# So is it too late to respond to my reviews?



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

When I released my first-ever book, I responded to the reviews I got, both good and bad, but then I came here and everyone said that it's a bad thing to do that. However, I listened to Hugh today and he said that he replies to all his reviews and gets more personal with his fans. I would much rather do that! So I was considering going back and adding comments to some of the reviews I got. I have some since 2011. Do you think it's too late for me to reply now? Would it be weird if I do this after the review has been there for over 2 years?


----------



## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

RM Prioleau said:


> When I released my first-ever book, I responded to the reviews I got, both good and bad, but then I came here and everyone said that it's a bad thing to do that. However, I listened to Hugh today and he said that he replies to all his reviews and gets more personal with his fans. I would much rather do that! So I was considering going back and adding comments to some of the reviews I got. I have some since 2011. Do you think it's too late for me to reply now? Would it be weird if I do this after the review has been there for over 2 years?


Go for it if you want but one little thing. I wouldn't know if you commented to me because I don't have the get notified when someone comments on your review checked.


----------



## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

Curious ... Where did you hear this?

I have pondered thanking reviewers.


----------



## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> Curious ... Where did you hear this?
> 
> I have pondered thanking reviewers.


He heard this from the great Hugh Howey. Before you ask he wrote a book called Wool.


----------



## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

cinisajoy said:


> He heard this from the great Hugh Howey. Before you ask he wrote a book called Wool.


I knew who he meant. I was just wondering the where?


----------



## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> I knew who he meant. I was just wondering the where?


That would be useful info.


----------



## Joshua Dalzelle (Jun 12, 2013)

Mostly what people are talking about here is arguing with reviewers who leave negative reviews. There have been some epic meltdowns that have gone viral and sunk some indie careers before they even started. 

My take on it is that the reviews are by the readers, for the readers... I don't get involved (actually I don't even read them anymore, positive of negative.) I do take the time to respond to every PM or wall post on my facebook page and have had some really positive interactions with readers that way. 

Hugh's is a bit of an aberration... he has a level of notoriety that most trade authors would do horrible, horrible things in dark alleys for. When he replies to a review it's a thrill for most readers. If I were to do the same I think people would find it annoying. In other words; find what works for you. Since you've already done it and it seems to have worked well you may as well go for it. There are a few authors who do interact extensively in the reader reviews to no negative effect.


----------



## Nope (Jun 25, 2012)

.


----------



## AngryGames (Jul 28, 2013)

RM Prioleau said:


> When I released my first-ever book, I responded to the reviews I got, both good and bad, but then I came here and everyone said that it's a bad thing to do that. However, I listened to Hugh today and he said that he replies to all his reviews and gets more personal with his fans. I would much rather do that! So I was considering going back and adding comments to some of the reviews I got. I have some since 2011. Do you think it's too late for me to reply now? Would it be weird if I do this after the review has been there for over 2 years?


I've been doing this on my novella since I received my first review. It was a 2-star review, but I responded to clarify something. The discussion went on, and I wrote a larger comment. One thing I've always done is to thank the reviewer for the review, regardless of whether it is good or bad. I've always felt it was the best place to connect with a paying customer.

I know it is one of the Unbreakable Rules to respond directly to reviews, but I am a habitual rule breaker.

But...I NEVER complain about a reviewer's score, nor do I engage in negativity. No matter how nasty the person has been. I always try to be positive. It is tough sometimes, but in the end, it is good karma.


----------



## Carradee (Aug 21, 2010)

*cough* RM Prioleau's a gal, y'all. 

As for it being too late&#8230; I wouldn't think so. The folks likely to find it odd are likely the ones in the audience of "*gasp* How dare the author respond to reviews!" (For the record, traditionally published author Karen Chance responds to at least some of her reviews. I've seen her correct a reviewer's claim of historical inaccuracies.)

The issue is as people have pointed out: Can you politely thank reviewers for their reviews, without being offended or hurt by the number of stars (or lack thereof)? If you can't, don't respond to reviews.

Personally, I respond to the reviews when they effectually invite me to respond, because I know I'll miss reviews if I try to track down every single one, and I don't want anyone to feel left out-among other reasons, many of which are covered in this thread.

For example, on Wattpad, I respond to pretty much _everything_, because that's one of the purposes of the site. I once evidently ticked off a girl, because she insisted I was using some words improperly that were being used quite properly, per their definitions in all the major dictionaries. I asked her source, pointed out mine&#8230;she called me rude and plagiarized a misused thesaurus entry, and I responded pointing those things out. (As of this writing, it looks as if that conversation still on Wattpad, if you're curious.) *But it ended well*. Several weeks later, she commented again, hesitantly enough that my earlier response might've unnerved her, and she actually caught a typo.

Fans also sometimes send me their reviews directly. So&#8230; Yeah, I respond to those. (I'll even critique them, in the "Hey, wrong word" sense. Objective stuff.  )

But on places like Amazon&#8230; Unless I've been invited directly to respond, I don't. Not even when I'm wondering, "If you hated the story so much, why did you give it so many stars?" (something I was wondering for something recently; yes, I have pennames).


----------



## Adam Poe (Apr 2, 2012)

RM Prioleau said:


> When I released my first-ever book, I responded to the reviews I got, both good and bad, but then I came here and everyone said that it's a bad thing to do that. However, I listened to Hugh today and he said that he replies to all his reviews and gets more personal with his fans. I would much rather do that! So I was considering going back and adding comments to some of the reviews I got. I have some since 2011. Do you think it's too late for me to reply now? Would it be weird if I do this after the review has been there for over 2 years?


I was the one that submitted that question on Tim and Hugh's segments. I had heard the same thing here for years also - "NEVER respond to reviews. Ever. No matter what!" But I had noticed both Hugh and Elle both did and they seem to be doing okay.

When I do finally release something o my own I plan to reply to them all. (In a positive way )

As far as it being too late...I would say not. I don't think it will hurt anything, anyway.


----------



## Deena Ward (Jun 20, 2013)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> I have pondered thanking reviewers.


I have, too. Early on, I responded to one of my first reviewers at Goodreads, sending her a private note to thank her for her thoughtful reviews of my books. She responded graciously, but I sensed that I had perhaps not done the right thing. It was a feeling I got, not something tangible I could pinpoint. I decided to be cautious, and haven't initiated contact with a reviewer since. They're not writing those reviews for me, anyway. They're much more likely to be writing them for their friends and fellow readers. Maybe that's why I got an odd feeling when I did thank a reader. Or maybe I simply shouldn't have sent a private message. I don't know. Mixed feelings, for now, on this one.


----------



## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

Elle Casey does that very well (responding to reviewers) and she has a fabulous relationship with her readers, so there might be something to trying something new versus sticking to the old way (not responding). The key of course, being police and gracious regardless of the review (good, bad, ugly).

I'm still too chicken to try it. I barely glance at reviews, good or bad, I just feel reviews are for readers, not my support desk to thank people, but Hugh and Elle make me re-consider my position.  

As to the OP question, I wouldn't worry about the old ones. To get a reply 2+ years, they probably won't even see your response.


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Thanks! I'm going to do it again! 
When I first released my book, I got a 2-star review and responded to it politely. The reviewer was actually surprised that I didn't blow up or anything. I don't see how that helps anything to get mad at a bad review.

And Hugh talked about it here: http://www.creativelive.com/live4


----------



## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

RM Prioleau said:


> Thanks! I'm going to do it again!
> When I first released my book, I got a 2-star review and responded to it politely. The reviewer was actually surprised that I didn't blow up or anything. I don't see how that helps anything to get mad at a bad review.
> 
> And Hugh talked about it here: http://www.creativelive.com/live4


Please keep us posted! It would be interesting to see if you notice other changes with your reader interactions.


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Alan Petersen said:


> Please keep us posted! It would be interesting to see if you notice other changes with your reader interactions.


I definitely will!


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

RM Prioleau said:


> When I released my first-ever book, I responded to the reviews I got, both good and bad, but then I came here and everyone said that it's a bad thing to do that. However, I listened to Hugh today and he said that he replies to all his reviews and gets more personal with his fans. I would much rather do that! So I was considering going back and adding comments to some of the reviews I got. I have some since 2011. Do you think it's too late for me to reply now? Would it be weird if I do this after the review has been there for over 2 years?


If your intention is to engage with readers, then I'd say yes, it is too late to respond to 2 year old reviews. But if you want to start responding to new ones, that might work.

Personally, I don't like it when authors respond to reviews. Reviews are left for other readers, not for authors. The only time I think it appropriate to respond is when something said in the review is factually incorrect (the missing TOC issue).


----------



## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

C.C. Kelly said:


> This. Just say no.


But it's a yes from some other authors who have been very successful.

I've been too chicken to try so far, but I would follow these rules:

1. Just to say thanks or something pithy directly related to their review
2. Never reply to reviews less than 3 stars ...
3. Unless they said something like "I loved all his other books but this wouldn't work for me. In which case a "sorry this one didn't work for you, thanks for the review"
4. Never respond to reviews on Goodreads. Amazon only.
5. Never argue.
6. Never disagree.


----------



## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

AngryGames said:


> I know it is one of the Unbreakable Rules to respond directly to reviews, but I am a habitual rule breaker.


The interesting thing is that WE are the ones who made this rule. Amazon doesn't mind if we interact with reviewers. Not only is it within their policy, but if you log into Amazon Central and go to your Review section there's a little button to click that take you straight to where you can comment on the review.

Though we may, of course, be wise in imposing this rule upon ourselves.


----------



## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

Authors responding to reviews creeps me the hell out.

I once had a major author post a review I wrote on a blog. I have not touched that author since. 

I do respond to Facebook messages and other correspondence that is directed at me.


----------



## Nope (Jun 25, 2012)

.


----------



## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

C.C. Kelly said:


> The examples so far are Hugh and Elle, whom by all accounts are two of the most charming people you'll probably ever meet - or read. I'm not saying a writer can't respond with disarming grace, just that not everyone has that ability.
> 
> My opinion comes from all of the review response disaster threads (they almost always get locked) I've seen here and the goodreads comments I've read - read the reviews, learn from them, celebrate the good ones, privately grumble about the bad ones and move on. Reviews are still not for authors.
> 
> But, each to his or her own.


Well, as for Goodreads, as I noted before, I would never respond there. Different platforms and all. I have seen some nonfic authors do it successfully as well.


----------



## Just Browsing (Sep 26, 2012)

I'm with Patty. I don't like having authors respond to reviews I leave (positive or negative, makes no difference). That would keep me from ever leaving one again, that's for sure. If I want to interact with an author, I find them on social media and engage there. NOT through my review.

YMMV, of course.


----------



## Carradee (Aug 21, 2010)

Patty Jansen said:


> Authors responding to reviews creeps me the hell out.


And that's another reason I personally don't respond unless I'm effectually invited to or the comment's on Wattpad (which is built for writer-reader reaction).


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

I am curious as to why some people find it creepy that authors respond to a review just to say 'thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to leave your thoughts about my book'. Can someone offer insight on this?


----------



## Carradee (Aug 21, 2010)

RM Prioleau said:


> I am curious as to why some people find it creepy that authors respond to a review just to say 'thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to leave your thoughts about my book'. Can someone offer insight on this?


In many places (like the Amazon store), the reviews are meant for fellow *readers*, not the writers of the text. The writer commenting on the review can sound as if they're stalking, obsessive, or sarcastic.


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Carradee said:


> In many places (like the Amazon store), the reviews are meant for fellow *readers*, not the writers of the text. The writer commenting on the review can sound as if they're stalking, obsessive, or sarcastic.


Honestly, I felt bad not about responding to reviews after people here said it was a bad thing. It made me feel like I wasn't grateful for the review just to say a polite thank you. I really do want to connect get personal with the readers who take the time to read and review my books. Not in a creepy, stalking way. I don't want to email them or something telling them thank you. That might seem a bit creepy/stalker-ish. But I've always seen the review/reply area as something like a public forum for anyone to post their thoughts.

I want to go with my gut instincts like I once had and let people know how very grateful I am to have them post their thoughts. I mean, I really do look up to the readers and want to be as personal and down-to-earth as I can with them. I would never blow up on a negative review. So far, most of the negative reviews have been valid, detailed, and helpful, and that's all I ever asked from readers who choose to leave their thoughts.

So far, I've responded to a few old reviews, and all of my newer ones. We'll see what happens.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I never write reviews anywhere but here and FB -- and here they're never more than a sentence or two in the "so what are you reading" thread. Not even a review. Just an impression. I do a similar thing when I share books I've finished on FB. I almost never get any comments on my comments and don't care that I don't. Of course, the writers I read are not likely to see my piddling little comments either here or FB.

I can't see ANY purpose in responding 2 years late to a comment from 2011.  Even if a person is inclined to stalk their own reviews and see if anyone's voted them helpful or not or commented, I think they'd probably have given up after 2 years.

I do READ reviews now and then. It's not a regular thing for me. But almost never the comments. Though, honestly, if the review seems unusually harsh for some reason and I see there _are_ comments, I may check 'em out. If one is from the author and no more polite than the reviewer, well, I write 'em down and cross 'em off my list. I don't have any desire to support nasty people.

See, that's the thing. The reviewer may be an obnoxious jerk. But I'm not stupid. I realize that and evaluate everything they say via that prism. And after reading such a review, I'm probably _more_ inclined to give the writer a chance. But the author is going to blow that chance if they respond in kind. 

