters' actions to be unrealistic.

I loved the authors writing style. VS I got sick of the writing style, DNF.

IMHO, what it comes down to is that readers (myself included) approach the book with different life experiences, expectations, tolerances and--dare I say--attention spans. The resulting reactions are fascinating, even if sometimes confusing.


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## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

While it is on my mind or because I just got rooked into thinking some books were good due to review count, here is my 2 cents.

I recently ran across several books that had nothing but 4 and 5 star reviews.  Matter of fact many of them were 90% 5 stars and 10% 4 stars.    
Now keep in mind nearly every 5 star was a verified purchase.  Nearly every 4 star was exchanged for an honest review. 
Here is the other thing: every one of those books were in Kindle Select.  I picked them up on their free days so I figure the verified purchases did too.
The other thing every one of the reviews had in common was pretty much praising the author for putting out this particular book.  

Now what every one of the books had in common was errors and typos.  I don't mean one or two but dozens.  Though I have to admit some of the translations are funny.  
Need some cookie clutters or do you just want to throw away all your clothes?
While you are at it Mic one ounce of milk with 5 ml of water.

Hence readers are learning that an almost perfect review score is worse than a slightly lower count.
There are some exceptions but those usually occur in later books when it is mostly fans buying the books.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Just popping in to remind everyone that this is a completely public board . . . . . keep that in mind as you express yourselves.

On topic: I can see how it can be disheartening to get negative feedback. . . . .as the writer.  As a reader, however, I appreciate reviewers who bother to explain what they felt was lacking. Sometimes what they didn't like is exactly what I'm looking for . . . .


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## martyns (May 8, 2014)

I think sometimes negative reviews are a good thing! 

One man's poison and all that? 

I got a 1 star review on Goodreads for my second book 'Deathsworn Arc: The Verkreath Horror' 

"Misery. Layers and layers of misery. The team moves from one horror to another all the while losing their religion. I hated this book and am sorry to have spent the time to read it."

That's kind of bad, she clearly didn't enjoy it. However it DOES mean I hit the mark. I was aiming for a darker tone and a grittier adventure. I must have made an impact!

If someone wants something a bit less 'pink unicorns' and they read that review, well it might actually work in my favour?


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## Doglover (Sep 19, 2013)

andrewwatts said:


> I'm a new author and have been following Kboards for the last year. I have seen a lot written on getting negative reviews but, being new, haven't had to deal with them until recently. So...that's what you guys were all talking about! That sucks! I got my 3rd 1 star on Amazon today and it was rough. I have had some good reviews too, and my email list is growing nicely - but it's still no fun. I hope no one minds my therapeutic post.
> 
> Also - goodreads reviews are tough, too! I've had several positive reviews in the write-up, but they only gave me 3 stars. Whew! Still, I'm trying to take it all in stride and learn. I'm just glad I am getting more readers. Up on #1 for Free Espionage today. So that's nice...


The worst kind of negative reviews are the ones that have nothing whatever to do with the book, the writing, or anything else. The other are the ones who say I've got my history wrong when I know very well I haven't. Those I could cheerfully strangle. I never look at reviews anymore; they just annoy me.


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## phillo74 (Apr 30, 2015)

Really interesting thread. And, yes, bad reviews *SUCK!!!! *

I got a 2 star review the other day off someone who said "I had to stop at 4% as there were too many dysfunctional relationships." Um, I write dark fantasy. If they wanted gumdrops and rainbows then maybe they should've picked up a copy of _Where's baby's bellybutton._

But, you might like blue, I might like red...it's all subjective. What one reader might hate, another reader might love.

Whenever I get a bad review, I check out some of the big names like King, Feist, or Martin on Amazon/Goodreads-_hundreds _of 1 star reviews!

So don't beat yourself up. Keep writing


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## a_g (Aug 9, 2013)

WDR said:


> Donaldson's story may not have been to my taste, but it was still an excellent work and deserves nothing less than a high score. The only time I would 1-star someone's book is if the writer clearly didn't put any care and effort into producing it. Mistakes, poor writing, bad grammar and punctuation, a clear lack of editing, all will result in a bad ranking from me. These are things that truly deserve a 1-star ranking.


No. Those are things that _you_ believe truly deserve a 1-star ranking.

Your tastes are not mine. There _are_ subjects out there that I simply will not want to read. I find them distasteful and problematic. I find them weak world/character building. I think, I find, I desire, I flinch from...all personal and subjective to me. All the stellar prose and genius craftmanship in the world are not going to make those subjects any more palatable to me as a reader. So for those reasons, I _will_ downgrade a rating.

And I'm absolutely entitled to give a book a poor rating if I run up on those things that _I think_ bring a book down from a 'good read' (subjective and from my perspective) to a 'bad read' (also subjective and from my perspective). When I do that, I know there will be others out there who are in agreement with what I disliked about the book and won't purchase it, as well as readers who are looking for the very things I dislike about the book.



WDR said:


> The caveat to giving a 1-star ranking to an otherwise excellent book is it makes the one doing the ranking look like an idiot. Like a fundamentalist Christian who decides he is going to 1-star every book that mentions the name "Satan" without stopping to think that puts the Bible at the top of his list.


You are _certainly_ welcome to this belief. You are not all readers. There may be readers who agree with you, there are certainly readers who do not.

Funny world, innit.


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