I'd also note that the 'exceptions' to the rule of 'never respond' that people are talking about are, themselves, outliers, apparently. Literally 'best selling' independent authors. As noted -- some reviewers may be flattered to have been noticed. But if you're just a journeyman, still, the risks are greater. Especially if you're going to say _anything_ but 'thanks so much!'. And THAT might feel really insincere if it's a generally poor review. 



RM Prioleau said:


> I am curious as to why some people find it creepy that authors respond to a review just to say 'thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to leave your thoughts about my book'. Can someone offer insight on this?


It can feel -- especially if they've put the same thing on EVERY REVIEW -- like the writer is a person who lacks self confidence and is very needy so stalks their book page looking for positive feedback. OTOH, reviewers who stalk their own posts to see if the author responds is creepy in the same way!  OR, it looks like someone who thinks they have to respond but don't really care and/or are too lazy to write something personal. Neither gives a very good impression.

It also depends on exactly _how_ the 'thank you' is phrased. Your sentence above, for example, on a 5 star review, may sound grateful. On a 2 star, it just sounds sarcastic.

I guess the main thing is that you probably should do what you feel is the right thing . . . . but be sure you're aware of the risks you take. Honestly, MOST people reading the review and/or comment are not really going to care much one way or the other. It's those ends of the bell curve you've got to worry about!


----------



## Joshua Dalzelle (Jun 12, 2013)

It depends on how you want to present yourself. For me, commenting on reviews is amateurish and unnecessary. If they wanted personal contact there are three different ways listed in my books, and a lot of people take advantage of that. For those that do I'm more than happy to say thanks or answer any questions they have about the series or upcoming books. I've even had discussions over criticisms they've had, but in a respectful "customer is always right" sort of way. 

There's no particular need to "thank" a reviewer for their time. They didn't write it for you, it was left for potential future readers. While an author commenting on every review may not deter sales it would likely deter future reviews. They're buying a product, knowing that the maker of said product was camped out waiting for them to comment on it may bother some people.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Joshua Dalzelle said:


> It depends on how you want to present yourself. For me, commenting on reviews is amateurish and unnecessary. If they wanted personal contact there are three different ways listed in my books, and a lot of people take advantage of that. For those that do I'm more than happy to say thanks or answer any questions they have about the series or upcoming books. I've even had discussions over criticisms they've had, but in a respectful "customer is always right" sort of way.
> 
> There's no particular need to "thank" a reviewer for their time. They didn't write it for you, it was left for potential future readers. While an author commenting on every review may not deter sales it would likely deter future reviews. They're buying a product, knowing that the maker of said product was camped out waiting for them to comment on it may bother some people.


This is a good point. I expect most reviewers may feel like posting it to Amazon is relatively anonymous. They're not looking for feedback on their feedback and they're not looking to get on a mail list nor have they suddenly become a rabid fan. They're just writing a review. They're probably not thinking about how it will look/feel/seem to the person who wrote it -- they're just trying to explain to other potential readers what they thought about it. An actual response from the author could feel weird!

If you have ways in your book for them to contact you DIRECTLY, and they do so, those folks probably deserve a response. Or you really WILL look like an uncaring prima donna.


----------



## Guest (Sep 12, 2013)

RM Prioleau said:


> I am curious as to why some people find it creepy that authors respond to a review just to say 'thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to leave your thoughts about my book'. Can someone offer insight on this?


The biggest reason readers have given me (and a while back I went to the effort to actively survey readers at Goodreads and other sites specifically on these sort of matters) was that it felt like they were being judged or that the writer was reading over their shoulder. You have to somewhat understand the psychology behind posting a review. It is one thing to post a review on a public site. But when the subject of your review responds, it makes some people feel very 'exposed' and can make them uncomfortable.

The closest way I can explain it is to share an incident that happened at a convention a few years back. I was at a con with a friend of mine who is very attractive. She gets a lot of attention, particularly at cons (for better or worse). Several guys hit on her and she sort of brushed them off. But there was this one guy who had published a game book she owned, so she recognized the name. When HE started to hit on her, it creeped her out. Why? In her words "He should know better."

For a lot of people, there is this wall between "normal" people and "authors/musicians/actors" regardless of our level of fame. Your name is on a book. That means you are someone. A different standard of behavior is applied. If Jane Doe the fellow normal person responds to a reviewer, the reviewer doesn't bat an eyelash. If Jane Doe, author responds, suddenly the situation gets weird.

Some people have exceptional people skills and charisma that they can make anyone comfortable. But ask yourself, if dropped into a room with a hundred strangers, how comfortable are you navigating that room? Can you quickly engage strangers in conversation? Or does everything feel awkward and forced? Being able to artfully respond to reviews without spooking readers or coming across in a bad way is a skill, just like anything else. Most people do it clumsily and poorly.

I love Hugh just as much as any KBer. He's a great guy with a big heart. But, I'm not Hugh. You aren't Hugh. People like Hugh and Elle are the exceptions to the rule because of their inherent natures. It is very dangerous for people to say "Hugh does it, so I'm thinking about doing it!" Prince can rock a purple suit like nobody's business, but I doubt most of us would use that as an excuse to wear one to a business meeting.


----------



## ElisaBlaisdell (Jun 3, 2012)

> OTOH, reviewers who stalk their own posts to see if the author responds is creepy in the same way!


I'm so glad to hear someone say this!!! It crosses my mind, every time this discussion comes up.


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Thanks for clarifying, everyone. I can understand how weird it might feel. I definitely don't want to come off as being an amateur or desperate. I just want to find more effective ways to interact with people who like my books that I may not be able to do in a blog post or Twitter/Facebook. And I definitely want to let people know that I am not some uptight author who goes crazy and makes death threats just because I receive a negative review. But don't want to do this to solely impress. I want to do this because it feels in my nature to thank someone for their appreciation of all my hard work.

And I do treat all reviews like gold. I know how burdening it can be for some people to take time out of their day to write a meaningful review. They didn't have to do that. They could be doing something else with their time like watching tv or reading another book. So I just wanted to let people know that their views are highly appreciated without coming off as too forward about it.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

RM Prioleau said:


> Thanks for clarifying, everyone. I can understand how weird it might feel. I definitely don't want to come off as being an amateur or desperate. I just want to find more effective ways to interact with people who like my books that I may not be able to do in a blog post or Twitter/Facebook. And I definitely want to let people know that I am not some uptight author who goes crazy and makes death threats just because I receive a negative review. *But don't want to do this to solely impress. I want to do this because it feels in my nature to thank someone for their appreciation of all my hard work.*
> 
> And I do treat all reviews like gold. I know how burdening it can be for some people to take time out of their day to write a meaningful review. They didn't have to do that. They could be doing something else with their time like watching tv or reading another book. So I just wanted to let people know that their views are highly appreciated without coming off as too forward about it.


So. . . . .you _do_ want to impress them some? 

Again. . .all they did was post a review and don't -- unless they're a bit odd themselves -- need or want your thanks for doing so. They probably weren't thinking about you. But YOU clearly are. YOU want them to KNOW that you felt it was "hard work" to write the book. I'm sure it was -- I couldn't/wouldn't do it in a million years. But having you tell me how hard it was doesn't make me more inclined to read it. It just makes you look needy. Sorry. But that's how I see it.

EVERYONE who does something well probably has worked hard to get where there are. That's a given. Reminding people of that is just self-centered and not attractive.

And now I'm thinking: that's not at all the impression you meant to give by the quoted post. Which brings me back to: if a writer is going to comment to readers on reviews they left, he/she needs to be really careful how he/she words it.


----------



## David J Normoyle (Jun 22, 2012)

RM Prioleau said:


> I want to do this because it feels in my nature to thank someone for their appreciation of all my hard work.


A review isn't really someone expressing appreciation for your work. It's someone telling their friends/other people about a book they read. If they wanted to express appreciation then they could contact you directly--in that case it would be most appropriate to thank them.

Authors have a tendency to think reviews are directing to them, when they are actually directed to other readers. So it's like a group of people, say, praising a handbag--and then the designer of the handbag inserting himself into the conversation to say, "oh you like that do you. Thank you for saying how marvelous I am for designing this handbag", and then being surprised when that group never discuss his handbags in public again.


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> So. . . . .you _do_ want to impress them some?
> 
> Again. . .all they did was post a review and don't -- unless they're a bit odd themselves -- need or want your thanks for doing so. They probably weren't thinking about you. But YOU clearly are. YOU want them to KNOW that you felt it was "hard work" to write the book. I'm sure it was -- I couldn't/wouldn't do it in a million years. But having you tell me how hard it was doesn't make me more inclined to read it. It just makes you look needy. Sorry. But that's how I see it.
> 
> ...


That's not what I meant. Yes, I am bad at explaining things >_< I'm not looking for a handout or anything. When someone likes something that I've done, I just want to thank them for liking it. That's all.


----------



## Cleo (Jan 11, 2013)

I agree with what's been said about not responding and have one thing to add. Before I was indie, if I saw author comments on reviews I tended to view the reviews as tainted and move on without buying. Author participation can definitely stifle critical reviews, and as a reader, I was very aware of that.

These days I'm much more openminded about buying from authors who comment. But remembering how I used to feel, I'm leaving my reviewers alone unless they ask me to publicly respond to the review. 

Interesting that a few of the big names respond, but they're outliers even among their peers; most bestsellers do not leave comments on reviews.


----------



## 1131 (Dec 18, 2008)

Cleo said:


> I agree with what's been said about not responding and have one thing to add. Before I was indie, if I saw author comments on reviews I tended to view the reviews as tainted and move on without buying. Author participation can definitely stifle critical reviews, and as a reader, I was very aware of that.


This

I don't always read reviews and even fewer comments so I don't always see author's commenting. When an author does insert themselves into the conversation I see overall reviews as skewed towards being nice. I'm not getting a good picture of the book and I move on.


----------



## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

I mention in the back of my books that I respond to all reader emails I receive. This seves two purposes: I get their email address, and we can carry on private one-on-one conversations they can choose to share—or not. 

I deal with young teens with real problems, and religion; two polarizing issues. I think it's prudent for me to not respond to reviews in most cases.


----------



## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Do what you want!  It's your book.  Personally, I respond to each and every review on all 20+ of my books on Amazon and it's been a great experience.

To each his own.  Only do it if it feels right and you can do it professionally and respectfully.


----------



## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Ugh, I just read this whole thread. I probably shouldn't have, because this subject always gets my panties in a twist. I'm going to be blunt...

I started responding to every review BEFORE I was a best-selling indie. When I was selling 50 books a month, I was responding to reviews. You don't have to be selling a buttload of books to respond to reviews. I would argue that it's part of the _reason_ I became a bestselling author in the first place. I've had readers tell me one of the reasons they like to spread the word about my books is because they feel so connected to me, because I read their reviews and use them to improve my work. I don't do this as a scam or a business decision. I honestly believe I have a moral obligation to be grateful to people who invest their time and money in ME and keep me writing, and reviews do that. Plain and simple.

In the over 1,500 reviews I have responded to, I have only ONCE had a person complain to me about it, and that was ONLY after entering into a somewhat confrontational thread here on KB just hours before. I'm quite sure that review was a KB-generated sock puppet slapping me down for having a contrary opinion from someone here. Sad but true, I notice any time I've defended myself on a "Should I Comment On Reviews" thread on KB, I suddenly get a rash of down-votes and some 1- or 2-stars that are very vague. I guess that's the price I pay for standing my ground.

I've had probably hundreds of people actually contact me after I commented to thank me for being so thoughtful and kind. You can go on my reviews and see them yourself, but I've also gotten them on Facebook and by email. These readers were pleasantly surprised to see that an author actually cares about what they think (which leads me to the conclusion that they think authors who don't respond, don't care.) I've NEVER had anyone but Ann the moderator and a few other KBers call me a stalker. And guess what ... I don't write books for those readers, so it's all good.

This stuff about authors reading and responding to reviews as being stalkers is total bullshit. People who feel that way are outliers. Amazon is a PUBLIC forum. Anyone who expects their comments to be anonymous or private there is not thinking very hard about what they're doing. And anyone who thinks authors don't read their reviews is naive. Reading people's opinions about your work is not stalking. It's being a conscientious writer in my book. (read that again: IN MY BOOK.) Anyone is free to disagree, of course.

For those who say reviews are for readers only ... well, you're wrong. Amazon sets the rules and Amazon agrees with me, not you. I have their solid support, at the highest levels of service, that what I do is completely and totally fine. That page on Amazon with my book on it is MY product page for MY product, my book. I am the vendor, the manufacturer, the creator. In the words of KDP executive support, I provide an excellent reader experience. It's part of the reason I get some special perks there like pre-orders.

I'm sure this horse is not beat to dead enough and we'll continue to debate the pros and cons of responding to reviews. But keep these two things in mind moving forward when you're deciding whether to be a responder or a non-responder:

1. Times are changing. What was never done before is being done with regularity now. Do you want to hold back from something that feels like it might be great for you and for your readers because of what authors _used_ to do? Or do you want to open your mind and consider that things don't always need to stay the same?

2. I speak from experience. My success with this process is well-documented. People can argue for the next 12 hours over this subject, but not one of them can say with any credibility that what I've done has been a mistake. Does that mean if you respond to reviews you'll have a NY Times bestseller on your hands next month? No. But I do believe it will help you develop a more loyal reader fan-base, and THAT is huge in this business if you want to make a career out of it.

Gold star to anyone who's read this far.


----------



## Carradee (Aug 21, 2010)

ellecasey said:


> I started responding to every review BEFORE I was a best-selling indie. [&#8230;] I would argue that it's part of the _reason_ I became a bestselling author in the first place.


I tried to point that out earlier, but the Internet gremlins evidently ate it. It has occurred to me that Wattpad-where I'm responding to every review-is where I'm gaining a ton of followers and readers. (Seriously, my number of followers jumped by 2000% last month, and the increase rate has been staying pretty steady since.  )

The correlation might not indicate causation, but it also might do so.


----------



## swolf (Jun 21, 2010)

I think that if you consistently respond to reviews, readers will expect it.  It may cause some to shy away from leaving a review, but it also may cause others to leave one when they normally wouldn't, just to get that personal contact with the author. 

And I disagree with the opinion that, if you're going to respond to reviews, don't respond to the ones under three stars.  I think that would make you seem petty. 

So far, I've only responded to ones where the reader says something like, "I'd love to read the sequel but I can't afford it."  I'll jump in and ask them to contact me so I can send them a coupon to get it for free.

There's another one I'm considering responding to, where the reader claims there were gaps in the text.  No other reader mentioned that, and my downloaded copy doesn't have them, so I may graciously ask her to try it again.


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

ellecasey said:


> Ugh, I just read this whole thread. I probably shouldn't have, because this subject always gets my panties in a twist. I'm going to be blunt...
> 
> I started responding to every review BEFORE I was a best-selling indie. When I was selling 50 books a month, I was responding to reviews. You don't have to be selling a buttload of books to respond to reviews. I would argue that it's part of the _reason_ I became a bestselling author in the first place. I've had readers tell me one of the reasons they like to spread the word about my books is because they feel so connected to me, because I read their reviews and use them to improve my work. I don't do this as a scam or a business decision. I honestly believe I have a moral obligation to be grateful to people who invest their time and money in ME and keep me writing, and reviews do that. Plain and simple.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this, Elle! I agree with much of this. However, I wanted to ask, before you became a bestseller, did you respond to reviews? Did you ever feel the urge to respond? Why did/didn't you?


----------



## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

RM Prioleau said:


> Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this, Elle! I agree with much of this. However, I wanted to ask, before you became a bestseller, did you respond to reviews? Did you ever feel the urge to respond? Why did/didn't you?


I have responded to ALL reviews, regardless of star-level, since Day 1, since it was only my mom buying my one book. I always feel the urge to be thankful, so I express that the best way I know how: by saying thank you.


----------



## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

> "If I were to do the same I think people would find it annoying."


How do we know that?


----------



## Joseph J Bailey (Jun 28, 2013)

I sometimes respond to reviews and I am far from best-selling (often far from selling).

I respond because it's fun, to show my appreciation (especially for a suggestion), and offer my thanks when I do.  On the times when I do reply, I also try to respond in character for a given piece....

I've always done my own thing and hope what I write is appreciated because it comes from a good place.


----------



## Lisa J. Yarde (Jul 15, 2010)

To the OP: Do as you like, but I would suggest thinking quality of interaction here. Everyone's mileage will vary, but if you're on social media, have an email address, a website, then readers who WANT to find you and engage in any kind of meaningful dialogue will do just that. You won't be able to stop them. As far as saying "thanks for the review" does it serve a meaningful purpose long-term to growing a casual reader into a fan who'll read the next and the next? Ultimately, that's the goal (or probably should be.) Consider, what's the likelihood of the reader going back to the review and noticing you said thanks? Plus, any dialogue that could potentially be established isn't going to remain with that review; the connection you made won't keep coming back to the review just to talk to you if they want. They'll email you, send you a DM or inbox you. They'll make it personal. So I suggest, start with the opportunities to make it personal; as passive as your email and links at the end of a book. Let readers take it from there.

OTOH I'm also in the camp "The Internet is forever. If you don't want it seen, commented on, etc. don't post." Being shocked or made uncomfortable by an author noticing a comment, or feeling like you're being stalked as a result of "thanks" is just an extreme reaction to me. Authors don't even need much effort to find the discussion. Google, or if it worked properly, Google Alerts takes care of that. I personally don't know any author whose that invested in finding out what's being said about them to engage in behavior that seems like stalking, but I guess there are extremes everywhere. Why should those who are too busy writing or being normal to "stalk" be tarred with that tainted brush? Plus, if someone is surprised an author might have an opinion of _their_ opinion...well, we were people with opinions before we ever put fingers to keyboard.


----------



## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

I got a gold star from ellecasey because I read her entire post.

On topic, I do enjoy interacting with the authors.


----------



## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

FWIW, I really wish we could stop throwing that word "stalker" around so casually.  It's a criminal act in most civilized countries, and reading and responding to reviews is far from criminal.

We don't call people molesters, murderers, rapists, or any one of those other criminal monikers unless they actually commit the act (otherwise, it's slanderous and actionable to call someone one of those names).  I think we should reserve the name "stalker" for actual stalkers and not authors responding to reviews.


----------



## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

> "Consider, what's the likelihood of the reader going back to the review and noticing you said thanks?"


Perhaps it is very low. But we might consider the target audience for an author's comment on a review. Is it the specific reviewer, or everyone else who scans the reviews?


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Terrence OBrien said:


> Perhaps it is very low. But we might consider the target audience for an author's comment on a review. Is it the specific reviewer, or everyone else who scans the reviews?


When I responded to a 2-star review, the reviewer was surprised that I responded, and they admitted that they were hesitant in leaving a review because they were afraid that I was one of those authors who would throw a tantrum at negative reviews. I assured them that wasn't the case and thanked them for the review. They responded to it, and they didn't seem upset or anything about it. I hope that other reviewers will be less hesitant in leaving reviews if they happen to stumble upon this interaction. A few people actually found my responses helpful, too. I don't know if they were potential readers or not, but I am glad that it was seen by others.


----------



## Adam Poe (Apr 2, 2012)

When a review is left you get an option to checkbox whether or not you want notified of new comments. Or at least you used to...I have not left any reviews in years.

If a lot of reviewers checkbox that then they are going to know someone replied because they will get an e-mail that links them straight to it.


----------



## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

Big shout out to Elle! 

I'm a review non-responder, but trailblazers like Elle and Hugh, who do things they feel is right versus what is considered the norm are awesome. A lot to think about, that's for sure!


----------



## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Alan Petersen said:


> Big shout out to Elle!
> 
> I'm a review non-responder, but trailblazers like Elle and Hugh, who do things they feel is right versus what is considered the norm are awesome. A lot to think about, that's for sure!


----------



## AngryGames (Jul 28, 2013)

ellecasey said:


> Do what you want! It's your book. Personally, I respond to each and every review on all 20+ of my books on Amazon and it's been a great experience.
> 
> To each his own. Only do it if it feels right and you can do it professionally and respectfully.


It is my opinion that this is the best post in this entire thread.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

ellecasey said:


> FWIW, I really wish we could stop throwing that word "stalker" around so casually. It's a criminal act in most civilized countries, and reading and responding to reviews is far from criminal.
> 
> We don't call people molesters, murderers, rapists, or any one of those other criminal monikers unless they actually commit the act (otherwise, it's slanderous and actionable to call someone one of those names). I think we should reserve the name "stalker" for actual stalkers and not authors responding to reviews.


Fair enough. . . .true stalkers are legitimately scary. What word should be used?

Because for me, I don't see the need to have the validation. If I've done something, and I think I've done it really well, I can be proud of that without having people tell me so. I don't go around pointing out what I did in the hopes that they'll praise me somehow. Or, if they think it's rubbish, I've put them in the position of either having to hurt my feelings, or lie. I don't like to do that. 

I realize a review is a bit different: you've put your baby out there and naturally want it to be accepted. But I think it's probably wiser to avoid reading the reviews. Sure, it's great if people like it, but if they don't. . .  And the fact that, so often, people then come here upset at something that's been said kind of proves my point. So the better thing to do is just get on writing the next book. 

And, FWIW, I think it's just as unhealthy if a reviewer keeps going back to see if someone has commented on there review. Or, maybe, 'unhealthy' isn't the word. Maybe it's just that I totally don't see the need to do it.  Which is why the author responding doesn't make sense to me -- I'd never assume the person would ever see the response because if I wrote a review, I wouldn't go back and look at it to see if people agreed with me. 

I know it's not exactly the same, but I post here all the time. (see -- really big number over there to the left <--) Sometimes there are topics I'm interested in so I post to join in the conversation. Sometimes someone responds directly to something I said. A lot of time I just say to myself, "huh," and go on. It's not that I'm not interested in what others think, but I've had my say and it's fine by me if others disagree; and I'm also not inclined to argue my position. So I only rarely will answer that sort of post and usually it's to clarify something I said earlier.

Anyway, again, this is all just from my point of view. Obviously, others look at things differently. And that's o.k. 

(FWIW, I never put any 'my kid is on the honor roll' bumper stickers on my care either -- and not because he wasn't.  )


----------



## Joshua Dalzelle (Jun 12, 2013)

I went into self-publishing with the firm mindset that I would treat it as a business and no longer just a hobby. With that in mind, what is the ROI for diving so deeply into the review process? I could say, "Hey, look at what Hugh and Elle do..." But the reality is that they are not successful JUST because they interact on the product page. Truthfully it's hard to use them as an example because they've hit a level in their careers I never will. Conversely, have I seen such interaction go horribly, horribly wrong for authors? Oh yeah... lots. So I have made myself available for readers, but I don't pursue them. 


Ann brings up a good point... the only people who would know you commented would be the people who go back to see if their reviews have any comments in the first place, so they may be looking for some type of response in the first place. Most probably are never aware of it. 

Either way... to each their own. That's the beauty of being independent, you don't have to follow conventional wisdom or adhere to an arbitrary set of rules.


----------



## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Fair enough. . . .true stalkers are legitimately scary. What word should be used?
> 
> Because for me, I don't see the need to have the validation. If I've done something, and I think I've done it really well, I can be proud of that without having people tell me so. *I don't go around pointing out what I did in the hopes that they'll praise me somehow. Or, if they think it's rubbish, I've put them in the position of either having to hurt my feelings, or lie. *I don't like to do that.
> 
> ...


Ann, are you a writer? If not, I think it would be very difficult for you to put yourself in the shoes of one and say how things should be done from their perspective or how they should feel about people critiquing their work. It's one thing to imagine it; it's a whole other thing to experience it - like marriage, like childbirth, like anything you put your whole self and heart into. Add to this the fact that several writers on KB either support their families or want to support their families with their writing and that just adds another wrinkle. Advice given from someone without experience could hurt their career goals. Don't get me wrong ... I think different opinions are great. However, I think insults are _not_. I think calling people criminals is _definitely_ not. There's no excuse for that, especially when it comes from a moderator of the forum.

In my opinion, telling writers to not read reviews is the worst possible advice someone could give. If you (a writer) just write to pour your heart out and you don't care how "well" you do it and you don't do it to support yourself financially, then by all means, ignore everyone around you. But if you are a writer and this is your career, and you see self-publishing as your business, you're foolish if you don't read reviews. Good, bad, or indifferent, the readers will tell you exactly what you're doing wrong, what you're doing right, and what they want to see in the future. Yes, everyone has different opinions, but when you see a criticism mentioned over and over in reviews, it's pretty clear what you need to work on as a writer. If you don't read the reviews, you won't fix what's wrong. You won't even know what's wrong. You won't even know what's right!

You make the mistake that many make and that is this: you assume all readers are like you (or should be like you), and that therefore, your opinion on this matter is the one true and only correct one. That's why you probably feel perfectly comfortable calling me a criminal (stalker). Like that's no big deal. I take offense to it, as I've mentioned to you and Betsy before, and yet you continue to do it. I really hope you won't anymore.

You post a lot, yes. I would hope so, considering you're a moderator. I would have also hoped that being a moderator meant you were "moderate" in your comments, but insofar as this topic is concerned, you have not been. I'm glad to see (I think I see) that you're open to another interpretation - or at least another label for something you don't understand because it's not something you look for as a reader.

Instead of "stalker", instead of "unprofessional", instead of "needy", instead of "needing validation", I prefer the term: grateful, invested author. I thank readers because I'm grateful. Readers who care about what people think (about what they've said, about their opinion) check that box to receive an email when someone responds to their comments. Those who don't care, don't check the box. It's a very nice system; you can interact if you want, or review and walk away. You don't check the box, Ann, but lots of readers do. I've seen it. This is not me guessing, this is fact.

I don't agree with you that readers who go back to interact with people who've commented on their reviews are "unhealthy" or anything similar. They want more out of the reading experience than you do or a different kind of reading experience that's more interactive. Because they have a different reading style than you do, it doesn't make you healthy and them not. I could argue that it makes them more socially connected online.

With regard to the part of your post that I bolded above and here, I really don't know what you were getting at there. You said: *"I don't go around pointing out what I did in the hopes that they'll praise me somehow. Or, if they think it's rubbish, I've put them in the position of either having to hurt my feelings, or lie." * What does that even mean? Does it even relate to leaving comments on reviews?


----------



## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Joshua Dalzelle said:


> I went into self-publishing with the firm mindset that I would treat it as a business and no longer just a hobby. With that in mind, what is the ROI for diving so deeply into the review process? I could say, "Hey, look at what Hugh and Elle do..." But the reality is that they are not successful JUST because they interact on the product page. Truthfully it's hard to use them as an example because they've hit a level in their careers I never will. Conversely, have I seen such interaction go horribly, horribly wrong for authors? Oh yeah... lots. So I have made myself available for readers, but I don't pursue them.
> 
> Ann brings up a good point... the only people who would know you commented would be the people who go back to see if their reviews have any comments in the first place, so they may be looking for some type of response in the first place. Most probably are never aware of it.
> 
> Either way... to each their own. That's the beauty of being independent, you don't have to follow conventional wisdom or adhere to an arbitrary set of rules.


Actually, there's a whole other group of people who see those comments who aren't the original comment leaver - they are readers considering buying the book. I didn't think about these people until they started jumping on threads and joining the conversation. I've had people buy my books just because I was thanking readers for reviews and taking the time to be grateful, or clarifying issues in the books.

For people who don't spend a bunch of time online interacting with others (meaning they lurk more then post), it seems alien. But it's true to say that there are millions of people out there who use the internet and its social media outlets (FB, GR, Amazon, Twitter, etc) to have conversations, to make friends, and to find their next read. I spend a good part of my day interacting with readers in lots of places. Amazon comments are one of them.


----------



## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

I don't really comment on reviews, but a few of my author pals do, and they've become NYT bestsellers.

It's not just the commenting on the reviews, but the can-do attitude.

If you ask a group of people for permission, you'll never get a unanimous yes. Definitely not here. 

I personally give magic horsie rides to everyone who reviews me, on my magical unicorn. I try to do what it takes. I know it makes some people who don't have unicorns look like slackers, but ... it is what it is.


----------



## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Mimi said:


> I don't really comment on reviews, but a few of my author pals do, and they've become NYT bestsellers.
> 
> It's not just the commenting on the reviews, but the can-do attitude.
> 
> ...


If I had a unicorn, I would surely use it to sell books.  I am shameless like that.


----------



## Joshua Dalzelle (Jun 12, 2013)

ellecasey said:


> Actually, there's a whole other group of people who see those comments who aren't the original comment leaver - they are readers considering buying the book. I didn't think about these people until they started jumping on threads and joining the conversation. I've had people buy my books just because I was thanking readers for reviews and taking the time to be grateful, or clarifying issues in the books.


Good point... I had never considered that group/


----------



## Greg Banks (May 2, 2009)

ellecasey said:


> ...We don't call people molesters, murderers, rapists, or any one of those other criminal monikers unless they actually commit the act (otherwise, it's slanderous and actionable to call someone one of those names). I think we should reserve the name "stalker" for actual stalkers and not authors responding to reviews.


I agree with you except I think you're sort of missing the point. It doesn't matter whether or not the word really applies if that's how the practice makes people feel. For someone like you, it's easy because anyone posting a review will likely already know and expect you to respond. But in general, fans are shy. People can love and adore their favorite celebs from afar, but put them in a room with the celeb and they may keel over with heart failure. When fans aren't expecting you to respond, or even think that you are looking at what they post, it can be scary for them. The bottom line is that if you really care about your fans, then make your choice based upon their feelings, not your own. If your fans like to interact with you through reviews, fine, go for it! But if there is a chance that your suddenly start watching and responding to reviews might creep them out, then don't do it.

And by the way, having an author suddenly respond to a review I posted years ago may not creep me out, but I would find it very weird. I'm sorry, that is more than a bit excessive.


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Update!

I posted a thank you note to a reviewer's post in Goodreads, and they responded very politely and even said they have another one of my books and plans on reading it soon!! They didn't sound weirded out or anything about my responding to a post they did back in August. It feels really good that I can carry on a personable conversation with a reader from their review. I think I've made up my mind to respond to all the reviews I receive from now on. It just feels right to me.


----------



## Joseph Turkot (Nov 9, 2012)

After reading this thread, which triggered my curiosity, I went to Amazon and tracked down Wool part 1 and zoomed to the first reviews, which came in 2011. Hugh was clearly unafraid to take on reviewers who rated his book 1 or 2 stars. In one he challenges the reviewer as providing an unfair review. Going through a few more pages, he seems to address most low reviews and post his opinion on their opinion. He usually addresses reviewer incompetence as far as it concerned their complaints of short length (they didn't check page length).

Maybe the times have changed, even though this was only two years ago. I know Amazon has changed, and perhaps getting a start is much harder due to saturation, Amazon policy changes, and the review scandals of last year. I too wonder, RM, is it advantageous to respond to each review? Would Hugh still recommend this to newer authors in today's rapidly evolving ebook marketplace? (Hugh chimes in here...)


----------



## AngryGames (Jul 28, 2013)

I think maybe the point that is getting lost in the storm of opinions in this thread is that everyone is entitled to their own opinions. It doesn't make one's opinion right or wrong, it just means that person believes in something...and maybe another person does not. 

My opinion is that if Elle and I weren't already married, I'd stalk her because I like what she has to say about this subject (among others I've read of hers). She and I (unbeknownst to her) agree on a lot of things that many of you do not agree on. 

I don't like being told I'm wrong or stupid or a stalker for doing the things I do (which is breaking every Unbreakable Rule of Writing I can just to prove that no one has a monopoly on what is right/correct). I believe your opinions are valid, for you, the same as mine are for me, but none of our opinions mean diddly-squat in the overall scheme of things. 

Do what you want to do. It's your book/career. If an author enjoys talking/interacting with others on their own reviews, more power to him/her. If he screws up and make a fool of himself, and ends up with something going viral (whether good or bad)...well, you pays your money and you takes your chances. Life, and in a sense, being an author, is all about learning (sometimes the hard way). 

I appreciate that we all have opinions. We'd be a boring bunch of Stepford Wives if we didn't have different degrees of opinion. But to tell other authors that they are 'doing it wrong' or putting a label on other authors because you don't agree with what they believe is good for their own career...I'm not sure how that is being helpful at all.


----------



## Joseph Turkot (Nov 9, 2012)

I hadn't read this thread thoroughly--and rereading it, I just read Elle's comments. I feel...empowered. She speaks of the sacred yearning, the forbidden measure, the counter-intuition, the great divide canceler. No, in all honesty, my views, largely shaped more so in the last month than ever before, having been formed by the major strain--the bastardization of the interaction with reviewers as a devil sauce of sorts--are now open to new reflection. Perhaps reader-author interaction, as much sense as it made internally, and as wrong as it seemed in the light of chastisement, is truly the golden tool of newer independent authors. What best-selling author can still interact on a one to one basis with their fans? They can't--which is fine--it means they succeeded. They will continue to keep in touch in what ways they can, new ones I think that reach a broad mass of their fans. We, as authors of small, fledgling fanbases, must recognize and utilize with prescience our opportunity. Who would think having a smaller fanbase would be an advantage, if only we could cast from it the taboo of "stalking" or some other unspoken taint of blasphemy? Ahh, yes.


----------



## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Joseph Turkot said:


> After reading this thread, which triggered my curiosity, I went to Amazon and tracked down Wool part 1 and zoomed to the first reviews, which came in 2011. Hugh was clearly unafraid to take on reviewers who rated his book 1 or 2 stars. In one he challenges the reviewer as providing an unfair review. Going through a few more pages, he seems to address most low reviews and post his opinion on their opinion. He usually addresses reviewer incompetence as far as it concerned their complaints of short length (they didn't check page length).
> 
> Maybe the times have changed, even though this was only two years ago. I know Amazon has changed, and perhaps getting a start is much harder due to saturation, Amazon policy changes, and the review scandals of last year. I too wonder, RM, is it advantageous to respond to each review? Would Hugh still recommend this to newer authors in today's rapidly evolving ebook marketplace? (Hugh chimes in here...)


I wasn't going to chime in here, mainly because I find some of the posts a bit aggressive and uncomfortable. But I am going to be perfectly honest, it was seeing the comments that Hugh made to the reviewers on his books that made me decide to not read them. I checked out the reviews a long time ago and I found his comments to be very unpleasant. So I never got the book and that memory stuck. My husband would really be 100% be the target audience for that genre. I buy all the books on kindle even for him. 
So some readers might like it, some might be turned off. But of course usually those that are turned off don't tend to talk about it. They are silent. But it is what it is.

I am also going to relate a little story I have experienced. I review only on goodreads pretty much as of now. Various reasons. So I absolutely adored this book. Floved it over the top and wrote a review and gave it 5 stars. Then I get a message on Goodreads from the author. I heart dropped for a bit before I even opened it. She was very nice, really. We even send a couple of messages back and forth. 
But, here is the but. I am now feeling a bit like looked over the shoulder. Again, she was very very nice and the messages back and forth were all positive. I was going to read the second book in the series soon. But every time I now look at the sample, I put it aside. 
I can't really put my finger on it. I now feel a bit of a pressure to like the book. What if it isn't as good as the first one. And if I rate it and review, I now know the author is watching. I have a hard enough time writing those darn things as it is. I honestly just don't know how to feel about this. I just don't. All I know is that I want to read the book, but I keep putting it off.


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Atunah said:


> I wasn't going to chime in here, mainly because I find some of the posts a bit aggressive and uncomfortable. But I am going to be perfectly honest, it was seeing the comments that Hugh made to the reviewers on his books that made me decide to not read them. I checked out the reviews a long time ago and I found his comments to be very unpleasant. So I never got the book and that memory stuck. My husband would really be 100% be the target audience for that genre. I buy all the books on kindle even for him.
> So some readers might like it, some might be turned off. But of course usually those that are turned off don't tend to talk about it. They are silent. But it is what it is.
> 
> I am also going to relate a little story I have experienced. I review only on goodreads pretty much as of now. Various reasons. So I absolutely adored this book. Floved it over the top and wrote a review and gave it 5 stars. Then I get a message on Goodreads from the author. I heart dropped for a bit before I even opened it. She was very nice, really. We even send a couple of messages back and forth.
> ...


I totally get where you're coming from, and I hate that feeling of being looked over the shoulder. I guess everyone is different in that sense. Maybe people who enjoy certain genres of books don't mind when authors respond to them? I don't know...


----------



## journeymama (May 30, 2011)

This is such an interesting debate! I don't know what to think, one way or the other. I've never responded to reviews, but I'm open to it. The comment from one reader about having a feeling of someone looking over his/her shoulder is interesting. 

I'm all over the internet, and was a blogger before I wrote books. So I've noticed that people who want more interaction come and find me after they've read my books. That's certainly a point when I interact- if someone starts commenting on my blog (I don't write about writing or publishing at all, my blog is an extension of my life, so readers really connect there) or emails me, or starts commenting on my facebook page. It's a clear indication that someone wants to interact with an author they like.

However, you can't argue with Elle's success or the fact that her readers clearly adore her and are super loyal.


----------



## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

I think Atunah hits a good point. And just because some people seem happy to interact doesn't mean there aren't a bunch of people behind the scenes who are creeped out. Of course some writers have done it successfully, but far more common are the ugly examples. I won't say I've never responded to reviews, but in general I try to walk away and see if it still seems like a good idea a few hours later. Generally, it doesn't.

I do provide an email for readers to contact me if they want to and am happy when they do. But it's contact that they have initiated, not me.


----------



## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

If Atunah can chime in, I guess I will too and not leave her and Ann as the only non-writers who should have difficulty putting ourselves in your shoes and an opinion of how things should be done.  

My take away from this thread is for authors respond to reviews if they want to because there are reviewers and readers of reviews that really like one-one-one interaction with the author.  The other side is there are reviewers who don’t like feeling the author is “reviewing their review” and on several sites this leads to a negative back and forth.  Each has to decide and be willing to accept any negative consequences that result - or bask in the positive results as some have had.  I am in the reader camp that doesn’t care for an author response.  If I want to interact with them personally, I can usually find a website for that.  I have certainly enjoyed (most of the time) getting to “know” authors here.

I don’t review because of backlash I have seen on KBoards and other forums.  It’s not worth it to me.  If you are going to respond to reviews, it appears you need to couch your response to critical/negative reviews in the very kindest way.  If a reader/reviewer gives your book lower stars because of swearing, for example, you sweetly take them to task for not having read the blurb closely enough to know what they were buying.  That, along with a “thank you for reading, sorry you didn’t like it” apparently takes the sting out of a response to the reviewer’s opinion.  Of course if you only respond to all positive reviews, the writers of negative reviews quickly understand that you are ignoring their opinions.

I also wanted to respond in this thread to say that I am disappointed in Elle’s harangue against an unpaid moderator who offered their personal opinion about this debate.  Is it only okay to respond sweetly to a reader who has written a review offering an opinion different than yours because they paid for your work?  We haven’t paid to read your words here so you don’t have to be nice if the opinion disagrees with yours?


----------



## EC Sheedy (Feb 24, 2011)

I have read through this thread. Always wanting to learn. 

When I first started self-publishing about a year and a half ago, I thought responding to reviews would be the right thing to do--even expected--given the immediacy and interaction possible on the internet. So I did respond a couple of times early on, but I was _not_ comfortable doing it. Don't know why... I guess to me it felt like I was interfering in the reader experience. Then someone on Kboards said, "Reviews are for the reader--not the writer." I bought into this idea and from that point on I shut my writer-mouth.

That said, I won't say this approach is right for everyone. (Obviously Elle and Hugh and others know how to make it work.) Me? I'd love to talk to readers more, am ecstatic when one chooses to email me privately, (and thank the goddess some of them do!) but if they post a review on Amazon, I leave them to it.


----------



## dianasg (Jan 8, 2010)

Whoo! Just read this whole thread. Elle makes a great case for when/where/how it is appropriate to respond to reviews. I've looked at her reviews many times and she does it with grace. I think the takeaway is to do it if you feel it's right -- if you feel you can be gracious about it, and if you feel your readership will be receptive to it.

Not all readers are the same (obviously). But what strikes me about Elle is that she is EXTREMELY aware of who her readers are, what they will like, what they'll be receptive to, etc. She is extremely attuned to her readers -- perhaps because she has engaged with them so fully. So she knows that her audience is cool with her responses, and even excited by the idea that the author is so engaged.

So, it's clear the answer will be different for every author, because you all aren't writing to the same crowd. Who is your target audience? Your average reader? What will they think? Maybe that can be a guide. At the same time, if you feel strongly about responding to reviews, then people who think you're a stalker for doing so -- well, they're just not your audience.

IMO, if I write a critical review of a book that I've read and post it online (and I have), I'm not offended or freaked out if the author sees it. If I'm critical, that's my opinion. If I post it online - publicly - then I understand that anyone can see it. And if the author respectfully comments on it, why should that freak me out? I just don't get it. It won't change my opinion, or my willingness to read or review again. If I liked the book, I'll pick up another from that author. If I didn't, then I won't. My review is just to share what I thought - yes, it's for other readers. Do I care if the author sees it? Not really.

Because if, as so many reviewers say, "reviews are for other readers," then why should the fact that the author is going to see it influence me at all? It seems sort of odd to call authors "needy" for responding graciously to reviews, and not to similarly criticize reviewers for being spooked off sharing their opinions by a polite author.  I hope I'm not being provocative, I just genuinely don't understand the very harsh criticism towards authors who reply politely. To me it's pretty easy to ignore a comment on a review, especially if it's that innocuous.

Me: *review, with some positives & negatives*
Author: Thanks for taking the time to review my book! I appreciate what you said about XYZ.
Me: Sure! Thanks for the entertainment. OR Me: *ignore*

Me: *review, all negative*
Author: Sorry you didn't enjoy it, but thanks for taking the time to review my book! 
Me: Sure! Good luck with it! OR Me: *ignore*

Like, what is so weird about that?? Idk. It just doesn't seem all _that_ complicated, from this readers POV.


----------



## Dolphin (Aug 22, 2013)

I would suggest that whether you choose to respond or not respond, you should be _consistent._ What would creep me out more than anything is an author picking and choosing.

Personally, though, I'm not a fan of responding.

As an author, I think I'd clearly do a worse job of it than Hugh or Elle, because they're magical shiny unicorn people, and I'm not. I'm a big, fat introvert. If everybody was going to walk away happy after our chat, or if there was an obvious ROI that made it worthwhile to respond to every single review posted on the internets, fine. I could probably bring myself to do that. As many folks have observed, though, it just wouldn't feel right to me, and I think it'd be a waste of everybody's time.

As a reader, I'd be much less likely to review any book if I knew the author would respond. Favorably or unfavorably; it doesn't matter. Reviews aren't a solicitation for further interaction: They're one-off statements of opinion for other readers (and the author) to interpret by their own lights. (In fact, I've only read comment threads on reviews once or twice.) Having an author strike up a conversation afterward feels like having a stranger-an influential, internet-famous stranger-approach me out of the blue while I'm trying to internet in a coffee shop.

Obviously a lot of people enjoy that kind of thing. I don't.

It's probably that icky, Why Are You Talking To Me And What Do You Want feeling that would prevent me from doing a good job on the author side of things. I'd have to use my imagination to figure out what to say to the reviewers. It seems to come naturally to Elle, Hugh, and RM. More power to you all!


----------



## Joshua Dalzelle (Jun 12, 2013)

It's good to have some readers in here to share their perspective... I'm also glad this debate has stayed civil, it is quite interesting and hopefully useful.


A few people have brought up a good point about the silent majority (maybe minority?) that you simply won't be aware of offending with your actions. I've had two incidents in which someone attacked my work on my FB page and another in which I got quite a demeaning private message. My first instinct, being that it was my own page, was "oh, it's on now!" But some sage advice from another author on here and I responded with as much respect and grace as I could muster. Who knows how many readers I would have alienated if I'd unloaded on them and would have never known about it? While a "thank you" is miles away from a full-on verbal assault, the theory is the same.


----------



## JamieCampbell (May 29, 2013)

Almost a little afraid to join in this discussion, but here goes anyway.

As a reader, any interaction I get with the author of a book I've read, I love. I reviewed one of Elle's books once and she commented back with a thank you. I was thrilled, it gave me the warm and fuzzy's to go back and see what else she has out there for me to buy. I was glad to know she knew how much I enjoyed her book.

As a writer, I have been following the sacred rule of not responding to my reviews. However, after reading all through this thread (I get a gold star from Elle!), I'm going to reconsider. I heard the old "reviews after for readers, not the writer" quote and it stuck. But I think I like the "It's MY product page" better


----------



## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

crebel said:


> ...
> 
> I also wanted to respond in this thread to say that I am disappointed in Elle's harangue against an unpaid moderator who offered their personal opinion about this debate. Is it only okay to respond sweetly to a reader who has written a review offering an opinion different than yours because they paid for your work? We haven't paid to read your words here so you don't have to be nice if the opinion disagrees with yours?


Ann is an unpaid moderator. I am an unpaid active user of this board. Both of us are here to help writers. Whether I'm sweet to someone or not has nothing to do with whether they've paid for one of my books. Your suggestion otherwise is not only ridiculous, it's rude. I'm sweet to everyone until they insult me personally. Then, well ... it's on. Time for the blunt truth.

Ann the moderator has, on several occasions (not just this thread, but a few in the past), referred to writers like me in several derogatory ways, just because we choose to respond to reviews. I've listed them in my response, but since you seem to have skimmed over them, let me repeat:

unprofessional
stalker (aka criminal)
creepy
needy
unhealthy
needing validation
odd
self-centered and not attractive

Hell yeah, I'm going to harangue her or anyone else who does that. That includes readers. If a reader is rude to me personally in a review (meaning ME, not my book), I comment on it, just like I do here. If President Obama ever does it, I'm going to take him to task too. It is NOT okay for ANYONE to insult a writer and call them a criminal just for responding to reviews, regardless of personal stance on the issue. It is Amazon's policy to permit this kind of activity by writers, and Ann knows it, based on other threads that have discussed it ad nauseum. Ann can have her opinion about the issue, sure, just like everyone else. But she needs to share it without the name-calling. I can't imagine you or anyone else would disagree with this simple statement.

Here's the law in this issue, lest you think I'm just upset because I got called some petty names: Accusing someone of being a criminal is defamatory. Here on KB it's libel, and actionable in a court of law. And when you accuse someone of a serious crime (in many jurisdictions that would include stalking) there is no need to prove actual malice and damages are presumed. From an online legal dictionary: _libel per se n. broadcast or written publication of a false statement about another which accuses him/her of a crime, immoral acts, inability to perform his/her profession, having a loathsome disease (like syphilis), or dishonesty in business. Such claims are considered so obviously harmful that malice need not be proved to obtain a judgment for "general damages," and not just specific losses._ Am I going to sue? Of course not. Am I going to be insulted? Of course I am. There's a reason laws like this exist. Polite society has boundaries, and this boundary was crossed and has been many times. I guess you could say that I've reached my limit.

Thing is, no reader, no matter how nasty the 1-star review, has ever called me the things Ann has. I respond in kind, that's it. Maybe you think because I'm a writer, I should allow someone to call me a criminal and then just smile and walk away. If that's the case, then you don't know me at all, and you should probably click that button that hides my comments from your screen. Just because I'm a writer, it doesn't mean I leave my stand-my-ground personality or my heart and brain behind. Just because I do something that she as a reader doesn't like or understand, it doesn't make me any of those ^^ things listed above, and it doesn't make it okay for her to say them. I'm pretty sure Harvey (owner of KB) would agree with me if he thought about it or even knew it was going on.

If anyone else on this board had said those things about a writer on these boards, one of the moderators would have deleted their comments and told all of us to keep it civil with no name-calling. But Ann doesn't delete, because she agrees with the words she's used and that somehow makes it okay. I'm here to say that's just plain wrong. Moderators should moderate fairly and not use their moderator card as a free pass to insult people.



Greg Banks said:


> I agree with you except I think you're sort of missing the point. It doesn't matter whether or not the word really applies if that's how the practice makes people feel. For someone like you, it's easy because anyone posting a review will likely already know and expect you to respond. But in general, fans are shy. People can love and adore their favorite celebs from afar, but put them in a room with the celeb and they may keel over with heart failure. When fans aren't expecting you to respond, or even think that you are looking at what they post, it can be scary for them. The bottom line is that if you really care about your fans, then make your choice based upon their feelings, not your own. If your fans like to interact with you through reviews, fine, go for it! But if there is a chance that your suddenly start watching and responding to reviews might creep them out, then don't do it.
> 
> And by the way, having an author suddenly respond to a review I posted years ago may not creep me out, but I would find it very weird. I'm sorry, that is more than a bit excessive.


I haven't missed the point at all. I have found through actually doing this thing that many are only guessing about, that the practice makes people feel great. I don't write for the _very small_ group who find it off-putting. The *point* was laid out by the OP: Should I respond to reviews? I want to. I feel drawn to. Is it too late to do that when I have reviews that are 2 years old? My answer was and is, _yes_, if it feels right for you and you want to do it, then do it. It's your book.

In general, I have found that readers are not shy. My reader base is quite gregarious, and if they're shy in person, it doesn't come across that way online. I have many self-professed shy people have long conversations with me online, in public, and they're fabulous people to interact with. Me taking the step of responding to their reviews opens up the conversation. I love letting people know how important their opinion is to me personally and for my work, and in my experience, they love it too. Even the shy ones.

For the few readers like Atunah and Ann, who I know from these boards to be _not_ my audience, what can I say? *shrug* They'll find plenty of authors who will ignore them and their opinion and they can all be happy. They can decide to only read authors who don't acknowledge them, if that's what floats their boats. I'm a reader, a very prolific reader before I started writing, and I would have danced a jig if any of the authors whose work I read had contacted me. I love feeling like my opinion matters to someone, which is probably why I stand my ground on KB and share my thoughts with other writers both here and elsewhere.

Love me or hate me, I'm going to tell you what my experience is as a self-published author. But don't call me a criminal and don't insult me or my readers, because I have no problem setting the record straight. Bring on the sock-puppet down-votes!


----------



## hyh (Jul 21, 2013)

Reading through this thread, the thing that strikes me is that a lot of the people who are uncomfortable or undecided talk about it terms of ROI and stuff like that...and I think that's the problem. 

If you're only doing it for those kinds of reasons, then it's probably bound to fail. I don't think people like Elle are thinking of ROI or whatever when they respond to reviews (or readers in any other way) - they just genuinely enjoy it - it's a natural thing to do - and that's why they're so successful at it (of course, they're gracious & polite too). 

I think people really respond to sincerity and see actions made in that spirit in an innocent/positive light...whereas when you're sort of "forcing" yourself to do it, that's when things can often get misinterpreted or sound "off" and go wrong. 

So I guess maybe this goes back to the "do what feels right to you" thing.  

Hsin-Yi


----------



## WHDean (Nov 2, 2011)

Atunah,

I had exactly the same reaction. It’s not because he strikes me as a bad guy—exactly the opposite—and it’s not like the reviews he criticized weren’t wacky. But it did come across the wrong way—especially the piling on. It turned me off of reading the book. 

Elle,

Good luck with your defamation suit. It should be real easy to persuade a judge that characterizing the behaviour of an author who responds to reviews as “stalker-like” and “unprofessional” is defamatory. I guess you’re upset, but rattling the legal spear over this is a little...


----------



## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

WHDean said:


> Atunah,
> 
> I had exactly the same reaction. It's not because he strikes me as a bad guy-exactly the opposite-and it's not like the reviews he criticized weren't wacky. But it did come across the wrong way-especially the piling on. It turned me off of reading the book.
> 
> ...


You need to read my comments closer. The point I was making is _not_ that I've even considered suing anyone (in fact said "of course" I wouldn't). Nobody rattled any legal spears. My point was and is that there's a reason why people (like me) get upset over being called a stalker. It's beyond the bounds of civil decency to call people certain names, and accusing them of criminal wrongdoing falls into that category. The law says so, so I don't need your approval or opinion on it. It's a fact in every State of the US and it's a fact at the Federal level as well.

If I called you a molester or a rapist after you made a flirtatious comment on KB, would you be offended? Would you consider that to be something that should be moderated on a forum that prides itself in civility? I think so. I certainly would expect someone to step in and moderate that kind of behavior, just like I expect it in this instance.

People in forums, especially moderators who are charged with the responsibility of policing out-of-bounds behavior, need to consider their words carefully. Assigning crimes to an author who has not committed that crime is not okay. Assigning criminal status to an author who is not a criminal is not okay. It's not okay legally and it's not okay civilly.

If you have a problem with my stance on that, then we have nothing to talk about. It would be clear to me that you and I move in very different circles and we'll never see eye-to-eye on anything. However, I cannot imagine that you actually think it's okay for readers to call authors criminals just because they respond to reviews. That's just ridiculous.


----------



## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

ellecasey said:


> I started responding to every review BEFORE I was a best-selling indie. When I was selling 50 books a month, I was responding to reviews. You don't have to be selling a buttload of books to respond to reviews. I would argue that it's part of the _reason_ I became a bestselling author in the first place. I've had readers tell me one of the reasons they like to spread the word about my books is because they feel so connected to me, because I read their reviews and use them to improve my work. I don't do this as a scam or a business decision. I honestly believe I have a moral obligation to be grateful to people who invest their time and money in ME and keep me writing, and reviews do that. Plain and simple.


Same here. It never occurred to me that I shouldn't. I learned about this "rule" long after I'd formed a habit of breaking it.

Come to think of it, I break just about every writing rule out there. I like to head-hop; I enjoy -ly and -ing words; I like the passive voice; I'm big on prologues and epilogues; I price stuff too low; and on and on. Makes you wonder if the people concocting these "rules" truly have the best interest of their fellow writers in mind.


----------



## 54706 (Dec 19, 2011)

Hugh Howey said:


> Same here. It never occurred to me that I shouldn't. I learned about this "rule" long after I'd formed a habit of breaking it.
> 
> Come to think of it, I break just about every writing rule out there. I like to head-hop; I enjoy -ly and -ing words; I like the passive voice; I'm big on prologues and epilogues; I price stuff too low; and on and on. Makes you wonder if the people concocting these "rules" truly have the best interest of their fellow writers in mind.


Amen to all that, brothah.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. I can't imagine where I'd be today if I'd listened to all these people telling me what _not_ to do.


----------



## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

The only reviewer I've responded to lately is Cinisajoy. She called me Ubu and it went something like this:






But I've learned my lesson. I put the lotion on my skin. I do this whenever I'm told...






(Yes. It's late and I'm tired.)


----------



## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

ellecasey said:


> I can't imagine where I'd be today if I'd listened to all these people telling me what _not_ to do.


Detroit. You'd be in Detroit.

Did I win?


----------



## John Blackport (Jul 18, 2011)

Atunah said:


> I wasn't going to chime in here. . .
> 
> She was very nice, really. We even send a couple of messages back and forth.
> But, here is the but. I am now feeling a bit like looked over the shoulder. Again, she was very very nice and the messages back and forth were all positive. I was going to read the second book in the series soon. But every time I now look at the sample, I put it aside.
> I can't really put my finger on it. I now feel a bit of a pressure to like the book. What if it isn't as good as the first one. And if I rate it and review, I now know the author is watching. I have a hard enough time writing those darn things as it is. I honestly just don't know how to feel about this. I just don't. All I know is that I want to read the book, but I keep putting it off.


Sorry to quote so haphazardly. I'm glad you chimed in though.

I feel the same way sometimes when I am approached by a kiosk salesperson at the mall.

And I don't think they're stalkers . . . I don't even think they're annoying. They're sometimes quite pleasant. I know they're there to earn money. Sometimes I like their products, and buy them.

This isn't about the author or the book. It's about the kind of interaction that the reader wants to have. Until recently, reading books for pleasure was invariably the undisputed domain of the INTROVERT.

Introverts enjoy interacting in different ways than extroverts, and I'll bet dollars to donuts that the division between those who enjoy direct interaction between authors and reviwers, is a line that runs very close to the one dividing introverts from extroverts.

I believe that authors who embrace responding to reviewers on review pages are betting that a) their fans are mostly extroverts or b) that tech changes are turning more extroverts into avid readers.


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Hugh Howey said:


> Same here. It never occurred to me that I shouldn't. I learned about this "rule" long after I'd formed a habit of breaking it.
> 
> Come to think of it, I break just about every writing rule out there. I like to head-hop; I enjoy -ly and -ing words; I like the passive voice; I'm big on prologues and epilogues; I price stuff too low; and on and on. Makes you wonder if the people concocting these "rules" truly have the best interest of their fellow writers in mind.


To listen or not to listen! That is the question! I've become such a very confused person now after this... @[email protected]


----------



## Carradee (Aug 21, 2010)

John Blackport said:


> This isn't about the author or the book. It's about the kind of interaction that the reader wants to have. Until recently, reading books for pleasure was invariably the undisputed domain of the INTROVERT.
> 
> Introverts enjoy interacting in different ways than extroverts, and I'll bet dollars to donuts that the division between those who enjoy direct interaction between authors and reviwers, is a line that runs very close to the one dividing introverts from extroverts.
> 
> I believe that authors who embrace responding to reviewers on review pages are betting that a) their fans are mostly extroverts or b) that tech changes are turning more extroverts into avid readers.


"introvert" = "recharged by time alone", while "extrovert" = "recharged by crowds"

That has *nothing* to do with shyness, discomfort communicating with others, etc.

I am an introvert. My own parents refused to believe me when I pointed that out, because I am _comfortable_ with chatting, crowds, strangers, etc. I _enjoy_ being social. I just have to spend time alone to recover afterward, and when I'm feeling crummy, I'm more likely to want to be left alone than to deal with people.


----------



## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

ellecasey said:


> Amen to all that, brothah.
> 
> Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. I can't imagine where I'd be today if I'd listened to all these people telling me what _not_ to do.


Hey, experts told me years ago that if I self-published, it would be the end of my career. They told me that agents would never look to indie bestsellers to cull talent. They told me a self-pubbed book couldn't be picked up, couldn't appear in bookstores, couldn't be a bestseller. They said you can't get print-only deals. I'm sure they're still saying stuff, but you can go a long way in the book biz by doing the opposite of whatever expert advice comes your way. This is more art than business. You have to do what feels right in your heart and what makes you happy. Otherwise, you aren't going to get up every morning and throw your back into it.

I've responded to a number of reviews for various reasons. Often, readers write reviews and include questions aimed directly at me. I like to answer these. I've chimed in a few times to defend reviewers who left negative reviews that I agreed with. I've also responded to reviews that were factually incorrect, as it seems unfair to readers to leave false information sitting there for public consumption. The trickiest reviews to respond to are the troll reviews, but I was bullied enough in school to not want to be bullied as an adult. When two reviews decrying the excessive sex in WOOL showed up the same day Entertainment Weekly compared WOOL to 50 SHADES OF GREY, I responded to assure readers that there was no gratuitous sex scenes in the book. And when reviewers intimate that my reviews are forged, that's when I really get steamed. I don't care if people say my writing sucks (I'll probably agree with them) or that my books stink (ditto), but to call me a cheat or to denigrate my readers who took time out of their day to leave a review . . . that's crossing the line. And I'd rather not sell another book for the rest of my life than allow an accusation like that to stand.

I've had amazing exchanges with reviewers -- several that brought me to tears and two that moved to email where forever-relationships formed and book dedications were born. There's no way I would give up this exchange with the readers I value because of fears over what the readers I don't care about threaten to do based on my handling of reviews. Will I lose a few readers this way? Absolutely. But as Elle said, I'd much rather form bonds with those who enjoy my work than worry about upsetting those who don't give me or my books a chance. I've seen a pattern in the past two years when it comes to my attitude toward reviews, and it seems to me that the people who don't read my books and who don't like me are the ones telling me I should be doing something different. I'm pretty sure these people are just looking out for my best interest and trying to help me solidify a stronger readership and garner more sales. Right? 

I still say do what feels right to you. That's how I've made my decisions. You have to be comfortable, first and foremost. Don't fake anything. Don't overthink anything. Just be yourself. Don't let the "rules" get in the way of that thought process. If someone hates you for being yourself, that's a good hate. If someone appreciates you for following "rules", that's not the appreciation you want.

And all of this is just my opinion. I reserve the right to admit later that I was 100% wrong about all of this.


----------



## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

If ever you choose to respond to critics and reviews, here's is how it's done:






Also, please let it be noted that I also reserve the right to admit later that Hugh Howey was 100-percent wrong about, well... everything.


----------



## dianasg (Jan 8, 2010)

> I still say do what feels right to you. That's how I've made my decisions. You have to be comfortable, first and foremost. Don't fake anything. Don't overthink anything. Just be yourself. Don't let the "rules" get in the way of that thought process. If someone hates you for being yourself, that's a good hate. If someone appreciates you for following "rules", that's not the appreciation you want.


*applause*

That was like a TED Talk!


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Hugh Howey said:


> Hey, experts told me years ago that if I self-published, it would be the end of my career. They told me that agents would never look to indie bestsellers to cull talent. They told me a self-pubbed book couldn't be picked up, couldn't appear in bookstores, couldn't be a bestseller. They said you can't get print-only deals. I'm sure they're still saying stuff, but you can go a long way in the book biz by doing the opposite of whatever expert advice comes your way. This is more art than business. You have to do what feels right in your heart and what makes you happy. Otherwise, you aren't going to get up every morning and throw your back into it.
> 
> I've responded to a number of reviews for various reasons. Often, readers write reviews and include questions aimed directly at me. I like to answer these. I've chimed in a few times to defend reviewers who left negative reviews that I agreed with. I've also responded to reviews that were factually incorrect, as it seems unfair to readers to leave false information sitting there for public consumption. The trickiest reviews to respond to are the troll reviews, but I was bullied enough in school to not want to be bullied as an adult. When two reviews decrying the excessive sex in WOOL showed up the same day Entertainment Weekly compared WOOL to 50 SHADES OF GREY, I responded to assure readers that there was no gratuitous sex scenes in the book. And when reviewers intimate that my reviews are forged, that's when I really get steamed. I don't care if people say my writing sucks (I'll probably agree with them) or that my books stink (ditto), but to call me a cheat or to denigrate my readers who took time out of their day to leave a review . . . that's crossing the line. And I'd rather not sell another book for the rest of my life than allow an accusation like that to stand.
> 
> ...


Thank you, Hugh. This post just made my day. So inspiring!
And yes, you really should do a TED talk @[email protected]


----------



## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

IF

Men are from Mars

AND IF

Women are from Venus

AND IF

Hugh Howey is from Jupiter....

WHERE

is David Adams from, really?


----------



## Joshua Dalzelle (Jun 12, 2013)

H.Y. Hanna (Big Honey Dog Mysteries) said:


> Reading through this thread, the thing that strikes me is that a lot of the people who are uncomfortable or undecided talk about it terms of ROI and stuff like that...and I think that's the problem.


I'm neither uncomfortable nor undecided. I know why I don't read/respond to reviews, but I also accept that many people do and it works great for some and is an abysmal failure for others. But there are a few misconceptions I've noticed.

Amazon is making a TON of money off indie content right now and is letting things run pretty loose, but keep in mind that isn't YOUR product page. Amazon owns the page, device, network, and infrastructure that your content is on. If the review sections really got out of hand and a sizable enough number of paying customers complained I can almost guarantee steps would be taken and new controls would be put in place (just like why there are bots sniffing out fake and sock puppet reviews now.) While they love indies, they love their customers' money even more.

Product reviews are for the customers. That's the only reason they exist. That's why the same review system is used for best-selling novels as is for 6-packs of gym socks. (I just bought socks... it was the only example I could think of.) It isn't a "forum" despite the comment option making it seem that way, that's why Amazon also has a forum. For the people that do interact there, just keep in mind you're in international waters... just because it's your content on the page doesn't mean you have any form of control there (this is where I mostly see things go bad when authors push back on reviewers.)

Now that we're WAY off topic here: as to the OP... does saying "thank you" on a review really mean droves of angry readers will boycott your work and eviscerate you on goodreads? No. You may deter some from buying your next book but it's not likely to have an appreciable effect. So with that in mind, why bother at all? (Speaking for myself here.)

Also, times change fast in this landscape. The simple "thank you" aside, there are more than a few VERY successful authors who routinely and aggressively take reviewers to task about why their opinion is wrong. To back up one of Elle's points, one of these guys has a series with 47North, so Amazon is perfectly content to let it ride for now. But these guys/gals are well established and already have a massive fan base. If a new author would try that tactic I have a feeling it wouldn't end so well for them.


----------



## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

disclaimer:i am typing on my pw from tok alaska so ther will be typos.

i am a rrader not a writer but i do not think that makes my opinion les valid.  actualy i think that readers redponding here is a go thing, you get abetter cros section.

respondong to reviews works for some people.
responding to reviewshas gone bady for some people.
some readers love responses
some readrs don't care
and some reaferd are creeped out by it

and some readers bade their purchases on author behavior on public fora.

you can't please everyone, but you shoud respect them.


----------



## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> The only reviewer I've responded to lately is Cinisajoy. She called me Ubu and it went something like this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Dang it, I cannot see the first video. Now I do believe that I accused you of making me burn dinner. It is your fault completely that I got so engrossed in laughing at your book that I forgot I was cooking.
See if I read anymore of your books. You are just plain hazardous.


----------



## cinisajoy (Mar 10, 2013)

Since I have been paged to this thread I will give my complete and unbiased opinion.
I do not follow my own reviews on Amazon so I would not know if an author responded to me there.  
Now I do like interacting with the authors, so I find them on facebook or go to their blog.  I have also been known to PM them here.  
Some authors are great and just listening to them speak, makes me want to go find their books and read them.  This method works fairly well except for maybe Hugh Howey.  I have tried 3 times to read Wool and I just cannot get into it.   

I think each person should do what they think is best for them.  

As far as what people think of me, well that is entirely their choice.  If you love me, great.  If you like me, great. If you think I am the biggest b**** that ever lived, well that is ok with me because you really don't matter to me.  

Now where would I be if I listened to everyone that said I shouldn't do something.  I have no clue but I can pretty much guess it would not be sitting here typing out this post.


----------



## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Threads like this always remind me that the question isn't, "Should authors reply to reviews?" but rather, "Should individual I reply to reviews?" There's plenty of evidence here that some authors really should not ever reply to reviews, or posts, or emails, or even speak in public. Others do fine and probably would sell more books if they did. Others sell less. Others it makes no difference to their sales, and others are merely the butt of jokes. Still others could write a book based on their replies that would be more interesting than their actual books. Still others make no impact whatosever in any way and it's like their talking into the wind.

In the end, you gotta follow the golden rule of replying to reviews: don't be batcrap crazy, unless you write in a genre where batcrap crazy sells. In that case, be as batcrap crazy as your sanity allows. You'll sell more books. 

Now, if you will excuse me, I'm off to research batcrap crazy tolerant genres....


----------



## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

Carradee said:


> In many places (like the Amazon store), the reviews are meant for fellow *readers*, not the writers of the text. The writer commenting on the review can sound as if they're stalking, obsessive, or sarcastic.


How do we know that? Amazon publishes the reviews, and doesn't tell us who they are meant for.



> I can't see ANY purpose in responding 2 years late to a comment from 2011


.

The purpose can be to engage with consumers while they are on the product page.



> > It depends on how you want to present yourself. For me, commenting on reviews is amateurish and unnecessary


I'm an amateur, and I'm happy to take on the professionals in the market or in discussion.



> A review isn't really someone expressing appreciation for your work. It's someone telling their friends/other people about a book they read. If they wanted to express appreciation then they could contact you directly--in that case it would be most appropriate to thank them.


Consumers certainly can express appreciation via direct contact. However, observation shows many choose to do it with reviews. Consumers are not constrained by any rules limiting their use of the review section on an Amazon book page.



> realize a review is a bit different: you've put your baby out there and naturally want it to be accepted. But I think it's probably wiser to avoid reading the reviews. Sure, it's great if people like it, but if they don't. . . And the fact that, so often, people then come here upset at something that's been said kind of proves my point. So the better thing to do is just get on writing the next book


Perhaps we should also consider the people who don't come here upset at something. What does that prove? The better thing depends in the individual author.



> Ann brings up a good point... the only people who would know you commented would be the people who go back to see if their reviews have any comments in the first place, so they may be looking for some type of response in the first place. Most probably are never aware of it.


One of the great unknowns in all this is how many consumers read reviews. Anybody know? If we don't know how many read reviews, we also don't know how many read the comments on the reviews.


----------



## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

cinisajoy said:


> Now where would I be if I listened to everyone that said I shouldn't do something. I have no clue but I can pretty much guess it would not be sitting here typing out this post.


Umm, hazarding a guess: you'd still be Cin. And perhaps just slightly less joyful because you weren't reading as much?


----------



## WHDean (Nov 2, 2011)

ellecasey said:


> You need to read my comments closer. The point I was making is _not_ that I've even considered suing anyone (in fact said "of course" I wouldn't). Nobody rattled any legal spears. My point was and is that there's a reason why people (like me) get upset over being called a stalker. It's beyond the bounds of civil decency to call people certain names, and accusing them of criminal wrongdoing falls into that category. The law says so, so I don't need your approval or opinion on it. It's a fact in every State of the US and it's a fact at the Federal level as well.
> 
> If I called you a molester or a rapist after you made a flirtatious comment on KB, would you be offended? Would you consider that to be something that should be moderated on a forum that prides itself in civility? I think so. I certainly would expect someone to step in and moderate that kind of behavior, just like I expect it in this instance.
> 
> ...


Well, your responses here illustrate the pitfall of engaging reviewers. You mentioned up thread that you walked that-very delicate-line between criticisms of you and criticisms of your book when you engage reviewers. Yet you've just had trouble here distinguishing between people saying they feel stalked by writers who engage reviewers on Amazon and people accusing you of (what amounts to) the very serious crime of stalking. To me, the line between feelings about a practice and defamation is far brighter and far broader than the one between criticizing and book and criticizing its author, so I'm naturally sceptical that anyone successfully navigates the finer line.

Now, you might be inclined to respond with "That's not exactly what I said or meant." But that only proves my point. We all know words are not perfectly transparent, and they're much more opaque when composed by people who aren't proficient writers-like reviewers. Intentions are also hard to discern. Howey's replies to reviewers, for example, probably seem light-hearted to him, his friends, and his fans-and they don't strike me quite as they used to, because he writes here all the time, I have more of a feel for the guy. But that's not how they struck me when I read them the first time, and the fact that he responded to low-level criticism (i.e., the "this bouk sux!!!" crowd) struck me as defensive. [ETA:] My point is not to suggest that his responses were "objectively defensive," only that they struck me that way. And how people see words in different ways is the whole reason artists have historically kept the personal and artistic separate.


----------



## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

> Now, you might be inclined to respond with "That's not exactly what I said or meant." But that only proves my point.


What point?


----------



## strath (Dec 31, 2012)

I once responded to a reviewer over at Goodreads. He correctly slammed my book for its spelling and grammar errors. I thanked him for his comments,  admitted to my newbie mistakes, and offered him an updated/corrected edition. A few days later I noticed he'd raised his star rating from 2 stars to 3 stars.

I am most grateful. That said, I usually make it a rule to not reply to reviews. They paid their money and are therefore entitled to make their opinions known. So far I've been lucky to have sincere and well intentioned reviews from folks that seem to have actually read the thing. Reviews are a learning experience so I try to learn from them.


----------



## Mandy (Dec 27, 2009)

I'm a reader, and I personally enjoy and appreciate it when an author interacts with me, whether in response to my review, through Facebook, through KB, etc. It doesn't appear stalkerish when an author replies to my review; it makes me think they appreciate my taking the time to leave a review. If I liked the book _and_ the author leaves a pleasant reply, I'm even more likely to purchase their other books. I'm also more likely to recommend the book. When I leave a review, it's not _solely_ for other readers. At some point in the review, I often speak directly to the author, just to say, "Hey, I really liked your book." The only time I dislike an author's reply to a review is when they say, "I'm sorry you didn't like my book, but..." That will quickly get an author blacklisted.


----------



## BellaRoccaforte (May 26, 2013)

I thank all of my reviewers that post to their blogs - good or bad review and most I will say in respect to the actual content of the review is that "I'm so glad you liked it." 

The reason I comment on the review if it's on a blog post is because it helps the blogger to have comments on their blog and it's the least I can do for someone taking the time to read and review my book. But I would never say anything inflammatory. Simply something like this - "Thank you so much for taking the time to review my book!"


----------



## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

A lot of people find the content of my books off-putting. The characters use foul language, there's a lot of gore, teens have sex, gay people exist, whatever. If a reader dislikes that kind of content, they won't buy more of my books. Readers who like it (or at least don't mind it) will carry on. I'm shaping my audience by making these content choices.

I think responding to reviews is a similarly audience-shaping activity. You'll lose the readers who find it unpleasant and keep those who like it. You don't need to risk offending your readers with a response, though. I mean, I've never heard of a reader that dropped an author because s/he didn't respond to their review. It seem like it should be a "safe" choice. But hey hey, some people like to live life on the edge. Obviously.

That said, there's a difference between someone who responds politely to his/her readers' reviews and someone who is confrontational, belittling, or attempts to invalidate the reader's opinion. I don't think anyone can objectively say that the former, as Elle seems to do, is definitely "wrong," and I'll side eye anyone who tries to defend the latter.

If you really want to respond, just be nice about it, is all. And keep in mind that it will influence your long-term readership, like everything else we do.


----------



## WHDean (Nov 2, 2011)

Mandy said:


> I'm a reader, and I personally enjoy and appreciate it when an author interacts with me, whether in response to my review, through Facebook, through KB, etc. It doesn't appear stalkerish when an author replies to my review; it makes me think they appreciate my taking the time to leave a review. If I liked the book _and_ the author leaves a pleasant reply, I'm even more likely to purchase their other books. I'm also more likely to recommend the book. When I leave a review, it's not _solely_ for other readers. At some point in the review, I often speak directly to the author, just to say, "Hey, I really liked your book." The only time I dislike an author's reply to a review is when they say, "I'm sorry you didn't like my book, but..." That will quickly get an author blacklisted.


Mandy provides a good illustration of the problem. She doesn't mind authors responding to her reviews...unless someone says the wrong thing. I'm not criticizing Mandy in saying this, by the way, because everyone is like this, and each person has different comfort zones and ideas about what should and shouldn't be said and when lines have been crossed. The only safe course, as Reiney said, is to avoid getting involved. You could very well loose two readers for every new one gained.


----------



## R.V. Doon (Apr 1, 2013)

There is 'food for thought' in this thread.

Recently, I friended someone on GR because I liked her book reviews on a series I thought about reading. Her reply was she didn't friend authors because although we read, we have an 'other agenda.' I'm cool with her choices, just like I'm cool with writers who respond to reviews. 

I think Twitter is changing the feedback game. Most of us like getting replies, maybe the same feeling has leaked into the review comments.


----------



## Mandy (Dec 27, 2009)

WHDean said:


> Mandy provides a good illustration of the problem. She doesn't mind authors responding to her reviews...unless someone says the wrong thing. I'm not criticizing Mandy in saying this, by the way, because everyone is like this, and each person has different comfort zones and ideas about what should and shouldn't be said and when lines have been crossed. The only safe course, as Reiney said, is to avoid getting involved. You could very well loose two readers for every new one gained.


I absolutely understand where you're coming from, but wanted to clarify my post, just in case. The thing that turns me off to an author's reply is when they see a bad review and get defensive and self-righteous. I see nothing wrong with a polite response to a negative review, but I _don't_ like when an author responds with a "I'm sorry you didn't like my book but I've done nothing wrong and tons of readers like me, so your opinion is invalid" kinda statement.

I just looked up the book review I'd last saw this behavior in. I'd share, but 1) I think the author was at least at one time a KB member, and 2) she's deleted her most scathing comments on that review. However, the damage is done; several readers who were interested in the book (including myself) were turned off by her behavior.

I think responding to reviews carries its risks, but it will mostly be fine, and even rewarding, if it's done tactfully. If you honestly have nothing good to say in reply, it's best ignored. But if you genuinely want to thank the reader for purchasing, reading, and reviewing your book, or answer questions they may have, then go for it. Worse case scenario - you try it out with a few reviews and see the response (or lack of) isn't worth the risk.


----------



## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

> You could very well loose two readers for every new one gained.


You could very well gain two new readers for every one lost.


----------



## Vivienne Mathews (May 7, 2013)

AngryGames said:


> I think maybe the point that is getting lost in the storm of opinions in this thread is that everyone is entitled to their own opinions. It doesn't make one's opinion right or wrong, it just means that person believes in something...and maybe another person does not.
> 
> ... to tell other authors that they are 'doing it wrong' or putting a label on other authors because you don't agree with what they believe is good for their own career...I'm not sure how that is being helpful at all.


^This.

To date, I've personally only responded to one review. A reader's glowing, witty words made me laugh hard enough to spit coffee on my screen, and I thought she deserved to know as much. Hopefully, the exchange didn't make her uncomfortable -- the thought had honestly never occurred to me. 

Just personal opinion, but I think the dyed-in-the-wool rules make us second guess our instincts. I know bloody well that those who take the time to comment on my books are likely far more successful in their own lives than I am in mine, and I am GRATEFUL that they took the time to make their opinions known. Author or reader, people are people are people. If the conversation/exchange is no different from one you might have in a coffee shop, there should be no need for all of this uncertainty.

Whatever your opinions, _you _must do what is right for _you_. It will work out or it won't. C'est la vie.


----------



## Darren Wearmouth (Jan 28, 2013)

I respond to direct questions.


----------



## swolf (Jun 21, 2010)

I like to use my internet skills to find out personal information about the reviewer, and then casually mention it in my reply. For example:



> Thank you for buying my book, 'Impregnating my Teenage Daughter', and taking the time to review it. I'm sorry that the formatting didn't meet your expectations, and you felt it only deserved one star. Perhaps you'd have better luck with the hardcover version. I'm going to ship that to you free of charge. I see you live on Westminster Drive with your wife and two teenage daughters. Expect the copy soon. Thanks again!


I find it gives the readers a warm and fuzzy feeling when I go out of my way to be personable. So much so that some of them even delete their bad reviews.


----------



## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

swolf said:


> I like to use my internet skills to find out personal information about the reviewer, and then casually mention it in my reply. For example:
> 
> I find it gives the readers a warm and fuzzy feeling when I go out of my way to be personable. So much so that some of them even delete their bad reviews.


You've got a wicked sense of humor.


----------



## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Hugh Howey said:


> You've got a wicked sense of humor.


He's got a wicked something, all right... not even interested in what...


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Another update!

A reader responded to one of my recent replies to their reviews, and they were extremely nice and even said that they were now a new fan of my other works! They didn't seem at all freaked out or anything that I replied to them.


----------



## Mandy (Dec 27, 2009)

RM Prioleau said:


> Another update!
> 
> A reader responded to one of my recent replies to their reviews, and they were extremely nice and even said that they were now a new fan of my other works! They didn't seem at all freaked out or anything that I replied to them.


You had responded to my review also and it was nicely done. Even though you cleared up my confusion about the flash fiction piece here on KB, it was good to respond to the review so that other potential buyers could make an informed decision. Thank you!


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Mandy said:


> You had responded to my review also and it was nicely done. Even though you cleared up my confusion about the flash fiction piece here on KB, it was good to respond to the review so that other potential buyers could make an informed decision. Thank you!


 No, thank _you!_


----------



## Nope (Jun 25, 2012)

.


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

C.C. Kelly said:


> See, now you are going to go and make us question all the rules. This business does change quickly.
> New rule - always respond to reviews?


Haha maybe? Just make sure you have thick skin just in case


----------



## Joseph Turkot (Nov 9, 2012)

I've also been replying to all my reviews. Two have replied so far. One reiterated his original point about the book being just okay, and the other was pretty cool with my reply and said she'd be checking out my next book. One good reason you should do this, if your situation mirrors mine, is that some people complain of a short story: It was good but I wish it was longer! Write more! The replying has let me let reviewers know that because of their reviews, I am about to publish a full-length horror/mystery novel. This way we can drum up interest in a book before it releases (potentially), at least in my case, since so many wanted to see a longer work in the genre.


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Joseph Turkot said:


> I've also been replying to all my reviews. Two have replied so far. One reiterated his original point about the book being just okay, and the other was pretty cool with my reply and said she'd be checking out my next book. One good reason you should do this, if your situation mirrors mine, is that some people complain of a short story: It was good but I wish it was longer! Write more! The replying has let me let reviewers know that because of their reviews, I am about to publish a full-length horror/mystery novel. This way we can drum up interest in a book before it releases (potentially), at least in my case, since so many wanted to see a longer work in the genre.


That's great! I'm glad it's working for you, too!


----------



## Darren Wearmouth (Jan 28, 2013)

I did today to 'King Rat'. He/She has left one star reviews on .com and co.uk in the space of six days and is also a good candidate for the vulgar facebook messages.


----------



## Dolphin (Aug 22, 2013)

DAWearmouth said:


> I did today to 'King Rat'. He/She has left one star reviews on .com and co.uk in the space of six days and is also a good candidate for the vulgar facebook messages.


I liked the vulgar Facebook message. Opprobrium without context or content might be an even purer form of flattery than imitation.

I still can't shake the feeling that engaging with the haters like this isn't helpful. I love all my haters, or at least I love to fantasize about someday having enough exposure to draw them. None of your one-stars are particularly convincing.


----------



## Darren Wearmouth (Jan 28, 2013)

Dolphin said:


> I liked the vulgar Facebook message. Opprobrium without context or content might be an even purer form of flattery than imitation.
> 
> I still can't shake the feeling that engaging with the haters like this isn't helpful. I love all my haters, or at least I love to fantasize about someday having enough exposure to draw them. None of your one-stars are particularly convincing.


I don't really want to engage with them either. I think some are from a small press we sent our MS to a few months ago, they offered to publish but we decided it wasn't ready and put a lot more work in before deciding to self-publish (what they wanted to publish was far worse than the finished product). The person in question fired all kinds of abuse and petty threats our way. The language some of the reviews employ seems remarkably similar, one appeared on the UK site with a location as (Florida) and panned the book for being poorly edited with loads of spelling mistakes, which I like to think is untrue, we had two rounds of editing. This is the location of the Small Press' server.


----------



## ElisaBlaisdell (Jun 3, 2012)

DAWearmouth said:


> I did today to 'King Rat'. He/She has left one star reviews on .com and co.uk in the space of six days and is also a good candidate for the vulgar facebook messages.


I don't quite get the point of commenting on the one-star review, just to point out that he left a one-star review on the UK site too--did I miss something?


----------



## Darren Wearmouth (Jan 28, 2013)

ElisaBlaisdell said:


> I don't quite get the point of commenting on the one-star review, just to point out that he left a one-star review on the UK site too--did I miss something?


They're six days apart and different. I think I'll delete the link.


----------



## C.F. (Jan 6, 2011)

I didn't read the whole thread, but here's my thoughts.

In the past, I've never really minded when authors responded to reviews. I've thought about doing it, but then I realize I just don't have the time. It's difficult to keep up with every reader who emails me and posts on my site and responding to those is mandatory since they sought me out for interaction.

*However, this thread changed my mind.* I read the reviews and comments by authors who regularly comment on reviews and I didn't like it for one main reason: it made the Amazon book page feel like the author's personal fan club and it would make me hesitant to leave a negative review knowing that the author and all their chummy reviewers (that's what it sounds like when an author mentions being able to count on so-and-so for a good review and so-and-so has been such a good long term supporter) are going to read it. Doing anything that might make a person feel intimidated about leaving their honest opinion about a book is a gray area. I don't think any authors who comment on reviews are doing it for that reason, and it probably hasn't even crossed their minds.

I wouldn't leave a negative review if I saw an author responding to all of them. I just wouldn't want to deal with the author and their fans.

Looking at examples on Amazon, it feels like authors who respond to reviews are kind of claiming their territory and making the review section a little fan club even though I logically know that is not their intention and they are the nicest, most humble, and gracious people. If I think that, knowing these authors here on Kboards and having such high opinions of them, what does an average reviewer/reader think?

I never thought one of these threads would so drastically change my mind.


----------



## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

RM, don't worry. It's never to late to respond to a review and have Amazon minions come down on you for it.


----------



## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

> If I think that, knowing these authors here on Kboards and having such high opinions of them, what does an average reviewer/reader think?


Is there an average opinion? I suspect the range of ideas is so wide we can't settle on what the average reviewer or reader thinks. We don't even know what percent of consumers read the Amazon reviews.


----------



## 1131 (Dec 18, 2008)

Terrence OBrien said:


> Is there an average opinion? I suspect the range of ideas is so wide we can't settle on what the average reviewer or reader thinks. We don't even know what percent of consumers read the Amazon reviews.


Various marketing strategies exist for this reason. I'm turned off by authors who respond to reviews. I don't think the review section is the place for reader author interaction. I think it skews the reviews because generally people don't like to hurt others. Or they don't want the drama. Or lots of other reasons. You've seen the posts here i.e. author responds to reviews, stars are raised or reviews removed. Hell, I removed reviews (Not because of an author but to avoid drama and stop the PMs from fans). Some reviewers follow their reviews but I suspect, based on review comments I've read, that most don't. This probably varies by genre and readers expectations of a specific author.

I only speak for myself. Others can agree. Others can disagree. If you respond to your reviews you may lose me as a potential customer. Big deal, I'm one person. The reader who says they like to engage authors on the review page is one person. Together we exist to drive authors crazy.


----------



## EC Sheedy (Feb 24, 2011)

imallbs said:


> If you respond to your reviews you may lose me as a potential customer. Big deal, I'm one person. The reader who says they like to engage authors on the review page is one person. Together we exist to drive authors crazy.


And between us we do an excellent job.


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

CraigInTwinCities said:


> RM, don't worry. It's never to late to respond to a review and have Amazon minions come down on you for it.


So far they haven't *knock on wood* ... though I wonder why they even would bother?


----------



## scottmarlowe (Apr 22, 2010)

Patty Jansen said:


> Authors responding to reviews creeps me the hell out.
> 
> I once had a major author post a review I wrote on a blog. I have not touched that author since.
> 
> I do respond to Facebook messages and other correspondence that is directed at me.


I've read this same thing from more than one person in the past. I tend to not engage with readers unless there's a previous personal connection. I may "like" a review on GR, but I won't go beyond that.


----------



## LinaG (Jun 18, 2012)

As a reader, I hate it when authors respond to reviews on Amazon. I never leave reviews for them again, and may not buy their books.  It feels as if I'm being "watched."  My reviews are there to help other readers choose a book, not to help authors communicate with me or sell more books. Author interaction has watered down the usefulness of book reviews as I now no longer read five star reviews and go straight to the three star reviews left for books I'm considering (unless the book has hundreds of reviews.) 

The three star reviews are generally more critical, and not always in a bad way. The reviews by people who didn't "get" the book are obvious and those are easy to discount. I'm after a critical thinking process when I read a review so often a three star review says something that will lead me to buy the book.  Usually I just want to know the tone of the book, (is it a cozy mystery?  a technothriller?) and does the book execute, you know fulfill the promise of the premise. Sometimes five star reviews don't tell you those things.

I usually avoid the first five or so reviews that appear clustered after the publication date, since those are almost certainly reviews by friends or family.

Then again, successful interaction with reviewers may be dependent upon the age of your target/core audience.  Younger readers who are used to more contact, might get a kick out of it and it might help you.

This question may get another set of great answers if you post over on  the reader's side of these boards. I think that would give you some valuable responses to help you make your decision.

I didn't read through all the responses to this thread, so my thoughts might be redundant. 

good luck,

Li


----------



## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

LinaG said:


> As a reader, I hate it when authors respond to reviews on Amazon. I never leave reviews for them again, and may not buy their books. It feels as if I'm being "watched." My reviews are there to help other readers choose a book, not to help authors communicate with me or sell more books. Author interaction has watered down the usefulness of book reviews as I now no longer read five star reviews and go straight to the three star reviews left for books I'm considering (unless the book has hundreds of reviews.)
> 
> The three star reviews are generally more critical, and not always in a bad way. The reviews by people who didn't "get" the book are obvious and those are easy to discount. I'm after a critical thinking process when I read a review so often a three star review says something that will lead me to buy the book. Usually I just want to know the tone of the book, (is it a cozy mystery? a technothriller?) and does the book execute, you know fulfill the promise of the premise. Sometimes five star reviews don't tell you those things.
> 
> ...


Great idea! Thanks! I've posted a poll in the NQK forum about it.


----------



## Terrence OBrien (Oct 21, 2010)

> My reviews are there to help other readers choose a book, not to help authors communicate with me or sell more books.


Amazon is using reviews to sell more books. That's why they are there.


----------



## Austin_Briggs (Aug 21, 2011)

Way before I became an author myself, I posted a review which had both negative and positive points, and the book’s author responded with a detailed defense that the typos were due to the editor, and poor printing was due to the publisher, and thanking me for the review. 

I felt obliged to respond, and in fact changed my 3-star rating to a 4-star rating (I just felt guilty leaving 3 stars for that sensitive author and wanted him to feel better). I already had that author’s second book in the series, but . . . I’ve never read it and never bought another book by that writer.

Every time I look at that book, I’m reminded that the author looms somewhere in the Internets, waiting for me to review his next book. And if I say that the book has typos (and I know it does), he’ll play the victim again. That “creeps me out”.

At the same time ... I carefully interacted with several people who reviewed my books on GR, and some of them became good friends.


----------



## scottmarlowe (Apr 22, 2010)

If you want to see how an author commenting on a review can quickly spiral out of control, take a looksee here (apologies if someone already posted):

http://thebooksmugglers.com/2013/07/smugglers-ponderings-on-the-peter-grant-series-by-ben-aarnovitch.html

Scroll down to the author's first comment and it just goes from there.


----------



## Hugh Howey (Feb 11, 2012)

scottmarlowe said:


> If you want to see how an author commenting on a review can quickly spiral out of control, take a looksee here (apologies if someone already posted):
> 
> http://thebooksmugglers.com/2013/07/smugglers-ponderings-on-the-peter-grant-series-by-ben-aarnovitch.html
> 
> Scroll down to the author's first comment and it just goes from there.


I think the person who came across poorly here is the blogger.


----------



## scottmarlowe (Apr 22, 2010)

Hugh Howey said:


> I think the person who came across poorly here is the blogger.


I'd agree. She seemed to overreact a bit. But, so it goes on the internet.


----------



## Joshua Dalzelle (Jun 12, 2013)

The blogger overreacted, but there was still a pile-on the author could have avoided by just leaving it alone. No matter how good his intentions (and he was a bit condescending) he accomplished nothing but a heap of ill-will and negative association.  

That's why I also temper my remarks about reviews on other websites. While I leave the product reviews alone on Amazon altogether, I have been tempted on a few blogs to respond or reach out to the blogger to say thanks or explain points of the story (temptation I have thus far avoided.) This site is a good example. More than one author has come to the writer's cafe to vent about a review thinking it's safe harbor and not realizing that the KB site is populated mostly by readers and can see what is being said. A recent one wasn't even derogatory about the reader and it still turned into a bit of a thing at first.  

Just some of the potential pitfalls an author needs to be aware of.


----------



## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

RM Prioleau said:


> So far they haven't *knock on wood* ... though I wonder why they even would bother?


Good that they haven't.


----------



## Dolphin (Aug 22, 2013)

caethesfaron said:


> ...I read the reviews and comments by authors who regularly comment on reviews and I didn't like it for one main reason: it made the Amazon book page feel like the author's personal fan club and it would make me hesitant to leave a negative review knowing that the author and all their chummy reviewers (that's what it sounds like when an author mentions being able to count on so-and-so for a good review and so-and-so has been such a good long term supporter) are going to read it. Doing anything that might make a person feel intimidated about leaving their honest opinion about a book is a gray area. I don't think any authors who comment on reviews are doing it for that reason, and it probably hasn't even crossed their minds.
> 
> I wouldn't leave a negative review if I saw an author responding to all of them. I just wouldn't want to deal with the author and their fans.
> 
> Looking at examples on Amazon, it feels like authors who respond to reviews are kind of claiming their territory and making the review section a little fan club even though I logically know that is not their intention and they are the nicest, most humble, and gracious people....


I wanted to highlight this section of your post, Caethes, because it's brilliant. I think you're right that Elle and Hugh didn't settle on this approach specifically for these reasons-they did it because they're magical unicorn people-but you're absolutely onto something here.

Why does commenting on reviews work for some people? I hope Elle and Hugh will forgive me for speculating, but perhaps the simple act of responding to every review serves to discourage critical reviews, and encourage chummy nice ones. Perhaps it works because it's a _good idea_ and not simply because they're good at it. It allows you to leverage peer pressure and your authority as the author to shape public opinion-not just _how_ opinion is expressed, but _which_ opinions are expressed, and by _whom._ It's not a question of rebutting critiques so much as preventing them. It's a prophylactic measure.

Not sure where that leaves the rest of us, though. Viewed in that light, it's also a very cynical idea. I'm not naturally inclined to do it, and certainly I'm one of the people who finds it alienating as a reader, but it makes sense to me now. I really think you're onto something here.


----------

